Internships in London with The Intern Group

I had an amazing time in London this winter. The team in London made a wonderful community for us all, especially Thomas - thank you! I really don't have enough words to describe how fun this experience was. It was beyond fun and I made more real friends than I’ve made in college. And I didn’t know anyone going on the trip and I left with lifelong friends from all over the world. The actual internship was quite a bit tougher than I expected but I got a lot out of it. The biggest challenge was the intensity of the internship which I took some getting used to, but by the end I became accustomed to it and really liked it. I’m usually critical of programs I participate in but The Intern Group program was the time of my life.

I feel the program was misrepresented.

The Intern Group says the following about accomodation:
"We offer private bedrooms in shared apartments.
All of the student apartments are located near to one another. The apartments are excellently located 25 minutes from Central London and are the ideal base for exploring London during your stay.
We provide private bedrooms in family home-stays. Living with a London family is the perfect option if you wish to perfect your English and immediately be immersed in London life and culture."

The way they were organized, they didn't get me any housing options until the day before I got to London, and they only gave me one option, a "family" homestay an hour away from central London, and nowhere near the other students. I had never said that I wanted the family homestay option but it was the only one given me, 7 hours before I was to board the plane. The "family" was a single man in his 50s. What if I had said no? Where would they have put me?

The accommodation was indeed an issue, as I had read the detailed explanations on the Intern Group’s website about how and where I would live. I expected to live near the center of London to have “a base for exploring London” but, most importantly I expected roommates, as I had not chosen preemptively a family homestay, but that was the only option I was given, and it was given a day before I arrived. I am a person who needs people around me, friends my age or near it. I didn’t get that, and what I did get was unacceptable.

Furthermore, the house I was put in smelled so obviously of smoke, and the second hand tobacco and even marijuana smoke crept up to my top room continuously throughout the day, making me sick within 30 hours. I told an Intern Group supervisor the day I arrived at the first activity (30 minutes late because it took me an hour to get to the Canada Water station) that better housing would be much needed, due to the smoke, the poor quality of the house, and the distance from my peers.

To give you a better idea of the distance I was from central London, from my peers, and how far my job was, the Intern Group says the following on their website, " [They pay for] all your public transportation in London valid in the zones of your accommodation and workplace (typically in zones 1 and 2). We provide you with your public transportation for the first month." They say typically within zones 1 and 2, yet my work was in zone 6, and where I lived was in zone 4. They didn't pay for trains to those places, and I was out of money on my subway card before even arriving at my internship the first day.

Back to the accommodation.
On my second day in the house, I was offered a cigarette while sitting on the steps.

To avoid becoming sicker I moved to a hostel at my expense, where I knew it would be loud, but at least not so smoky. This 2-star backpacker hostel was a big step up over the home share.

I pestered the intern group for 4 days before they could give me an answer about what was going on with my housing. 4 days by myself, in a foreign country, spending 5+ hours on transport each day and only eating a meal a day due to the loss of appetite from the smoke and then cough and cold medicine.

I got to my internship on Wednesday and was a bit happier, seeing that I might have some friends here. I did my best, with the nasty cold I had gotten from the sore throat and cough from inhaling smoke for 2 days. I quickly realized that this company felt as though they didn’t really need an intern but just kind of like acce[ted an intern that was forced upon them, and they would take 6 weeks of free labor. The Intern Group had this statement on their website, "Partnering with a range of first-class companies and NGOs, our program offers comprehensive personal and professional development. We offer internships in London across all career fields." But the company I was with obviously didn’t have a strict program set up, and they were in Ruislip, which is about an hour and 20 minutes away from the center of London. Not to mention they only had 6 employees. How is a 6 employee company first-class? I could tell soon that I wasn’t going to learn anything in my field from the internship, as they were just asking me to do things that I already knew and was talented at. I was going to give it a chance, but when I walked out the first day, I sat on the stairs for a moment, to find my way back on the map while I still had WiFi, and suddenly I heard all the employees begin to gossip about me, asking why was I there an how I was kind of dumb for working for free. It sucked all the little spirit I had left out of me. So I decided to withdraw. I stayed again at the hostel and went back the next day to say goodbye, because I wanted to be polite.

Again, to push how strongly The Intern Group's lack of organization was, I did everything I needed to do on time for the applications, and got my visa three days before my program started. That means I only had 3 days to buy plane tickets and of course the price of those tickets was much higher than if purchased earlier. I ended up needing priority visa processing which cost about 300 dollars, luckily for me, I asked them to pay for it. When I asked a fellow student in the program about their visa, they told me they had received their visa just days before as well, and the Intern Group had told them to pay the 300 dollar fee themselves. That's disgusting to me.

All those things together opened my eyes to how this was going to be a waste of time. It felt very poorly organized, it felt like no one was paying attention to my situation until I said I wanted to withdraw, and it didn’t match the descriptions and everything I had read online.

This summer I completed an internship in Public Relations in the fashion industry and I had the time of my life. I highly recommend this program because it makes it more feasible for students to work abroad to help increase the value of their resume. Through this program, I meet lots of people, made new friends, and did a lot of traveling and exploring. Also, this program is the most affordable out of most placement programs. Every person replied in a quick and efficient manner. Definitely recommend traveling while in London and be considerate that transportation for the first month.

Hi!

I had a 3 months program with The Internship Group. I came to London for many reasons. London is fantastic and I was lucky enough that the company where I was placed had an amazing environment, staff and give me the opportunity to learn new things and to even try to help the staff with my new projects. I'm truly, truly thankful for my time there.

Unfortunately I can't credit The Intern Group for the wanders of London or the perks of my former company. They only charge you and disapear. They have a London based team that only invites you to a Facebook Group, take at least 3 days in answering an email and during the "activities" invites their own friends and wont pay attention to the interns (who btw are paying their salary). And if you really need them for an emergency they will text you back a few hours later.

Although I have to say, your selling team based in Chile were very nice convincing me to be part of your program. No really, they where super polite, even talked with my mom to walk her through the details of the program, answered emails during the same day, even out of their own time zone.

My perception of the program would be so different if only they train / choose better staff in London.

I'm very thankful for what London has given me though.

I'm an Australian and I went on the London program for eight weeks. As a whole I really enjoyed living in London and building a network through my internship but in the end, it is A LOT of money to be spending. For my experience I flipped the bill myself and that really made me think whether I was getting value for money. I did enjoy the career workshops (the career coach is amazing!) and events included in the program but those alone, and the accommodation, should have not totalled to such an amount.

The internship I had was good, the people were amazing, and I learnt a lot. Just be aware if you're contemplating going during the holiday season, it is a slow time of the year. Most companies close (I had about a week off over Christmas and New Year’s) over that time, and the first week back of the New Year can also be a little slow. Just measure your expectations, there won't always be things for you to do.

Regarding the social aspect, the individuals on the actual program were mostly Australian or American (during my time from Dec), but don't let that dishearten you if you're looking for a more international experience. I interned with people from the UK (obviously) and Spain and ended up living with some Germans. No matter which way you look at it, if you put in the effort, you'll meet people from around the world.

Enjoy it while you can because I'm going to be honest, I loved it! Of course, there are going to be pros and cons, but you have to remember you're in LONDON one of the most buzzing cities in the world. There are always things to do and it's amazing. As an intern, I built an international network (my goal) and I learnt a lot about the industry. As a tourist, I'd never been to London and even in its dreary winter state, I fell in love with the city. It really is awesome!

In the end I'd really recommend doing the program if you're looking to work internationally in the future, just be prepared to fork out the funds.

The Intern Group was an amazing experience. They were extremely helpful in answering any questions I had. Once I told them where I wanted to work and in what field, they set me up with several interviews for internships in the London area. Once I got to London my program leaders, Nikki, Thomas, and Shivali, were incredible. They helped all the interns figure out how to get around London to get all the stuff we needed and were quick to respond to people who needed help. My internship at Bond Solon was amazing and my supervisor wrote me a great letter of recommendation.
My living at Liberty Court wasn't the best. I lived on the top floor with no air conditioning during a heat wave, so my apartment was unbearably hot most of the time. The people running the building didn't seem the most organized, letting the fire alarm go off continuously between one and three am before calling the fire department to fix it, and trying to kick my friend out of her flat before her internship was over. My program leaders were very helpful in dealing with these issues.

Experience
1. My time in London is one of the best in my life. I really enjoyed my internship and the colorful life in London. I worked in a youth center which provides housing advice to the homeless young people. As a nursing student, I got the chance to shadow the nurse in the center. The services provided by the center are unique and special. It ranged from basic services such as laundry and luggage storing to job searching and personal wellbeing. Every day, I got the chance to chat with young people with different background, some of them might have mental health histories and offending histories. However, there are 2 things in common for these young people, they are looking for a change, and they don’t want to be homeless. The communication and conflict resolution skills that I learned here are priceless for my future career and my life.
2. Besides, I got the chance to experience the exciting and colorful life in London. We had weekend parties, morning roof top beach parties and various cultural events. I am so glad that I am interning in London, a city you never get bored. If you are bored with London, you are bored with life.
3. The best thing about participating in this internship is that you can meet amazing young people from all over the world doing an incredible internship in London. They are all smart and talented. A small conversation can bring you endless insights and information about the other end of this planet.
4. The major difference between hunting an internship by yourself than through an agency like the Intergroup is that you get everything arranged and you can rely on this agency. They will help you sort out your concerns and worries.

Suggestions to applicants
1. 6 weeks program is too short for you to experience all aspects of your organization, and London. If you are financially capable and have sufficient time, I would recommend you to apply for a 3 months program.

Through the Intern Group and my host company, I was able to embark on the experience of a lifetime, while gaining a newfound confidence and skills I will take with me into the job world. Immersing yourself into another culture is the best way to learn about yourself, how you interact with others, the world around you, and help you find the drive you need to succeed. The Intern Group is an entirely comprehensive program which will help you find just that; the staff members are extraordinarily helpful and friendly in making sure you are faring well in your program and living in London. The events are fun and a great start to forming a network and learning what there is to do in London. If you want to stand out in your career and travel the globe, I highly recommend applying to an Intern Group program!