As a center for global commerce and business, London is one of the top cities in the world to earn an advance business degree and secure an MBA internship. MBA internships in London are typically 10-12 weeks long and take place in the summer. Because many European MBA programs wrap up in a year, landing a slam-dunk internship at a firm you’d like to work at long-term is of the utmost importance. If a summer internship is what you’re looking for, let’s take a deeper dive into some of the area’s best MBA internship opportunities and help you get a leg up on the competition.
The Top London Internships for MBAs
One of largest tech companies in the world, Google, is also a top employer of MBA interns in the UK. Opportunities at Google’s London office include MBA internships, business internships in GMS Sales and Operations, and Marketing opportunities, aside from software engineering internships for programmers.
Google MBA internships are typically 10-12 weeks long and are offered in various areas of the company. Placement depends on a number of factors: Google first hires interns into job families and then works with candidates to find project groups that match their specific skills and interests. Once placed, MBA interns begin working on hands-on projects, and aim to solve real-world problems.
To be considered for a Google internship, students be enrolled in and pursuing a full-time MBA program and must return to an MBA program upon completion of the internship. Preferred candidates are those who have work experience prior to the MBA program in Sales, Advertising, Consulting, Analysis, Customer Service, Marketing, Finance, Technical Operations, or related fields, as well as interest in the Internet and Google’s technology and business. Google looks for students who are able to develop and implement ideas in a changing environment, and show an ability to resolve business issues. Excellent project management, interpersonal analytical, and organizational skills are also a plus.
Outside of their core work, interns are given access to Google’s business operations, connect with other interns and mentors at Google, and learn directly from company leadership through an exclusive speaker series.
In 2017, Bain & Company was listed as one of the 100 top graduate employers in the UK. Interns in the firm’s summer associate program are expected to work with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. While the stakes are higher when working with powerful companies, the experience gained is also almost unmatched.
According to Consultancy UK, Bain has increased its intern intake and offered full-time employment to 90 percent of interns. As a result, a third of full-time MBA hires at Bain started in the 10-week summer associate program. The program kicks off with a week-long retreat at Ocean Edge on Cape Cod learning the core Bain consulting skills. The trip is open to International Bain interns as well, not just ones in the United States. Interns are then tasked with tackling real business challenges and using all their knowledge to drive change within Bain’s clients.
It sure seems like there’s a lot of America in the UK nowadays—First Meghan Markle marries into British Royalty, and now we’re listing American Express as a top MBA internship in the UK. All jokes aside, the credit card company is looking for interns for its London, Brighton or Burgess Hill offices.
AmEx’s 10-week Summer Internship Program provides mix of formal training, practical on-the-job experience, networking and mentoring. Summer interns who perform well are often asked to return as part of one of the company’s Graduate Programs, which are 12-24 full-time job placements. Ultimately, MBAs can find a home in AmEx’s Finance, Marketing, Consulting, Human Resources, and Risk & Governance departments.
AmEx is also considered a fantastic company to work for—The Sunday Times named it in it’s list of the “Top 25 Big Companies to Work For,” and Stonewall called it one of the top employers when it comes to equality. You can learn more about AmEx’s internship opportunities here.
The Best of the Rest London Internships
Other top employers in the UK include PwC, who has been atop Consultancy UK’s list of graduate employers for a number of years now, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and Accenture. Many of these companies are considered among the top international business consultancy firms in the world, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that these would be the most desirable landing spots for an MBA internship in London.
An MBA internship opportunity can take on nontraditional forms, too. For example, London Business School’s Summer Consulting Programme picks six to eight MBA students each summer to provide consulting to a variety of clients. LBS also offers an internship alternative for aspiring business founders called the Entrepreneurship Summer School.