INTERNSHIP CASE STUDIES OF INTERNS

I have really enjoyed my internship, especially as it was my first proper job in the UK. I had been working as a chef and kitchen porter before this but this is proper work. I found it through the internet.

The internship has given me confidence with English computer terms and working with English people. They are quite different here to the people in Spain. People in England are much more methodical. I already had a good knowledge of computers before my internship, but I learnt a lot about the way that business works here. It’s always good to show that I’ve worked abroad in a company related to what I’ve been studying.

It was nice that the atmosphere was relaxed. In Spain, you always have to wear a shirt and shoes to any computer job, but it’s not the same in English companies.

If I had to give advice to future interns, I would say you should meet as many people as possible. I came here partly to learn English, but at first, the only people I met were Spanish people! Mixing with English people has made such a difference to my experience here. 

I’m really enjoying my internship. It’s been a fantastic experience and I’m meeting great people. There are hardly any bad points about it! I have had two internships: one with a power tool company and one at a language school where I am dealing with customers – this forces me to work on my English.

At some points my internship with a power tool company went quite slowly. It can get hard at times but that is great experience too.

My advice for interns is that if you go to a foreign country you should try and find accommodation before you arrive. It is important to be open to new experience because this lets you learn as much as you can. You should take the opportunity to make contacts in the local community. The worst thing you can do is be afraid of coming to a new country.

I’ve gained so many skills from my internship. These are not only translation skills, but service skills too. I’ve also become a far more open person. When you are away from home you get experience in talking to strangers. For my job you need to be able to talk to people.

My internship has been really busy and sometimes stressful but it’s been interesting. The company treats me like an employee instead of an intern. They give me responsibilities which look great on the CV and are really useful when applying for other jobs. I’ll have plenty to talk about in interviews.

At first it was stressful speaking to businesses, particularly in another language, but I’ve gained so much confidence during the course of my internship. It was hard to use the phone for business, but I am more confident now.

If I had to give advice to someone looking for an internship, I would say you should consider working outside of your field… that way you develop so many new skills. Learning English has been very important to me. It’s great for communication skills – you have to be very polite to clients; sometimes you have to tell teachers when they’ve made mistakes. It’s hard at first but that’s the point of an internship!

You are faced with really difficult situations all the time. Working in a small company I have to do different things everyday and have learnt a variety of skills. I have seen customer service, how to deal with clients and how to run an efficient business.

I think, most importantly, the company I worked for made a real effort to make sure everyone fits in!

How have I enjoyed my internship? I liked it (laughs). I have learned a lot about the world of computers and I have enjoyed working with languages. I’ve been lucky to have great colleagues and a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s not my first time living abroad but I have really enjoyed working in another country. I studied in Brittany, France and it is always interesting to see another culture and get to know the habits of other people.

I have gained a lot from my internship. I have learnt a new language, really improved my computer skills and I’ve got a much better idea about how it is to work. My internship doesn’t pay a lot but it’s all great experience. It’s a real change from the student life to the working life. Getting up early is hard work!

If I had to give advice to someone looking for an internship, I would say, for England, you should bring a lot of money! The company I worked with were very helpful in finding me a flat. I would advise interns to get in touch with colleagues as quickly as possible as they have all been very willing to help and very friendly.

I needed to do an internship to finish my course at university. It was tough to get one in the UK because there are loads of applicants for each position here. From my university, most people applied to at least one company in the UK, and only 24 of us ended up working here. In the end, I had an online internship, which was an interesting experience. The boss was mainly available online – you could tell when he was upset because he would write in capital letters!

I gained so many skills during my internship. I created invoices, dealt with clients, dealt with teachers (Marina worked in a language school) and dealt with students. The company was very small when I started so it was great to see it grow with me.

I have learnt a lot about how business is done in the UK. I got a lot of practice communicating with clients face to face, on the telephone and by email. My bosses during my internship helped me to develop a professional phone manner.

My advice to someone looking for an internship would be to look at as many different companies as possible. Even if you end up working in a completely different field, it can be great experience and you will definitely gain something.

I saw my internship as a great opportunity to develop my English and learn about how business works too. I ended up with a full time job working for the company where I was an intern, so I must have done something right!

I’ve really enjoyed my internship so far… I’m making new friends and learning so much about how a company runs.

This is not my first internship. I had an internship in Bogotá which ended up being very similar to a job. It is different at my current company because we are given a lot of freedom as long as the work is finished at the end of the day. I worked in Bogotá in a large telecommunications company in the internet section as a point of contact with clients. Working at a large company can be a little impersonal, especially as an intern, but in a small company you get to know everyone.

Coming from South America is quite difficult to work in England, because you need a lot of money to come here in the first place. You also need to be able to prove that you want to come home again afterwards.  It is my first time in the UK… it felt strange coming from South America to the UK but I feel partly English now!

I would definitely recommend taking an internship abroad. Experience in a foreign country gives you a fantastic feel for business and culture. When you return home you will be much more employable. It’s about more than just the language… it gives you a whole new view of your own country.

I found my internship by searching on the internet. I came across interntown.com, which seemed like a good place to start. I wanted to do my internship in Brighton as it is a famous town. I searched for internships in Brighton and found my job!

I worked for a brand new internet marketing company where I was the first ever intern… it was quite a privilege.  I worked in a very friendly environment where everyone helped me to settle in.

It was quite easy to settle in: the company gave me useful advice for finding somewhere to live and introduced me to people who were also looking for flatmates. I’m still in touch with the people I met during my internship; in fact, one of the bosses put me in touch with my current employer!

When I started, I already had experience with languages and had been to English speaking countries before. Internet marketing was new to me but I wasn’t fazed.

It was a very friendly environment. A small company lets you see all the different aspects of business which would be difficult in a larger company. I made contacts during my internship which actually secured me a job for when my internship finished. The experience was very varied and interesting.

I had to write a 100 page report for university and the experience gave me plenty to write about. I could have written a report or gone abroad, got experience and really learnt. My internship has kick started my career!

I have found my internship very enjoyable… I enjoyed it because the work was interesting and the office was full of young people from around the world. Brighton is a great city and it’s always nice to leave Magdeburg!

It was not the first time I had lived abroad… I studied with Erasmus at Alicante. After Spain, I got a real culture shock coming to England. The people in Spain were very warm and passionate while English people are reserved. Deep down, the people here are very friendly. Brighton is such a multicultural city.

I have really improved my English. Moving to a new country and culture also makes you more independent. Because of the work, I have learnt technical English while having a lot of fun in the office. The internship has also given me great work experience (which looks good on the CV) and a chance to make friends abroad!

It can be daunting at first; you have to handle things for yourself, like finding somewhere to live. England is very expensive compared to Germany. It is also a shock changing from student life to working life, but a good shock!

My advice to anyone looking for an internship abroad is to take a language course. Try and move in with local people if possible as this gives you the opportunity to meet more people. You should definitely get in touch with the office before you arrive if you have any questions and remember, if you are coming to England, to bring an umbrella!

I really enjoyed my internship. Through it, I found that my studies weren’t the right thing for me. I was studying to be a translator but I found that I wanted to do more with my life. I learned to work independently by creating my own ideas and asking questions when I didn’t understand.

What were the good points about my internship? We started at 10am! My bosses were very relaxed and funny people – great to work with. I worked in fields I have never seen before and learnt to use new programs like Dreamweaver. I didn’t even know what Search Engine Optimisation was before my internship and now I work in it! It was great to share an office with people from around the world.

I found it quite difficult with money. Although my company did give me a monthly sum, it wasn’t much. Still, it was better than I would have got in Germany, where only the biggest companies pay interns. My University supported me with grants which helped as well. Getting away and living in a new place is great… I wasn’t homesick at all. My company had lots of social activities like sports and barbecues so it was easy to get to know everyone.

My advice for interns is to apply as early as possible – it’s so hard to arrange things at the last minute. Keep on phoning & emailing to keep fresh in the companies’ minds. Be sure to read the advert thoroughly and always ask questions when things aren’t in the advert. Have a clear idea of how long you want to stay and where. Give as much info about yourself as possible.

My internship has been a fantastic experience. My English has improved so much since I’ve been here. I have so much more work experience than before. It has been my first experience of living in a foreign country and of living in a privately rented flat. It’s been a great experience in many ways: culture, people and language.

I found the job on Google. I finished my studies in September last year and wanted experience of a job abroad. I wanted to do an internship straight after university and this one came up after searching the net!

I found it quite easy to settle in England, even without much English. The company I worked for had a lady who made sure interns settled in ok. She helped me with information about how to shop and how to find a flat. I even ended up sleeping on the sofa of one of the other interns for my first few weeks in England! I found the job difficult at first because my English wasn’t good and I was answering the phone in English. I was amazed at how quickly I learnt English when I had to! The responsibility made me work really hard.

The work environment was really good. Because the office is full of young people it makes a really fun environment to work in and make friends. The bosses were both under forty too, and were cool.

My career has already improved because of my internship. It is really difficult to find a job right now but I have developed good English and employers like that in Spain. The experience has really helped me to find a job, even working in a field that I don’t expect to work in forever.