English Speaking Internship in Valencia, Spain : Valeria's Story

Studentsgoabroad made it possible to find an English speaking working environment in Spain – which was vital to me as I don’t speak any Spanish. The English spoken at work was really far from perfect (as my English too), but everybody tried really hard and was happy about improving language skills. We learned from each other. That is why I liked the team at work so much and within the two months, I could build valuable friendships with most of them.

Work-wise I also really liked that I had a clear set of tasks I was introduced to at the beginning of the internship. I have to admit that it had not always been easy to understand everything because of some language issues but in the end, everything worked out well and the results were satisfying. A disadvantage was of course, that the internship was not paid because I decided to do it for two months only and on a part-time basis. But that had the advantage that I was not under pressure at all and had sufficient time for the vocational adjustment. To me, the five hours per day were not a “must” but an “option” and a nice way to start my day. Well, it’s easy to have a good time, when the sun is shining every day- and that in October and November! My internship was the key to a really great time in Valencia.

My colleagues were so concerned about my well-being and me finding friends that they used every opportunity to work on it. They introduced me to a Spanish girl who likes climbing as much as I do. I arrived in Valencia on a Saturday evening by car, went to work on Monday and on Tuesday I had already set up a meeting with the girl for bouldering. Since then we have become good friends and have had a great time together. She also introduced me to some other people with the same hobby and I became friends with most of them. On the weekends we made trips to the mountains. It was amazing to get to know climbing outdoors.

Even though I don´t speak Spanish I felt great around these people. They all spoke English and some even German from doing an Erasmus term there. However, really many people in Spain don´t speak English, in shops or in public institutions it was hard to get along for me. However, everybody was really nice and ready to communicate in some way.

I also did a Spanish course. I could organize it via Students Go Abroad. First I was a little confused because I did not see how this could possibly be a course for beginners. The teacher had to cope with a mixed group of people who all spoke a different level of Spanish. This made it really hard for me to catch up because I did not have any knowledge of the language at all. I talked about it with my local contact person of Students Go Abroad and they were able to organize me another course really quickly. Now I had lessons with another German girl who had the same previous experience of Spanish. That was good. So I could learn a little Spanish in the end.

I was very happy about the support of studentsgoabroad and their quick help in any situation. I mean, there have been a view difficulties on the way, but they always found a good solution for everything.

The time in Valencia has been one of my best stays abroad ever. I am really grateful for the time I could spend there and I would not want to do without it. I have been traveling a lot in my life and have seen many places, but I have never been working in another country. During the internship, I could gain a lot of new insights into life in Spain. You really see a place differently, when you are not only seeing it from the perspective of a tourist but really work, live and find friends there.

You will experience an everyday routine in a Spanish working environment; spend your evenings with friends and the weekends relaxing and going on trips. I was especially happy about all the hiking and the free time activities with my new friends. That is why the two months were really relaxing for me. I think I want to keep that in my life, being relaxed and spending free time climbing. What I learned too is that there might be troubles on the way, but in the end, things can still turn out to be very good and just the right choice. A new beginning might not always be easy but it will always be an amazing and chance to experience something fantastic.