AIFS Abroad: Intern Abroad in England

I recently completed an internship abroad with AIFS at Time and Leisure Magazine in London, and it was the most exceptional experience! The accommodation was great, with spacious rooms, plenty of storage, and excellent amenities. I especially enjoyed my room, my roommates, and the well-maintained kitchen and bathrooms.

AIFS organized some enjoyable group events; including a memorable trip to Stonehenge and Bath, and a farewell event at a bowling alley with karaoke. The support from AIFS was so helpful, especially from Gregg, who was always kind and even helped me through a health scare while 4,000 miles away from home.

My internship at Time and Leisure Magazine was more than I could have ever asked for! I developed skills in research, CMS content management, news writing, project management, critical thinking, international relations, image editing, social media advertising, and graphic design. I wrote nearly 15 pieces, including articles and listicles, and will have a feature on fall fashion in the magazine!

Overall, this experience was life-changing, and I highly recommend taking the leap if you are interested! As someone who was wary and nervous up until arrival, TRUST ME it’s worth it! I would do it a million more times if I could.

I had an amazing time during the AIFS internship program in London! I felt I gained valuable experience not just through my internship, but also by living in a foreign city. There are endless things to do and see in London, and the transport system makes it easy to get almost anywhere in and around the city. As part of the AIFS program, we also had organized events such as day trips, nice dinners, and musicals just to name a few. We had access to tons of resources and I always felt cared for/supported by the London AIFS staff. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to live and work abroad!

My time during AIFS's internship program in London was an unbelievable experience and one that I will never forget. London was a busy city with so many places to see and things to and do. Big shoutout to Gregg in London, who was an amazing tour guide and a great advisor to have along the way. He recommended us to many beautiful markets, delicious bakeries and several pubs as well as many other events and places to visit. Overall this trip was an incredible experience, and I look forward to visiting London again!!

My time during AIFS's internship program in London was an unbelievable experience and one that I will never forget. Since starting College back in 2019, I'd always wanted to experience studying and/or interning abroad, so after graduating in May of this year, I decided to end this period of my life with this internship in London. London turned out to be the perfect spot for me: relative ease with culture change (as you don't have to deal with language barriers), experience living in a major city, an abundance of things to do and sights to see, and an amazing staff from AIFS who made the experience even better as they showed us around the city, helped with any questions or concerns, and genuinely cared about our well-being in our time there.

This program sparked a huge growth in my personal development and future career goals as at the conclusion of my time, my internship placement offered me a full-time position. The past me would've thought this was never possible, but it looks like I'll be living and working in London for the start of my life after graduation.

If you're on the edge about participating in this program, just go for it. Yes, not every day is going to be glamorous and dreamlike, but you will come out the other side with a life-changing experience under your belt. I've found the big-city living life of London to be the perfect abroad experience, and I don't doubt you'd end up feeling the same.

I absolutely loved my experience with this program + London!! The interview process was very smooth, and I felt that AIFS assisted me in every way I needed. My internship placement was absolutely perfect! I made great connections and got amazing legal experience that will translate back to the States to my law school applications. London is an amazing city, and all of our excursions allowed me to explore its deep cuts and further into its outskirts. I fell in love with the ease of access to everything through the underground, bus and overground transit systems! There was always something to do from museums to picnics at the beautiful parks to quick day trips outside the city. While the abundance of things to do is amazing, it can be quite expensive to live here for any amount of time, so be prepared for that!! I felt that I could reach out to the AIFS staff on site at any point for any reason. They made themselves very available to us and always were sure to check in. The only mildly negative aspect of my time in the program was the accommodation. It was in a great location, and my room was very nice. However, sharing a common space and kitchen with 9 other people was not ideal. We definitely did not have enough kitchen ware or utensils for all of us. That being said, it was not nearly enough for my experience as a whole to be negatively affected!!

My time in London was super fun!

I was interning at an independent social media and digital marketing agency called The Social Shop. I was able to learn so much about curating content properly for clients’ social media, how to do search engine optimisation for blog posts, and how to research and write blog posts that consistently reflected their clients’ brand image.

Being apart of the Global Experiences program, I was able to meet some really cool people that were super fun to hang out with and talk to.

In the program, they took us on these really fun and interesting day trips during the weekend so that we got to see London outside of the city! There was, of course, to explore the UK too and those were equally just as enjoyable because I was able to socialise with other students who were in the program with me.

The 8 weeks of this program went by so fast which still surprised me even though Global Experiences did say that it would speed by.

London is a great program to get outside of your comfort zone, especially if you aren't from a city. It's really easy to navigate and there are lots of hidden gems for a fun time. Working there will make you realize a whole new world of career possibilities outside of your home town. I had a great time working for a museum, and seeing other parts of London through this job. Even as someone from a warm place, I was able to really enjoy myself (after I bought a new jacket). I also got to travel to Greece, Sweden, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands before I went home! I would recommend this trip to anyone, and especially people who speak English and want to visit a new place without having a language barrier.

I loved my time in London! Our internship manager worked so hard to find us a right fit job placement and I loved the company that I worked for. My placement fit with my interests and philosophies, and I now have some amazing connections. Going to work was something that I really loved and has helped me explore new job opportunities.

Our trips on the weekend were also amazingly fun as we saw a wide range of English culture. There was something for everyone and our location manager was always listening to our interests and catered to them. From exploring London's vintage flea markets to seeing some amazing historical sites, there was always something fun to do and learn. We also had time to explore on our own and really find the parts of London that spoke to us. For example, I loved going to West End theatre performances and I went to a different part of the city every weekend to explore. This freedom helped me grow as a person and as a traveler!

I never thought I could live in a big city but with the program's support and by pushing myself, I found that I really loved it. This experience has changed my life and I am so grateful for this opportunity!