AIFS Abroad Reviews

To say that I had a great time studying abroad through AIFS would be an understatement. I believe that every student should study abroad and that each student has different requirements for what they want to get out of their experience; however AIFS had everything that I think a student could want from a program. Not only did they provide incredible resident directors who were there to help with anything from illness to a recommendation for a fun night out, but they also provided the students with the most opportunities. AIFS took us on various excursions throughout Ireland from the bustling city of Dublin to the calm and serene beach town Lahinch. One of the most important aspects for me, was that they spent the time to take us around Ireland and since our RD was from Ireland, it was an excellent benefit to get inputs from a local. I would never have known about or visited some of the places, such as Lahinch, if it weren't for the excursions provided by AIFS. Of course I enjoyed traveling around Ireland with friends to the big cities and famous sites, but there is no doubt that without the planned trips I would have never been able to experience places such as Lahinch and the Aran Islands.

I must say that making the decision to become an intern in Barcelona, Spain has been the best yet! I have had an amazing experience in all aspects. I have amazing roommates who will become lifelong friends and live in an amazingly located apartment walking distance to everything. My internship is coming to an end, which is sad but exciting because I have the opportunity to travel beyond Spain for a couple of weeks and actually be a tourist for a while. I have enjoyed the company in which I have been working for and have learned so much about the event industry that will be a huge benefit down the road. I have had the opportunity to work the largest Mobile World Congress trade show to date, which brought the city 85,000 people and an untold amount of revenue. With that being said, I thank Global Experiences and their staff for making this internship amazing and an experience that I will never forget.

London was everything I imagined and so much more! Global Experiences really helped me through this journey. This experience made me a better well rounded individual. Global experiences answered all of my questions and I asked every question that I could until I felt comfortable. They want to help you, so ask your questions! Do the webinars, they prepare you for what you need to know before your internship and how to enjoy yourself while you are in London. Do your own research as well, I personally googled things to do in London and found out more about transportation.
The INTERNET is seriously your best friend, so use it. WIFI is almost everywhere in London, so you can use your phone on wifi applications but also check with your carrier about using your phone in Europe. Some helpful apps to use on WIFI for communicating with people are VIBER and WHATSAPP. Learn about London and find out how the TUBE works. When you get to London, use google maps to plan out how to get to work and actually take a run through of getting to work when you arrive in London so you can plan out how long it takes to get there. Become familiar with the area and learn how the money system works. In London they use pounds! But in other places in Europe they use the EURO.
London is the best location to travel to other places in Europe, so take advantage!! The culture in London is out of this world amazing! There is a time difference so you will probably have jet lag when you first arrive. Don't be afriad to get lost with a friend or even by yourself, because people there will help you, just ask. There is always something to do in London, so it's impossible to get bored. The experience is what you make of it, so be independent, and just go for it. Have fun and enjoy!

I decided to use Global experiences to get real work experience while traveling to a new country. I found their pre-departure webinars helpful and was able to ask questions online and over the phone. While in Sydney I faced a lot of challenges in the internship (chiefly, the lack of organization and structure to the company and also their motives for hiring interns were obviously financially related) but the local representative, though new and inexperienced, did a fantastic job of being available and offered as much help as she could. She made me feel that my concerns were being expressed to the rest of the GE team which in turn helped me feel confident in the company. I found myself in a great learning experience and used it to work on my talents in organizing, planning, and strategic thinking to overcome negative situations.
The living situation is about what you'd expect from an international long-term hostel. And the social activities were good, when everyone could agree. But I highly recommend saving enough money to do more 'tourist' activities on your own, or with a few other interns.
Sydney is an expensive place to be and the GE program was quite expensive too, but I definitely feel that it was worth it.

My experience was a little different than most people looking to do internships. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do accounting or finance, and Global Experiences put me in a perfect placement to where I could explore.

My day to day was like preparing financial statements and doing on-site visits with companies/charities to discuss where they are at financially and what we need from them to do our job.

One highlight I really liked was GE's help in improving our professionalism along with our strengths. Not everyone went to these workshops, but it should be advertised more to the interns because it was so helpful.

My internship with GE was amazing. Not only have I excelled in my professional career, I also grew as a person. I was terrified to go across the world by myself, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. I met so many amazing people, and learned a lot about myself and other cultures around the world. I couldn't have asked for a better job placement. GE helped me developed lifetime friends, references, and comfort in knowing I can to do anything I put my mind to!

I was placed in a fabulous internship that fit me perfectly, and it has only given me the resume boost that led me to other internship and job opportunities that I could not have done without Global Experiences. The onsite staff made it more comfortable for me during my stay, and I felt like I always had a person to talk to about every obstacle and opportunity that I was given. I am thrilled that I was apart of Global Experiences.

Although my internship technically wasn't in Sydney, I was still able to enjoy my experience to just about the fullest extent. Working in Manly did leave about an hour and a half trip to and from work, and those three hours every day would have been great in terms of more fully engaging with Glebe, where my accommodations were, and Sydney. There was still ample time to do so, particularly on every free weekend. Taking the ferry through Sydney harbor twice a day was also nothing to complain about, and working at a small company really allowed me to engage in real and meaningful projects to my employer.

Overall, I had an amazing experience in London.
I interned for a drug and alcohol support service and I loved it. I learned a ton, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming.
The location of the Nido housing was great. Kings Cross / St. Pancras station was a 5 minute walk down the street, so it was very easy to travel. The building had lots of amenities including a gym and cafe.
The GE staff was very helpful with everything. They truly try to help you make the most of your experience. They organized a number of optional social events. Also, there were three of us that arrived in London later than the rest of the group, and one of the GE staff members took us all out to dinner to welcome us, which was so kind!
I felt that I got a lot out of the program and I would strongly recommend it.

Dublin is a wonderful city to intern in. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The city is fun to explore and before long, you know it like the back of your hand. My internship was similar to my background so it helped me to learn and grow professionally. It opened up many opportunities while I was in Ireland and also when I returned home. I talked about it in every interview my senior year, and it helped me land a job for after graduation.