The FIE Experiential Education team welcomes inquiries from London-based companies and organizations interested in hosting undergraduate students in unpaid work placements in the spring, autumn, and/or summer through the Interested Organization Enquiry Form

How FIE Can Help	Site Supervisor Handbook	Checklist for Employers

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We collaborate with a variety of institutions, predominantly American, in bringing hundreds of students to London each year. Our specialized academic and internship programs allow our visiting students to maximize the value of their stay, gaining theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and life experience from an international perspective. FIE offers all the services required to support students during their time abroad, including orientation, housing, academic courses, and extracurricular activities.

Based on students’ academic and experiential backgrounds, we individually match students with businesses, government agencies, schools, social enterprise organizations, and charities throughout London. In return, companies will benefit from hardworking, enthusiastic students who are interested in a particular field. Students receive academic credit for their work and they do not expect to be paid. We do require that all students have a designated site supervisor for the duration of their placement and are engaged in meaningful tasks. Students will typically intern for three days per week for a period of seven weeks. We begin matching students with organizations prior to their arrival in London. However, all placements are considered provisional pending a successful interview with the site placement.

The past few years have seen significant changes to the work environment and the way people work. Our students arrive in London having acknowledged they must be flexible, adaptable, and resilient.

We routinely have students work in a variety of workplace arrangements, including traditional offices large and small, as well as hubs, incubators, and co-working spaces. FIE will send students to work in carefully vetted home offices provided there is a clearly defined and professional workspace. We visit each potential new placement to assess its suitability for an intern.

A main goal for the placement is to facilitate student immersion in the working culture and interaction with colleagues, and a physical workspace facilitates these efforts. However, remote working and hybrid working patterns (part in-person and part remote) can be accommodated, especially in these uncertain times. In general, we are advising students to anticipate a blended setting for the internship, with some mix of working remotely and in person. We still ask placements to provide in-person opportunities as much as possible and are practical. We also have a fully online internship program for students who do not travel to the UK which can accommodate fully remote placements.

Further details about working with FIE can be found in our Site Supervisor Handbook and the complementary Checklist for Employers.

Based on students’ academic and experiential backgrounds, we individually match students within these sectors in London:

Business
Government Agencies
Schools
Social enterprise organizations
Charities

We have a number of student intakes each year, with most students starting their internships at the following times:

End of October
End of February
Mid-April
Beginning of June
End of June/beginning of July

HOW DO I START THE PROCESS?

To initiate a relationship with FIE, please fill in the Interested Organization Enquiry Form and an FIE team member will respond with further information on how we might work together to provide quality learning experiences for our students in London.

If you are currently working with FIE and have any questions or would like to request an intern for an upcoming intake, please contact our Experiential Education Manager.

We are always looking for new organizations to collaborate with us, so if you know of any colleagues who would benefit from hosting an FIE intern, do please pass on our details.