Barcelona Summer 2016

Hello readers! If you reading this review then you are probably interested in interning abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Well, let me begin by telling you that you do not need to look any further if you are interested in an astonishing international experience. Barcelona is an excellent destination filled with marvelous architecture, alluring beaches, delectable dishes , diverse groups of people all with colorful personalities, and an absolutely dynamic nightlife. The question isn't where do I want to travel, the question is what program is best for me to use to get there? Well in this review I will tell you about my experience with Adelante Abroad.

Let's first start off with the price. I want to mention that if you travel, prepare for it to be costly period. However, Adelante Abroad does stand by their word when they advertise that they are affordable. Affordable meaning that the price is fair not a steal nor is it a rip off. I think it is accurately priced for what you get. So the price is actually a good value.

Next I want to mention the staff. The Adelante Abroad staff gives you phenomenal service! They make the application process very smooth and easy for candidates. They are also quick and very receptive to any question and concerns before, during, and after your program. Not to mention, they are very friendly, understanding, and extremely considerate. While abroad, they make sure that everything is going well and even send you links to events or helpful tools used to adapt to your new surroundings. For customer service, the staff gets a definite 10 out of 10.

Next would the inclusive Spanish courses you will take the first 2 weeks there. The classes were held at Kingsbrook. Kingsbrook has very engaging classes for language learning. My teacher was very enthusiastic and gravitating. However the lesson plans could have more structure. It seemed as though the lessons that were covered did not flow. Although, for the second part of Spanish lessons, it was taught by a different instructor. This instructor was brilliant. He handed us worksheets and also had group activities to where the whole class was involved which was very fun. Two weeks of Spanish lesson was not enough. This is one of the flaws of the program but I am sure that if you ask for more Spanish lessons then they would accommodate.

Housing would be my next topic. The housing was lavish compared to some of the other apartments that I visited there in Barcelona. You get your own room and also there is a housekeeper that cleans the apartment and also washes your laundry. I did not need anyone doing my laundry but it was nice I guess. Also with my apartment it was in a great location as well. It was not far from the mall, the beach, and the metro/bus station. The apartment itself was small, but honestly everything in Europe will be that way, so you just will have to get use to it. Other than that housing was great. The pictures they have online can be a little misleading but not completely false. Online it looked much bigger but the apartment still had a nice layout.

Last, but of course, the most important element would be the internship. Wow, I have much to say about my internship but I will try to be concise. My internship was not bad but it had much room for improvement. During my internship I felt as though I was just an extra and I was not part of the bigger picture. The interns at my job placement did not have much rank nor responsibility. Yes, we had duties but I could not help but feel like I was a pawn. I basically did all the dirty work that the others did not want to do. I do want to mention that this does come with the territory if you apply to be an intern so I really could not complain. However, the internship itself was not entirely dreadful. There were more hits than misses. I did enjoy the staff at the two locations I worked and also I did learn much when it came to becoming a professional in my industry. I could go on forever about the pluses and minuses about the internship but overall I think that it I something that you will enjoy but also be prepared for the moments that are not really hands on with your internship experience.

I hope this review helps you your internship program search. I think just like all programs, Adelante has much potential but at the same time not perfect. I would still recommend this program to a friend. Good luck. Adios!