Alumni engagement and philanthropy



TRANSFORM YOUR CAREER WITH A YEAR IN NEW YORK  

03 December 2019

Ever wondered what it would be like to live and work in the USA? The Mountbatten Program was established to give graduates – such as Niamh Wilson, LLB 2018 – who have already gained some experience in the work place, a chance to find out.

Niamh, who graduated from Queen’s in summer 2018, is currently living and working in New York – one of the world’s most exciting and fast-paced business cities – and shares her story about how much the Mountbatten Program has meant to her.

In 2016 Niamh became an American Red Cross trained lifeguard at Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds, Staten Island, and where she was taught as a swimming teacher by four time Olympic gold medallist Lenny Krazelburg, in his Swim Academy. Over 10 weeks she managed classes of up to 25 four to eleven-year-olds in New York City. Clearly this experience gave Niamh an appetite to return to the Big Apple to further her career.

Passionate about travel and culture, she moved to the US in September 2019, where she is now a Legal Assistant at business law firm Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP in the historic Battery Park section of downtown New York, close to the centre of the city’s bustling financial district.  

“The Mountbatten Program is not just about the city of New York – wonderfully dynamic as it is – but it’s about the unique professional experience you get, the brilliant people you meet during your time here and about learning so much about yourself.

“I’ve only been here 3 months but already I don’t want it to end!”

The US/UK Mountbatten Program was established in 1984 to connect top global businesses with the brightest young professionals. It is a unique combination of work, study and living abroad for graduates and young professionals that enables them to jump-start their careers in an increasingly competitive global market.

Providing a career-defining programme for those looking to build a distinctive CV, it does so through an international internship, post-grad study and cultural exchange, along with a powerful alumni network of 7,000 people across 45 countries.

Specifically, the Program provides an all-inclusive package to ease the transition from this side of the Atlantic to New York (and vice versa), including:

  • Placing interns with a host organization
  • Coordinating 12-month J-1 visas
  • Providing 12-month rent-free shared accommodation and utilities
  • Offering academic qualification and professional enrichment (optional)
  • Paying a $1,275 monthly living allowance, subject to taxes
  • On-site support and health insurance

While there are fees associated with the scheme, trainees actually receive more in benefits than the cost of the Program, making a year in New York City superb value for money, as well as great fun! The total package is worth almost $26,000.

“The team here at Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP could not have been more welcoming. I feel as if I am learning more and more each day about so many different areas of the law.

“And while I’ve been here in New York, I even got the chance to attend the Seamus Heaney Centre showcase event in the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, hosted by Glenn Paterson, one of my favourite authors.

“It was a great opportunity to network with fellow Queen’s graduates who are also living and working here in New York.”

Before heading stateside, Niamh was a Legal Professional with Baker McKenzie in Belfast for 12 months until September 2019. While there, she worked remotely alongside the company’s London Tax Department across a range of ongoing disputes for large clients.

The former Treasurer of the Queen’s Law Society (2016/17) was a participant on the University’s London Law Tour in January 2017, which gave her the opportunity to visit top law firms in the capital with a group of fellow Queen’s students.

 

Past participants in the Mountbatten Program include successful tech founders, an Obama Foundation Fellow and members of the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list.

Over 7,000 Mountbatten trainees have been matched with companies such as Barclays, BlackRock, British Airways, Citi, Fever Tree, HSBC, Thomson Reuters and more, since the Program started 35 years ago.

“I couldn’t recommend the Mountbatten Program more highly. It has given me an amazing opportunity to experience a different country, to gain invaluable professional experience, make friends for life and enjoy a wonderful city.

“So far, it has been incredible and I am confident that it will be the springboard I need to further my career," concluded Niamh.

Visit the Mountbatten Program website to kick-start your global career and to find out more about spending a year in New York.

For general enquiries about this story or to submit graduate news items, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO), telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.

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