Surviving your placement in London

University loves packing us off on placement where we work our precious fingers to the bone all in the name of experience.

And aside from said experience, what do we get for it? That’s right, nothing, not a sausage.

I learnt this the hard way after working for a week at a big shot magazine company in London.

The inevitable happened and I am now financially crippled just in time for Christmas.

Here’s what I should have done.

Be organised, for once

Book in advance, train tickets, hotel rooms, everything. The money you save will be the money you spend for the week (well, almost).

And hopefully it’ll stop your stress levels from going through the station roof.

It could be worse

Don’t get lost 

Don’t be that student who goes down to the big smoke blind. Citymapper is your best friend, happy to be used and abused.

Find out where your temporary workplace is and how you’ll get there everyday.

There’s no point spending unnecessary pennies on the Tube when you can walk whilst Google maps shouts directions at you to turn around when possible.

I chose to be lazy

Don’t starve yourself 

The next thing you need to worry about is food. You’ll work up a hefty appetite sorting through post and making endless cups of tea.

Chains will be your saviour, refuelling you for only a fraction more than what you’d pay in the good old North.

There’s bound to be a Nando’s, Wetherspoons or McDonald’s close by. And if all else fails there is a Pret a Manger on every street corner in Central London.

No cooking for a week = bliss

Go on a voucher hunt 

We all have smartphones so you might as well use them.

Download Voucher Codes UK, Groupon and every other discount app under the sun and you’ll come across some absolute gems.

My personal highlight: A free coffee at Nero.

We love vouchers

Oyster or not to oyster?

Oyster cards are a beautiful thing saving you moula on every single tube journey.

And they get even more beautiful because you can link them to your student railcard.

You think you’re onto a winner and then the ‘seven day travelcard’ is thrown into the mix for £36.

I made a rookie error and decided against it and ended up forking out over fifty quid on my Oyster… Don’t make the same mistake guys!

Tube loving

Try and enjoy it.. 

Lastly, you’re in London doing the job you chose to study for so you might as well enjoy it.

You might not get the most glamorous of tasks and you might feel like the office bitch but there’s thousands who would change places with you for that week.

Workplace selfies are a must

Once the working day is done go out and explore London and don’t be afraid to take a good selfie to ‘document your learning’.