{"id":10802,"date":"2025-12-16T10:09:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preprod.sts-education.com\/high-school\/before-your-year-abroad\/benefits-of-a-year-abroad\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:54:50","slug":"benefits-of-a-year-abroad","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sts-education.com\/en-nz\/high-school\/before-your-year-abroad\/benefits-of-a-year-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits Of A Year Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"wp-block-sts-hero sts-block-hero is-variant-full-background has-text-light has-background-media\" style=\"--sts-hero-padding-mobile:0px;--sts-hero-padding-desktop:0px;--sts-hero-text-color:var(--wp--preset--color--base-10, #fff);\" data-variant=\"full-background\"><div class=\"sts-block-hero__background\"><picture class=\"sts-responsive-image has-fit-cover is-skeleton\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cdn.sts-education.com\/13427_hero_lg_xl.jpg\" alt=\"What will I get out of a year abroad?\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"low\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/picture><span class=\"sts-block-hero__overlay\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"sts-block-hero__inner\"><div class=\"sts-block-hero__content has-align-center\"><div class=\"sts-block-hero__content-inner\"><h1 class=\"sts-block-hero__heading\">What will I get out of a year abroad?<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-sts-text sts-text-editor has-max-width-md\"><div class=\"sts-text-editor__content\"><div class=\"sts-text-editor__content-inner\">\n<p>When you return from your high school exchange year, you will realize just how much living and studying abroad has given you: new friends, new language skills, experiences of different cultures, more self-confidence, tons of fun experiences and wonderful memories. You will also have fantastic international experience to add to your CV \u2013 and that is truly an advantage for you in the future.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Why an exchange year is an investment in your future:<\/h2>\n\n<ul><li><strong>A head start.<\/strong> The experience of living and studying abroad, and speaking another language fluently provide numerous advantages. That will stand out when you apply to higher education programs and jobs in the future!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal growth.<\/strong> Being curious and challenging yourself will enrich your life. It will help you develop many qualities that are sought after in working life, like independence, social skills, and taking initiative.<\/li>\n<li><strong>An international network of friends.<\/strong> You will get an extra family and new best friends in another country. Be sure to stay in touch, because it\u2019s a wonderful asset to have friends all over the world. An international network is invaluable, both in your private life and for your future career.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A new perspective on your own culture.<\/strong> Studying in a different country will help you expand your view of the world. You will see your own culture through new eyes and learn a lot about yourself. What do you like about your new country? What is different? It is also fun to be able to share the traditions and values of your country when you are away.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-sts-video sts-block-video sts-block-video--landscape has-max-width-lg\"><div class=\"sts-video sts-video--landscape\"><div class=\"sts-video__handler\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"sts-video__play-button\" aria-label=\"Play video\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-playing=\"false\"><span class=\"sts-video__play-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"play-icon\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3csvg%20width='32'%20height='32'%20viewBox='0%200%2032%2032'%20fill='none'%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%3e%3cmask%20id='mask0_2459_8201'%20style='mask-type:alpha'%20maskUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20width='32'%20height='32'%3e%3crect%20width='32'%20height='32'%20fill='%23D9D9D9'\/%3e%3c\/mask%3e%3cg%20mask='url(%23mask0_2459_8201)'%3e%3cpath%20d='M10.667%2022.8999V9.09993C10.667%208.72216%2010.8003%208.40549%2011.067%208.14993C11.3337%207.89438%2011.6448%207.7666%2012.0003%207.7666C12.1114%207.7666%2012.2281%207.78327%2012.3503%207.8166C12.4725%207.84993%2012.5892%207.89993%2012.7003%207.9666L23.567%2014.8666C23.767%2014.9999%2023.917%2015.1666%2024.017%2015.3666C24.117%2015.5666%2024.167%2015.7777%2024.167%2015.9999C24.167%2016.2222%2024.117%2016.4333%2024.017%2016.6333C23.917%2016.8333%2023.767%2016.9999%2023.567%2017.1333L12.7003%2024.0333C12.5892%2024.0999%2012.4725%2024.1499%2012.3503%2024.1833C12.2281%2024.2166%2012.1114%2024.2333%2012.0003%2024.2333C11.6448%2024.2333%2011.3337%2024.1055%2011.067%2023.8499C10.8003%2023.5944%2010.667%2023.2777%2010.667%2022.8999Z'%20fill='black'\/%3e%3c\/g%3e%3c\/svg%3e\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"pause-icon\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3csvg%20width='32'%20height='32'%20viewBox='0%200%2032%2032'%20fill='none'%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%3e%3cmask%20id='mask0_pause'%20style='mask-type:alpha'%20maskUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20width='32'%20height='32'%3e%3crect%20width='32'%20height='32'%20fill='%23D9D9D9'\/%3e%3c\/mask%3e%3cg%20mask='url(%23mask0_pause)'%3e%3c!--%20Left%20bar%20--%3e%3crect%20x='10'%20y='8'%20width='4'%20height='16'%20rx='1'%20fill='black'\/%3e%3c!--%20Right%20bar%20--%3e%3crect%20x='18'%20y='8'%20width='4'%20height='16'%20rx='1'%20fill='black'\/%3e%3c\/g%3e%3c\/svg%3e\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/span><\/button><strong class=\"sts-video__duration\" data-duration-prefix=\"Video duration:\" data-unit-second=\"second\" data-unit-seconds=\"seconds\" data-unit-minute=\"minute\" data-unit-minutes=\"minutes\" aria-label=\"Video duration: 20.0 seconds\">20.0 secs<\/strong><\/div><div class=\"sts-video__media\" data-video-source=\"youtube\" data-video-url=\"\"><div class=\"sts-video__external-shell\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2EG8GN6k1WU?rel=0&amp;controls=1&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;playsinline=1&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sts-education.com\"><iframe class=\"sts-video__iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2EG8GN6k1WU?rel=0&amp;controls=1&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;playsinline=1&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sts-education.com\" title=\"Video poster\nheading\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\" data-provider=\"youtube\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2EG8GN6k1WU?rel=0&amp;controls=1&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;playsinline=1&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sts-education.com\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":15987,"parent":10787,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-default-with-breadcrumbs.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sts_page_background_color":"","footnotes":""},"wpw_page_folders":[80],"class_list":["post-10802","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>See all benefits of a year abroad<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get the most out of a year abroad. 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