LONDON ADVENTURE

How to get an internship?

At least some tips I have learned so far...

• First of all, it takes a lot of emails. Embrace yourself for editing your CV, rewriting your cover letters, sending out a ton of applications and hoping for at least five answers, although three of them will be probably negative. I know that it has to sound rubbish, but this has been my experience and as I talked to some of my friends, I am not the only one.
• Yes, it would be amazing to work in some big, famous publishing house, right? Well, at least that is what I was thinking until I got a position in a smaller publishing
  

• house with children's books. The result? I actually did a proper stuff and learnt so much! Sometimes it is better to apply for smaller companies as a) the competition in getting the position is lower and b) they do care about you and let you to do more things. As I was talking to my managers, they told me their stories of doing an internship in a massive publishing house where no one payed any attention to them, and sometimes they had nothing to do for hours. So try to look for something smaller...
• Do not use one cover letter for all your applications. It might sound like an obvious thing, but my manager told me that she gets a lot of cover letters which are obviously written in a neutral tone and send out to everyone. So yes, take your time (no matter how annoying it can get) and try to come up with more than one cover letter. Yes, you can use some bits in each of them, but also, do not forget to go through the websites of the companies to which you are applying and enhance some details you find there.
• Add something funny and interesting. Of course that you can write some clichés such as "I love reading/Books are my life", but do not you think that everyone writes this? For example, in the email applying for my last successful internship I mentioned that "although I know how to make a wonderful latté thanks to my previous job as a waitress, I am ready to learn a little bit more from the world of publishing". Maybe it is not the best line, but I got the job.
• You sent out about 36949674084673468 applications and still no reply? Do not give up. In my case, I got the email offering me a place two months after sending it out. So sometimes you just have to be patient. 

And what to do in London? Just keep reading...

London, baby!          (Read about the first trip)

Regarding the weather, I was so lucky. I actually burnt myself and it did not rain until I was getting on the plane heading back to my hometown! As the last time when I was in London, it was bloody freezing January, the April weather was a nice change. By the way, some places, like Camden Town, look and feel so good when it is sunny! What a surprise, right?

But now, where to go and what to see? Here are some new tips:

1. Camden Town

• As I thought that Brick Lane is my favourite place, after spending a lovely Sunday afternoon in absolutely packed Camden, I changed my mind. The food market has been one of the best experiences in my life and I cannot wait to go back. Tip: try to get there as soon as possible - aka in the morning! After 12pm it is impossible to move there. Also, if you take metro, go one extra stop, get off at Chalk Farm and walk down to Camden. It takes about ten minutes, you will avoid the crazy street full of tourists and get to Camden Town Market from the back.
  

2. China Town (next to Soho)

• Go there when it is night and just wander around. It has such a good atmosphere. And if you get fed up (how could you?), just walk to Soho, which is three minutes away.

• My new favourite place in London (thank you Tom for showing me its beauty!). Start at Trafalgar Square and walk up towards the street called New Row with a great coffee shop called Espresso Room. Get a coffee and just walk and admire the beauty around you.

4. The Queen's Walk (South Bank)

• Continue from Covent Garden, cross Waterloo Bridge with one of the nicest views and you will get to the South Bank named the Queen's Walk. The atmosphere is magical, and you can choose from plenty of restaurants, cafés and bars. Tip: if it is warm outside, wait till the evening, there are lampions and fairy lights everywhere. I will not say more...

5. Bloomsbury - London Review Bookshop

• Go to the street called Bury Place, there is a great bookshop. Small, original, local. Do you need to hear more?

6. South Kensington - Exhibition Road

• This part of London is probably the place where one day I want to live! The architecture is grandiose (although the prizes for the flats have to be mind-blowing). You have museums where you look and if you go to Exhibition Road, you will have a lot of coffee shops and restaurants to choose from. Tip: My favourite one? Brown & Rosie. Hipster and cute place where you should spend a part of your day.

• Take your friends or family, do not question the prizes and just enjoy yourself. They have a massive selection of all types of eggs with crunchy toasts, delightful salmon and the one and only avocado. Tip: in the nearby Victoria Coach Station, you can store your bags for 5 pounds per item for 24 hours.Take your friends or family, do not question the prizes and just enjoy yourself. They have a massive selection of all types of eggs with crunchy toasts, delightful salmon and the one and only avocado. Tip: in the nearby Victoria Coach Station, you can store your bags for 5 pounds per item for 24 hours.
  

8. Gail's Artisan Bakery

• If you have time, go to this cute bakery (there are about three in the city so just google the one nearby) and get cheese straws or hot cross buns. Tip: go there in the morning and enjoy the smell of
  

19. 04. 2017