Lesson correlates with National Business Education Association National Standards for Business Education, 1995, Reston, Virginia.
Standard I. Awareness...Achievement Standard: Explain the role of international business and analyze its impact on careers and doing business at the local, state, national, and international levels.
C. Career Opportunities
Level 3 (Secondary)- Performance Expectations: create a plan to obtain the skills/qualifications to enter a selected international business career.

Preparing For Careers in International Business

TIME REQUIRED: Two 50-minute class periods
RECOMMENDED GRADE: Grades 11-12


 
MAJOR CONCEPTS: Discovery of career resources.
Research of college programs
Learning techniques for informational interviews
 
 
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Research newspapers to find several careers that would require an international involvement.
2. Utilize resources in the school Career Center, career resources available in the school or local library, personal interviews with Human Resources Departments of international businesses, or other resources which may be available, to find information about requirements for employment in careers requiring international involvement. Choose a career title that you think would interest you, and if possible, a company that requires the use of someone in that area of expertise.
3. Utilize resources such as college catalogs, transfer information, and counselors to find information about colleges and universities offering International Business programs, and specifically, the training needed for the career you have chosen to research.
4. Develop a college plan which would allow you to attain the training and skills needed to apply for the position you have chosen. What colleges/universities would you choose for the program you are researching? Are there some colleges/universities that would offer you the opportunity to work and train abroad?


 
MATERIALS: Much of this assignment must be done in a library, career center, college counseling center, or on the internet.
RATIONALE: Lecture and discussion about international business, accompanied by news  articles, business reports, want ads, and current job statistics should enable students to focus on three or four careers of interest to them personally.  (Some suggestions would include broad-scope careers, such as international marketing, transportation management, or import/export management. Students may recognize specific corporations they would wish to work for and may even call those companies to find specific job information that is required.)
 
 
PROCEDURE: 1. Students will write a report that will include:
  • Chosen career title, international company(ies) in  which this area of expertise might be utilized;
  • At least one college/university offering such training;
  • Discussion about how training might be obtained: i.e., education abroad, or internships.

2. Students will present their report orally and be prepared to discuss their findings with the class.
EVALUATION: Evaluation can be accomplished on the basis of typewritten report and oral presentation, but should also include the research effort insight the student gives to making this a useful and informative and assignment.
 
 
AUTHOR: Rosemary Piserchio, College of San Mateo, San Bruno, CA.  
EDITORS: Les Dlabay, Lake Forrest College, Wildwood, IL. Robert Ristau, Eastern Michigan University (ret.), Ypsilanti, MI.

 

Click here to download Microsoft Word version of the plan including handouts.