summer internships are just around the corner and today on The Intern Hustle's
YouTube channel I am talking about how to relocate for an internship I've been
there in my case I was a fresh 21 year old just two days after my college
graduation moving 2,500 miles away from my home to California for my first job I
know what it's like emotionally financially logistically all of it and
today I am breaking it down so that you feel prepared heading into your big move
wherever that may be hey there I'm Jenna Rein from theinternhustle.com
and this is Initiative Muscle Monday helping you to start each
week with an intentional step toward a successful future let's do this to kick
this off let me just say that relocating to a new city for an internship is not
as scary as you may think you just have to be proactive and do
your research prior to the big move like anything in life preparation takes a lot
of fear out of it so I've successfully done it twice I
relocated for an internship in a major city while I was in college and as I
mentioned in the beginning of this video I did a major cross-country relocation
for a job just two days after I graduated from college and I knew no one
absolutely zero people other than the guy who hired me who I only met once
before when I was there for my interview if I can do it you can do it spending a
few months in a new city for your internship can be very rewarding and fun
there is a lot of personal growth associated with living somewhere new and
having to figure shit out on your own however let's break it down and talk
about what it really takes to pull off a successful move to a new city for your
internship and to help you out I've created an internship relocation
checklist grab your free copy by clicking the link in the description
below this video first up talk to your employer regarding
any internship relocation advice and/or support that they may have for you
larger companies will typically have formal internship relocation policies
and procedures so if you're interning with a big company lucky you because
there may be some support but make sure that you check because these policies
Dewberry from company to company and you want to make sure exactly
what your company offers some offer student housing some will offer housing
stipends and others just give you housing recommendations based on places
that they have pre negotiated rates for interns be sure to follow up with the
company immediately after you land the internship to get this information from
them and start planning ahead and many will have intern Facebook pages or
distribution lists for you to connect with other fellow interns and arrange
for a roommate in advance smaller companies likely won't have much in
terms of an internship relocation policy but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't
reach out to them and get some advice ask questions about the area like which
neighborhoods they recommend and more importantly which neighborhoods to avoid
especially if you're going to be in a big city there are usually some
neighborhoods that you just want to steer clear of unless a company has
already specified that they don't provide housing stipends go out and ask
them you never know until you ask and you could be leaving money on the table
if you don't finally ask if there are any other interns that they'd be willing
to connect you to so that you can reach out and see if they might be a roommate
where you could reduce the cost of your living be sure to plan ahead and ask all
of your questions to the company in one concise email or phone conversation
because this is an opportunity to show that you're organized and you have it
all together and you're respectful of their time next it's important that you
create a budget for your internship relocation expenses and your cost of
living during the internship once you determine how much if anything your
employer is going to cover for your housing expenses it's time to create a
budget whether your internship is paid or unpaid you still have to carefully
manage your expenses after all even the paid internships are taxable so you're
never actually taking home as much money as you think you are look into cost of
living in the area and estimate your monthly expenses for rent and food
remember your employer may already have some good guidance for you here or you
could ask to speak to a former intern and learn from their experiences large
companies may provide meals throughout the day at least that's the way of life
out in Silicon Valley where all of the tech companies are king so if you're
interning with a company like that that provides meals you could also save some
money on food expenses now other expenses to take into consideration are
the relocation expenses themselves how are
you getting there are you flying are you driving do your research and budget on
the expense of a plane ticket or gas and if you're wondering if your relocation
expenses are tax-deductible they're likely not you have to meet the IRS time
and distance test which means that you are relocating over 50 miles away and
you're working for at least 39 consecutive weeks in the position with
most internships only being 8 to 10 weeks you're not gonna meet the
threshold for the tax deduction here if your employer does not offer housing
your next task is to find a place to live for your short term internship
relocation securing short term fully furnished rentals can be challenging
especially when you're on a tight budget but there are options if you start early
and you spend the time doing your research if you're relocating to a major
city for your internship check to see if there are any dorms available for short
term rental during the summer months because every major city has a few
college campuses within it and they're accustomed to opening their doors during
the summer months for summer school interns and camps oftentimes this will
be one of the most affordable options that you can find and you may be able to
join the meal plan as well to save some money then there's good old Craigslist
whether you're looking for a place by yourself or with a roommate I have found
Craigslist to be a great resource I used Craigslist to find my apartment
in downtown Chicago for my summer internship with the sports agency that I
had now the current tenant needed to be out of the apartment before her lease is
up so I was lucky to land a short-term sublease at an affordable rate within
walking distance of my internship and the LSAT courses that I was taking in my
evening hours it helped that I started looking months before my internship and
that I consistently checked Craigslist to see if there were any new listings
that met my criteria obviously anytime you use a site like Craigslist you
should do your research if something sounds too good to be true it probably
is because rental scams are a real thing so make sure that you're diligent in
your search once you've secured your housing it's time to revisit your budget
you have found a place to live during your internship that's awesome now that
you know what your rent expenses are going to be it's important that you
revisit that budget that you rafted earlier on with your housing
confirmed there are other details within your budget that you can now build out
for example does your housing have a washer and dryer or are you going to
need to pay for laundry at a local laundromat if you're staying in dorms on
a college campus do they also require that you pay for one of their meal plans
during your stay and what about transportation do you need to factor in
subway or bus fares or gas money for your commute to the office and don't
forget about having fun includes some room in your budget for entertainment
expenses plan ahead for social activities at night and on the weekends
with fellow interns as you explore your new city together and a final step to
help you prepare for relocating for an internship is to scope out the area that
you're moving to this action may seem small compared to things like budget and
actually finding a place to live but believe me it's an important step the
more you get to know your neighborhood before you arrive for your internship
the less stress you'll be once you're actually there actually living it all
out now I'm dating myself here but I had a flip phone when I was an intern as in
no Google Maps were at my fingertips this meant that doing a little
pre-planning was that much more important for me and even though
technology now has your back I still want you to take the time to learn your
new neighborhood and the greater city area that you're moving to because
you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't part of the fun when you
relocate for an internship is getting to discover all of the greatness that your
new city has to offer here are some of the places that I would recommend
scoping out in advance coffee shops these become your go-to spot on the
weekends to put in some extra work time and really impress your boss come Monday
restaurants because food who doesn't like to eat and don't forget alumni bars
the atmosphere of these bars definitely depends a bit on the college sports
season and what city you're in but they are a great place to meet people from
your school while you're in your new city and every large city has alumni
bars or clubs that put on events for alumni and current students so you just
got to search for them laundromats because if you have no laundry on-site
you're gonna want to know where your closest cleanest and safest laundromats
are located and then church temple or whatever religious institution you call
home if this is something that's and to you it's another great way to
meet new people in your area I made some great friends outside of my internship
in downtown Chicago by seeking out a church in the city with a young adult
crowd now that you've prepared for your internship relocation prepare for your
first day at the internship at this point you've successfully relocated for
your internship and that's a big win hopefully you have a few days now before
you actually start your first day at your internship you want to get
acclimated and prepare I recommend practicing your commute
whether that means public transit or following directions by car and it's
also a good idea to do a grocery run and stock up on frozen meals for those days
that you just don't have time for anything else remember you are on a
budget and you can't afford to eat out every day and night and finally it plan
out what you're going to wear on your first day it's going to take some of the
nerves out of the equation if you feel like you've prepped a bit speaking from
experience I think that the emotional financial and logistical challenges that
present themselves when you relocate for an internship are really worth it in the
long run getting out of your comfort zone and getting to know yourself in a
new city is a really good thing because guess what you're College besties and
your parents aren't going to be by your side forever and of course let's not
forget how good that internship experience is going to look on your
resume don't forget to grab your free copy of the internship relocation
checklist that I created for you to go along with this video it's going to help
you stay on track and successfully execute your internship move click the
link in the description below this video and it's going to be sent straight to
your inbox if this video gave you some new insights
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in support of your hustle I'll see you next Monday
you