Internships are an important means by which students integrate themselves into British society in a positive and meaningful way while they are on the London Program. Internships teach students how to acquire knowledge through work experience, apply theoretical concepts in practical situations, and gain self-knowledge regarding personal skills and career ambitions. Internships are also an important way in which students can enhance their resumes.
Our internship program is constantly expanding, so it is impossible to give specific details here of all the internships that may be on offer in any one semester. Nevertheless, the following list gives students an indication of the sorts of internships that may be offered in the semester in which they wish to come to London.
Parliamentary Internships
Our Parliamentary interns work for Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster. In comparison with US senators and representatives, British MPs have relatively small staffs. Consequently, Parliamentary interns have a degree of contact with their MPs and a level of responsibility that Congressional interns rarely experience. It is not a pre-requisite that Parliamentary interns should have taken courses in government, economics, or public policy, but students who have studied in these areas are especially encouraged to apply. Students who have been active in regional or national politics would also be strong candidates for these internships.
Business Internships
The London Program’s business internships provide students with a unique insight into financial and business operations in a city which serves as the world's centre for banking and international trade. Some of these internships are marketed specifically towards business majors; others encourage non-business majors to apply as well.
Bank of America
Our Bank of America intern works in the London office of Bank of America, one of the world's leading financial services companies. The intern works with the Real Estate, Lodging & Gaming team in London, helping the Global Investment Banking group to orchestrate capital raising and strategic advisory transactions. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining financial records, supporting financial analyses, performing comprehensive and in-depth research, preparing presentations, and participating in due diligence sessions.
Morningstar
Our Morningstar interns work in the London office of Morningstar UK, the British division of Morningstar, a leading US financial advisory company with headquarters in Chicago. The intern supports Morningstar's Data Relationship Management team with responsibility for data collection on European mutual funds and is responsible for executing Morningstar business rules and quality standards. The intern is expected to be able to adapt in a fast changing setting and enjoy working in an ethical and professional environment.
BBDO
Our BBDO interns work in the European headquarters of BBDO, the world's third largest advertising network. Some interns work in the Controller's Team in the Finance Department, supporting its role as provider of financial reporting and central financial management to its pan-European clients. Others work in the Hubs unit, which is dedicated to Strategic Brand Services, researching business brands, consumers, and global trends.
NFL
Our NFL intern works for NFL (UK) promoting the game of American football in the UK. The intern has the opportunity to engage in an international business culture by assisting office staff with research, event planning, and involvement in strategic aspects of the territory business plan. The intern is expected provide support in one or more of the following aspects of the NFL's business operations: licensing and consumer products; marketing; digital media; sponsorship; public relations; player and game development.
The American Church in London
Our intern in not-for-profit administration works at the Soup Kitchen of the American Church in London. The intern's projects include: management of volunteers (including training, scheduling issues, and volunteer recognition programs); financial management of the agency (including reporting systems such as reporting back to donors about the difference their gift has made or developing budgets); and fundraising (including doing prospect research, writing grant proposals, and helping to organize annual campaigns).
Internships in Education, the Arts, the Media, and the Community
Fulbright
Our Fulbright intern works for the US-UK Fulbright Commission in London. The Fulbright Commission is one of the most prestigious educational exchange programs in the world, offering grants to outstanding candidates from both Britain and the United States. The intern works in the small but busy Awards Department where approximately 600 applications are processed each year. The intern helps with the administration of the awards program, logging information on databases, following up on applications, arranging selection committees, and organizing interviews. The internship offers opportunities to meet and interact with applicants, current Fulbright scholars, affiliated organizations, the US Embassy, university departments, and the press.
British Fulbright Scholars Association
This intern works for the British Fulbright Scholars Association, the alumni association of the US-UK Fulbright Commission (see above). The responsibilities of the intern include: maintaining communication with current Fulbright scholars; assisting with orientations for US and UK Fulbright scholars; management assistance with the Mentoring Programme; database management; liaising with the British Council and Teacher Exchange Programme, the Fulbright Arts Task Force, and the Fulbright US/UK Liaison; dealing with day-to-day inquiries from alumni; and helping maintain the BFSA website. The internship offers opportunities to meet and interact with alumni and speakers from every profession.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Our internship in the fine arts is based at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the oldest public art gallery in Britain. Located in southeast London. This gallery houses a magnificent collection of old masters, including works by Poussin, Claude, Rubens, Murillo, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Watteau, Gainsborough, and many others. This placement, which is available only in the fall semester, offers an insight into how art galleries work and provides valuable experience for those wishing to pursue a career in the museum and gallery world.
NBC Internship
Currently, our new media intern works in the London Bureau of NBC News. This intern is responsible for logging international news feeds, compiling shot-lists from which NBC in New York creates foreign news segments, transcribing interviews for use on Dateline and the Today Show, and going on location with film crews. Although application is not limited to students enrolled in the JED concentration, students with a background in journalism are particularly encouraged to apply.
Emmaus
Our community-based interns work for Emmaus, an association of 350 communities in 38 countries, which offer homeless people a home, work, and the chance to rebuild their self-respect in a supportive community environment. Companions (as residents of each Emmaus community are known) undertake full-time work refurbishing donated furniture and household goods and selling them in the community shop. Interns may choose to work with an individual Emmaus community, socializing with companions, helping in the kitchen to serve food and drinks, offering assistance in the workshops, helping with general office duties, assisting with IT needs, and offering instruction to companions. Alternatively, interns may choose to develop their skills in not-for-profit administration by assisting in the strategic management of a group of Emmaus communities in the UK.
Catholic Social Teaching
This semester-long internship in Catholic social teaching comprises two parts:
(1) practical work experience in campaigning for social justice through a network of inner-city Catholic parishes in London
(2) six tutorials providing an introduction to the social teaching of the Catholic Church
The practical work experience of this internship is arranged through London Citizens, a charitable organization working mostly through Catholic parishes in London devoted to building community in London’s poorest neighborhoods. Its goal is to bring people into a mutually beneficial working relationship to pursue the common good. It seeks to identify problems in neighborhoods and then offers the appropriate training to develop leadership skills at the grass-roots level to promote change.
Each intern will work with Fr Sean Connolly in the RC parish of St Stephen’s, Manor Park, in the East End of London. Interns will be given tasks by the parish priest to help develop a leadership team in the parish campaigning for issues of social justice. This practical work experience is supplemented by a series of academic tutorials in which students will read primary and secondary material on Catholic social teaching. These tutorials provide the intellectual framework for the internship.
Please Note:
- Students accepted on the London Program receive details about all available internships and application procedures early in the semester before they depart for London.
- All internships are secured by means of competitive application.
- All internships are unpaid positions.
- Interns are expected to work approximately 10 to 15 hours a week for 14 weeks of the semester.
- All interns must apply for a Student Visa before coming to London. This visa gives interns permission to work in the UK. The expense of applying for a Student Visa is born by the student, but the London Program office on campus is glad to give advice on how to submit such an application.
- All internships are taken for three academic credits, which count towards a student’s 15 credits in the London Program:
* Some internships are awarded academic credit by the relevant department on campus. Some of these internships (e.g. our Parliamentary and CST internships) are awarded graded, general elective credit by virtue of the required classes or tutorials associated with them. Others (such as our NBC internship) are graded on a “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” basis by the relevant department on campus.
* Other internships may be taken for three elective credits on a “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” basis through the London Program and the College of Arts & Letters.
* Alternatively, students may apply to receive graded, general elective credit for their internships by making individual application to the appropriate department on campus. Credit is awarded at the discretion of the department on the basis of the strength of the individual application. These applications are submitted in the semester before the student comes to London and the administrative procedure must be completed before the student departs for London.
- An intern’s performance is usually assessed in terms of:
* The Writing Requirement: Each intern keeps a journal in which he/she keeps a detailed record of the tasks performed each week and offers brief reflections on his/her experience. The journal is submitted at the end of the semester together with a 7-10 page paper in which the intern reflects upon his/her overall experience.
* The Supervisor's Report: Each intern has a supervisor at his or her place of work who submits a final report on the intern's performance in the workplace.
- Students on the London Program may also apply to undertake Independent Internships of their own devising. In this case, students must apply to the London Program office on campus well in advance of departure for London, and certainly no less than one month beforehand. The application must contain details of the host organization, a description of the work to be undertaken, and contact information for the intern's supervisor in the workplace. Independent internships must satisfy all the requirements of a London Program internship: they must be unpaid, the intern must work for between 10 and 15 hours a week for 14 weeks of the semester; and the internship must be taken for academic credit.
