International Internships in Madrid with The Intern Group

The past four months have been very captivating and has been a life changing experience which I will cherish for the rest of my life. I would definitely recommend participating in this because not only will it help develop your life skills but also gain invaluable life lessons! Intern Group made the journey of a life time so much calmer! They were excellent at providing lots of support and making sure you are ready for the internship this made me feel relaxed. Lalita the Associate Director of Madrid was helpful to guide me throughout the process. They were always there to direct me to the next stage, and would always get back to me via email!
It was my first time doing something of this nature, so naturally I was anxious and worried. I didn’t know what to expect. I met amazing people at the intern group which I connected with, that made my experience a lot better and will keep in contact with them, it’s safe to say I have made life long friends!
My first week I struggled with the environment because everything was out of my comfort zone. But after a few days, you adjust to the culture and the more places you visit the more you love the place. Irene is the event coordinator who plans weekly events this gave the opportunity to meet the other interns. The events were different, so I would recommend going to each event because they were fantastic and eye-opening!
So, my work had a friendly environment. They mostly spoke Spanish this left me alienated. This then motivated me to learn the language and what better place to learn it than Spain. I started understanding what they were saying but struggled speaking it. I will carry on learning the language when I go back to the UK.
I didn’t have a plan how much I was going to spend so the first month I restricted myself from overspending, which later gave the opportunity to travel around Spain; to places like Granada and Sevilla. I would recommend travelling outside of Madrid to see how different each part of the city is. It was breathtaking and honestly left me in awe. It was very emotional leaving the place not knowing when I’ll come back. It has left a strong sense of nostalgia.

When I got accepted into the programme for an internship in Madrid I was very apprehensive about what would be in store. Throughout the process, the Intern Group sent videos, lots of emails keeping me updated and information sheets. It helped me feel at ease not having to worry about housing, transport and the culture shock.

I only really spoke with Lalita the Associate Director and Irene the Events Coordinator. All the cultural events organised by Irene, and included in your fee, were amazing. It helps provide a support network and I have made such great friends and mixed with people from other cultures.

We had a few problems with housing at the beginning but this was the only issue I had. We had many emails with Lalita and all of the Intern Group Madrid to get everything sorted for us. At all times, even the weekends, they were responsive and supportive. Together a solution was found and I felt that their attitude was one of genuine concern!

My time in Madrid with the Intern Group was a dream!

Really what makes the experience that much better is the quality of people that you meet here. You meet people from all around the world, and these people become your friends because at the beginning, there is nobody else that you can relate to because you don't know anybody else! Whether it's getting churros at the oldest churro place in Madrid late at night or travelling to other Spanish cities like Salamanca together, the people is what makes this an experience of a lifetime. Kudos to the Intern Group for choosing and selecting great people; it makes your experience that much better.

The Intern Group is also fantastic at ensuring there are events for you attend during the work, and everyone on staff is so easy to get along with. Importantly, if there is ever an issue, they respond promptly and fix the issue as soon as possible, which is a wonderful thing to have when living in a foreign environment.

Acquiring an internship through The Intern Group (Madrid) only saw amazing rewards and benefits for myself. As a Media Graduate, I was able to learn and enhance various skills within my taught discipline, as well as other areas I was interested in. As a young adolescent, the international internship taught me greatly how to adjust to a completely different, rich culture and successfully live independently.

I was a Content Marketing Intern at a Political Communications start-up.
I had set responsibilities, but was also give much freedom to learn about the sides of the business I wanted to work in too. This company helped me greatly in analysing and learning about the technical sides of Social Media and Content Marketing, as well as using CMS and Company Exclusive Software. A lot of these skills I had developed at this start-up helped me in standing out at job interviews recently.

Aside from interning all-day, The Intern Group schedules fun social events for all interns in the city. In Madrid, it was always a good time catching up with the other interns at tapas nights, walks around the city... and then even scheduling our own events by ourselves! Everyone whom I have met in The Intern Group have been awesome characters that have added to my experience in Madrid.

When it came to accommodation and living there, Intern Madrid took care of me very well, and gave instructions and info about every aspect of living in Madrid. They provided me with 10/10 accommodation and answered to any queries or complaints I had right away. They make sure to be contactable easily, and knowing they were just a call or message away made me at ease all the time.

In short, you wouldn't be wise to turn down an international internship, especially one with The Intern Group. You have only to gain from these kinds of experiences, and I hope you choose to experience it through The Intern Group!

I was always anxious starting an Internship in Spain, not only did I speak no Spanish but the culture was so different to what I was used to in Australia. Also, it was pretty daunting moving to a totally foreign country and knowing absolutely no one... Thankfully, the team at the InternGroup knew what it is like and were extremely good at making you feel not only comfortable and confident but safe as well.

From the moment I stepped off the plane I knew I had nothing to worry about. A man picked me up in a large limousine like van (which was pretty cool) and drove me straight to my appartment in Ventas, right next to the bull fighting ring. I made my way upto my appartment, which was nice and reasonably sized, and met my knew housemates. Luckily, my housemates were awesome and I transitioned into life in Spain very easily. We had a meet and great on my second day and I met the other interns (who I would be spending the next three months with), which was great as you straight away make a nice social network. The reason I am saying all this is because first impressions are everything and after my first day in Madrid I knew I was going to love it. The people at The Intern Group were so helpful professionally and socially.

Professionally my internship was great, the people at work were friendly, fun and welcoming. They understood if I was ever late (whether it was because the metro had problems or because I stayed at the cervezeria too long the night before...) and when I didn't show up to work one monday after missing my flight and getting stuck in Barcelona Sunday night, they emailed to make sure I was ok. They knew I wanted to do plenty of travel while I was in Europe and they were extremely accomodating.

Lalita is brilliant, always on standby if you have any problems and eager to help out. Such an enthusiastic personality, I don't know how she does it. I would love to know what she puts in her coffee because I need some... Whenever you see her it brightens your day and makes you excited to be there.

Irene is gorgeous, she provides us with social experiences and reccomendations of places to go/things to do in Madrid. She is young, fun and energetic plus knows A LOT about Madrid, I could listen to her talk for ever. Every week she organizes social gatherings and if you want something to do just message her on facebook, she is always so eager to let you know what's on and is one of the nicest peope I have ever met. My experience certainly would have been different if she wasn't there.

Anyway if anyone is actually still reading this and wondering if the experience is worth it, I say do it. You will have a great time, meet some amazing people and make some experiences you will never forget. I didn't think I would write a review this long but I'm still here and my fingers are starting to hurt from typing so I might wrap it up now. If, like me, you are from somewhere far away like Australia make sure you do some travelling. Everything is so close and so different, you fly a couple of hours to Switzerland or Austria for example and it's a whole new world. Don't get too caught up in going out every night, there's so much so see.

Big thanks to The Intern Group for everything, I will never forget this experience!

First of all, do forgive the clichéd start just alike any testimony that is bound to be infused with an outburst of positivity, but, I still can't help but say:

'Where do I even start?'

This opportunity, first and foremost, came to me unexpectedly at a time I needed to step out of the place I was at. I needed a head-start in my career field of interest, work in my interests was the hardest thing to find and odd jobs were a necessity to survive. But most of all, I needed to fulfil that restless travel bug within me to explore and create new experiences. I didn't want perfect, nor did I ask for the best package. I just hoped for new, adventures, memories and experiences to take with me in what I can garner in skills, and to further grow as a person. And with that, never had I expected to have gotten all from the moment I was told Intern Madrid wanted me onboard Less than a year later, without the slightest hesitation will I say that those three months spent in Madrid will always be one of the most impactful and unforgettable highlights of my life :))

Not only had I gained so much in my internship with working as a Social Media Professional at Tilo Motion (digital marketing agency) and garnering so much scope and beyond with what I do, I had also widened my networks and made friends even with the older age group in the office too. Going to work full-time was definitely beneficial in my learning and having a great team to work with everyday just made it all the better! Not only that, I've met some of the most wonderful souls in the Intern program and external social activities that I'm so proud and happy to still have as friends (and family!) even with the distance and own individual pathways. There were some great bonds made in the various time lapses throughout my stay in Madrid and people I've met in social and unexpected circumstances along the way; and they still hold close to my heart.

In terms of logistics, the accommodation (4 bedroom apartment) provided was pretty decent in a cute old Spanish neighbourhood and the location itself (between Manuel Becerra and Ventas metro stations) was quite convenient seeing its close proximity to many shops, cheap eateries, parks and sights. I've also enjoyed the various activities planned for us interns like the Toledo trip, Flamenco show, Bernabeu Stadium, rooftop bar views, food market and churro nights..(and the list goes on). Really, if you want to make the most of your stay, do make the effort to attend all or most of the events organised, as it'll only encourage you to see more of the amazing vibrant city of Madrid. Honestly, there's never enough time to cover everything, no matter how much you do. Hence why I'll be back again one day!

One thing's for sure..
From the moment you enter Intern Madrid, and the second you leave for home or other ventures, you can be well assured that you will be well taken care of! Lalita and Thalassa are incredible beings with the biggest of hearts :) It's so nice to know you're not alone and they're the smiling faces and mother hens you can turn to for any enquiries and worries, and always always, for a good chat. I certainly miss their genuine care and affection, and how close we've all gotten. It's lovelier to see that we still keep in touch con much cariño, even when away from each other. Thus, it's also evident that once you're a part of this familia, there's no way out ;)

At end, if an experience is what you need..the kind that is enriching, fulfilling and overwhelming in many spectrums, with moments that could entail downsides which will help challenge you to learn and thus grow stronger from, and incredulous upsides that leave you smiling in nostalgia, with many many friends made from all walks of life...those kinds packaged as a whole...you can find that when you take your next step with Intern Madrid. You have an adventure, work experience and a fantastic lot of beautiful hearts and faces waiting for you..

España is waiting. Gift yourself this chance :) <3

I arrived in Spain knowing very little about it's culture and even less of the Spanish language. Although I found the first few days confusing and disorienting, the experience of learning how to commute around a city as an illiterate due to the language disability was almost exhilarating and filled me with a sense of accomplishment as I always found my destination. Experiencing a culture so different from the one I was used to, opened perspectives and enabled me to get a new sense of the world I live in.

The Intern Group in Madrid not only attained me a work experience that I will not soon forget, they also actively helped with any issues I had with quick email responses and engaged, not only myself, but all the interns in weekly social activities ranging from visiting soccer stadiums to going to go eat delicious Spanish meals from various restaurants that are so abundantly found all over Madrid. I never found myself bored and I never found myself resenting going to work. Exactly what I wanted out of obtaining work experience while also experiencing the country I was a foreigner to.

The other Interns are also all relatively the same age as one another making it easy to befriend one another and the sense of maturity from all of them made that working experience that more welcoming. I recommend this program fully if you're goal is to find a suitable internship in the field you desire while also experiencing the culture of the country and the social aspect that comes with it. You have your patatas bravas and cervezas at nights and working ethics and skills that will brighten your future during the day. I don't know what else you could ask for from such an experience.

Interning in Madrid will definitely be one of the most memorable things I've done for loads of reasons! Overall the experience was amazing and I would recommend to anyone deciding whether or not it is worth it to go for it, because even if there is an issue with your internship or you're not happy when you get out there, the team from intern Madrid will respond to your concerns straight away and try to help you overcome any issues.

Two things that I would suggest when deciding on how to shape your internship:
1. The length of time you choose to go for I think is really important. I only went to Madrid for 6 weeks and I really feel that it wasn't enough time to really get into the work of the organisation. If I could go again I would go for at least 2 months.
2. The language. Although most of my friends were placed in English speaking organisations, I think to get the most out of the work and to be given more responsibilities, you should know a certain level of Spanish before you get out there. I went out there not knowing any Spanish and it resulted in having to change certain aspects of my work week.

Aside from these things, the experience as a whole is amazing. You start with a number of other interns who are all in the same boat as you and so everyone is keen to get to know each other. As well as this, the team from intern Madrid organise a number of trips and activities which brings everyone together and I would recommend you go to all of them if you can.

My number one tip is just to throw yourself into the whole thing, intern Madrid are really supportive the entire time but ultimately its down to you how the whole experience goes!