So what are your parents going to ask you when you pop the question – “mum/ dad, do you think it will be ok if I go to Australia for 3-6 months”?

Well we’re going to discuss the top four questions that we get asked ALL the time by parents.

So check them out and ask whatever questions you want of us, so you can answer all your parents’ questions in one go.  How about that – your parents standing there, speechless with no questions, yeah right!

For info on Internship programmes click on the internship links at the bottom of the page, or visit the  Sydney and Melbourne Internship page

Question 1 – How do you know this is going to be a Quality Internship?

The process that Intern Options goes through to find the right opportunity for you is:

1. Before you apply we will review your CV and cover letter and make some suggestions on the right type of internship for you.
2. After you have applied we take your CV and approach companies in Sydney/ Melbourne who meet the brief you give us (work with around 1,000) and we have fast track access to each companies HR team or management team.
3. A company and position description will be sent to you for you to review.
4. If the company likes you a phone call will be set up to allow you to ask any questions on the internship, get across what type of experience you are interested in .  This also allows the company to evaluate you and talk through what work you will be doing.
5. Happy – then we put all this into a contract for you and the company to sign and it is done and dusted
6. Then Intern Options will help you with all the next steps like accommodation, visa, flights etc.

All the employers we work with know you are there to learn, so you won’t be stuck making the tea, or doing the photocopying, you will be getting real tasks and assignments to pick up as much experience as possible.

A quote from one of our interns – University of Bristol:

“In my first week they threw me in at the deep end doing things I’d never learnt before,”

“It was good, because I’ve learnt so much in a really short space of time. It was kind of nerve-wracking taking on jobs I wasn’t familiar with, but it’s the best way.”

Question 2 – Where will you live, you’re not leaving home without us knowing where you will be living?

Intern Options will provide you with a range of accommodation options so that this is booked before you leave the UK.  We have pdf’s for you and your parents to have a look at that detail cost, location, amenities and everything else you need to know.

Question 3 – How much is this going to cost?

You will need to fund all living expenses as well as flight, insurance and visa cost outside of the programme cost.  Below are some estimated costs to budget on for your time in Sydney.

For more information on living costs in Sydney please see the page below:

Living Costs in Sydney – How to Budget

Flight:                               £500 and £1,000 (Return) – Depending on the time of the year

Travel Insurance:            £90 – £300 (see article Travel insurance – Where do I start)

Visa cost:                           £90

Living Costs

Accommodation:            A$160 to A$300+ per week

Food                                     A$100 per week (approx)

Local bus travel:              A$50 per week (approx)

Entertainment:                A$100-$200 per week (Rather hard to guestimate this one for ya!)

Excluding entertainment you should budget between A$300 and A$600 per week for living costs which roughly translates to UK£180 to UK£350 per week depending on the exchange rate at the time.

Question 4 – What kind of Support is offered, I don’t want you across the other side of the world on your own?

You will have full support while you are applying from our London office, for things like finding accommodation, looking at flights, insurance, visa etc in the UK.

Once you are in Australia you will be supported by our team in Sydney, they organise weekly catch up sessions, usually a different location around Sydney.  This catch-up is with all of the UK students as well as those from USA, Canada, France, Ireland and all the other countries that have interns in Sydney.

Our Sydney Internship team is available to help you with anything or any problems you have while in Sydney.

Questions? Comments! We’d love to know what you think.