WHY CHOOSE FIE FOR YOUR LONDON SERVICE INTERNSHIP AND STUDY PROGRAM?

Local insight and support from your personal Internship Mentor

FIE students benefit from the local knowledge and expertise of our London-based team. For nearly 20 years FIE has worked with students to transform their interests and objectives into the reality of work and service opportunities in London. We continuously develop partnerships with charities, not-for-profit organizations, community groups, non-governmental organizations and social enterprises across the metropolis, with hundreds of opportunities available.

Students select three choices from our menu of 16 Service Internship Areas. This wide cross-section allows us to cater to almost every major and provide students with opportunities to build professional skills, increase industry knowledge and gain experience working in a different culture in a major global city.

From the beginning to the end of your internship experience, you are advised and supported by your personal Internship Mentor. Your Mentor will guide you through developing strong application materials and provide expertise in available opportunities in your area choices.

Together with the FIE Experiential Education Team, your Mentor works with you and your home institution’s Study Abroad Office to ensure that your experience is a rewarding and fulfilling one.

Gain professional experience while living, learning and serving in a global city

All students accepted on our Study & Service Internship program will participate in the International Service Internship Course (ISIC), consisting of a service internship placement and the service internship seminars. To coordinate your placement, your Internship Mentor will review your application, including your academic and professional achievements, and your three area choices in order to identify the best opportunities available to you. On your behalf, your Internship Mentor will continue presenting your candidacy to potential placements until you are provisionally accepted pending a successful interview.

While the process itself is very competitive, once you reach the interview stage the interview itself is non-competitive, which means you won’t be interviewing against anyone else. The placement is only confirmed after a successful interview. Take a look at After You Arrive to find out more about what to expect, including interviews and what the placement will be like.

Commitment to Standards

FIE is committed to providing quality and meaningful internship experiences for all students. We work to achieve this in a number of ways:

Managing student expectations from the application phase through to the internship experience itself.
Researching and maintaining an extensive database of potential placements and organizations.
Maintaining positive and current relations with our placement organizations.
Providing a comprehensive orientation to ensure students are thoroughly prepared prior to placement.
Engaging in quality control of our placements in order to promote the development of the student as a workplace team member and as a learner.
Providing ongoing support and advice to both the student and the internship site staff throughout the internship experience.
Ensuring potential placements are aware of their responsibility for the health and safety of the student while working within their organization.
Regularly visiting placement sites and connecting with site supervisors through newsletters and events.