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What is the point in an internship? My experience as an Intern at Instituto Hemingway
Hi, my name is Marie and I am a university student from England and I have come to Spain to complete an internship over the course of four months.
Before I came out here, I have to say that I did not really see the point of an internship. What I wanted to do was to improve my Spanish and getting a job was just one method of doing this. However, I have completely changed my mind, and I have been here now, in Bilbao, for just over a month.
I found the internship online and it was to work in a language school called Instituto Hemingway, doing various tasks such as marketing and helping students. It seemed like a good way to be a part of true Spanish culture whilst also being able to put something on my CV. So I emailed and quickly received the response that I wanted – I could come to Bilbao! It was that simple.
I was very happy about being in a Spanish environment where I could meet lots of new people and where I could constantly be learning and improving my Spanish abilities. But I have learnt so much more than this.
Mainly this internship has shown the responsibility of a full-time job plus it has demonstrated the areas where I like working and the parts that I have not enjoyed so much. This has meant that I am able to think about my future more accurately as I know what sort of job I want to get into. For example, I have really enjoyed and embraced working around other people so working in an office is now something that definitely appeals to me.
I am also learning a lot about how a business is run and the tasks that normally go on behind-the-scenes. Every task, even the small, trivial ones add up to become an important part of the company.
Another part of doing this job has meant that I have met so many local people which has been great for my language skills as I am using it everyday, for different reasons and to different people. My vocabulary base is widening and my fluidity is improving.
It is challenging. At first I did not feel like I knew what I was doing as I was trying to find my way around in a new city as well as speaking Spanish and starting an internship. But once I got through this, my confidence grew and I started to make friends and settle into my life here.
Since then I have realised that I do love my internship and I love Bilbao as a city so things have worked out very well! And this could be the same for you!
So, in conclusion, I would say an internship is a must for everyone but being able to do it in a foreign country makes you much more well rounded. You can practice your language but also learn a lot about yourself, whilst opening doors for your future. I can now say on my CV that I have completed an internship in Spain but, more importantly, I will have a lot of experiences to talk about and grow from.
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