Global Internships: London, UK

Summary

Gain first-hand knowledge, connections, and international work experience through an academic internship in London. On this program, you will:

• Undertake a professional internship opportunity to build transferable skills in the career field of your choice
• Earn academic credit for the internship via a ten-week online course
• Learn about British culture and history through an on-site course
• Live with other program participants in central London

About London

The birthplace of Shakespeare and the Beatles, England boasts a rich history and heritage. London is the center of British politics and business and is a world power in media and advertising. London is also deeply multicultural, with one in three Londoners born in another country. Outside of your internship, share a traditional English breakfast with mates, ride to new heights on the London Eye, or whisk around the city on the underground.

Program Details

Dates:

• London: June 7 – August 2, 2025
• Online Course: June 9 – August 15, 2025

Dates are subject to change.

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: English

Two Required Courses:

On-site course:

• HISTORY N100G: British Life and Culture (3 units)

And an online course of your choice:

• UGIS W157: Experiential Learning (3 units) or
• UGIS W158: Global Citizenship (3 units)

Housing

• Students will live in fully-furnished apartment-style accommodations in central London.
• Students will have access to a shared bathroom and communal kitchen to prepare meals.
• Students will be randomly assigned to shared rooms. Gender-inclusive housing options are available on this program. If you have clarifying questions, please feel free to reach out to the program staff.

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a degree program or have graduated within the last 12 months
• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• At least 18 years old at the time of application
• Not on academic probation or under censure for student misconduct at any point from application review to the end of your program

Application

• Application opens December 2, 2024 at 9 am PST
• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is January 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST

Courses

In addition to your internship, you will take an on-site local history course and an online internship course for a total of 6 Berkeley units.

On-site Course

Course: History N100G
Title: British Life and Culture
Dates: June 7 – August 2, 2025
Instructor: Dr. Dominic Janes
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

This course compares several important aspects of British life and culture. It explores the complexities and ambiguities hidden in the idea of culture and considers the historical roots of contemporary British attitudes, institutions, and practices. Key topics this term include political and social institutions—an introduction to British governmental, educational, medical, religious, communications and other structures and institutions, looking backward—how the British understand and respond to their history and cope with historical change, London the incomparable—an exploration of London's dominance in British cultural life, and impure culture—the impact of foreign ideas, words, commodities and people on British life and culture.

This course satisfies the L&S International Studies breadth requirement. Please note that academic requirements may change. Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

Online Course

Option 1:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W157
Title: Experiential Learning
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on what it is to be both a worker and citizen in a globalizing world. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to explore the importance of cultural / generational differences in the workplace, professional ethics and personal values, and the structure and norms of different types of organizations. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, presentations, and online group discussions will ask you to engage in honest self-reflection about what you want from your career, and to develop the skills you need to succeed personally and professionally in a rapidly changing world.  We hope that this course will help understand the challenges of the modern global workplace and guide you towards a successful and fulfilling career. 
 

Option 2:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W158
Title: Global Citizenship
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on global citizenship. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to critically explore cultural differences, modes of conduct and values. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, projects, and online group discussions will stimulate you to leave the comfort zone of what you are familiar with and to explore alternative views on right and wrong, good and bad and the beautiful and the ugly. The course will also encourage you to interact with locals and to engage with the city/region/country where you live during your internship. It is our hope that this course will help to increase your consciousness about the challenges of being a global citizen.

Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements these courses may fulfill.

Registration

Global Internships staff will enroll you in courses after your acceptance to the program. Please make sure there are no active blocks on your student account that may impact your course enrollment.

Instructors

Dominic Janes, Ph.D.

HISTORY N100G: British Life and Culture

Dominic Janes has MAs from Oxford University in History and from Birkbeck in Education and a PhD from Cambridge. In addition to a spell as a lecturer at Lancaster University, he has been a research fellow at London and Cambridge universities. He then worked as a director of studies for international students before moving to Birkbeck, University of London and then to Keele. He has lived in several countries including Malawi, Iraq, Indonesia and the United States.

Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.

UGIS W157: Experiential Learning
Email: rashcroft@berkeley.edu

Richard Ashcroft is a Lecturer in UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, and former Postdoctoral Coordinator for the Network for a New Political Economy. His research and teaching explore how modern societies should evolve in the face of deepening diversity and disagreement, with a particular focus on the connections between postwar multiculturalism, political economy, and the legacies of empire. He teaches courses on the political theory of multiculturalism, classical and contemporary political economy, and US, UK and EU politics.

Dr. Ashcroft is from Winchester in the United Kingdom. He read Theology at Oxford, before attending law school in London and qualifying as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He spent several years working for a leading US-UK firm specializing in tax and trust law, and then became a legal aid lawyer in South London acting for the homeless and tenants of social housing. During this period he received an MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, before completing his PhD in Political Science at UC Berkeley in 2018.
 

Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.

UGIS W158: Global Citizenship
Email: jdewulf@berkeley.edu

Dr. Jeroen Dewulf is Associate Professor in the Department of German at the University of California, Berkeley where he teaches courses in German Studies and Dutch Studies. He is also Queen Beatrix chair as well as Director of Institute of European Studies and Director of Dutch Studies.

Born in Ostend, Belgium, Dr. Dewulf graduated in Dutch and German Philology at the University of Ghent. He holds a Master's degree from the University of Porto and a Ph.D. from the University of Bern. His areas of specialization are European Studies, particularly related to (multi)cultural identity in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Post-Colonial Studies, in particular, Dutch colonial history and literature.

Internship

The Global Internships team works one-on-one with you to find an internship based on your academic background, experience, interests, as well as employer needs and availability. Internships in London are available in a wide variety of fields and internship placement is guaranteed. However, some fields are more competitive than others, and may require prior experience. Internships will be three days a week, with the other two days of the week consisting of program-related coursework and activities.

Examples of past internships:

• Marketing: A fashion marketing internship at a local London fashion boutique. Previous interns have been involved with creating visual content, updating website and social media pages, as well as assisting on communications via a monthly newsletter.
• Finance: A finance based internship within an advisory firm. Previous interns have been involved with corporate finance, equity research and data mining, as well as presenting pitches.
• Economics: An internship within an economic forecasting firm. Previous interns have got involved with report writing, research and programming, as well as attending events within the industry i.e., at the Bank of England.
• Business and data science: An internship within a startup, working closely with the CEO for exposure to all areas of business operations and development. Past interns have gained experience in machine learning, using it to create predictive algorithms. This role involves handling data in multiple forms, including research, cleaning, modeling, and analysis.
• Historical and archival research: A history internship within an anthropology department or archives establishment. Previous interns have been involved with filing, updating the archive catalogue and assisting with film negatives. 
• Theatre: A theatre internship within a central London theatre. Previous interns have been involved with stage management, casting, administration, and ticketing. This usually requires evening/weekend work. 
• Journalism: A journalism internship within a media organization. Previous interns have assisted with website articles and blog posts, as well as keeping up to date with relevant news and participating in team meetings.
• Social sciences: A psychology based internship within a private mental health clinic. Previous interns have assisted with therapy sessions, workshops, and additional HR tasks, as well as seeking policy applications.
• Computer science and fin tech: A fintech internship within a startup. Previous interns have got involved with developing technology platforms, data analytics and financial statistics, as well as general development of the company.
• NGO and charity: An internship within a British charity focusing on mental health. Previous interns have been involved with general social work duties, administrative tasks, researching fundraising opportunities and assisting with event planning.

Opportunities can vary year-to-year by such factors as market trends, time of year, and the economy. Common industry sectors for internships include, but are not limited to:

Costs

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

Fees are subject to change. All non-Berkeley students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $71.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated amounts for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary travel documentation for your program destination (i.e. passport, visa, etc). This may require you to pay fees of up to a few hundred dollars depending on the type of paperwork required.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for UC Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.

​​Financial aid estimates for 2025 Berkeley Global Internships programs are now available in the Summer Financial Aid Estimator in your Cal Central account.

Please FIRST obtain your estimate in the Summer Aid Estimator, then write to travelaid@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the estimate you receive. Your estimate will include a Berkeley Study Abroad Scholarship if you qualify for one based on financial need.

How to locate the Estimator:

1) Log into Cal Central
2) Navigate to the My Finances Tab, and find the "Financial Resources" card
3) Scroll to the bottom of the Financial Resources card and click on Summer Sessions
4) From the Summer Sessions menu, click on Summer Cost and Aid Estimator

Make sure to adjust the number of units in the estimator if your program offers a choice of course selection. If your program only offers one combination or one course for 6 total units units, you do not need to update the units in the estimator.​

All other students should contact the financial aid office at their home institution for more information.

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost: 

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $615 per unit

The program fee includes the following items:

• Student housing in shared co-ed apartments with rooms with double or triple occupancy (rooms will be single-sex)
• On-site orientation activities and excursions
• Travel insurance, including accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs, including fees for placement services
• The initial non-refundable deposit of $300, which will be charged on February 3, 2025, is applied to the program fee

Please note that the list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

The following items are excluded from the program fee:

• International airfare
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Meals (access to kitchen facilities will be provided)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers)
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Additional meals
• Commuting costs for the daily travel to and from your internship

Timeline

*All dates are subject to change.