<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Our son is interested in doing an internship abroad - probably England/Ireland/Scotland. His school likes the idea but he needs to start coming up with some possibilities to consider.</p>
<p>Ideally he would do something with lighting technology/stage electrics. Does anyone have suggestions of places to look in to? </p>
<p>All thoughts are welcome.
thanks</p>
<p>Techiemom,
The UK has very stringent internship/study abroad policies. I have two students doing internships in London right now and they are required to be enrolled in for-credit classes at least half time.
His best bet might be to find a university study abroad program that has an internship component.</p>
<p>Michele</p>
<p>Hi Michele,</p>
<p>Thanks - can you give me any suggestions on how to look for more information? I’m not sure what to look for with a study abroad program - as far as I know his school doesn’t offer them. Are there programs for tech theatre. Are there any specific venues you would suggest? </p>
<p>Is there a central location/organization to contact to find out more about UK policies?</p>
<p>How long are your students staying in London? To complicate things a little more his university is on a trimester system.</p>
<p>Any other info or suggestions are certainly welcome.
Thanks!</p>
<p>I am not sure if it is applicable, but two of my students who were studying abroad in London through the James Madison University (JMU) Office of International Programs did internships at London theatres while there. I believe that students from other universities can apply to go abroad through JMU It may be worth looking into… </p>
<p>[JMU</a> oIP | Office of International Programs at James Madison University](<a href=“http://www.jmu.edu/international/]JMU”>Center for Global Engagement - JMU)</p>
<p>[JMU</a> oIP | International Internships](<a href=“Study Abroad Programs & Deadlines - JMU”>Study Abroad Programs & Deadlines - JMU)</p>
<p>Thanks - I’ll look into JMU.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if you have to do an internship through a study abroad program? In the US it could be something like an apprentice program at Santa Fe Opera, Jacob’s Pillow, Utah Shakespeare, Cirque de Soliel, Electronic Theatre Control, etc. Is it possible to apply directly to equivalent places in the UK? What would equivalent places be in the UK?</p>
<p>thanks again</p>
<p>techiemom, you might want to have a look around the Tisch website and see if they allow students from other colleges to participate in their study abroad opportunities. I know that Tisch offers study abroad in about a dozen different cities around the world and usually there are at least two or three different offerings at each site. What I’m not sure of is whether or not any tech related programs are offered. I do know that Tischies have done internships abroad during the course of their programs, though. Might be worth a look.</p>
<p>I am not sure of the ins and outs… but it sounds like in order for Michele’s students to intern abroad they had to also be registered for classes.</p>
<p>I work at a summer theatre where we have had college student interns who were from other countries, but studying in the US during the academic year. We had to do paperwork with the international student office at their schools in order for them to do the internships. If it is similar in the UK, you may find that he may have to be studying as well as interning in order for him to be able to do it.</p>
<p>Does your son’s school have a programs abroad office? They may be able to help him with the ins and outs.</p>
<p>We have quite a few students from other colleges and universities who participate in our study abroad programs. (The acting intensive in London is every fall, but internships are every semester. We also do a script/screenwriting program in London in the spring.) All these experiences are run through FSU’s International Programs office because of the complexities of the visas. Each country has different requirements - especially in regards to internships which are perceived as work visas from an immigration standpoint. The UK has become particulary stringent in the last year due to some changes in the immigration laws there. Interns are required to be enrolled in school.</p>
<p>I believe a student would only be able to apply for an internship directly with a company if that company were willing and able to make the arrangements for the visa.</p>
<p>I agree that the first step is to contact a Study Abroad/International Programs office at his school or at another institution because they know the ins and outs of the visa situation and how best for your son to have the experience that he desires.</p>
<p>Edited to add: FSU students are in London 14-15 weeks in the fall and spring semesters. During the summer they can do either six weeks or 12 weeks.</p>
<p>Michele</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I do not think the company arranges the visa. My daughter has done two summer paid internships in France where she applied directly to the companies herself, not through school. She also had to arrange with the French consulate office in the US to get a work visa which involved many papers. I believe the firms she worked for had one form on their end to fill out too, along with many papers she had to secure. The companies themselves did not arrange for her visas, however.</p>
<p>That said, I agree with the advice here to look into abroad programs through either one’s own university or a college that has offers such programs to students from any university that one’s own college will accept (my daughter also studied abroad through a university that was not her own one semester).</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions - it helps.
I think he’s looking for more of an internship/apprentice opportunity more than a study abroad program. Since his school works on a trimester system its usually more of a 10-12 week time frame. His school has done pretty well helping find internships but it doesn’t sound like they’re done much if anything overseas.</p>
<p>He’s found several possible theatres in England and Scotland - his next step is to go over the list with his advisor and then contact the theatres directly. Hopefully something will work out. He’s looking for 2010/11 so he has some time to pursue it.</p>
<p>Can anyone suggest theatres in the UK to look into? It seem like repertory theatres are the best bet but any and all suggestions are welcome.</p>
<p>It’s always a time issue - these years fly by and he’s trying to get as much varied experience as he can.</p>