Personal Narrative: My Erasmus Free Internship

Embarking on my Erasmus+ internship in London truly was one of the best experiences of my life. It changed me and my outlook on the world, my place in it, and what I can expect from my future career. But even though it was one of the best experiences, that doesn’t mean that it was an easy one. Far from it. From finding my placement and accommodation, to actually working in London, all the way to returning home - I learned something new during each step of the process and I’m happy to share this experience with you. I hope my advice serves you well and that you find your experience as rewarding and enriching as I did mine.

I decided to look for an internship in London for two reasons. Firstly, it reminded me of my childhood as I spent quite

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, only kind of right. Even though you have probably narrowed down your search quite a bit based on your exact location, field, and financial requirements, this will take more work than you think. I said before that the upside to finding a placement in London is availability. The thing is, tough, that although there truly are multiple options on offer, the competition is also much greater than in smaller cities. This means that, very often, available positions are not openly advertised on websites such as erasmusintern.org. This is where all of the research you did beforehand will come in handy. If you take anything from this article, remember this: forget the advertising sites and do the research work yourself. That’s when you’ll see results. Google and find companies, universities or institutions that fit your requirements and then send them a well-formed enquiry email with you CV and cover letter attached. If you don’t know how to write a cover letter, google to find examples relevant for you. A massive tip here: do not send generic emails and relevant documents to several different companies. Those will be discarded immediately. Research the company and make sure you include information relevant to them in your email, as well as your CV and cover letter. And don’t be afraid to be creative and stand out! It