A group of college students is preparing for an opportunity of a lifetime to work in a high-end New York beach club.

Ten students from City College Norwich will be working in the kitchens and front of house at the Lawrence Beach Club, on Long Island, this summer after impressing interviewers who were selecting from students around the world.

The cohort were among 19 to be put forward by the college to be interviewed.

One person who knows exactly what the students can expect is City College Norwich restaurant supervisor Florin Stoian, who worked at the Lawrence Beach Club himself five years ago when he was then a student with the college.

'This is a work experience opportunity of a lifetime and we are extremely proud to have had so many of our students selected,' he said.

'It will be hard work for the students, especially being so far away from home, but they definitely all have the right attitude and frame of mind to do well and it will be a life-changing experience, both professionally and personally, and is something that will greatly benefit the students in their futures.'

City College students have been working in New York over the summer since 1991 but this year is a record for the numbers going.

Ryan Houghton, 18, from Norwich, who also works part-time at the Park Farm Hotel in Hethersett, said: 'I was over the moon about it. I can't wait to go.

'I'm hoping to broaden my horizons a little bit, see what it's like to work internationally, see the different types of service in a different country, and overall just better myself and find out how I can bring this back to how I work.'

Kitty Chisholm, 18, from Beeston, who also works part-time at Strattons Hotel in Swaffham, added: 'I cried when I found out I had got it, I was so happy.

'I found out quite a lot about the Lawrence Beach Club, and it sounded really good and it's just such a good opportunity to work in a different environment, to go away and get to know about other businesses and how they work.'

Lawrence Beach Club is a private members' club situated on Atlantic Beach, Long Island, with extensive high-end dining and bar facilities, where the students will be placed.

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