Legal Assistant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. It's a fantastic opportunity to get immersed into a different culture and business structure.

Extremely. They were so patient at the beginning when I was learning the job, and towards the end were encouraging me to look into different avenues for the future

All the time. The office environment was very open and understanding when I needed help or support with any given task

There are busier months and quieter months, due to the nature of the industry. Each day was a learning experience

As the year went on I received more and more responsibilities and tasks. By the end, a lot of it came second nature.

The skills that I learnt and mastered, have helped with my career tremendously. It was a building block on top of my degree, and that's all I could have asked for in an internship!

The office was very open and friendly. Some people had bad experiences with their immediate bosses, but I lucked out with the fact that my office was a lot smaller than many others. It's a family business, so it's very supportive and accommodating when needed. I didn't expect the environment to be the way it was, but I'm extremely happy that it did.

The initial process was not as smoothly run as I had hoped. There was a lot of waiting for phone calls and updates. The information that came filtering through was slow and not necessarily informative all the time. Fortunately, I was put forward for the right placement, I had an interview set up for later that day, and I was offered the position the very next day. That was the quickest part of the process.

Everything. Due to the nature of the industry, and the set up of the office, the work that I was there to do had to be done to an exact specification. That involved personal training and development. I was able to ask for help when I needed it, and received the feedback too which is just as important.

The Institute does not openly advocate future and further employment with the host organisation, however it is by no means uncommon. Many people had a fantastic time in New York, and wanted to live there permanently. For some it became a reality when their host organisation offered them a job.

This was a huge part of the internship process. Whilst I didn't work with any other placement holders, the living environment sure made the most of social activities between fellow interns. Many events were put on throughout the year by the Institute and by the interns themselves. There was always something going on from day trips, movie nights, sports evenings and pub quizzes.

Thankfully as we had paid programme fees, there was no rent to pay. However we did have to pay utilities (which were subsidised a little). The stipend we were given covered the basics. You have to be thrifty and careful, but it can work in your favour as everyone is in the same position as you, there doesn't seem to be any missed opportunities. The outlay of the programme is the biggest expense.

New York is the city that never sleeps for a reason. There are always things to see and do. Many interns had signed up for email updates with lists of what shows to go see for discounted prices etc. Nothing closes early and there are always bars and restaurants open. The area that we lived in also has a great nightlife/

Plenty. The Institute has connections with many clubs and programmes across the City. There were volunteering opportunities that ranged from helping out at local charity projects to assisting at lavish dinner balls. As long as you are prepared to raise your hand and plan to run around for a couple of hours running errands, volunteering was a fantastic part of the whole year.