AIFS Abroad: Intern Abroad in England

I was so blessed to get to experience a summer internship in London through GE. From day to day we were provided support from all ground staff and given advice if needed. I am a very independent person and loved that could have my independence while still having support when needed. I could experience London the way I wanted to but still have the social events to join as a group and make life long friends. Throught the experience the GE staff was sure to check with us to make sure we were happy and provided help and advice when needed. They listened to our input and used it to make changes as needed.

For social events we were given a wide range of choices between weekend day trips to areas we wouldn't have been able to go to otherwise, walking tours of historical events and landmarks, nights out to the hot spots in London, high tea, and shows or musicals. The events were always optional therefor allowing you to target your interests. We were also provided with professional development which in turn allowed me to get hired back in the states. I was taught how to directly apply all that I was doing and learning to the professional world. As a recent graduate this was enormously helpful.

As far as the internships themselves I was extremely impressed with the placements and the ability of the GE staff to ensure we were happy by both checking with us and our placement. They were very specific to each of our needs.

Last summer, after looking over my resume and realizing I had little to no internship experience I began to panic! I researched high and low for international internship programs and Global Experiences felt like the perfect fit. During the time leading up to departure the staff coached us on resume, cover letter, and interview prep, and also walked us through the internship and pre-departure preparation via webinars, all of which were very useful. As far as my placement goes, I feel I got extremely lucky to be given the opportunity to intern at the organization I did. After a short amount of time and earning my spot, I was given a mass amount of responsibility. I grew to love not only the city of London, but also the people I worked with. I learned so much about not only the field I am studying but also about myself. The greatest thing I will take away from my work in London would have to be the confidence it gave me. To be considered (by your boss) a major asset to the team is an amazing feeling, and to be told that you have brought some success to the company is an amazing one as well. London, along with my coworkers, will always have a special place in my heart.

My internship itself was great, it was a small non-profit company that focussed on teaching animation to children. The work environment and team there was great and I was able to befriend a few of my coworkers. I walked to work which allowed me to see more of what was around the neighbourhood and be more exposed to the locals rather than tourists.
I had no problem with my accommodation, Nido, only that the rooms and washrooms were small and my bed was not comfortable. Aside from that, the wifi was reliable and the kitchen was completely functional. The cafe and patio were I spent most of my time, and hung out in the TV/study lounges as well.
London, in general, I did not have much trouble adjusting to the culture. I grew accustom to the pub culture (it's normal to have a nice cold pint in the 10 in the morning). I did, however, have trouble keeping tracking of all their coins and ended up having too much that it broke my wallet.

GE has done an excellent job in terms of making the interns' life memorable. GE has made sure all the money charged will be spent on the interns. All the dissatisfaction is not GE's fault and they have already tried their best to accommodate us at the most convenient and affordable place in the city of London. All in all the program is an excellent one and I will definitely spread the words out about it.

My London internship experience was amazing. GE did a great job at listening to me and applying the information I gave them about myself and my interests in finding me the most fitting internship sight. The process to getting my student visa and all of the background work was a little stressful at times but I would call GE and the staff was very helpful and made me feel more confident. Bottom line the process to getting to my internship was easy and doable with the help of the GE staff. Once in London the accommodation at Nido is..meh. You have to pay money to activate your Nido card online so you can do laundry and the laundry is outrageously expensive, my roommate and I did our laundry in our sink the whole 8 weeks. To be honest it isn't the greatest place to live and it is a bit noisy but it works for 8 weeks. One thing that I would like to make note of is to save for transportation. London transportation (i.e. the tube) is not cheap. If you are able to walk or ride a bike to your internship I would definitely recommend doing that! Another thing with commuting be prepared for large crowds (i.e. New York City crowds) London is compacted with lots of people and lots of energy. Good thing though if you find yourself getting stressed out with everything, there is a GE staff member who has "office hours" at the student living and you can talk to them! Anyway to summarize the rest, I had a great time and GE was a big help, just like anything you get out of it what you put in.

I must say that the application process with GE went much smoother than I thought it would. Emily Oliver ensured that I had everything submitted in a timely manner and that I was prepared for my interview with my internship placement. I was very impressed with this process as it can usually get very sticky and annoying. It didn't though and I'm very grateful to Emily for that.
I have been to London before with family but never alone...for two months...working. Even though I am a fairly independent person I knew that the onsite GE staff (Melissa and Grace) was always there for me if I had a problem or question. Melissa and Grace (and I suspect GE overall) won't give you the run of the mill feedback when questioned. They genuinely care for the GE interns and will respond to any problem or question in a thoughtful manner.
My internship in London was great. Although it didn't directly relate to my field on study in college, I gained valuable work experience and friendships that will last a life time. I became comfortable in a professional environment and provided the company I worked for with valuable work.
GE is completely conducive to your freedom and living the night life if you so choose. It's truly your summer and you can make it what you want it to be. I honestly had the most fun I've ever had and formed friendships that will continue back in the states. For example, I'm meeting up with another GE intern a couple of weekends from now in NY.
The living accommodations are great. Nido student living (Kingscross) is located in a very central location which allowed my friends and I to go anywhere at any time. Just be advised that the tube doesn't run anywhere after 12 midnight in London, you have to the take the bus (it's very easy- easier than NY). The rooms are a little small but very nice. If your someone who is going to take advantage of your time in London this doesn't matter as you'll spend most of your time exploring the UK and the rest of Europe. Nido does have a very nice court yard and lounge areas that people hangout as well.
There is tons more I can say about my summer in London and Global Experiences but that would make this the longest review of all time. I'll just say that GE is an amazing program that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I have formed such valuable friendships and professional contacts and am truly appreciative towards the GE program/staff. Thank you for a great summer!

I was excited when my parents agreed to spend this much money for me to go abroad for the summer. The GE staff is really helpful all prior to going abroad and they offer a ton of webinars to get you ready.

READ THIS PART:
I got my internship placement in April and waited for all my visa stuff to arrive. I kept bugging my programme advisor Emily to see if she could contact my placement to see where things were going....TWO WEEKS before I was meant to leave for London, Emily called to tell me that my placement hadn't responded to BUNAC and I would have to be placed elsewhere. So, I was placed somewhere else that didn't actually pertain to my major at all and was under a time crunch for my VISA. My VISA was late and I had to delay my departure 3 days because of this. GE DOES NOT offer any reimbursement of any type for VISA issues. I had purchased a first class ticket as a birthday gift from my parents and because of my VISA being late, I had to buy an ENTIRELY new ticket. Full price. Coach. Goodbye birthday present. This was bottom line the MOST frustrating...besides the accommodations!

Although NIDO is VERY safe. You're literally living in a closet. Smaller than most campus dorms. I think I would have enjoyed my experience so much more if I wasn't living in NIDO. I truly hated it. You don't have your own kitchen and living room like they tell you. It is a bed, desk, and teeny tiny bathroom.

Alright, to the experience itself. I had an AMAZING time in London. I ended up loving my internship. I had the best supervisor and she definitely catered to my needs and helped me get any experience that I was wanting to have. I am an event planning major and I ended up getting to plan and execute my own event for one of the services that I worked for. I learned so much about how a company works and it was a ton of things that I will be able to apply in my future. I absolutely loved London too. It is an amazing city with so many things to do. You are never ever bored. I got to do a bit of traveling as well and I kinda wish I asked for more weekends off so I could travel more. I didn't get as many places as I would have liked to. GE offers a lot of free events (that you pay for in that 8000 package deal) like seeing shows, pub crawls, walking tours and what not. I never went on a walking tour because I have been to London multiple times already. I know people that have never been enjoyed them for the most part.

I had an AMAZING roommate. We found each other on Facebook and requested to room with each other.
We did absolutely everything together and we got along amazingly. She honestly made my experience that much more amazing. I know most people in the programme got along with their roommates but most were not as lucky as me that is for sure.

The GE staff is okay when you get on the ground in London but I felt that I was pretty much on my own which was completely fine with me.

Had my parents known that I was going to London to do nothing that pertained to my major they would have strongly reconsidered sending me there for this price.

Overall, I did have an amazing experience. Was it worth $8000? Thats up to you....I would move to London in a heart beat and my company told me to think of them when I begin my job searching, but the experience is everything that you personally make it.

I would recommend the programme but I would strongly consider thinking long and hard about it.

When I got involved with Global Experiences the summer of 2011, I had no idea just how much it would impact my life. From the very beginning, the GE staff were incredibly supportive and helpful. They knew exactly what I was looking for in an internship and were their to guide me through the whole process, including the frustrating and often confusion process of applying for a visa. It was the first time I had ever lived abroad myself, so I was really nervous. But as soon as I got into London and found the student accommodation, they were there waiting to greet me. While they had orientations and events planned, they still treated us like adults. We were expected to navigate around the city and to our internships ourselves. The internship itself was a blast. In the first week I got to go to a concert for free and hang out with artists and interview them. I was given a lot of freedom to write articles and reviews I was interested in, and I felt my feedback was appreciated. There were some stressful and less glamorous days when I had to do mundane tasks like returning clothes from photo shoots. I would definitely recommend getting a smart phone because I often got lost. But for the most part, the people I worked with were really fun and encouraging, and I'm still in touch with them even today. GE were always checking to make sure I was happy with my placement and doing well. The only negative thing I would say is the accommodation was very small and I had to share with someone who I didn't particularly get along with. But other than that, the experience as a whole was fantastic. I made some amazing lifelong friends, got a real taste of the culture, and loved London so much that I moved back to get my Master's. I'm still in touch with Global Experiences today, and they are very helpful and supportive to alumni!