The Mountbatten Institute began life as the Mountbatten Internship Programme, which was founded in New York, USA, in 1984.  Its mission is:

To foster international and cross cultural understanding through experiential education, practical training and residence abroad,and to provide opportunities for personal growth and professional development.

The organisation was named in honour of the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a senior member of the British Royal Family.  After a distinguished career in public service Lord Mountbatten became deeply involved in international education, particularly student exchange and international study.  He believed that only through an understanding of each other's culture and aspirations could the next generation avoid the awful wars that affected his era.  His elder daughter, Lady Patricia, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, is our Patron.  Although she is not involved in the day-to-day affairs of the Institute, she does lend considerable support and encouragement to our efforts.  See Christ's College Cambridge and Wikipedia to learn more.

The Institute is headquartered in New York City, and though privately owned, its activities are governed by a non-profit Board of Directors representing British and American Business and Educational interests.

Since our founding we have provided one-year training programmes in New York and London to thousands of young professionals.  Today we place over 500 university graduates in these two programmes.

A Mountbatten Intern is typically a graduate with one or two years of work experience, qualified in a professional field, and anxious to gain international exposure and experience by living and working abroad.

The Mountbatten Institute has three Regional Offices across the world staffed by some 30 full-time employees and a faculty of over 50 part-time lecturers:

• North American Regional Office, New York City – (1) Hosts and manages an established 12-month internship programme in New York for non-Americans.  (2) Recruits Americans for our London programme and our new pilot Indian programme.
• European Regional Office, London – (1) Hosts and manages an established 12-month internship programme in London for US citizens, and Indian citizens who live in India.  (2) Recruits from the UK and other European countries for our New York and pilot Indian programmes.
• Asia/Pacific Regional Office, Bangkok – (1) Recruits Asian interns for the New York programme, and Indian nationals for specialised internships in London.  (2) Currently (Feb 2008) setting up a pilot year-long internship in India primarily for US and UK citizens.

We also have an office in Sydney, Australia, which recruits Australians and New Zealanders exclusively for our New York programme.

Our Patron, The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, with, from left to right, Director General, Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill, MBE, Vice Chairman, Dr. Rollin Baldwin, Lady Mountbatten, Mr. Michael Billett, MBE, Director of the North American Regional Office.

Notice to Agents and Foreign Organizations
We manage all of our own recruiting, interviewing and placement services.  We do not use agents nor do we form partnerships with overseas organizations.