When I volunteered to write a testimonial for the Mountbatten Program, I was taken aback by how many memories, experiences and events I had to draw on. This in itself is the beauty of the programme, that for 12 or 18 months of your life you get to be exposed to so many opportunities. New York has an energy to it that even when life is hectic you want to keep going and every interest and opportunity can find an outlet. The Mountbatten Program provided me with a host of great friends, good memories and real career development that even in this difficult job market makes me confident of my prospects for the future. If you are in that time in your life where you are ready for a change or the next step, please consider the New York programme as a way to learn about yourself, develop your skills and have an amazing year.

The Mountbatten Program offers a unique and attractive international experience which is captured in all three facets of its programme – live, train and study. These opportunities helped in developing and distinguishing me as a suitable candidate for my next role. My expectations of training in an investment bank and travel were surpassed, as my placement at Deutsche was based at the Wall Street office and I visited 14 other states during the year. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement as it was challenging and required creativity. New York was truly a riveting backdrop for my internship; exploring one of the world’s most popular cities has left me with many fun memories.

The Mountbatten Program provides a beautiful melange of professional, academic and personal development. My placement with my host organization was brilliant as it enabled me to perform varied yet focused tasks on a daily basis. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the news scanning and anti money laundering policy. Living in New York was like living a dream! Everyday brought new experiences and lessons and I never took it for granted that I was living in such a great city. I have achieved so much, both professionally and personally on this programme. Personally, I feel like I know myself more than ever after such generous exposure to the intricacies of new countries. There is no other programme like this, and I would do it again if I could!

One of my best years so far! The programme taught me so much about corporate America, international business and maintaining professionalism in the business world. Life in New York was a real eye opener, with so much to see and do, meeting and interacting with all kinds of people and taking it all in. They don't call it the city that doesn't sleep for nothing, it lives up to its name! It was definitely a character building experience, everything I went through shaped me into the person I am today. I would highly recommend this programme to those who have a large appetite for life experience and to those on who thrive on challenges both personally and professionally. It is a real rollercoaster, hold on tight but don't forget to enjoy yourself!

The Mountbatten experience surpassed all expectations of training, studying and living in New York City. Each week of my stay offered a unique adventure that has helped shape the person I am today. This was a character building experience that has unearthed a lasting group of friends, colleagues and entry into an established network of alumni across the world on my return. My placement also opened valuable doors in line with my future career ambitions. I learned from established industry professionals who where recognised as the best in their class. This is an opportunity you should not look back and say you wished you had done!

The Mountbatten New York programme truly is a superb, unique proposition – being able to live, train, and study in New York City for a year. My time was unbelievable and unforgettable, a priceless experience. I learnt a great deal personally, professionally, and academically, and feel that I have developed way beyond just enhancing my curriculum vitae (it is of course a great talking point). I met some outstanding people – peers on the programme, and native New Yorkers – lots of very decent, genuine, new friends. A great new dimension to my network. Since returning home, I feel very fortunate to have secured a Relationship Support Manager role with Barclays Corporate. My Mountbatten experience was centre stage throughout a competitive and rigorous, multi-stage, recruitment/selection process, and was obviously of great interest to everybody I interacted with right up to the Regional Head. Bottom line, it is likely to be incredibly tough to get where you want to get but make as much as you can of your time in New York so you can effectively sell Mountbatten when you return. Grasp every opportunity available to you, you will not regret it.

The Mountbatten Program has been very beneficial to me socially and from a career perspective. It gave me a great insight into the business, work and social fabric of one of the most exciting cities in the world which not only gave me more confidence but assisted me with interviews and ultimately getting my first job in London. In addition, the network of friends and contacts from the programme are still some of my closest friends today. The Mountbatten Program provides a great platform to get some valuable experience and build new social and business networks which is a great differentiator from other candidates in the job market.

The Mountbatten year in New York is a revelation for any positive and enthusiastic person. Training, studying and living in New York is filled with opportunities and challenges that test and nurture you physically, mentally and emotionally. I have gained valuable exposure in the headquarters of corporate world in America and developed skills and talents that are extremely important for professionals in Investment Banking. The uniqueness of the programme is that it provides an excellent platform to interact and network with individuals from various nationalities and different walks of life and broaden one's horizons. I highly recommend the programme for those who wish to grow as individuals through an abundance of experiences in their professional and personal lives.

A year spent in New York as part of the Mountbatten Program has been one of my greatest life experiences so far. From training within such a vibrant, exciting city, through to studying towards business qualifications to the many great friends I've made and fabulous travelling opportunities that awaited me, every minute of life in the Big Apple was enjoyable! Mountbatten has definitely helped me define my career objectives. The current economic climate both globally and nationally has naturally presented difficulties when seeking employment, impacting our career goals, however I do not doubt that listing the Program and New York on one's CV will boost my options. I am excited to further my many skills gained during the placement, continue working in the publishing industry and explore what London has to offer!

My year in New York through the Mountbatten Program was a truly amazing experience. It was a unique opportunity to train (and play!) in New York City, to enhance my professional skills, gain further education and to meet new, like-minded people. Placed with Institutional Investor in New York has given me invaluable experience and has enabled me to develop my career in Marketing. Living in NYC was incredible... The atmosphere is second to none and the people I met - both fellow Mountbattens as well as the Americans - will be friends for life. Cabin trips out of state on holiday weekends, nights out in the Lower East Side, lazy days in Central Park and even walking through up 5th Ave and through Union Square to work are all fantastic memories I have taken away with me. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

I wanted the chance to go from working as a cashier in a regional bank in the UK to living and training in New York. Little did I know that this experience would lead me to the trading floor of one of the most highly respected Wall Street firms. I was able to develop a huge array of skills whilst most of my friends back home were struggling to find decent jobs as a result of the financial crisis. I learnt how to cope in the face of continuing change. I chose the MBA because I wanted to have an internationally recognised qualification in addition to my training experience. The MBA taught me everything from how to systematically go about improving processes at work to how to speak to colleagues and managers in an effective way.

The Mountbatten programme enabled me to gain a valuable insight into a profession which I had not previously considered as a career. Joining the Legal & Compliance department of a large investment bank exposed me to fascinating areas of financial law and the intricate workings of the financial markets. The internship subsequently diverted my career path for the better and I now manage a portfolio at a commodities hedge fund trading paper and physical metals and energies, something I had never considered when I was training to become a lawyer prior to Mountbatten. Not only have I discovered more about myself from a professional perspective, but the programme also enabled me to grow socially and meet fellow interns who remain close friends today.

My year here in New York has been a truly unique and amazing experience. I secured a placement within UBS Investment Bank as a Campus Recruiting Coordinator. My placement has been extremely challenging and required a steep learning curve. My advice would be to prove yourself and you will then be given the responsibility you deserve. One major observation of the American workforce is that New Yorkers work ethic is so much tougher than back home in the UK - you are expected to go above and beyond! Make the most of every opportunity that arises!

I now have an understanding of international business that employers have found extremely interesting. I discussed my Mountbatten experience with a number of interviewers since my return, and they were consistently impressed with what I had achieved while on the programme, and delighted to discuss the nature of the business environment and what I got up to in my personal time there. Though I worked hard at my training placement, I enjoyed being able to explore the city and surrounding states, volunteer, and attend events. The list could go on and on.

Mountbatten offers an unparalleled combination of study and practical training abroad, which is both challenging and interesting. Its added value for me is threefold: it offers strong professional, personal and educational growth. Personally, I changed and grew a lot over the year. Every day offered new experiences, places and situations to discover. The year on Mountbatten made me a global person, appreciating and dealing with differences as well as seeing opportunities and chances in the world.

The Mountbatten Program offered me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of living in New York. But more than that, it opened up a whole new career for me. I was totally unaware of the post-production industry in advertising and had not considered it for my future. My training placement with Whitehouse NY enabled me to make contacts and construct the interest in, and the foundations of, a future career. It expanded my horizons, you could say. On returning to the UK I was lucky enough to be offered a promotion in the London office of the Whitehouse and I haven't looked back. So, with the best friends I made, the career it has kick-started and the fabulous memories I have - I would say it was a pretty successful experience!

My original aim in undertaking the Mountbatten Programme was to gain some valuable business experience, build an international network and, of course, live in New York. In reality the programme offered me so much more than that. My placement was within a fairly small office which meant I had to learn quickly, but also gave me exposure to areas that most other intern roles could never offer. New York City surpassed every expectation I had, and allowed me to experience a career on a global scale, not to mention the friends I made. I expected the Mountbatten experience to give my CV a boost, in reality it was the impact it had on my confidence, my business knowledge and my career that has made the biggest difference. In the current climate, it provides a unique opportunity if you are willing to grab it with both hands.

I found the Mountbatten programme a hugely enjoyable experience and one vital in shaping my career. Without doubt, my time on the programme gave me the skills and confidence to thrive at a great company like American Express. Upon returning home after my internship, I faced the challenges of finding a new job. However, I was able to draw upon a wide range of accomplishments, and every interviewer was really interested to learn about my time in the New York office. The Mountbatten Program produces well rounded, confident young people who are highly desired in the workplace. I couldn't recommend it more.

The Mountbatten Program offers a unique opportunity to experience every day life and the business environment in NYC. It has provided me with very useful skills which I can make use of in my current position and I have gained valuable experience in various areas. I built up a network while I was in NY and continue to keep in touch with most of the people I met. I can warmly recommend this programme, it is truly unique and made for mature active individuals who wish to broaden their horizon and experience a new lifestyle at the same time.

The Mountbatten Program provided a truly unique set of experiences that will form the chief reference point for the next decade and a wealth of memories that will be life long. Professionally, the training placement was demanding and provided a quality of insight only possible when immersed in a place such as New York. The academic component benefited this and provided excellent advice to exploit the enhanced career prospects. The social aspect of the programme was integral and the friends that I enjoyed New York with will be life long I hope. The things done, places seen and people met were incredible, every day presented a new wealth of opportunity. There can be few places that could be so influential and life enhancing as New York and the Mountbatten Program provides remarkable access to it.

The Mountbatten Program's programme is a great opportunity and one that I am glad that I took. Not only do you get to train in one of the world's great cities, it is an opportunity to develop skills and contacts that you can take with you for the rest of your career. It has definitely benefited me post Mountbatten in finding employment and I can attribute a lot of my success to my development whilst on the programme. It is also a fantastic experience socially. I made many new friends during my time in New York and it has opened up a whole new network of people, both there and on my return. I would wholeheartedly encourage people to join the Program and hope they enjoy the experience as much as I did.

My experience of living and training in New York, through the Mountbatten Program Programme, enabled me to build my future career without having to sacrifice the travelling and adventure that most recent graduates seek. My placement company was incredibly supportive and offered me the opportunity to take more responsibilities and professionally flourish, enabling me to obtain a position with the English Speaking Union on my return as the Head of Membership Development. Similarly, the weekly classes in management have given me a strong foundation of knowledge whilst, at the same time, being an inspiring and motivating environment within which to share ideas and learn from my fellow Mountbatten participants. Lastly, New York pushed me to do things that I had never imagined possible, such as running a half marathon, being a dancer at a huge ball and volunteering at a food coop. It was, without a doubt, the most formative year of my life thus far.

The friends I have made, the opportunities offered to me and the experiences available throughout the year on a social, charitable, professional, and academic basis have all helped to mould me into a more developed and well prepared young professional. It is an experience that any young professional would strive for.