Adelante Abroad: Internships in Marbella

What originally inspired you to intern in San Pedro with Adelante Abroad?

Kyle: I’ve always enjoyed learning Spanish, ever since I began studying the language. However, I definitely had some feelings of ambivalence the first time an opportunity presented itself to me. That first opportunity came in high school, when I went on the Spanish department’s summer trip to Uruguay. After having such a great experience there, I knew I wanted to continue to explore more Spanish-speaking cultures. I was looking for something to occupy part of the summer after my first year at college, and I came across Adelante.

Though I initially did not have any particular reason to intern with Adelante, other than the simplicity of their website, after speaking with representatives by telephone, I had a great feeling about what my internship experience could be. I interned in San Pedro, just a few minutes away from Marbella. I initially chose the Marbella/San Pedro option because it is on Spain's southern Mediterranean coast and appeared to be a relatively thorough immersion experience.

Describe your day to day activities as an intern in Marbella.

Kyle: I had an internship teaching English at a highly respected language academy in San Pedro. I was placed in a very nice, spacious, two-story apartment with a girl from France who was doing an internship in a restaurant. I’d often cook myself breakfast in our kitchen, and then head off to work. I could easily walk from my apartment to work every day, which was highly convenient. Work started around 9:15 a.m. most days. At my internship, I assisted in teaching a theater workshop for young students of English, taught my own bi-weekly English classes to two students a couple years younger than I, and helped the teachers prepare for the coming school year.

After work, which ended around 1:15 p.m., I usually had Spanish class for an hour at a different local language school, also within easy walking distance. However, the teacher was very accommodating, and often allowed us to switch around the schedule if we so desired to have class at a different time. I bought a monthly gym membership (to a gym also within easy walking distance), so I tried to make good on that purchase by going when I could. The people in San Pedro were so friendly that I shortly had no trouble finding companions that could show me the best of Andalucía.

On many occasions, I had an authentic Spanish lunch, the largest meal of the day, with a family I got to know while there. I also met some great tennis partners, relaxed on Mediterranean and Atlantic beaches, and enjoyed the nightlife of San Pedro and surrounding towns like Puerto Banús and Marbella. These activities occupied the time that remained after my obligations were completed. Virtually all of my social excursions were with local people, so I had a great immersion experience. Everyone I met was amicable and eager to include me in activities. I don't think a single drop of rain fell while I was there for the month of July; the region is famous for its great weather.

How has this experience impacted your future personally, professionally, and academically?

Kyle: I feel lucky to have been able to have an experience abroad with Adelante. On a personal level, I challenged myself to live independently in Spain, and the benefits of the experience were many. I learned a great deal about another culture and made new friends.

Academically, I improved my Spanish. While the path my professional development will take is largely undecided, the internship was an impactful experience. I learned many things about teaching and working in an academic environment with people of many ages. I worked with a number of professionals that were willing to listen to my suggestions and able to support my work. Ultimately, my “employers” (the internship was unpaid) demonstrated that they appreciated my dedication to the internship, and I felt like a valued member of their business for the month that I was there.

One thing of which I'm sure after doing the internship is that I want to return to southern Spain in the near future, because I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The Adelante program gave me plenty of independence to make my trip to Spain whatever I wanted it to be, and I am grateful for that. The lack of restrictions and expectations allowed me to form a new lifestyle for myself, encouraged me to identify with the Spanish culture, and impelled me to define myself in a new setting. I feel like I was able to experience everything completely immersed in a different culture and gained confidence in my ability to live in diverse settings as a result.

What makes interning in Marbella/San Pedro a unique experience for participants?

Esther: The Adelante Abroad program is a complete program in that it unites various important experiences into one: on one side there is the language and cultural immersion, that simply cannot happen in a classroom. On another side there is the day to day living, not visiting, for a minimum of two months, with other students or other Spanish nationals in real housing (nor dorms!) in Spain. On still another side, of course, there is the work experience in the labor market in Spain. This last piece gives candidates a unique perspective of the similarities and differences between working abroad and in their own country, that again, is impossible to learn in a classroom setting alone.

What can you tell us about the workplace culture in Marbella/San Pedro?

Esther: Given that the period of the internship is often times 2 – 3 months, participating companies in Spain don’t expect or demand of our students an intense labor output. Rather, there is an assumption of inclusion, that the student will contribute creatively each day. The host companies we use tend to have an open corporate culture and are interested in what a foreign student brings to the table, including innovative ideas or ways to finish a task as well as recent technology, and more – it is enriching to both the intern and the company.

What level of Spanish proficiency should interns have when considering this internship? Is prior work experience required?

Esther: We will accept candidates of all language levels, but it is clear that those who arrive to the program having a conversational level of Spanish will be more able to begin and finish a larger variety of work duties in their Spanish corporation or company. Always included in our Internship programs is an intensive 40 hour language course and we focus there on integrating quickly, using street and formal / business Spanish and getting candidates up to speed for their first day of work.

It is not a requirement to have previous work experience in the field you wish to intern in, however it is very helpful to have had previous internships or some exposure, even in the form of coursework, to what you want to do while in Spain.

What are some extra-curricular activities participants enjoy while interning abroad in Marbella/San Pedro?

Esther: Adelante provides activities and excursions during the first two weeks of the program, and can include, depending on the time of year, weather and number of students, city tours, gastronomic routes, church and cathedral visits, tapas tours. We also facilitate events throughout the program that will have an extra cost and are totally voluntary such as trips to Toledo, Salamanca, Pamplona, Sevilla. What I find is that most, after the first 3 or 4 weeks, want to explore on their own or with others they have met rather than be “forced” to take a group tour.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering interning in Marbella/San Pedro?

Esther: My advice always is to come here with an open mind…this country is very different than yours and it is not wise to compare. Each situation has it’s reason for being, it’s why or it’s because, and the best thing is to discover these “why’s” and “because’s” for one’s self!

Anything else you would like to share?

Esther: In the South of Spain we love to receive students! We know that 80% of the success of an abroad experience depends on the way they approach life, but we want to contribute to that success and so really do receive with open arms: we want them to have an unforgettable Spanish life experience that stays with them for years and years to come.