Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the overseas internship experiences and determine whether they helped to enhance the intended English learning outcomes for students who will be working in the service industry. Seventeen entries of reflective journals written by six students who interned overseas were analyzed. The participants reported their frustrations in language learning and described how these experiences could complement their overall career development in the future. The students identified a gap between everyday language needs in the industry and their language training received in Taiwan. The results indicated that the participants thought the English courses in Taiwan have disproportionately emphasized reading or writing skills, whereas speaking and listening were in high demand in the workplace, particularly given the difficulties occurring in cross-cultural communication. The analysis also indicated that the participants’ oversea working experiences positively affected their English learning motivation. These experiences also helped the participants notice differences in interactions with people from various linguistic backgrounds. English learning in Taiwan is traditionally embedded in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms that are reading/writing-centered and examination-oriented. The course content should be revised to improve students’ oral communication skills for the workplace.
Highlights
The tourism industry is a major pillar of Taiwan’s economy
Language difficulties are divided into oral skills and writing skills
This study is subject to the caveats of a small number of participants, especially the limitation of knowing whether these six participants are typical of students in tourism and hospitality programs
Summary
The tourism industry is a major pillar of Taiwan’s economy. A growing number of high school graduates choose to major in tourism and hospitality in order to fast-track into skilled careers. Taiwanese colleges cooperate with overseas international companies to offer students overseas internship job opportunities before they graduate. International hospitality internships offer students direct experience in the travel industry. With a general trend of global travel on the rise, a tourism internship abroad provides students a deeper understanding of how to cater to international clientele. For most Taiwanese students, English is learned in the classroom setting, and they do not have keen interest in using English outside of school. Despite a proliferation of English-learning opportunities, most Taiwanese students in occupational schools continue to have low English proficiency
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