21 Aug World’s Apart | Internship in London
Visiting one of the world’s busiest cities is a shock enough, especially if you are like me and come from a little country town, let alone living and working in London. The opportunity to travel and work abroad was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made.
It enabled you to make contacts and friends from various continents / countries around the world – From America, Australia, Europe and Asia. The Internship in London is all about what YOU make of it, the Absolute Internship team are there to help you along the way and offer suggestions of what you can do on weekends or nights after work, and their suggestions are definitely worth asking about! Who better to ask what there is to do, than the ones who live and work there, don’t take it for granted.
I decided to travel and work abroad after I had completed my University degree, while majority of the people that I was interning with were still studying. The best thing about doing an internship after University is that I didn’t have to do it for credits or write an essay or case story, I could just enjoy my time and take every day as they come. To be honest I don’t think it really matters what period of time you decide to intern during your studies, if it be during or after, they both have their perks. I was able to travel Europe after my internship and taking each day as they come, while others were able to go back to university, finish their degree and already have experience.
The 9am – 6pm working life I had while abroad was a bit of a shock, as at home I am used to the 9am – 5pm working hours or while at university I had a couple of classes each day, and that was If I had to go. The University and Working life are complete opposites. If you don’t feel the need to go to University classes one day, you’ll just skip – My University wasn’t strict on attendance, it just depended what teacher you had.
It can be difficult to adjust to, especially If you are not used to the full time working life, but as you get into a routine it becomes quite easy. The working days can go past quite quickly and all of a sudden you’ve been there for 5 hours and don’t even realise.
On the Internship side, the stereotype of doing photocopies and coffee runs are far from the truth. Yes you may have to do the odd photocopying for your boss, but it’s rare. They will throw you in the deep end straight away, It will be overwhelming and think how on earth am I meant to get all of that done. It’s so you have to ask questions to learn and or try to figured it out on your own, they have trust in you, otherwise they wouldn’t have hired you. So don’t be afraid, they know you don’t know the company that well, so they will expect it, even if it is the dumbest question, they don’t mind.
Also have FUN! The people I was working with were a lot of fun, we’d have laughing fits almost every day, an over indulgence of sweets on the desks constantly, monthly dinner & drinks and chat about each others cultures and word phrases, once you put a Brit, Aussie and American in a room, your in for an interesting chat!
Travelling and Working Abroad will definitely be one of the best decisions you ever make! The opportunity may not come around as often as you may think, so take every opportunity you can and make the most of it. The only regret you will have is not doing it at all. Thanks for an experience of a life time Absolute!
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