How this London history graduate is making international internships a normal part of education

Born and raised in London, Lloyd spent the first 22 years of his life in the city and even studied History at University College London.

Now Lloyd is the founder of one of the world-leading international internship programme providers, The Intern Group, and has supported over 2,000 interns annually and partnered with over 125 universities to provide world-class abroad experiences.

Lloyd’s journey began with his own struggle to secure an international internship after graduating with his degree.

“I always wanted to learn another language so when I realised I wanted to get work experience in Latin America, I faced a bit of a logistical nightmare” says Lloyd, “I sent my CV off to over 100 companies and obviously nobody replied.

"Eventually, many months later, I landed an internship with Rolex in Buenos Aires. However, I ended up facing more logistical challenges with my visa and accommodation.”

Lloyd describes the first place he lived while completing his internship as “like a dungeon with no windows.” This experience inspired his mission to make better opportunities achievable for others who want to work internationally.

Despite using his international experience to secure a competitive role at Merrill Lynch, he quickly quit his 9-5 job after realised his true mission was to make transformative international experience more accessible to students across the world.

Taking the leap, Lloyd co-founded The Intern Group, starting with a small pilot program in Colombia for ten students. After raising investment funds and a successful pilot programme, The Intern Group was launched internationally with Lloyd at the helm as the CEO.

“I really believe in what we’re doing”, says Lloyd, “It changed my life and I believe thoroughly in our mission of making international internships a normal part of education. Often I ask myself a simple question; is a world where international internships are a part of normal education a better world? Comprehensively and undoubtedly, yes. [Because of] more cultural understanding, more empathy, [and] more sense of unity.”

Today, students from London and beyond access internships via Lloyd’s company in fields ranging from finance to healthcare, gaining not only professional skills but also the confidence and cultural awareness that come from working in a new country.

Lloyd’s work has helped to break barriers and made international internships more accessible than ever before. “An international internship can transform your career and your perspective on the world,” says Lloyd. “I wanted to make that experience accessible to anyone willing to take the leap.”

For more information on David Lloyd's story visit https://theinterngroup.com/our-blog/how-an-international-internship-shaped-our-co-founders-career-on-the-london-trading-floor