AIFS Abroad Internships in London, England

I chose AIFS Abroad because of their strong reputation for international internships and the level of support they provide throughout the experience. They successfully helped me find a placement aligned with my career goals. I joined the London Internship Program in Spring 2025, drawn to the city’s vibrant culture, global connections, and professional opportunities in the theatre community. From start to finish, the AIFS team was incredibly supportive—answering questions before departure, guiding us during orientation, and checking in regularly while we were abroad. The housing was safe and well-located, and I loved the group excursions to Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, which helped me to make friends with other study abroad students/interns in my program. My internship at a local theatre gave me real-world experience, improved my communication skills, and boosted my confidence in navigating a professional environment abroad. There was equal opportunity to enjoy the city to the fullest, spend time with friends and travel while also balancing the work experience my internship provided me. I’d recommend AIFS Abroad to anyone looking for a well-rounded, supportive, and life-changing internship experience!

My placement perfectly aligned with my career goals and I met the best people, both at my work and in the program. Gregg planned the most fun weekend activities and took us to places I never would’ve known about or thought to go to. It was an experience I’ll never forget!

I had an amazing time during the AIFS internship program in London! I felt I gained valuable experience not just through my internship, but also by living in a foreign city. There are endless things to do and see in London, and the transport system makes it easy to get almost anywhere in and around the city. As part of the AIFS program, we also had organized events such as day trips, nice dinners, and musicals just to name a few. We had access to tons of resources and I always felt cared for/supported by the London AIFS staff. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to live and work abroad!

I had a great experience in London over the summer! My internship placement was decent; I really enjoyed who I worked with but didn't end up enjoying the actual work I was doing all that much. But, it was nonetheless a good experience for me to have to learn about what positions I want to pursue in the future. All of the AIFS staff were extremely helpful throughout the placement process and were really great during the actual abroad experience. It was great to be able to meet so many awesome people through the program from different schools. Our social life was great too!

I am extremely thankful for my internship and the chance to have it abroad. Smart Works Charity in London was the perfect placement for me, allowing me to realize I had a passion for nonprofit work!!!

My time during AIFS's internship program in London was an unbelievable experience and one that I will never forget. Since starting College back in 2019, I'd always wanted to experience studying and/or interning abroad, so after graduating in May of this year, I decided to end this period of my life with this internship in London. London turned out to be the perfect spot for me: relative ease with culture change (as you don't have to deal with language barriers), experience living in a major city, an abundance of things to do and sights to see, and an amazing staff from AIFS who made the experience even better as they showed us around the city, helped with any questions or concerns, and genuinely cared about our well-being in our time there. This program sparked a huge growth in my personal development and future career goals as at the conclusion of my time, my internship placement offered me a full-time position. The past me would've thought this was never possible, but it looks like I'll be living and working in London for the start of my life after graduation. If you're on the edge about participating in this program, just go for it. Yes, not every day is going to be glamorous and dreamlike, but you will come out the other side with a life-changing experience under your belt. I've found the big-city living life of London to be the perfect abroad experience, and I don't doubt you'd end up feeling the same.

I was fortunate enough to be able to intern abroad in London and it was an amazing experience. While my placement didn’t necessarily align with my college degree, it showed me the world of marketing and I now have a successful career in marketing because of this internship!! Not only that, I met incredible people I am still in contact with today. The student accommodation we stayed at was perfect and in such a good location. The AIFS guide had a new excursion every weekend and it was a great way to explore England and get closer to the students. Lastly, this program made me fall in love with the city of London and I am actually moving to London to pursue grad school next month and I am so excited!!!!

I throughly enjoyed my semester interning abroad. From my workplace to travel weekends to forging new relationships, all made it an experience of a lifetime. I know that this experience has helped me grow into a better version of myself.

I had such a wonderful experience with my internship aboard in London. I never thought that big city life would be for me but I had always wanted to go to London. I took the leap of faith and the amazing GE staff were there every step of the way to make me feel comfortable and to help me learn how to navigate big city life. I loved my internship placement and the company that I worked with. I learned so much and it gave me a wonderful opportunity to gain some invaluable work experience. Our location manager was always there the help with any questions that I had and was the most wonderful support. He took us on the most amazing tours which gave us an immersive viewpoint of London culture. All of the places that we went to were super unique and so much fun. I would never have found these hidden London gems without the advice and guidance of our location manager. Housing was right in the center of London life and was accessible to lots of public transportation which was great for exploring the city and finding new places. London living can be a little bit expensive with food and paying for public transportation which is something to keep in mind. This experience was once in a lifetime and has changed my life. I am so happy that I did it and I would encourage you to jump in if you have ever wanted to go to London and are looking for an amazing adventure.

While there are definitely both pros and cons to interning with GE, the experience overall was enjoyable. London is made especially fantastic by the on-site coordinator, Gregg, who provides invaluable support, fun and educational activities, and will go to bat for you to ensure you have a good time. The housing was excellent, my internship was educational, and I was given many opportunities to learn and grow from the experience. The housing is in a great location, is incredibly safe, and very clean. You are guaranteed to enjoy the social activities provided by the location coordinator.

I loved every second being in London. The internship I was placed in was not necessarily super aligned with my major but it ended up being awesome! The company I worked for and my coworkers were amazing. I found my love for marketing through this experience. Also, Gregg made sure there was an activity/trip planned EVERY weekend so there was limitless opportunities to meet people and see all around england.

I definitely recommend interning in London, but not with Global Experiences. I did research on several providers, and I specifically chose GE because they had so many career fields to choose from. I graduated with a Communications and Media Studies degree, and I hope to go into journalism. The other providers had a general “communications” field which I worried was too broad, so I was excited that GE had a specific field for journalism. I officially applied in March, with journalism as my career field and marketing as my “second choice”. Quickly after submitting my application, I heard from the Regional Enrollment Manager. In our initial phone conversation, she asked for more detail about what my ideal internship would look like. I told her that I would love to work with a creative publication, and ultimately, I am very flexible. The examples given on their website are “LGBT News Organization”, Independent Music & Entertainment Magazine”, and “Leading Political Magazine”. I told her that anything along those lines would be incredible. A few days later, I was officially accepted. I asked for more detail about how the internships were selected. She said “A lot of work goes into our vetting process prior to placing any participants with a certain company in order to ensure anyone placed there will have an amazing experience.” She listed a few more examples, such as “Journalism for Prestigious Magazine” and “Editorial Intern at Leading London Publisher”. By then, I felt assured and officially made the deposit. In mid-April, she asked me to schedule a call with the Director of Internships, who would be my point of contact going forward. Fast forward to the end of June. The director finally sent an update, saying that internship interviews are typically in late July and early August. By the beginning of August, I had not heard anything. I asked for an update, and she told me that the placement team “has your profile out to a number of employers and they anticipate hearing back shortly!” I asked if she had any timeline and she did not answer, but a couple days later, she sent a general update to all the participants. She provided the information about our housing, and said that she would “be in touch” about internships. The participants had provided all our documents needed to apply for a visa, but the internship needed to be secured first. At this point, the program was scheduled to begin on September 11th. The next week, I finally heard about a placement. She described the company as an “online marketing agency”, but in reality, it was a marketing department for a company that installs phone systems. In fact, their website does not even mention the word “marketing”. I asked why I was not given a journalism placement, and she said that all the journalism opportunities were still fully remote. I looked at the marketing section of the GE website, and all the examples of past internships were traditional marketing agencies. I was willing to compromise on an actual agency. The next day, she presented one, and I immediately scheduled the interview. The interview was with one of the two founders, and he revealed that instead of working for the actual agency, I would be working for his separate startup, which was centered around video game betting. The main game is one centered around murdering as many people as violently as possible. Later that day, I was presented another placement, which was for a company that teaches children about creative writing. I was disappointed that all the placements were so niche, but that one was the closest to my original goal, so I agreed to it. Nine days before the program was scheduled to begin, the director sent an email to all the participants, saying Covid was slowing down the biometrics appointments and processing time of sponsorships, which meant that we would likely be arriving late. The next day, she told me that the children’s writing company changed their mind about going back to their office. She asked: “What would you say to interning with [video game company] in person, but a remote internship component with [children’s writing company] as well?” I responded: “I would need to know what my week would look like. If it would be balanced, that would work, but I’m not particularly interested in doing a majority with [video game company].” She said that she will “see what we can do”, and that my Certificate of Sponsorship was delayed because they needed a clear photo of my transcript, and I had to remind her that I sent it to her back in July. On September 7th, four days before the program was scheduled to begin, I got my Certificate of Sponsorship and I was able to schedule my biometrics appointment. The next available one was not for a few more days, so I had to reschedule my flight. She attached a PowerPoint filled with requirements and fees that had never been mentioned before, such as mailing my passport to New York to have the visa added. On the 13th, I had the biometrics appointment and mailed my passport. On the 20th, it came back, because I paid for priority mail. Eventually, GE refunded the fees (because they were already included in our tuition) and the difference for changing the flight. On September 23rd, I finally flew to London. At this point, I did not even know my work schedule. In an attempt to set everything straight, I emailed the Director of Internships, the London Placement Coordinator, and my boss at the video game company. Unfortunately, everyone was on a completely different page. My boss was never told that I was planning on working with two companies, and I was embarrassed by GE’s lack of communication. The director told me that she was “waiting to hear” my schedule with the video game company before reaching out to the children’s writing company. Then, the coordinator told me that I was required to work full-time with the video game company. She said I had the option to do additional work for the children’s writing company, but as you can imagine, I was not interested in doing more unpaid work outside of a 40-hour work week. Finally, I got a schedule from the video game company. It was scheduled to be remote for three days a week, and in-person for two days a week. The work was with the one boss, at a rented table in an office space. He was extremely nice, and the other employees that I met virtually were too, but the startup was not equipped to take on a full-time intern. For the first few weeks, my boss did not come to many of the in-person days. Then, he was dealing with an injury, so the internship became fully remote for the rest of the program. I was essentially an on-call intern. My boss was rarely online, but I had to be, on the off chance that I would get an assignment. Every single morning, I asked him what I needed to get started on. Most days, I either didn’t hear anything until the afternoon, or I didn’t hear anything at all. The coordinator threatened me, saying that if I did not follow this schedule, immigration services would quickly find me and kick me out of the country. However, the director had previously told me that participants have switched internships in the past, so I asked her to clarify. I brought up a marketing/PR firm that two of the other participants were assigned to, which was clearly a much better fit. I heard that they were looking for extra help, and ironically, their office was right across from my office. I felt like the director was not understanding my concerns, so I asked my mother to call her. In that call, the director became much more apologetic. She emphasized that she would do whatever she could to make it right, and that she would speak to their staff member in London who is three levels above the coordinator. A week later, she told me that she had the meeting and that the “most recent guidance” is that “visas cannot be adjusted once they are issued”. I know that Covid can change things, but ultimately, a company dedicated to sending people abroad should be on top of understanding the official government rules. The email was practically all corporate speak. I sent a thorough response, accepting that the circumstances couldn’t be made better, but asking her to at least own up to her mistakes. She never answered it, and never contacted me again. She had previously mentioned that she would be visiting London in the middle of the program. She even told me that she was looking forward to taking me out for a coffee. The participants officially found out about her visit through an email that the coordinator sent to all of our bosses, cc’ing us. It said that we needed to be able to leave early for a “mandatory networking event”. The “networking event” was literally just a pizza party. The participants were all eating together upstairs. At this point, we had all known each other for a month. The director was chatting with other staff members downstairs. She never bothered to come up and introduce herself to all of us. If we wanted to meet her, we would have to approach her and interrupt her conversations. The co-founder/CEO of GE was also there, and she behaved the exact same way. While I ultimately made the most of the experience, GE did not give me what I paid for and I know that the other participants feel the same way. My hope is that they learn to respect their customers and to take responsibility for their actions.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this experience, but it was truly unforgettable. I was able to experience so much in just a couple of months. I not only got incredible work experience in fashion but I grew a lot as a person. It is not just about the internship it is about the experiences you takeaway from people you meet and places you go. It was the best decision I made.

My experience being an intern at a solicitors office was incredibly valuable to my professional development. Additionally, the program allowed me and other people on the program to experience major portions of not only London but England. I want to give a personal shoutout to Carmen Chamorro for being an integral reason for my enjoyment of this program. Her incredible energy and positive attitude was infectious and I enjoyed every retreat she provided. Thank you for all the memories!

The summer I spent in London was easily the best summer of my life. The program advisor Carmen was so hopeful and always there when we needed anything, big or small. I met the most amazing people and got to work in a field I'm really passionate about. The city itself is filled with things to do, I didn't even have time to do it all and I was there for two months. I wish I could go back because nothing will compare to the friends and memories I made along the way.

Going abroad, even just to London, for 8 weeks can be very intimidating. But oh my gosh was it worth it. Global Experiences placed me in an internship that challenged me and pushed me pretty far outside of my comfort zone--which made me learn so much more from it! I was so scared that I would get a boring internship that had me doing busywork every single day for 8 weeks and that was not the case at all! Global Experiences placed me with 3 other roommates that are very similar to me and it made living in London that much easier. The location staff, Carmen and Jose, planned all different types of weekend/weekday get-togethers. There were two weekends where we did little day trips to Brighton and to the Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury and they planned little food market trips, picnics, and drinks after work type of events during the week. Carmen especially made this trip so worth it just because she would always greet us with a huge hug and asked us if we were feeling "10/10" each time we saw her. She is so sweet and you can tell that she, and Jose, genuinely cared about us and it really made the whole experience feel a little more like home to me.

I wanted to intern abroad with GE ever since my older sister did it, and I am so glad I did. The flexibility of the program, preparation they provided, and amazing internship placement is what drew me to the program. The support GE staff gave during my internship is what made my experience so great— I felt safe and welcome in my home away from home thanks to them. They were always there when you needed them, but encouraged you to be independent and grow during this amazing experience. I am so thankful for GE!

Growing up in a small town, the opportunity to visit London presented me with the perfect experience to get out in the world and explore. Global Experiences aided by making the trip more safe and helping get involved in the working environment as well. They matched me with the perfect internship and were always there if you needed anything (especially Carmen). I fell in love with the city and am so happy I was able to do this. The program helped me grow in independence and maturity by getting me involved in a great work environment while also letting every intern there have free time to figure out everything on their own.

London has been a dream come true. I have wanted to live and work in London since I learned I had to get a job and be an adult. I couldn't have asked for a better Internship placement, where my co-workers were so supportive of me and encouraging to grow and learn beyond just the skills I was hired for. From day 1 it was like I had always been part of the team. I have gained skills related to my field of work, but didn't study in School, and combined my talents with these new skills. This has given me knowledge and skills I can add to my resume and expands my job opportunities. I definitely am going to miss working at my Internship. Carmen and Jose were absolutely terrific. From the beginning I approached Carmen and she just took me under her wing and supported me and encouraged me. And when I was at my most troubled Jose accompanied by Hailey, they picked me up, dusted me off, and helped me to move forward. Carmen would check on me to make sure I was doing well and if I needed advice or anything. Any successes, big or small, she celebrated with me, and any bumps in the road she helped me to overcome by talking it out and just being a kind, loving, and cheerful friend. Carmen never solved any of my problems, but she gave me the confidence and support to go about and solve them myself. Jose is also so fun and caring. He will talk to you and just have a great fun conversation. But he will also step up and help take care of stuff when needed. He also has a great sense of style, and his love of taking photos at our outings makes a photographer proud (even if I hate having my photo taken). Without the GE staff on site, and my amazing Coworkers and Internship placement I wouldn't have enjoyed my time here nearly as much as I did, nor would I have grown as an individual. London is what you make of it, but it always helps to have an amazing support network and friendly and caring humans surrounding you.

My time in London has been beyond incredible. Carmen and the rest of the GE staff are the absolute best people for this job! Carmen’s passion for helping people and sharing her love for London is what made this experience as amazing as it was! I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved exploring different parts of London and coming across so many fun, quirky, and cute places in the city. Also, my job has taught me so much and the commute on the tube was extremely easy. I’ll take these memories with me for a lifetime and that is truly priceless. I would recommend Global Experiences to anyone in a heartbeat because they’ll make sure that you’re having an 11/10 experience at all times!!!