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Gap Year Internship at Villarreal CF: Rebecca’s Valencia Experience
CATEGORY: Internship Abroad – Marketing
COUNTRY: Spain
READING TIME: 3 minutes
Rebecca used her gap year to explore possible career paths — and found herself at Villarreal CF in Spain. During her one-month internship, she gained valuable insights into marketing, club operations, and the daily life of a professional football club. At the same time, she experienced Valencia as a vibrant, safe, and international city where it was easy to meet new people. In this experience report, Rebecca shares how her internship opened up new perspectives and even sparked her interest in football.
My one-month internship at the football club Villarreal CF was an experience I truly value. Since I wanted to use my gap year to help me decide on my future career path, I reached out to StudentsGoAbroad and, together with the team, selected a suitable internship and prepared everything for it. Shortly after, I arrived in Valencia.
I was incredibly excited — partly because of the internship itself, but also because I wondered whether I would quickly make social connections. Looking back, both worries were completely unnecessary. :) I used the first week to settle into my shared apartment and get to know the club. Right from the beginning, I was shown different ways to meet people locally and to discover and fall in love with the city.
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After the first week had passed and I had met all the other interns, a certain routine started to develop in the internship. This really helped me understand the club and its everyday operations. Each week, we spent two to three days in the office working on our individual research tasks or similar assignments, which we then presented to our mentor. Since I was assigned to the marketing department, my tasks were designed accordingly, helping me understand the concept as quickly as possible.
In addition, every week we had the chance to meet the heads of different departments within the club during meetings and ask them plenty of questions. In the end, this actually became my personal highlight, as I received incredibly helpful advice that made me reflect on — and adjust — my own attitude toward work.
Outside of our daily work routine, we occasionally had the opportunity to watch the club’s home games. Even though I normally didn’t have much to do with football, I learned a lot and have now even become a football fan.
Valencia itself offers countless things to do with new friends, and every day you meet more and more people. The city is alive at every time of day and night, while still feeling completely safe. Personally, I would definitely recommend setting aside some budget for enjoying the food and, of course, shopping — both of which you can do very well and affordably in the small local shops. Through various local organizations, you can also book activities at low prices and experience the nightlife.
The sea and everything else are very easy to reach, both by public transport and with rental bikes available on nearly every corner. This makes it easy to relax right after work.
Looking back, this month was enriching both for my personal interests and socially. I already miss the bar, restaurant, beach, and club visits, and I will definitely be going back to visit everyone again in a few weeks.
Report by Rebecca, intern in Spain with StudentsGoAbroad
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