When it comes to AIFS Abroad study abroad and international internship programs in the United Kingdom (UK), it’s a tale of two cities. But unlike Charles Dickens’ classic novel, our students and interns only have the best of times!
Here’s why London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland are our favorite cities if you want to study or intern abroad in the UK.
London, England
As one of the world’s megacities, England’s capital city of London has something to offer everyone. Are you a history nerd? The British Museum features relics from the Romans to the Egyptians, including 120 mummies.
You can visit locations featured in films such as Kingsman, Les Misérables, Notting Hill and the Harry Potter series. Plus there’s Windsor and Buckingham Palaces, where all the intrigue with the Royal Family occurs.
In addition to its allure for tourists, students and interns will find London to be an influential city in a wide variety of fields and industries, including art, entertainment, commerce, education, finance, healthcare, media, technology, and communications.
London is known for its academic prestige as the capital of the country that brought the world so many great works of art, scientific discoveries, and thinkers. Students with a study abroad program in London on their resume will no doubt stand out from the competition to potential employers.
An advantage to London-bound students and interns have is that they won’t have to learn a new language to communicate with classmates, professors, or colleagues or to navigate the city — though you might have to learn some British slang!
Edinburgh, Scotland
While not as sprawling as London, Scotlan’s capital city has the bustle of a metropolitan hub, but the charm of a small town. If you’re fascinated by the past, Edinburgh has preserved much of its medieval history. Its old town allows you to walk the same cobbled streets people did in the 18th and 19th centuries. Edinburgh Castle is the United Kingdom’s second most visited site and has been occupied by humans since the Iron Age.
Edinburgh may cherish its past, but it also looks to the future with progressive events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and various EDM concerts.
It’s also one of the UK’s most uniquely beautiful cities. How many cities do you know with a volcano? Arthur’s Seat is an 823 foot inactive volcano that sits (truly) in the middle of Holyrood Park!
When it comes to industry, interns looking for roles in finance may look to Edinburgh, as banking has been a mainstay in the city’s economy for 300 years, since the Bank of Scotland was established. But if your career focus isn’t finance, there will be plenty of other opportunities in other fields, like marketing, hospitality, tourism, graphic design, and more.