What inspired you to travel abroad?
I was born and brought up in China and the wider world has always been of interest to me. The UK, in particular, has been somewhere that has always fascinated me and somewhere I always aspired to go. While I was studying, I looked into opportunities for me to intern in London and an opportunity came up that was too good to turn down.
Exploring the Highlands
Why did you choose Internship in London - International Programme with Capital Placement?
I was initially recommended to CP by a close friend who already interned in London through CP. Although she gave a great review about the program, I did a lot of research before choosing to apply to Capital Placement. One of the things I must emphasise is doing your research and speaking to the organisation before committing. While I was speaking to Capital Placement, they were very helpful and gave a lot of very useful advice about the different programs and which one of them could be a good fit for me. Another thing was that a lot of my friends have heard of Capital Placement and this was very reassuring as well.
What was your favorite part about London?
Working and living in London is no doubt a great experience. London is always alive and there are so many things to do and see! One of my favourite parts was making new friends at work and in the student residence where I stayed; I am still in touch with most of them! As I was in London for 6 months, I had the opportunity to travel around the country during the weekends, which I really enjoyed as well and would recommend everyone to do.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The most extraordinary part of the experience was getting a job offer to stay on in the UK to work full time!
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
They provided excellent support before, during, and after my internship. Capital Placement definitely made the whole process easy for me and was always on hand to help. During the program, we regularly had social events for a catch up and the staff at CP were always available via WhatsApp. They were even happy to provide support throughout the weekends, even when the messages were not urgent.
Beach during summer
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I’m not sure what I would have done differently to be honest—everything went smoothly and better than I was expecting!
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
No two days were the same really. I usually woke up around 6:30 a.m. and started my day by going to the gym in my accommodation, or if the weather was good, I would go for a run outside. I would get to work around 9:30 a.m. and the work varied every day. I worked as a project management intern, so I was handling various projects which was exciting. The days would vary between speaking to clients, doing internal and external presentations, and discussing project updates with the team to ensure everything was running smoothly.
This is where the graduate internship program really helped, as I was given a lot more responsibility than I was expecting—in a good way! I also had weekly meetings with my supervisor, and we would go through the tasks that we had done for the past week. He then set up new tasks for the week ahead and provided helpful feedback on areas I could improve on. In the evenings, I would either go out with my friends or colleagues for dinner or stay at home and cook dinner with my flatmates.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I travelled a lot when I had free time, especially during the weekends! Also, I love canoeing so I found a great club in Canary Wharf in East London. I would try and go canoeing during the weekends if I was in London.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I stayed at a private student accommodation, which Capital Placement helped me find. I had my own room with a bathroom. It’s a newly-built accommodation and I was sharing the flat with six others from different countries. This really helped me settle in and meet people in London.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
I don’t think there is one thing participants should know—there are many, including about waiting until the last minute before submitting an application to intern abroad. This was one of the mistakes I made, as I was a little underprepared when it came time to move to London. I would highly recommend that participants plan at least four months in advance if you are thinking about going abroad. Also, speak to the providers about the cost and what’s included.
Most importantly, ask the providers what is not included in the fee and how much each of those would cost. In my research, I quickly found out there were many other providers who have hidden fees, such as visa sponsorship fees that you have to pay in addition to the program fee. Once you have all the information about the fees, what is included and what is not, you can come up with the total cost and see if it is financially feasible for you. Interning abroad does not have to be very expensive, but it can end up being that way if you do not do your research properly, as some of my friends found out the hard way.
Would you recommend Capital Placement to others? Why?
Building on my last answer, I would happily recommend Capital Placement to anyone considering it. They provide an amazing service, and are honest and transparent throughout the whole process. In fact, they are one of the very few who proactively disclose what is not included in the program, which I really appreciated. I have already recommended three of my friends to Capital Placement program and they are all alumni of the program now!
Seaford to Eastbourne (The 7 Sisters) Walk
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
There have been a few key benefits for me. Doing an internship in London has definitely helped with my confidence. It also gave me the opportunity to be immersed in a second language, and being in London and interacting with people from various backgrounds is an amazing experience. Almost everyone you meet speaks two or more languages. I’d say I am now more open-minded and culture-sensitive than before I came to England.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
I am not at home, not yet. I managed to get a full-time job offer from Huawei in the UK as a Junior Project Manager. I have been exposed to working with some large telecommunications clients. The internship definitely had a much bigger impact in my life than I expected!
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
It is about learning more about yourself and making the best of the opportunities presented to you, such as seeing different cultures, exploring different places, and making new friends! Having those memories and experiences is what makes travel meaningful to me.
