| ONLY OPEN TO EU CITIZENS ON THE ERASMUS PROGRAMME This is a great opportunity to become part of a team, in a position offering great variety of experience, and the chance to develop the interests and skills of the candidate. This internship is based in the seaside town of Dawlish, which is 10 miles from the University/cathedral city of Exeter. Our Dawlish office has a small team, and you would become a vital part of all aspects of its work. Our company, Underhill Real Estate Agents, is a dynamic and ambitious young business. We operate in real estate sales and rentals. Our intern would be a part of the team in all aspects of our business. The position would definitely include direct customer contact both in our retail office and accompanying property viewings; customer contact management and database marketing; writing promotional materials; sales negotiation; and all aspects of office administration. The intern would be part of the team. We recognise that our people are our strongest resource. We actively encourage our team members to use their initiative and to develop and run with their own ideas. This internship represents a fantastic opportunity to engage with the socio-cultural and economic heart of England. Real estate itself is a foundation-stone of the domestic economy, and working within the industry will give the intern an excellent perspective on the economic basis of the UK. As a small, young business (the directors are in their 20's and 30's), the intern will have a close-up involvement in the whole business. Finally, real estate agency gives its employees an unprecedented involvement with the 'deep social culture' of a community. You will meet people from all warks of life. You will learn about the things that the English people worry about.. the schools, the transport infrastructure, the neighbourhood, the economy. You'll see inside dozens of people's homes, and get a fascinating view of how we live and work as a society.You'll deal with those buying their first home, getting married, those who have new children, or have a new job; and you'll also meet people getting divorced, or coping with the death of a relative. These are the reasons that people buy and sell houses. Our work is a list of the most significant events in people's lives.It would be fair to say that, after six months working in estate agency, you'll know the English people better, in many ways, than they know themselves. Our offices are open Monday-Saturday, 9.00am – 5.30pm. Our staff typically work a 5 ½ day week (i.e., Monday to Friday plus alternate Saturdays). At this stage, we are willing to consider the circumstances of each applicant in regards to what, if any, financial stipend we are able to offer. This may vary upon such issues as the hours (including weekend cover), required holidays or study-time, the financial position of the applicant, and the particular qualities that each candidate may bring. We are in a position to offer more than one internship, and we have considerable flexibility in start- and end-dates to meet the needs of the applicant. We are very happy to consider internships starting from immediately. Given the nature of our business, we will be able to assist in finding accommodation for the intern! Our directors and staff all live locally, so the intern will have opportunities to make introductions within the local community through work colleagues, while there are all manner of sports, leisure and social clubs and associations in the city. Newcomers will have no problems finding local community groups that share their interests. This seems an opportune moment to briefly mention the location. Dawlish is a small, pretty seaside town, with many attractions for tourists. It has a population of approx 15,000, and has all amenities. It is on a train route to Exeter, which is the nearest city, 20 minutes away. Exeter is a small cathedral city of approximately 100,000 people, located in the rural south western county of Devon, one of England’s most popular tourist destinations. Exeter has a large university, as well as the higher education college (16-18 year olds) which serves all the high schools in the area. As such, it is very cosmopolitan in outlook, and has a vibrant local cultural scene (music, comedy, theatre). Famous local musicians include Joss Stone, Thom Yorke (Radiohead, an Exeter University alumnus) and the rock band Muse. Major artists play at the nearby Westpoint area (15,000 capacity venue) or the University Great Hall (3,000 capacity) and Lemon Grove (1000 capacity). Upcoming artists play at the excellent Cavern Club (350 capacity). There are also over 100 pubs within a mile of the cathedral! The city centre has a fantastic medieval Cathedral, and is surrounded by a Roman City Wall, although the very centre was heavily damaged during WW2. There are still beautiful historic buildings, often surrounded by questionable postwar architecture or modern redevelopment. Exeter has the world’s oldest canal, and was a major port in the 16th century: now it’s waterfront and historic quay are a pleasant tourist area. Exeter has a fourth-tier professional Soccer team, who’s finest moment was a draw with Manchester United in the FA Cup competition 2 years ago. It also has a second-tier professional Rugby Union team. Exeter is the regional capital of a rural county, so it has a good central shopping district, and reasonable transport links. It is approx 2 ½ hours from central London by train, (4 hours by coach, which can be booked for as little as £1). It is at the western fringe of the motorway network, and has a small international airport. Devon county has more coastline than any other in England… the south coast is just 8 miles away, while the north coast of Devon & adjacent Cornwall is England’s premier surfing coast, and is an hour away by car. As it is in the south, Exeter enjoys higher temperatures than most of England. Although the western side of England has higher rainfall, Exeter city itself is in the rain shadow of the national parks of Dartmoor (to the west) and Exmoor (to the north). Exeter is, indeed, surrounded by beautiful countryside. From the city centre, it’s possible to see rolling green hills on every horizon, with the river Exe running south towards its estuary and the ocean to the south. |
