King's College London

Meet Emma (BA Politics)

I did my summer internship at Morgan Stanley, specifically in their internal audit department based in their Canary Wharf office.

I was placed on internal audit’s risk coverage team - so, I was mainly supporting investigations into how various teams in the risk department were calculating, modelling, and communicating key data on the market and credit risks the bank was taking on. I supported my manager’s projects, which included remediation of an audit from the previous year, and the start of an actual audit. I got to draft some reports, join in on stakeholder meetings, and do some fun number crunching on Excel. I also had to do a research report and presentation with the three other audit interns - it was fun, but really easy given all of the similar coursework we do in DPE.

What I enjoyed the most about my experience was the people I met. Already, within the Canary Wharf office in London, everyone was super friendly and happy to explain their different areas of coverage. The office was quite culturally diverse too - and I was really enthusiastic when I saw that many of the associates came from similar southeast Asian and Chinese backgrounds like me. The international nature of our team also meant that my co-workers and stakeholders were in Mumbai, Frankfurt, and New York City - it was a nightmare to schedule calls, but it was so amazing to work somewhere that could truly call its experience global.

My advice:

Know your strengths
This is so important for learning how to market yourself to recruiters and differentiating yourself from other applicants. That includes academic skills like writing, data calculation, and presentation, but also personality traits such as being curious, creative, and logical. Be able to substantiate every one of these claims with a story-- recruiters love their STAR answers.

Know what you’re applying for
While you’re not expected to know too much about the internship you’re applying for, you should make your application knowing what the role entails. Answer your HireVues, interviews, and assessment centres by connecting every aspect of your life to the job and the skills it demands—so, your academic interests, skills, hobbies, and even personality traits. But keep it organic and natural, because you’re human.

Don’t get discouraged
For every interview I landed, there were a dozen rejections. For the offer I did land, I had exactly ninety-nine rejections. Sometimes it’s because your approach is wrong, but even most of the top students with stellar CVs are rejected - so don’t be too hard on yourself. And remember, you don’t need to do an internship to land a graduate role after university - employers value work experience in general, leadership, and academic or personal projects too.

Meet Karishma (BA European Politics)

During my internship with World Rugby at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, I worked across four venues. In Sunderland, I joined the commercial operations team and learned how critical timing is, since branding must go out as soon as the final whistle is blown, and how essential compliance is in meeting sponsorship briefs.

In Brighton, I joined the broadcast management team, facilitating broadcaster requirements for outlets such as BBC Sport. This taught me the importance of communication and coordination, as we scheduled multiple broadcasters around team training sessions.

In Bristol, I worked in accreditation, using the TMS system to check data, verify credentials, and print passes for staff, media, and VIPs. This gave me a real appreciation of how crucial accreditation is to the smooth running of a tournament, without it, no one can access their work areas!

Finally, in Twickenham, I continued in accreditation and had the honour of standing on the finals’ stage holding the gold medals. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that brought my internship full circle, showing the immense teamwork behind an international sporting event.

What I enjoyed most was getting to know the volunteers, who came from all walks of life yet were united by a shared passion to change the trajectory of women’s sport. I also witnessed moments of high pressure and quick problem-solving at every level. I loved how everyone worked toward a common goal; there was no ego, just collaboration and respect.

My advice:

Start early, but apply anyway even if it feels too late - I landed this internship when I had almost given up hope. Keep an open mind, this internship was not what I originally wanted, but would’ve been a huge missed opportunity. And once you’re in, take initiative to learn beyond your role description, and show genuine interest in people around you.

Meet Jamie (BA Politics)

During my time as a public affairs intern at LINK REIT, Asia’s largest real estate investment trust, I gained first-hand insight into how business and community interests intersect. I drafted formal correspondence to address public inquiries, helping protect the company’s reputation. I also synthesised insights from community meetings into actionable recommendations for management and prepared briefing materials for councillor meetings to support clear decision-making. Researching policy and community issues and joining sessions with district and legislative councillors gave me a real understanding of how local issues connect with business strategy.

What I enjoyed most was seeing how different the real world is from lectures. As someone who is passionate about making change since a young age, the internship gave me hands-on experience exploring how business and government collaborate to build better communities. It taught me that building relationships, listening to diverse perspectives, and translating feedback into practical solutions are just as important as technical knowledge.

I also interned as a product development intern at PoMEGRANATE, a startup focused on preconception care, through the King’s Entrepreneurs programme. The company provides personalised health and lifestyle guidance for women before pregnancy, and contributing to this mission has been incredibly meaningful. My work included improving the website design for better usability, analysing our target audience, creating social media video content, and researching similar companies to inform our marketing strategies.

I’m glad that with the skills and expertise handed down, my goal of making tangible change is one step closer to reality.

My advice
Along the way, to others who are looking for internships in the future, here are some practical advice I picked up from my managers: be mindful of your glasses when reading a script in video interviews (it reflects!); If you’re using AI, remember to thoroughly check and refine the answers; and lastly but most importantly, get involved in your university community! Leadership roles, society involvement, or departmental work demonstrate transferable skills and show your commitment to the community.