Location
  • England
    • London

Program Details

Compensation
Unpaid
Timeframe
Fall Spring Summer Winter
Housing
Apartment
Language
English
Weekly Hours
12

Pricing

Price Details
Our programs vary in price. Please visit our website for the most up to date information.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Transportation Travel Insurance Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Meals Visa
Jan 30, 2023
Jan 25, 2022
60 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

As a leading global center for arts, commerce, education, and entertainment, London offers endless potential for study abroad! FIE students use the entire city as a classroom, giving you the opportunity to explore museums, parks, and cultural centers to bring your academic coursework to life.

FIE London offers a variety of semester, quarter, and summer programs including:

Study
Study & Internship
Study & Service Internship

All FIE programs include academic and residential student support, subsidized extra-curricular activities, and opportunities to explore all that London has to offer. The FIE Kensington Campus is set in one of London’s most attractive and desirable locations, providing a beautiful and historic living and learning environment for students. So wether you're exploring nearby Kensington Palace, perfecting your Tube journey to get to your internship, or scoring day tickets for Wimbledon, your time in London will be as exciting as it is life-changing!

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • London is your classroom! Using the city, your faculty will lead co-curricular activities to museums, theatre productions, brewerys, historic sites, and more to put classroom theory into practice.
  • FIE's relationships with local organizations and businesses are unparalleled. The quality of our internship placements is consistently strong and well-matched to students' professional goals helping you build your skills and your resume.
  • FIE offers engaging and varied coursework, taught by renowned faculty. Elective offerings include courses in arts, literature, theater, global business, history, politics, social science, media, communication, social justice and contemporary Britain.
  • Live and learn in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. Our student residences and learning center are situated in this well connected and vibrant area of London.
  • Take advantage of FIE's subsidized events calendar, with affordable opportunities to visit The London Eye, the WB Harry Potter Experience, Wales adventure weekend, and more!

Program Reviews

4.64 Rating
based on 22 reviews
  • 5 rating 72.73%
  • 4 rating 22.73%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 4.55%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.2
  • Support 4.4
  • Fun 4.55
  • Housing 4.4
  • Safety 4.85
Showing 1 - 8 of 22 reviews
Default avatar
Gina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Be yourself

When I arrived in London I was not too sad and got comfortable very quick. As time went on my sadness grew but I want you to remember that things and people you are missing you will be with again eventually. Therefore, doing all the things you want to do, making friendships you are scared to make, doing new things is so much more worth it then being upset about missing home. One thing I would change about this journey was to see more things, travel more, do things that make me happy more often and be more of myself and be outgoing to make new friendships. I learned to never forget who you are, be yourself, let your mind be open to the new things you can learn and people you can meet.

What would you improve about this program?
This program was wonderful and most of the staff was very supporting and helpful. I am thankful for all of my teachers as they all let us be ourselves freely. One thing I would change about this program is staff being more understanding toward children that just went across the country. The administrator Mieke gave me a very negative impact on my life and said very negative things while I simply was not myself. That is a big thing I would change is to be more understanding.
38 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Samantha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Will Tell My Grandchildren About My Semester Abroad in London

Studying abroad in London through the FIE was honestly a dream come true. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to live and study in London and that was made possible through the FIE London: Semester Abroad Internship Program. The coursework was definitely challenging as grading is a bit different in the UK compared to what I was accustomed to in the states. However, because of the structure of the classes and the fact we are studying abroad, London isn’t only the city we’re living in, it’s also our classroom. And I don’t know about you but learning history is way more interesting when you get to see it with your own eyes. The co-curricular activities and being able to immerse in the history of London was probably my favourite aspect of the program. But then again, also being able to hold an international internship was pretty amazing as well. How many students from your university can say they worked abroad? Additionally, I have to call attention to the housing. I knew very little about London in terms of the lay of the land prior to my arrival, so I was stunned when I arrived at our South Kensington accommodations. Literally down the road from Kensington Gardens! Again, I repeat, the program was a dream. Living in such a central part of London where we could easily go anywhere, the tube was around the corner and there were museums everywhere. There’s just so much to see in London and while you really got to master time management with all the course work so that the last 7 weeks can be focused on the internship, I can promise you that adventure is calling in London town. I went to more concerts, plays, musicals and museums during my time in London than I have combined in my life prior to. The diversity of London is beautiful and I stand by my statement that I will call it home again someday.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I wish I would have explored more areas of Great Britain on the weekend. It's super cheap to hop on a bus and Great Britain is fairly easy to navigate. I managed a few trips to places like Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow, but I wish I could have seen more. I mean there is always more to see and more to do. And also went to more musicals and plays! Day tickets can be as low as 5 quid if you get up super early before classes!
66 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Shifa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Home away from home

As I was already studying abroad for Bachelors, during my freshman year I did not think I wanted to do a semester abroad somewhere else. However, my sophomore year I realized that it is a great opportunity and I decided to apply for study abroad along with my roommate. This was the best decision I made! I had a beyond amazing time studying and exploring in London and am more than happy about my experience with Foundation of International Education. I was able to choose the Quarter study program which fit with my college's trimester schedule and I also got a scholarship by FIE which made this possible. All the courses had out of class activities as well which I really liked. London soon became home and is a great place to study abroad, a city where you will never go out of things to do!

What would you improve about this program?
It would be nice to have more variety of courses such as those related to Mathematics.
55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kara
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Realistic View of this Program

Don't get me wrong London itself is amazing. However, I feel like I am not able to see enough of it between my internship and all the homework assigned in my classes. I am only taking one class and an internship placement class and I still feel like there is more work assigned than back at my home university while taking 5 classes. Not only are the other students taken aback by it, but even the two professors admitted they are uncomfortable with the amount of work FIE requires them to assign. The internship placement course fails to relate to my internship at all, provides bad advice on how to handle an internship according to "British standards" (such as, don't ask your internship supervisors to clarify assignments) and packs a 6 week's syllabus into 5 weeks. I was lucky enough to get an internship I enjoy, but that seems rare amongst others I've talked to. In addition, housing 10 girls in 1 flat is too many. It gets dirty quickly; we're pressed for space and it is always too loud for you to get your homework done or sleep, especially since we were warned this building doesn't provide noise control. Yet the two boys in my program share a flat of the same size with one other boy (not to mention they live on the first floor and we all had to carry our heavy suitcases up 5 flights of stairs because there is no elevator). I understand the lack of elevator is not in FIE's control but even providing people to help you carry your bags would be better. There is no staff to greet you when you arrive which seemed pretty odd to me, and I haven't seen any FIE staff since orientation weekend. I wish there was a packing list that was more reliable because I packed all professional clothes for an internship that is casual, and I failed to pack towels, hand towels, hand soap, pillow, a fan, etc. which I had to purchase here. I am only 3 weeks into this 8 week program and for the amount of money I paid, I hope it improves. I guess I just expected more.

What would you improve about this program?
housing conditions and amount of homework assigned
74 people found this review helpful.
Response from FIE: Foundation for International Education

Hi Kara - great to hear you are enjoying your internship and London!

Our staff are readily available in Foundation House where your class sessions are (Academics Team, second floor and Experiential Education Team, fourth floor) and happy to set up an appointment with you to address your concerns around your International Internship Course and your British Life course. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected], respectively or just pop up before/between/after class.

Housing allocations are based on a variety of factors but our Residence Life team does their best to be fair to everyone. Overall South Kensington is a prime London postcode and a fantastic area to live in, I'm sure you'll agree!

Please get in touch with our teams so we can make the remaining portion of your summer internship the best it can be!

Sincerely,
FIE Team

Default avatar
Jenna
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

FIE Winter Quarter

I loved my experience with FIE! The housing was in a good location, was kept clean, had good bathrooms and kitchens, and felt very safe. It was great to feel like I was living in London on my own, but to still have support when I needed it. FIE provided lots of information about the events going on in London every week, and all the trips they provided were well organized and great experiences (especially the Wales weekend and Shakespeare Stratford Upon Avon). I loved the small class sizes and learning about the British culture in the classroom and on field trips throughout London. The diverse facility and subjects made for a good educational experience, and was not so challenging and stressful that I didn't have free time to explore London and Europe. Ultimately, I loved my time with FIE in London, and I wish I could go back!

What would you improve about this program?
The mattress were pretty hard and the pillows were flat, which was an adjustment, but definitely an easy sacrifice.
55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Carolyn
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Out and About: London Edition

I had the best time studying abroad and FIE truly helped me with that. This program allowed us to have the study abroad experience with an internship abroad which is very rare to see on a resume so I jumped at the opportunity! My internship started half way through the semester and after starting it, I wish it would have been concurrent with my entire semester there because I loved it so much! I know it sounds cheesy to say but my internship supervisor and co-workers were some of the nicest and sweetest people that even a year later I'm still in contact with. Yes it was tough to get up in the morning sometimes but once the semester was coming to an end I wish I could have stayed longer. Something I wish I would have done more is go out and explore London. I got to visit amazing countries but I barely scratched the surface with London. Although, if I were to do it again I wouldn't change a thing.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
My roommate and I got the chance to basically conquer a good part Scotland during our Easter break. We went up to Edinburgh for the day/night then the next morning we took a train up to inverness where we stayed for 2 nights and on the second day there we took a bus tour around the Scottish highlands!! I came back from my internship and my co-workers were so surprised I had done all of that traveling in 4 days without a car! Honestly it was one of the best trips we took that semester.
74 people found this review helpful.
Ashley
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spring 2019

Along with studying abroad, I was also able to intern for 7 weeks. I never had much work experience so I was excited to have this "job". I was nervous since it was in another country and worried about the cultural difference.

I liked how FIE was able to set us up with an internship placement and made the interview process non competitive. There was also a seminar class that went along with this internship to help us check in weekly.

I am glad I had this opportunity to intern internationally. I believe I have learned more about the way I work and how to adapt. For my future career, I hope to work abroad as well and I think this internship prepared me.

Although the time was not long for an internship, I was still able to learn and gain skills from this.

What would you improve about this program?
I wish that FIE could have gaven us our internship placement information earlier. It would also have been nice if we had several options to choose from.
65 people found this review helpful.
Ashley
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spring 2019

Studying abroad has always been something I wanted to do in my college experience. Once I found out that my major at my home college offered this opportunity, I signed up. I was nervous because I did not know anyone but also excited to take on this new journey.

Studying abroad in London has truly been a great experience and I am so happy I was able to do it. Taking classes here was different because we had 3 courses in 8 weeks. Classes were Monday-Thursday and each about 3 hours long. Beside sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, doing homework, we also got frequent field trips. This was fun because we got to explore the city of London and incorporate class material.

Being here for 4 months has taught me to appreciate culture and diversity. I believe the outcome of this has allowed me to grow as a person.

What would you improve about this program?
Something to improve would be the housing. I wish I knew the location and roomate situation earlier. Also it would have been nice if we were provided with exact blankets, pillows, and towels.

It would have also been nice to choose our own class schedule.
59 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

All of our London internships are unpaid.

Hi Charlotte, Emilie is correct. FIE's residences are generally mixed gendered; however, our rooms tend to be single gendered as we commonly allocate rooms based on individual sexes (male and female). Our residences are either flat-style or floor style residences, with shared common areas and kitchens. Only those living in each bedroom have keys to their personal sleeping and dressing areas, but...

Hi! While I was abroad studying at FIE, I took two of their offered classes. The first was a course called British Life in Business, and the second was an Internship class. In British Life in Business, we learned a ton about the UK. We learned about the history of the monarchy, how businesses operate there, and about different governmental policies that effect businesses. It was particularly...