Integrating Myself in the First Two Weeks in London!

 Getting There

Getting to London was slightly chaotic for me because I decided to pack at the last minute; from towels to laundry detergent to band aids there were small things I nearly forgot but the packing list IES Abroad provided definitely helped me remember other miniscule things that you wouldn’t think to bring. The flight itself was long but seats were comfortable and the food was good for an international flight. Once I got to Heathrow, I just followed their signs and got through customs easily and quickly. The most confusing part I found was getting onto the tube. Luckily, there are help desks and they can point you in the right direction and I was able to get down to the station. 

To purchase an Oyster card, there are stations to buy one and load money onto them before you get on to any tube in London. The initial fee for an Oyster card is £7 and then you can load up to £50 onto the card—each tap is about £3. You pay to tap in to ride the tube and then tap out wherever you choose to get off so the card knows when your journey has ended. Use the Tube Map app while on WiFi at the airport to load your journey and see which stops you have to get off (IES Abroad will provide you with a list of apps to download beforehand and I highly suggest you download them all)!

Integration & Housing

Even though you might not think so (I didn’t), London culture is vastly different from the U.S. You have to stand on the right side of the escalator to let people walk down the left, adjust to the accents and different catchphrases, and have access to a vast variety of public transportation. Pub culture is huge here and coworkers will all go out after a day in the office to unwind at a local pub and those are crucial opportunities to bond with your team. Even with fellow travelers at IES Abroad, going out with them and stepping just outside your comfort zone is what I have found to be the best way to meet and find your people. Make group chats and go to pubs and clubs and explore with others and who knows, maybe you’ll end up booking trips with them to go on adventures to other countries! IES London also hosts orientation where you get to go on a tour and meet others. Everyone is always very friendly and the IES London staff is there to help you if you need it. 

Housing at IES London provides your own room and bathroom and a shared common living room and kitchen space that you will share with typically five other people. You get a bed, desk, and wardrobe with enough space for me to place my suitcases in a corner and have plenty of room to walk around. I HIGHLY recommend buying a rotating stand up fan for your room, though, as the summer can get hot and there is no AC in the unit. The kitchen comes with plates, cups, utensils, bowls, mugs, and pans so there really is no need to buy kitchen supplies (excepting food of course). 

Internship

I - like all IES abroad students - have loved the companies I am interning at. It is refreshing and exciting to be in a global workplace where there are so many diverse perspectives and cultures all in the same place. We all take the tube into the city and work and learn so much from our supervisors. I am doing a HR internship, particularly Talent, and I have done so much in my first two weeks that I thought I would contribute my entire time here. Internship culture is different in the U.K. where they don’t give you busy work and expect you to pretend to do work to look productive, but instead actually work with you and treat you like a fellow employee with responsibilities which I appreciate. This is another great opportunity to integrate yourself into London culture as you travel to a different part of the city and meet other people and have a routine. This internship is truly proving to be an amazing experience that will definitely add to my professional development.