Accommodation is provided free of charge.  Interns are required to live in Mountbatten-designated accommodation rather than with friends, family or otherwise privately.  No refunds are made to interns who, notwithstanding the Programme's rules, live under private arrangements.

Current interns are housed in self-contained flats (apartments) in Maida Vale, Edgeware Road, and Islington in the North London area, where you will find most amenities.  Flats and areas are subject to availability.

The flats are all fully-furnished, centrally heated, and generally comprise 2-3 double bedrooms with two twin beds each, reasonable closet space and a chest of drawers for each.  They are also equipped with a fully-fitted kitchen with all utensils, appliances and a microwave oven, separate television lounge with TV, couch, chairs, coffee table and dining table, a bathroom with shower, basin and toilet.  Some have a separate WC.

You will be sharing a room with another intern throughout the year.  There are no single rooms.  The Programme tries to avoid triple rooms but cannot guarantee it.  Rooms in our flats are always single sex.  Flats are generally co-ed but single sex flats can be requested, and the Programme does its best to honor such requests.  As part of a cross-cultural program you may find yourself sharing with an intern from another culture.

Accommodation includes (at no charge to the intern) all utilities such as gas, electricity, water, council tax and communal TV license.  A fee of £8 per month will be deducted from your living allowance for basic telephone and internet service.  Interns are required to pay a Security Deposit of £100.  This is deducted from your allowance (£50 from the second and third allowances), and refunded at the end of the internship less deductions for damages, missing items etc.  (see Financial Information under Allowances and Security Deposit)

Accommodation is quite complicated to administer.  After many years of experience the Programme has developed the arrangements described above and is keen to continue them (subject only to changes dictated by circumstances).  However we do recognize that accommodation is a personal matter that can make an important contribution to your well-being throughout the year.  Thus, if you feel you could not readily accept Mountbatten's arrangements we recommend you do not apply for the Programme.

Good accommodation in and around London is very expensive, involves substantial security deposits, typically 2 months rent in advance, and possibly legal fees.  There are also many pitfalls for the unwary, and the whole business of finding and negotiating accommodation that meets your requirements can be very time-consuming indeed.  Our flats represent a substantial saving to interns.  They are also centrally located and managed by a service company.  In short, you will be better able to focus on your work placement and enjoy the many other aspects of your year abroad.

INSURANCE
The decision to live abroad in a culturally different environment carries many risks.  Only you can evaluate how acceptable these risks are to you and the level of insurance you may wish to purchase to offset those risks.  The Mountbatten Programme conforms to generally acceptable UK standards for young adults, and accepts no liability whatsoever for medical or for personal security matters.

Medical
Interns are entitled to receive full medical assistance and treatment under the British National Health Service, in common with all other UK residents.  The NHS does not typically accommodate non-mainstream medicine such as chiropractors.  Furthermore, the NHS, which is a socialized medicine service with budget constraints, may be quite different from your home country's health service, both in its priorities and its treatments and procedures.  Thus interns with pre-existing conditions that in their view demand high priority might wish to consider obtaining private medical insurance.  Generally speaking, the NHS' modus operandi is to provide standardized care designed to cover 95% - 98% of most medical problems.  This is typically below US private health-care levels.  If you are not comfortable with this philosophy, you should consider private insurance.  You may wish to visit the NHS website at www.nhs.uk