IT Internships

Hey,

I'm in my 2nd year studying Computer Science at Durham University, and I was hoping to arrange an internship for over the summer holidays before my final year.

I've applied for an internship at Google, which would be amazing and perhaps a dream job, but haven't heard anything back from them yet. It's also a great name to have on your CV. How often do companies usually reply to applications if you aren't suitable, or do they usually take their time?

Are there any other companies I should consider? I've thought about all the obvious ones like IBM, Microsoft, etc. I'm sure most big (non-computer industry) companies have IT departments, but internships in them seem to be few and far between!

Ideally something in the North East would be great, however there aren't any major IT names up here other than Sage (which doesn't really interest me, and I couldn't find anything about internships on their website). Do most internships involve living away from home?

I've looked at other companies such as BT, however their website had much more "come work for us, we're wonderful" text on it compared to any relevant information about what internships they offer and where they are based.

Thanks for any advice,
Alex