AIFS Abroad Reviews

I was an intern for Global Experiences for 2 months in London this past summer and it was the most incredible experience I have ever had! I was always so fearful of getting out there and being on my own, but they made it really easy for me! London has always been number one on my list of places to go ever since I was little. I researched an opportunity like this for years and the older I got the more determined I got. I came across the Global Experiences website when I was researching for an internship abroad and I automatically made my decision to go. I was a little skeptical about which organization to go with because I knew my sister did not go with a good organization when she went to Africa, but rest assured this company was well organized and more willing to help than I expected. When I put in that I was interested in going, I was contacted by one of the members of staff who got me even more excited, if that was even possible, and just like that I was on my way to going to England. Just hearing a voice on the other end made things even more real for me.

After FINALLY getting to London after the loads of paperwork I had to complete with my school and with the Visa company and Global Experiences, my journey of a lifetime began. It was more hard work getting here than I thought it would be, but it was definitely worth it in the end. I was in the city of my dreams working and living with the most amazing roommates I could ask for (see Shardae's review below... :) ). I could not have asked for a better company to work for. I worked at Fitzrovia Youth in Action in London, which is a small, up and coming charity in central London. They have multiple different parts in the company and I was able to work in each one. And since it is a small company I became close with everyone that worked there and I was able to get amazing recommendations that set me up for success in the future. Sarah did a fabulous job finding this company for me, I know I was a difficult one since I did not know for sure what I wanted to do, but she made it happen! I was able to work with their mentoring program and helped students like me get an internship with jobs in London, I worked on their database and got it up and running smoothly, I helped organize and clear out old clutter that they had building up in the office, I was able to go to drop in sessions for young children, and I helped organize a football (soccer) tournament.

Living in London was definitely not what I expected, but it turned out to be the best living accommodation that you could ask for! It was a really nice area and I feel my roommates were my everything in London. We did everything together from traveling to different countries to going out and exploring London after work. They helped me in more ways than I thought possible and we are still communicating now over Facebook and plan to meet up in the near future! I wish I could tell you what a typical day was like in London, but there was no typical day, or weekend. That's what made it interesting! I encourage you to take hold of the experience and make it into YOUR journey of a lifetime because after the day is done YOU are the one to make your dreams come true. This trip is what you make it and for me it was the most exhilarating experience I have every had and I miss it more and more every day.

This past summer was easily one the best of my life.

I started my relationship with Global Experiences last September (almost a year ago now!) when they called me up mere days after I sent in an online inquiry. The staff was very easy to communicate with and was always open to any questions I had. After getting accepted into the program, there was A LOT of paperwork, and my university wasn't the most helpful, but GE really stepped up and made sure everything was going smoothly every step of the way. It was a long process - I didn't get placed in my internship until the following spring - but well worth it. They are well-organized and very professional.

My work experience was just that - an experience. I really value the skills I learned and would not trade working in London for the world, although I do wish that my placement was a bit more tailored to my major. I'm a Creative Writing major and got placed in a small company in need of a PR/Marketing intern. There were a few instances where my skills were needed, but most of the time I was doing busywork and lengthy pencil-pusher tasks. My boss was very busy most of the time and really valued my presence there, so knowing I was making a difference really helped. We also got along marvelously, so that was a bonus! But there were many times I wished I was utilizing my already-developed strengths. I know of a few others who felt this way, and even one who was kept in the dark about three employers who wanted to interview her during her placement process while she accepted the first opportunity to come her way. Looking back, I know that the experience really did teach me a lot and I did gain many new skills to add to my list. I just wish I also had time in the day to use my other skills as well.

Being in London was an absolute dream come true. London is central to so many things so I was given the opportunity to travel to places I never thought I would see. I also ended up meeting a fantastic group of people who will remain my lifelong friends. Overall, the experience strengthened both my personal and professional outlook on life and the world around me. I would not trade this experience for the world, and though I may have had a few hiccups, that should NOT deter anyone from checking GE out. At the end of our time there, they asked us about things that could be improved within the program and I have no doubt our opinions will be taken into account as the company grows.

Thank you, GE, for the best summer of my life! I'll never forget it.

Global Experience made my summer amazing!!!
They found the perfect job for me it was exactly what i wanted in an internship. Everyday was a new adventure and i learned so much! I couldn't have asked for better! The housing was very nice and they went above and beyond with their program and staff! I truly have nothing bad to say!
This program was an experience of a life time and I could not be where i am now with out it!

As the RA for London's Summer program, I had the opportunity to work closely with Global Experiences' incredible staff and most of our large group of interns. Although as the Resident Assistant most of my work was behind-the-scenes, my daily duties included organizing several group outings and events, organizing teams and sending out RSVPs, taking location photos, creating promotional materials, and media publications (photos, videos, posts). The staff was very helpful during all stages of my stay and I felt very comfortable asking for help when I encountered issues or needed some direction.
There was a real sense of community from the very beginning with the interns, GE, and myself, and aside from the fantastic location, that sense of community was the greatest highlight of my experience. I would absolutely recommend Global Experiences' London program!

The Global Experiences internship in New York was professionally and personally enriching. The internship allowed me to experience the work culture of this fast paced city and it also allowed me to attend social events around the city with fellow interns on the program. My internship was a formal program where we had guest speakers and lectures. At the same time we were only given work that was acceptable within the internship. I found this to be quite nice. Thank you to Global Experiences for finding a formal internship program at a company.
I was also able to meet people from around the world and form lasting friendships. Socially the program is fun and and interesting. We all had each other's support and enjoyed various parts of New York. I have grown professionally and enjoyed my time in New York. Would recommend this to anyone who wants to expand their global perspective and experience a new culture. New York is one the most fast paced cities in the world and experiencing life and work here was a valuable experience.

It is my second time around doing a program with Global Experiences and again it was an incredible experience.

I interned with a Showroom in Milan and enjoyed my internship very much. I had various daily tasks in the showroom which again open my mind to what it would be like to actually work in a high fashion field in one of the fashion capitols in the world.

In addition, the social outings that you do with Global Experiences are excellent. We took day trips to places like Lake Como, Verona and Venice.

The continued support to the students in this program from both Anna (internship placement coordinator) and Eleonora (onsite program coordinator) throughout the program was amazing. Again, like the first time I did a Global Experience program, I felt like I was family not just a student on a study abroad program.

I will continue to recommend the Global Experiences program to anyone who is looking for an abroad/internship experience.

-- 2013 --

If you are looking for an all around wonderful experience abroad Global Experiences is absolutely a program you should consider participating in.

The communication between the program coordinators and the participants prior to the program as well as during the program was wonderful. Eleonora was my contact person in Milan during my program and she was amazing. She is extremely outgoing, energetic, helpful and committed to making sure everyone has a positive experience while participating in the Global Experiences program.

Prior to this program I did not speak any Italian. The language program that is accompanied with the GE program is excellent and you will quickly learn the basics.

Anna, who does the placement of internships for GE, placed me with a fantastic internship that matched up perfectly with my prior experience that I already had in the field. My internship truly focused on what I stressed I was interested in prior to participating in the GE program and prior to coming to Italy.

I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested. This program has opened my mind to possibilities that I had not previously considered. I know my experience will help set me apart from others in my work field in the future.

My personal experience with Global Experience's Washington, D.C program was incredible to say the least. I worked for a company that shared my views and welcomed my input from day one. Global Experiences did a wonderful job matching me with an employer and I am still in contact with my advisor(s) to this day. The connections I was able to make in D.C were outstanding! I met Harriet Fulbright, employees of numerous non-profit and educational agencies, and on one special occasion, even Hillary Clinton! Networking in D.C is unlike anything I have ever experienced and Global Experience staff nurtured the relationships I made along the way.

As a student, the transition from going to classes a few hours a day to working full time was really difficult for the first few days, but after I was able to get used to the atmosphere and really make an effort to make myself useful in my workplace, I was able to take on tasks that made my days go by quickly and made me feel valued as an individual. During my internship I facilitated chapter relations, developed spreadsheets based on research, completed a diversity initiative, managed member interviews for a newsletter, created flyers and posters, submitted writing samples, and more!

If you are looking for an unforgettable summer in a culture-rich, lively city, I would highly recommend Global Experiences internships in Washington, D.C.

Finding a program you can trust through the internet is always difficult, however, when there is great staff like the staff at Global Experience you can tell you've found a quality program! I sent out multiple requests for various programs throughout Europe and Global Experience was the best at communication and had the best deal for the money. The staff gave me personal feedback on my resume and cover letter multiple times, which was extremely helpful. They always were prompt to respond to my emails and helped me prepare for my interview with my future employers. Upon arrival, I discovered I had been placed in a beautiful apartment in the city with a short trip to work. My internship was in the center of the city and I grew exponentially through the tasks I was given. I learned many new things about sustaining a company as I had the privilege to work directly with the founder of the company. Along the way, the staff I had originally coordinated with in the US kept in contact to ask about how I was doing. The lady in Barcelona was amazing. I could call her at any time and find help and the excursions she planned were unbelievable. We went to a beautiful beach, Casa Batllo, a Flamenco show, a bike tour around the city, and did many other things. Global experiences description of these events on their website as "social outings" did not do them justice. I almost did not want to go when I heard we had option "social outings," but I am so glad I did. They were so much fun and the lady on site was easy to talk with and we had many great times together! Overall, the program was one of my favorites (I've done many different study abroad programs).

Studying abroad in Milan, Italy with GE was a fantastic way to spend my summer and I would recommend it to anyone - people who are new to study abroad and those that have gone before (like myself).

On a day to day basis, the full Immersion Italian Language class was excellent, the professors actually care about you and want you to learn Italian as best as you can. I also think the class structure and professors are some of the best that I have experienced and I was able to learn basics very quickly.

My internship was in Accounting and I had a great experience. I enjoyed working in the office and more than able to contribute to my employer. Obviously with any internship on some days the tasks were not the most interesting but the office made an effort to show me how those tasks fit into the greater picture, and the majority of my efforts contributed to a single project that I was able to work on from start to finish. Overall I learned a lot about the accounting industry and small businesses in general.

The social trips are excellent, these are planned one day trips to places like Venice and Verona. I especially enjoyed these because they were easy to do, you just showed up and got a great experience in these places. Not only did we walk around checking out the sites that I would've done had I gone myself, but we also did things that made these trips special that I wouldn't have known about by myself. (For example, we got a tour of the Murano Glass Factory in Venice, and ate at Romeo's house in Verona, where I tried donkey which is a local delicacy.)

One final thing that I've learned while being on multiple study abroad trips with multiple programs is that no matter which program you go on the place is the same, London is always London, Paris is always Paris, and Milan is always Milan. The things that make a good study abroad experience great are the people. The GE Support staff cares about you, both your well being, your personal development and that you enjoy your experience as much as possible.

A specific example of the support of GE people that I would like to share was also my greatest difficulty that I encountered. My first weekend there I thought I had gotten appendicitis (luckily I did not) but appendicitis can become fatal very quickly. Now having a health scare in a foreign country is a terrifying experience in any circumstance but it is especially scary when you have just gotten there. I made the decision to go to the hospital to be safe, once I made the decision I no longer felt terrified. GE (specifically Eleonora - Thank you!!!) arranged for a cab to take me to the hospital within moments, she then met me at the hospital and was with me the entire time (until late in the morning) and then came back the next day (the hospital kept me overnight for observation). After this she continually checked in on me to make sure I was ok and other members of the GE staff did so as well. I was amazed and I am eternally grateful for the support of GE, I had only been there a week but they all still treated me as family.

I would recommend both studying abroad and doing so with GE.

I had an amazing time both in Florence and Milan...it was by far the best and most life-changing experience of my life! Though my homestay mom in Florence was very sweet, she refused to let my roommate nor I run our laundry even though I thought they were required to do so. Keeping that in mind, while in Florence, unlike other people in my program who lived near the Duomo, I lived a 30 minute walk away from them in the local area, which I very much appreciated. Even though this made getting home late at night a hassle (had to pay for my own cab) I did appreciate getting to tour the local parts of Florence and having the best gelato in my life (La Gelateria Di Medici). I enjoyed hiking the ever-so-tiring Florence Duomo, which turned out to be my favorite view of the trip as well as enjoyed the nightlife. I did not know Florence would be as beautiful as it was. The Chianti Wine Tour was amazing as well. For class, I was not a big fan of the 2 hour business lecture and much more preferred to have a longer language class as I felt it to be rushed with how much fun I had. I thought the food for our homestay luncheon was amazing (at least the pasta) and would recommend doing it again. The PLUS Hostel was fun to stay at too. I think the Ufizzi Museum would have been more enjoyable without the never-ending tour.
For Milan, I really like the three hour tour we had as well as the tour guide that we had. I also loved the day trips to Venice and Lake Como as both were beautiful. The subway transportation was so convenient as it was so close to where we lived and could get anywhere by subway.
For the field I wanted to do, I could not do because I did not speak fluent Italian so I just chose a field I was good in: Social Media. I did a little translating and revising for their website blogs, but for the most part I did more of translating and revising business proposals for kids in Africa, which was interesting, but also not exactly what I was aiming to do and very tiring; however, I liked my boss and coworkers and how flexible and caring they were. I believe I was the only one in my group to see The Last Supper. Huge shout out to Eleonora! Thank you, it was one of the best sights of my life and it was only 15 minutes! Many thanks to Eleonora and Whitney for helping me out with everything and to Katie too! Overall, I would say my trip was phenomenal and I would love to go again!