Internships in Madrid - Adelante Abroad

TONS OF POSITIVE COMMENTS!

I did my research before choosing this program, as I concluded this was the most personalized experience I could have. Adelante was extremely helpful in-country and abroad in accommodating my interests.
I decided to do this after graduating from college, as I wanted to have an experience abroad, more specifically in Spain, and get some experience prior to entering grad school in the fall. I was looking for a psychology internship that would guide my interests in graduate school, and I got it.
I worked with a non-profit organization that provides services for immigrants in Spain. Given that I am a native speaker, I was able to take on more responsibilities and co-coordinate a summer camp for children with the program director. I was placed in the same organization with a friend with a beginners level of spanish and her responsibilities were based on the service she provided teaching english. Together we volunteered to teach english to the summer camp children as a part of the program, and it worked very well given our respective language levels.
I was also looking for a place that would allow me to work hands-on with children, since I am considering working with them in the future. To design the camp, I worked with the social psychologist on site and was given a lot of freedom to design a curriculum to teach english and work on their developmental needs. It was a challenge because the group consisted of 47 kids ages 4-12, all together, but it was very rewarding and there was a lot of support from Spanish volunteers. In addition, I faced a lot of the cultural and socioeconomic issues that affected these children, which was important in understanding their needs as first or second generation immigrants. Overall, my internship experience was PHENOMENAL. There was a clinical psychologist on site as well, and he welcomed observation as well. He ran emotional intelligence workshops for adults. My supervisor and my co-workers were all very friendly and they really appreciated the work. This goes for my friend as well, and in her case they really appreciated the effort to communicate in spanish.
THE FUN PART
General feelings on culture
SPAIN IS A MUST! The culture is extremely welcoming, the nightlife is ongoing, the bars can be anything from a family friendly block bar to a dancing night club bar. The society is much more liberal than in America, which means you will either have a great experience soaking in their lifestyle and non-judgmental views, or you may find it a bit uncomfortable when you walk down the street and see couples openly displaying their affections, be it heterosexual or homosexual. That is up to you. I personally found it was a positive experience. For the most part it was very liberating to be in an environment where people really don't think twice about "awkward moments" or "outrageous clothing" or PDA. PS- I am not a "hipster"- whatever that means. Spanish people live their lives on their terms and no one else's, and that really come through in their culture.
Shopping:
If you go over the summer, wait until july or august to shop. Their summer sale is amazing and you will save some money
Traveling:
Summer traveling is a bit more expensive due to the season, but if you are in Madrid there are plenty of nearby cities you can visit on day trips that'll cost anywhere from 10-20 euros roundtrip.
Food:
TRY EVERYTHING even if you don't know what it is. Chances are you will get something strange every now and then, but most of it will be delicious.

Final word: GOOOOO!

Through Adelante Abroad I was able to spend three fantastic months in Madrid! While I had been to the city once before, I missed out on a study abroad experience in college so I wasn't exactly sure what an extended stay in a foreign country would be like. Thankfully Adelante helped immensely with the lead-up - with an involved pre-departure orientation - and with the transition once there. They had me picked up at the airport, transported to the front door of my lodgings, and immediately plugged into two weeks of language classes at Academia Eureka. My apartment was incredibly well located; practically in Puerta del Sol (the city hub of activity and transportation). The language institute director, my internship advisor, and the Adelante coordinators/directors back home in the US were friendly, helpful, and attentive throughout the entire process. I never once felt that if I needed assistance their support would not be there. After my classes at the language institute, I move on to my internship at a Spanish film company. Notably, this is not a usual area of focus that is requested of Adelante, but they worked with me to customize a more than suitable internship. My bosses (an independent director and his business partner) and my coworkers were very nice and patient with me. Through my internship I got a good look at how the business of cinema is handled in Spain, and I also gained a friend during my time in Madrid, as my most immediate coworker was around my age. Through him, my classmates, and flatmates, I stayed social and interacted with people from countries all over the world: Spain (of course), but also Germany, Korea, Italy, Japan, China, Russia, Brazil, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Panama, and others. I would do it all again in a heartbeat...

The program overall was amazing and worthwhile. I gained invaluable professional experience at a psychiatrist's office and met a lot of incredible and intelligent people. I enjoyed living in the apartment, and I would definitely recommend requesting to live WITH SPANISH roommates instead of with Adelante candidates. If you request to live with Spanish roommates you might not actually live with Spanish people but at least you won't have to deal with the horrific situation on Calle Arenal (the apartment where Adelante candidates live when they request to live with other Adelante people). They do random checks of the apartment whenever they feel like it, letting themselves in and snooping around making sure that nobody has any friends that are staying over. If you let a friend or two crash on the couch until morning after a night out, and they find out, they will take your deposit away. They claim that there is no need since Madrid is a very safe city, but both myself and my roommates (all female) have seen men masturbating on two separate occasions in broad daylight and early in the morning. It's easy to understand why a woman wouldn't feel safe walking home alone after a night out, no matter how safe Madrid is generally. It's ridiculous to me that you pay so much for accommodations in Madrid and are unable to help a friend out by letting them stay on your couch till morning (nobody is staying for days or weeks on end). The lack of understanding and empathy from the people who do the random checks and who own the apartments on Calle Arenal is embarrassing and unprofessional. DO NOT LIVE IN ADELANTE HOUSING, but definitely do the program because otherwise it is a fulfilling and incredible experience.

My Madrid experience was good. The city is very hot in the summer but overall I enjoyed myself and made many new friends. I enjoyed working in Colegio Mayor Guadalupe

Looking through the comments above, I am almost positive that these "reviews" were written by Adelante Abroad staff in order to heighten their own ratings.

I recently came back from a nightmarish experience in Spain, which is why I am taking the time to write this review- I want no other students to go through what I did.

For those of you seriously considering Adelante, I urge you to choose a different program (going through your University is probably the safest option.)

If you go through Adelante, be prepared to have no help from the staff, who will suddenly go MIA. Also be prepared to be exploited as free labor during your internship. It clearly states on the site that you will only work a maximum of 4 hrs/day, when I was FORCED TO WORK OVER, AND AT THE END I WORKED A 12-HOUR DAY.

I ended up leaving Madrid months early due to my work schedule and other Adelante-induced complications, and am currently trying to get my $5000+ back through my credit card company. Adelante refused to give my money back even though she is fully aware of what happened to me in Madrid.

Don't put yourself in a similar situation. Adelante truly ruined my study abroad experience and took advantage of me.

If something similar happened to you during an Adelante program, just remember that you have options- don't give up. It will take a lot of time, but by alerting your credit card company of a fraudulent service, they can help you get your money back.

Good programme, you are well looked after in your first two weeks of settling in. The internship was fantastic experience, and my other friends on the course enjoyed it too. My spanish improved greatly, and there is plenty of free time afforded to you to make friends and do your own activities

I had a good experience with Adelante and their program in Madrid. I’ll break my experience down to the categories:

Adelante Support Staff: I had to get a visa because I was there for more than 90 days. They were VERY helpful and even gave me a letter saying I had paid for the program (when I still hadn’t yet) so that I could get my visa from the consulate in Chicago. They were also good at responding quickly to emails and questions, which is important because they do all their interaction and communication via phone and email.

Housing: I chose the “live with Spaniards” option, which really means living with other international students. That ended up still being nice because we all still spoke Spanish and I got to sample a tiny bit more of European life through them. My flat mates were from France, Belgium, and there was one Spaniard. There were 6 people total and two bathrooms in the unit, each with our own bedroom. One thing I will say is that the housing service (called Aluni) that they use is a bit disorganized. I got WAY overcharged for the housing deposit and it took them awhile to return it. They also claimed I hadn’t turned in the keys at the end, which I did, they just hadn’t checked the mailbox. You also have to buy your own food at the grocery store, so take that into account in the cost of the program.

Two week Spanish classes: I actually really enjoyed these. You take a test that places you in a certain level and you learn pretty standard grammar, idiomatic phrases, etc. not related to your internship. They also give you a book that you can keep that has literally ALL the grammar rules of Spanish. That was really helpful. I also befriended a lot of other Europeans who were in my class and visited one of them after she returned home to German.

Internship: My unpaid internship was good, not phenomenal, but good. I worked at a law office about 20 minutes away from my flat and did a tax project the whole time. I mostly learned about different income tax rates in 60 different countries. My boss was nice but not around too often. One thing though, most of the people in who worked in the office were German, so they spoke German all the time. There was one guy who spoke fluent Spanish, so I talked with him in Spanish. But the others only spoke German or English, so I had to communicate in English with them. At the end I got a letter of recommendation after asking for one.

Daily Life: After my internship I would always have a new neighborhood or part of the city that I wanted to explore. That was good because by the end I knew so much about the city and where things were. A lot of Spaniards commented that I knew the city/metro/buses better than they did by the end. I also went to language exchanges at coffee shops on certain nights to practice my Spanish even more.

Overall: Overall, I liked the program and would recommend it, but not to everyone. You have to be VERY independent and well organized. If you’re someone who’s used to people doing stuff for you/structuring things for you then you may find yourself bored simply because you don’t know what to do after your internship gets done every day. Also, you have to be outgoing. You can befriend your roommates but if you want to meet Spaniards/have Spanish friends then you have to be willing to go out of your way to meet them, as the program doesn't give you a ton of opportunities to organically meet Spaniards. I joined a free Spanish online dating website, which actually ended up being an excellent way to meet people (not just romance either, you can meet friends too!).

I have just returned from a two month stay in Madrid. Overall, I had a very good time. The language school
is one of the best I have ever attended, and the teachers and the director are always helpful and friendly. I was staying in an apartment in the same building as the school, in a very good location just five minutes from Puerta de Sol, which is the very centre of Madrid. The apartment was nice, and any problem was fixed quickly by the staff. I was also very happy that I could have friends staying with me for a couple of days.
After two weeks of language classes, I started my internship with a Psychiatrist and his team. It was a very good experience, both personally and professionally. Everybody was very nice, trying to make me feel welcome, and helping me with language problems. It was of course a bit daunting at first, but in the end I was very sorry to leave. I got to sit in during therapy sessions, and also to talk to patients myself while they waited or did some tests etc. The Doctor was always happy to explain things and I learned a lot, especially on CBT and pharmacotherapy. I think it s a valuable experience for anyone wanting to go into counseling psychology, but I think a good Spanish level is important so you can communicate with the patients, and you need to be prepared to adjust to the rhythm of the 'Consulta'. Not all patients are comfortable to have others around during the sessions, so there can be quite some time spend waiting around, and the working hours are irregular.
My tip would be to read some of the Doctor's books before going, it's very helpful.
As to the city, I have been to Madrid many times already, and love the place, it's beautiful, people are great, and there is lots to do. I would definitively recommend this program.