Southwestern Advantage is…
a summer program featuring some of the most hard-working, talented, and motivated college students in the world who provide a unique and personalized experience with each of their customers.
The core program consists of a summer work program or internship that provides:
- Unmatched experience – leading to a powerful resume
- Extraordinary financial opportunity
- Life skills training
- Personal growth
- Challenging environment
- Mentoring from top performers, proven managers
- A career path trajectory
Southwestern Advantage is…
a gateway to amazing and unparalleled career opportunities. The program extends to opportunities beyond college:
- Continue with Southwestern Advantage into our management and leadership program
- Join one of our current 15 companies – from insurance and financial services to consulting, fundraising, executive search and more.
- Upon recommendation of your Sales Manager – the resources, experience and capital to partner with you on a new business
Southwestern Advantage is…
a program that allows for experiences to be gained that are directly applicable to the work force upon graduation –with Southwestern Advantage or anywhere else.
The mission of Southwestern Advantage is simple: to be the best organization in the world at helping young people develop the skills – and the character – they need to achieve their goals in life. We build people: the people who sell our products; the consumers who benefit from them; and the people who become members of our team of employees. We build people and those people are building a great company.
A Brief History of Southwestern Advantage
Southwestern Advantage has been located in Nashville, Tennessee since 1855, and began helping students finance their education by selling books in 1868. Southwestern Advantage expanded to Canada in 1986 and has been in the UK since 1994. Southwestern Advantage markets family-oriented educational reference books, software, and online resources through a sales force of nearly 3,000 students each summer.
Students who participate in the program represent approximately 350 colleges and universities from the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, and South America. Our products are sold to families in their homes by these students during their summer breaks. They are independent contractors and have the opportunity to run their own businesses by purchasing products from Southwestern at wholesale and selling them to customers at retail.
Opportunities Beyond University
- Launch an amazing career in one of our 15 companies – from insurance and financial services to consulting, fundraising, executive search and more.
- Continue with Southwestern Advantage in our sales management and leadership program,
- Become a partner with the Southwestern Business Incubator. We provide the resources, experience and capital to partner with you in a new business—your own!
Southwestern Advantage is a member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce – Bristol, England, and a Charter Member of the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee. In addition, we are affiliated with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and all six of its regional divisions, and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (United Kingdom). Southwestern Advantage is also a member of the Direct Selling Associations (DSA) of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. As a Direct Selling Association (DSA) member, Southwestern Advantage has pledged to adhere to the Code of Ethics set forth by the DSA. As a condition of admission and continuing membership in the DSA, Southwestern Advantage is bound to abide by the code's standards and procedures. The
DSA Code of Ethics speaks to both the consumer and the seller. It ensures that member companies will make no statements or promises that might mislead either consumers or prospective sales people. Since 2005, Southwestern Advantage UK Ltd have met the Office of Fair Trading approved consumer code of practice.