How the Careers Network led me to an internship in Saint Lucia!
How Zoe's experience with the Careers network at Birmingham led her to an internship opportunity in Saint Lucia!
Zoe Devereux
A current student at the University of Birmingham.
Last summer, at the end of my first year at the University of Birmingham, I embarked on a four-week internship in St. Lucia. This was a ‘Politics in the Community’ internship, run by the Caribbean Elective, a company that runs a range of electives for different subjects across the Caribbean!
I was made aware of the opportunity by my university department’s weekly online newsletter. That summer, I also applied for the University of Birmingham’s summer school initiative, which allows students to study a course at one of UoB’s partner universities across the globe! I had never travelled out of Europe before and applied to these opportunities so I could not only travel but also have an experience that I could put on my CV.
I was accepted for the summer school in Canada to study a business module as well as the Caribbean elective in St. Lucia, and after a tough decision between the two, I decided to go to the Caribbean.
During the 4 weeks, a group of us on the internship were led by Dominic Fedee, an MP and former Minister for Tourism of the country. He organised a range of lectures delivered by various civil servants, ministers, and policymakers, as well as directed trips to Parliament and others, which gave us a well-rounded insight into the complexities of policy making. We also drafted green papers that would later be debated in their parliament! The internship also allowed us to have a great work-life balance as we could still immerse ourselves in St. Lucian culture. We attended a carnival, made friends with locals, climbed the famous Pitons, and enjoyed many days by the beach and pool.
The university has links with the government’s Turing scheme, which partly funded the trip, and a member of the Careers Network was in touch with us throughout in case we had any problems or questions.
The university has recently launched a ‘Go Global’ scheme that provides many more similar opportunities. I would highly recommend applying and gaining an unforgettable experience!