Summer Intern Review

I thouroughly enjoyed my internship as it gave me invaluable experience that I cannot get anywhere else. I learnt a great deal about how the FCO works and it was very rewarding working in an establishment that is historically very significant and important. It was great to be able to an inside look at how foreign policy is put into place and the hard work that goes into it.

I was asked to attend workshops on behalf of my line manager which implied a lot of trust in my ability. I was given a couple of small yet significant projects to work on, all of which would have an impact on Consular work in some way. Being given this work made me feel valued by my colleagues.

Throughout the internship I was given guidance from multiple people- HR, a mentor and my own supervisor. The support was varied, as HR was involved in making sure I got the best out of my experience and they tackled any practical or technical difficulties I had. My mentor gave me support in how to apply to the Fast Stream which was what the internship was intended to prepapare me for. My supervisor supported me throughout by giving my hands-on advice about what to expect.

I was fairly busy everyday. If I was not working on the projects assigned to me, I was involved in meeting other departments of the FCO and shadowing them to learn more about the organisation as a whole. I was also involved in attending meetings on Fast Stream preparation with the other interns. I was allowed to attend talks on certain topics too, for example I attended a talk on the future of Europe if there were to be a Brexit.

The projects assigned to me were small but work that a permanent member of staff would have to do. The significance of the projects meant that the outcome would affect the way consular cases are dealt with abroad. The potential impact of this is huge so I feel a great deal of responsibility was given to me in this regard. Otherwise, I was encouraged to shadow other departments and create my own experience of the FCO.

I feel like the internship has given me a good grounding to apply to the fast stream. I talked to many fast streamers who shared tips with us and we were given past papers to practice. Meeting other interns with similar ambitions was very motivating, so I now feel more confident in what I want to do in the future. The FCO is directly related to my aspirations of working in the public sector, especially government.

Very relaxed, friendly atmosphere where there was a sense of real teamwork.

I felt the internship was very well organised and not too structured that it would create an experience which wasn't flexible.

After the internship, we were offered coaching sessions to apply to the Fast Stream. This is something a lot of people would not be able to do so I feel the company has really invested their time and resources into us.

Very appealing.

Yes, I was always meeting up with the other interns at lunch breaks to update each other on our work and what each others' departments were doing. I was also assigned a joint project with another intern from the same department.

The internship was in London, so quite an expensive area to live and socialise. However as the internship was well paid, I did not have much difficulty in being able to afford it.

All the pubs in westminster were expensive.

None that I knew about.