Home - All the european internships information you need

The New

Volunteer Internship: A firsthand account from one of our students

One of our students from England, James, came to Bilbao as part of the third year of his degree, studying English and Spanish, in order to practice his Spanish outside the classroom. James decided to participate in the volunteering programme organised and arranged through European Internships, which offers its participants the opportunity to live and work abroad as an intern in various different sectors of ones choosing.

James has written a brief summary for us all about his experience in Spain, as a social work volunteer in a community centre for the homeless, close to one of our parter schools in Bilbao. James made the most of the fact that the school, Instituto Hemingway, was very close to his workplace and this enabled him to be in contact with other students his age and to get involved in the free cultural activities that the school offers every afternoon to all its students.

Here is James’ summary about his experience in Bilbao as a volunteer:

“Hi! I am James, from England, and I am here in Bilbao working as a volunteer on one of the programmes organised by Instituto Hemingway. Every morning I go to an centre for the homeless, it is a place where those living on the streets or those who need help with problems, such as addiction, can go. In our centre, we pass the day by making things by hand, for example, using leather to make purses, belts or bags. They are things that the people in the centre can use themselves or, sometimes, they sell them at local markets. Other activities that we do include “therapy-art”, cooking together and going on excursions. The main reason that I like my job so much is that I have the opportunity to see and experience some of the problems affecting Spain at the moment. The world of my collegues is very different to my world and while I am positive that my language skills have improved, here I am learning much more than just words!

Why choose this programme?

Well, I have studied Spanish for quite a few years at school and I wanted to dedicate my year abroad doing something other than just sitting in a classroom all day long. Doing this job, I meet so many lovely people and after talking with them, I have learnt the more local, native language and how it is used day-to-day. Also, I when I am looking for work in the future, I will be able to demonstrate that this experience has helped me to develop many useful skills, such as how to work in a group on a project.

Would you recommend this course to someone else?

Of course! I have been here for five months and I would tell anyone to come and do a course in Bilbao. The city is so interesting, there are so many places to go, I have great social life here and it is an opportunity to be part of another culture. I promise you that with the language, the food and the people, you won’t be disappointed!”

If you are interested and you fancy taking part in this volunteer intenrship abroad, then you can find out more information on our Volunteering Programmes webpage. Remember that European Internships offers a variety of programmes as well as social work, such as teaching, tourism, monument restauration, environmental programmes, cultural work etc. So if you fancy an internship in a foreign country then pick your favourite and get in contact with European Internships!

More news


Our programs

The best Internships in Europe
Academic semesters abroad
Read more about hospitality managenet
Our Packs with spanish lessons and cultural activities
Questions? Let's Chat
Online Support!
Need Help? Chat with us on Whatsapp