Tourism and hospitality internship experiences overseas: A British perspective

A large number of British university programmes in tourism and hospitality feature an internship of some sort. This element is intended to provide a vocational dimension to what can be a predominantly academic curriculum. Not only do internships provide familiarity with professional practice, they raise graduate labour-market value and, arguably, enhance the individual's maturity before returning to the final degree year. This paper uses research funded by the UK Centre for Professional Placement Learning, Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, into the experiences of students on 12 month internship away from the UK.