15 Sep Living in London in the Summer
Hello everyone! My name is Joyson Daniels and this past month, I have been responsible for various tasks in my position of a program coordinator for Absolute Internship. In this blog, I will give a summary of the experience of having my summer job and what it has been like living in London!
[You can read my first blog post here!]
Life in London
Firstly, due to the fact that my working lifestyle in Canada was very different, adapting to this new role was a bit challenging in the first week. However I quickly got used to the new dynamic of life in London and was able to find stability in my new job. In terms of cultural differences, it is noticeable that London is a business city with a very fast paced environment. Working here as a program coordinator has forced me to develop my independence and take on a great sense of responsibility. Hence, I have found myself to be extremely productive and proactive in the completion of my various tasks which consisted of organizing everything needed for the various activities offered to our students.
My role as a Program Coordinator
As a program coordinator, I always need to be one step ahead of the game! This requires me to always make sure that for any activity, I take care of all necessary needs to the best of my abilities. The first activity I took part in was a day trip for our students to Oxford City. I had to book the important things needed such as a local guide tour and a restaurant for lunch. Of course we had to have a traditional British Sunday roast!
This day trip was a great success and gave me enough confidence to be able to lead the group for the weekend trip in Cardiff, Wales. This trip was more challenging because I had to coordinate everything to an organized schedule for each part of the trip. Whether it was booking the hotel, making sure we have access to the right transportation or visiting the famous Cardiff castle, my job was to ensure that everything was always ready before hand so that the activities could happen smoothly.
Facing challenges head on whilst living in London
The truth is sometimes it can be difficult to find an immediate solution to certain challenges. Even though sometimes the tasks can be overwhelming and stressful, I remain positive and enjoy the activities with my students.
When I was an intern in 2019 with Absolute Internship, I had the opportunity to participate in all the activities, such as the weekend trip in Belgium, but now that I am a program coordinator, I have the chance to be able to organize and lead them. The feeling of seeing myself organizing and leading some of the similar activities I was part of 2 years ago is absolutely amazing because it gives me a sense of professional growth which wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t start living in London.
To conclude, my role as program coordinator in London has been amazing. It has helped me increase and apply my leadership skills, ability to plan and organize events with other socio-professional skills. Also, it is allowing me to discover the city of London and other parts of the United Kingdom in the culture and lifestyle. I am confident that the rest of this role will go well and I will always be improving to be as resourceful as possible for my students during my time living in London.
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