Going abroad for an internship will lead you to see differences you need to get over with.
North America and Europe are tightly linked with deep roots in common and a lot of history between them. Do not get fooled by that, while Europe has a history over 2000 years old, the US has just a little more than 500 years of actual known history. It is true that a vast majority of the United States’ population come from Europe, they have their own culture and life style.
Experiencing this culture chock is a real test for yourself and, not only you will gain a life long work experience, but also it will provide you with a better understanding of international relations. Taking that step, that leap of faith into the unknown will change you.
I have personally experienced that change the other way round. I came for a year to the United States and this experience is probably the best thing that happened to me. Many trainees take a chance and go and discover new places with new people and new values. I think if you have the possibility to go abroad you should seize that opportunity and do an internship.
That work experience will bring you much more than you can expect at first sight.
An internship on the other side of the Atlantic proposes a real challenge. Even with the globalization, the management techniques and daily work is organised differently. This work experience tells you more about your adaptability, your capabilities to be in an international environment, and to work with other interns that have different values from yours.
An internship is also a way to enrich yourself and because of this multi cultural aspect, that will bring you to meet interns from all over the world. The adventure that you will live by doing an internship in the UK is just an opportunity that you can not miss.

Spring is finally here in London! It's fantastic. Flowers are blooming, the sun is out, and young people are flooding the city looking for work, specifically internships. If I walk around London right now there are people everywhere in our age group (18-28) attending classes and working for big companies like Bloomsburg and Barclays. Recently I found this great site which offers jobs, internships, and graduate training schemes throughout the United Kingdom and specifically London. Check the site out for information on internships.
If you are planning to come to London and want to know the best time of year, I would advise between May and August. The weather is the best during these months, with warm breezy air and sunshine. There are a lot of wonderful events to participate in on your days off from working and interning. Check out the Chelsea flower show in May or Wimbledon in June and July. There are great festivals in Notting Hill in August. Let us not forget all of the beautiful parks London is known for. You can have a picnic lunch with your co workers, a great memory of your internship in London. As an American you need to experience all that there is in London including the fun! Of course always remember when you get back to the office that it is business, but I encourage getting outside while you can and enjoying the sunshine.

After a long absence in which I was quite busy studying, I am back with more useful information for your future.
Long have I heard of an internship that is so wonderful, you never want to leave. Many tell me that their internship is exactly what they didn't expect…but BETTER! This is what I am currently experiencing. A place where you feel comfortable and where you see yourself progressing and learning. Let's be honest, I thought I would be in some sort of boring routine, making copies and running coffee errands. Boy was I wrong. This internship has allowed me to grow and experience real life work, the kind you see in movies, where the character has this really cool job working for an advertising agency in which they are really important and their opinion matters. This is exactly what I am experiencing. I have been promoted into a management position where I am allowed to give direction, leadership, and motivation to a team of interns. The benefits allow me to grow as a person and worker, learning new experiences everyday. An internship in a place like London will open many doors for you. If you want your internship to turn into a paid career, you need to make yourself known. Sell yourself and you will succeed in impressing the right people. You need to make sure that not only your supervisor sees your potential but also the supervisor of your supervisor and even the Human Resources department.
Be prepared for anything in your internship…you might even surprise yourself when the boss comes to you and asks for a “meeting to discuss your future”. Keep a positive attitude.

As an early twenty-something doing my first internship, I succumbed to the disgruntled notion that the work that I did equated to slave labour – worse, because I was paying to be there (granted, I had also received a scholarship to cover part of my costs). I wasn’t getting paid and I got stuck with the jobs no one wanted to do. I was bottom of the totem pole.
Don’t let me scare you away from the idea of an internship. It is definitely a good thing. Let’s review what an internship offers and how it will benefit you.

I’m sorry to say, but as a fresh graduate there is a good possibility that you are going to experience a good six to eighteen months of depression when you realize that your degree means squat in the ‘real world’. Theory is great to know, but what employers want to see is experience and application. And they want to see years of it.
It’s the age-old Catch 22 of how do you get experience without a job, how do you get a job without experience. Can you see where I’m going with this?
An internship may take a bite out of your wallet, but consider it an investment in yourself. It will give you that much needed work experience you need to get the job you want. The longer the internship, the more experience, the better your CV will look when you apply for that key career starting job.
But paying for and showing up to do an internship is just the bare minimum. You want to learn something from it too, don’t you? You may have a mentor or supervisor to teach you your daily tasks, but one thing will make the difference between a good internship and a bad one: attitude. You don’t need attitude, you need to have a good attitude. Why?

You get out what you put in

A good attitude means having the initiative to intuit when things need to be done, having the will to do whatever is asked of you, and then be willing to take on more. Consider yourself responsible for the things you do (because you are). No one else is there to do them, that means others are depending on you. By nature, you will only receive those responsibilities that are required of your position. If you really want to make an impression – and if you really want to learn something more – offer to do more. Your mentor/supervisor will appreciate you lightening their load, and you will benefit from gaining a greater skillset to add to your CV. The better your CV, the greater your chances of that all-important ‘real world’ job.

It’s not always what you know…

Another benefit of an internship is networking.
I doubt you will be working with just one other person, so talk to people. Ask others what they do. Be friendly, get to know them, and always be willing to give them a hand. This may all sound a bit boyscout, but the more willing you are to help people, the more you will impress them.
It makes sense that people are more willing to hire people they know than a stranger. It’s your attitude people will remember, so make sure they will never forget you. It’s not always what you know, it’s who you know.
- Canadian Chris