Finding internships abroad? (London, specifically.)

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I posted [here[/url</a>] about my indecision in attempting to plan my next term off from college, which will be my junior fall. I acknowledged that going abroad was an option, but didn't feel terribly enthusiastic about the prospect (since I lived in Europe for most of my childhood, it didn't seem necessary); after thinking about it more, though, I'm really starting to consider it.</p>

<p>I have to credit JHS, who gave me this advice:

Which is a very good point. So I've decided to look into it.</p>

<p>I'll admit up front that my boyfriend's being an exchange student at Oxford that term plays a role in my decision to focus on London; living alone in a foreign country is incredibly intimidating, and being able to visit on weekends (it's about a one-hour train ride, according to a cursory internet search) would make it far less so. Another reason is that the only time I've been there was in fifth grade, and I've always wanted to go back.</p>

<p>I'm fortunate in that (a) my college offers up to $4,000 in funding for unpaid internships abroad, and (b) I'm a European Union citizen, which means I'm legally allowed to work anywhere in the EU. </p>

<p>I've already found the [url="<a href="http://www.economistgroup.com/working_with_us/internships/index.html%22%5Dinternship"&gt;http://www.economistgroup.com/working_with_us/internships/index.html"]internship&lt;/a> of my dreams](<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/701083-planning-leave-term-too-many-choices-edition.html%22%5Dhere%5B/url"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/701083-planning-leave-term-too-many-choices-edition.html), but I really doubt I'm qualified.</p>

<p>So, it's clear that I'll need backups... and I just have no idea where to start. I've been to Career Services once, but the emphasis then was on internships within the United States; I should probably schedule an appointment to discuss international internships specifically. Besides that, does anyone have experience with finding internships abroad? Any suggestions on where to look?</p>

<p>Thanks so much in advance!
(Thanks, too, to everyone who posted advice on the other thread... I'm clearly very indecisive, but I'm serious about looking into this.)</p>

2

<p>By the way, here is some context about my academic and professional interests, cross-posted from the other thread:

[QUOTE=me]

I’m a Government (political science) major and Public Policy minor, and I’m interested in political economy, international trade and development, urban issues, health policy, and a variety of other things. I am not interested in banking or finance, but I’m skeptical of nonprofits unless they are well-established and demonstrably effective. I like writing, research, problem-solving, and analysis. After college, I’d like to find a job in D.C. or Boston, doing some or all of those things.

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>How about if you tried doing searches on Gap Year in London to find things to do in London that are good fits for college age students in general. You could investigate any that appeal to you to see if any of them could turn into an internship?</p>

4

<p>Check out the Foundation for International Education in London website. They offer poli sci internships. Don’t know if it will help you, but it’s another place to look.</p>

5

<p>Something else to look at is if you could get a grant to do research in London. I spent a summer in Europe including several weeks in London studying low cost housing thanks to a grant from Harvard’s Center for European Studies. Your college or outside sources might have a similar program.</p>

6

<p>Thanks, those are all great ideas! I’ve been looking on [url="<a href="http://www.idealist.org/“]Idealist[/url”&gt;http://www.idealist.org/"]Idealist[/url</a>] and found a few possibilities, but I didn’t want to limit myself to nonprofits, so this really helps.</p>

7

<p>My D did an internship in London while studying abroad during the Spring semester a few years ago. She worked out the details with her department advisor at U of Rochester. She had the flexibility to take courses and do the internship.</p>

8

<p>Go back to Dartmouth career services. My DS has a Winter term internship in London found there.</p>