Internships in London with The Intern Group

Ive recently finished a 6 week program in London and I am so happy to have had this experience. I worked in online marketing at a US based firm with offices in Canary Wharf, London, which is the main financial and commercial hub of the city.

The accommodation was very nearby to work so I had a quick and easy commute. I was living with other people from the program, and some other foreign students from Australia and Canada. All was pretty organized and neat - the only thing was sometimes it could get a little untidy but thats not the end of the world.

Work started off with not much to do and was a problem - but I spoke with Lee the London director and he advised me to bring it up to my boss. Once I spoke with him suddenly I had too much to do! But in the end it balanced out and I really started to learn a lot.

The thing that made the program for me was the fun and events round London, organized every week by Ariana and the team. The team REALLY care about what they do - and its obvious in everything they do.

Thanks Lee and everyone for making my time in London an experience to remember.

I participated in one of Intern London's programs during the summer of 2013, and it was just an all around great time. I was interning with a PR company that put on really cool events all over the city, really giving me the chance to see a lot of stuff that I never thought I would have in just 3 months. I even saw the Mayor :)

The staff was super nice. I didn't really have a lot of occasions to call them and ask for help with anything, but I did have to get some help once finding out how to go to the doctor (I'm originally from the USA). They ran me through everything and one of the staff even met me afterwards to make sure it all went ok.

I'd recommend this to anyone. Can't imagine an easier time settling into a city I've never been to before. It helps that they have lots of social activities for everyone. It also helps that it's London.

I came on The Intern Group london program at the end of 2013. Was my first profesional experience outside of growing up in SouthAmerica and I think was the best time of my life.

First, I was placed in a Marketing firm which was a very good match for my studies. It was one of the most important digital agencies in UK and I learnt a lot. I did find the work intense but this was OK, as I was learning well.

Second, the program was well organised. On time and with lots of care. From the coordinators Ariana and Mona and Megan to Lee Carlin, the team really cared for my well-being and arranged everything for me. You could tell they really care and are proud of their program.

Finally, accommodation was good-quality, nice private bedroom in central London, and I lived with people from all over the world, who are now my friends and I am staying in good touch with all.

Thank you to Intern Group for a great life and work experience and one I will never forget.

Overall it wasn't that bad, but there were a lot of problems with my internship as well as with accomodation and communication with The Intern Group stuff. Would like to point out that I paid 240 pounds extra to live in en suite room and it was a big mistake as the toilet flash wasn't working properly, shower cabin was broken, shower itself wasn't ready as it was covered in hair when I arrived, water pressure in the shower was so low that it was impossible to wash and the mixer tab was broken too as water in the shower would be either very hot or cold. I informed Host international about the problems, can't say that they reacted to my request straight away, the day after I recieved an email from member of Host international stuff with the list of problems which were fixed, however after checking everything myself I realized that most of broken things remained the same. After that I contacted The Intern Group and they were very open to discuss problems with my accomodation and even tried to look for other accommodations, however it wasn't very helpful. In the end of the story The Inretn Group and I agreed that they will try to get 240 pounds refund from Host international and few weeks later The Intern Group informed me that Host international agreed to give money for the first 6 weeks back because according to Host inrenational all issues were solved (in fact they weren't). I was told that Host international will refund this money on the 20th of Jan. it's been almost a month and I am still waiting for the refund. I sent email asking The Intern Group about the refund but no reply. Would like to thank Lee Carlin, he provided a huge support to me when I was having difficulties with my internship, however I would say that it was better contacting him by phone rather than emailing him as sometimes he wasn't paying much attention to what I was writing and it was the main reason I didn't complete my intrnship and had to leave the office 2 weeks earlier and relationship with my boss are ruined also because of inadvertence of The Intern Group. The Intern Group was having difficulties with spelling my surname, I understand that my surname isn't familiar for english speakers but The Inren Group is mostly working with international students and I personatly think that misspeling your client's surname is highly unprofessional and disrespectful and shows one more time that The Intern Group can be very inattentive. Overall organisation was very poor, however I can say that as people who are there to support students emotionally The Intern Group stuff is very good even though it was sometimes hard to reach them, but once you get to speak to the stuff you get the feeling that they really care and able to give valuable advice. Moreover, they paid for the last week of my accomodation as a gesture on their side to make up for some of the troubles I have had.

The overall internship experience was a positive one. I had interned at a menswear company, where I had the opportunity to be a part of the conception to execution of an entire season's collection. The process was an enriching one; however, I was tasked to tie up many loose ends of the company and didn't learn much on the role as a digital marketing/social media intern. Since the company had a staff size of only 5 full timers, I was made to count stocks individually, pack and deliver parcels daily, steam clothes etc. I would say that it wasn't the most ideal experience I had hoped for, as I paid a good sum for the intern program and was told that I wouldn't be asked to pour tea/coffee or similar things like it. Nevertheless, if you are looking for an insight of how things work in the fashion industry, this will be an eye opener for first timers who have absolutely no clue about the chaos that goes on behind the glitz and glamour of the fashion world. If you are looking into a more fulfilling role in the position you are undertaking (I was the digital marketing/social media intern), I will suggest working for bigger brands who have a more comprehensive scheme for interns.

Aside from the internship, the team at InternLondon was supportive in handling all other administrative affairs from the airport pick up to carrying out social activities for all other interns. They were responsive, easy to contact and ensured our safety/well-being at all times. However, the accommodation provided for my package (I took an off-cycle internship) wasn't great as the internet connection was extremely slow that I had to go to the library nearby to have decent access and the furnishing in the house were old (I could feel the bed springs on mine!). If you didn't sign up for the summer internship package, you're excluded in most activities and it is not the easiest experience to socialise with the other interns in the program, especially when most interns leave right after the activity is done.

In the grand scheme of things, having an overseas internship has definitely given me an edge over others when it comes to job applications. London is an amazing place to live with so much culture and things to do all the time - you will learn and gain a lot more if you mix with the locals rather than just sticking around with other interns. Although it wasn't a bummer leaving the internship, it was definitely one in leaving London.

The program in London was great from start to finish. I did an internship in a marketing firm and I learned so much, I'm currently applying for full time jobs and they are all so impressed I have work experience from a foreign country. The best thing about the program is that they have taken care of everything to make sure I can really enjoy London, the events and activities are great, the accommodation is perfectly located, I only had to travel about 20 minutes to work! The only negative was that I wish I had more time to explore other parts of England and not just London. The best piece of advice I could give is to really push yourself both in the workplace and also to explore what London has to offer, there is so much I saw and so much I know I haven't seen yet. I must go back!!

Hello,

I have been interning at the Rabbit Agency for 5 months. The experience has been very valuable. Doing something completely different I think is always worth your while. But the company is a very interesting company, with high standards and amazing clients.
They also gave me any opportunity I wanted, and I have been involved in everything I wanted to be involved with.

I had found a place to stay, so did not make use of your offer on housing.
Eventually I have paid 1500 pounds for a 5 month intern experience.
Giving me a good place to go to (the internship) and the opportunity to meet people and go to 3 events.
The events were of high quality, perfect, I'd say.
And I think Arianna and Mona did a really good job at making us feel at home. Always enthusiastic and trying to get everyone to talk to eachother. And may I note, that the 3 events a side, they came up with a lot of idea's on the side and took part in those (I went) to as well.

Unfortunately I have not found a real connection with the people I have met, this may be because I am from the Netherlands, this may be because there were not that many guys. And a side from the events I have only met with one other intern on one other occasion.
I think the only thing you could improve is think through about what the group could do after the event is over. I found that after the event was done, most people just went home. While this might of been a good opportunity to go and talk some more in a pub maybe and really get to know each other.

The question: would you recommend this program to a friend?:
I have answered with No, I would not.
I don't think paying 1000-1200 pounds for a spot in an internship programme is the right price. The only reason I went for this program, is because I was extremely late with my preparations for internship/work, I did not feel that I could organise it myself on the short notice I had.
Certainly, most of my friends, would never pay the amount of money that I have paid.

Thanks a lot for the valuable experience though!

Cheers,
Mels

P.S the year completed button does not have a 2014 option.
P.S.2 I have rated the 'housing' question a 7, because I heard people say it was alright and close to where other interns were staying.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time while on the London program. It was a great opportunity to explore a potential career path and also make great connections from both participants in the program as well as with those who I worked with during my internship. The program helped build these connections which helped me make a career decision and I returned to London the following summer to work and have been here for several years.

During the internship program the staff ensured any concerns were addressed and made sure to have a variety of activities during the week and weekend to make sure we got the most out of our trip to London. We were also granted enough freedom to not feel that we were limited in our experience.

My initial concern to the program was the cost for this but once I realized our central location in London as well as the activities planned the costs were justified.