Wessel is 18 years old, studies Business Administration in Rotterdam and is doing a 5-month internship in Valencia. Read in this blog about how Wessel found his internship placement, how he prepared for it, financed it and about his experiences in Valencia.

How Did You Come up with the Idea to Do an Internship Abroad?

I actually wanted to get the most out of my student years and in my opinion that includes an international internship. I know it’s good for my development, it’s part of becoming independent. Learning to apply for jobs in another country, finding housing yourself, dealing with other nationalities – these are aspects I really wanted to experience.

Why Did You Want to Do an Internship in Spain?

When I started thinking about an international internship, 2 things were certain for me; it had to be a warm country and I wanted to stay in Europe. The latter has a financial reason; outside Europe there’s no right to an Erasmus+ grant. Since I had been on vacation in Spain several times before, I had a good feeling about it.

How Did You Approach the Preparation?

Once I had decided that I wanted to go to Spain, the next step was to think about where in Spain I wanted to do my internship, but of course also where I thought I had a chance of getting an internship position. Barcelona seemed like a suitable and promising place to me. I therefore also planned a short vacation to Barcelona to get to know the city and that went well! After this trip I approached various companies but I couldn’t find an internship position. That was quite a disappointment.

Eventually I realized that my school could also help me and I asked for support. My school had a database with companies in Spain that are open to interns. Eventually I managed to schedule two interviews for myself at a company in Barcelona and in Valencia. I ultimately chose Verassend Valencia in Valencia because this company is Dutch. I don’t speak Spanish, hence this preference.

That’s Great that You Found a Place in Spain after all, Did Verassend Valencia also Arrange Housing?

No, unfortunately not, I had to arrange that myself. Not easy, I also didn’t immediately know where to start. Eventually I started searching on Facebook for groups for students abroad and I found a group called “students in Valencia” from here I ended up in a WhatsApp group and found a room.

I have my own room here with everything I need, I share bathrooms and kitchen with 6 housemates and that’s very nice. My housemates come from all over Europe!

For the room I pay €460 per month including gas/water/electricity. I’m very satisfied with my room here, it’s spacious, I even have an extra bed and it’s in the popular Rusafa neighborhood, where there’s a lot going on! I can go out in my own neighborhood, there are many shops and it’s right next to the center. The beach is also not far, I can get there in 20 minutes by bike.

That Sounds Well Organized! Is the Internship Compensation Enough to Pay the Rent?

Unfortunately not, I don’t receive any internship compensation. The only thing I get from Verrassend Valencia is a bike. And that’s very nice in Valencia, because I can get everywhere by bike here.

What Do You Pay for those 5 Months in Valencia with then?

I prepared myself financially well for this. I had known for a while that I really wanted to do this and I quickly realized during preparation that internship compensation in Spain is often low or not available at all. That’s why I started saving and that’s why I can now withdraw €300 monthly from my savings account during my internship.

My part-time job is customer service representative at Cool Blue, I had arranged that I could continue working from Spain. So from my student room in Valencia I’m on the phone for Cool Blue 8 hours per week, spread over 2 evenings. I earn €450 per month with that.

Because I don’t use my public transport card I’m entitled to a compensation of €100 per month and I’m entitled to a small additional grant.

Because I’m doing an internship in Europe there was the possibility to apply for a grant from Erasmus+, this is also €450 per month.

With these incomes I can easily get by in Valencia and I also go out 2 evenings per week!

That’s Thorough Preparation and then You Arrived Alone in Valencia…….And then?

That felt like a warm bath, also literally because despite it being September already, it was 38 degrees. But it went smoothly, I met people very easily, partly also through the WhatsApp group I was in and my housemates. I didn’t have a difficult time getting started and I haven’t suffered from homesickness either.

And Now You’re also Learning Spanish in Valencia?

Before departure I had the intention to come back speaking Spanish. But that won’t happen, I’m really too busy here to take lessons. Furthermore, I spend a lot of time among Dutch people and my internship company is Dutch so Spanish isn’t a necessity. I do practice Spanish with the Duolingo app.

And the Internship Itself, What Kind of Company is Verassend Valencia and What is your Role Here as an Intern?

Verassend Valencia is a Dutch company in Valencia that mainly offers bike tours, but also other excursions in and around Valencia.

What they also do is act as an intermediary for the rental of hotel rooms and apartments via Booking.com. My internship assignment is to optimize the marketing for this and that’s a serious task where I can apply a lot of the knowledge I learned during my studies.

How Do You Approach that?

I first made an analysis of the offering and checked whether all referral links were still functioning. Then I drew conclusions using the data I obtained from Google Analytics and the data from Booking.com. Based on this I presented advice and now I get to implement the changes that resulted from my advice.

That Sounds like a Big Responsibility, Do You get Support?

Fortunately yes, because a lot is expected of me in this internship assignment. Just before leaving for Valencia I was sometimes also afraid that people expected too much knowledge from me. I had a conversation with the internship supervisor from school and Verassend Valencia so that each other’s expectations and the framework were clear beforehand.

On the work floor a marketing employee is my internship supervisor and I learn a lot from them.

Does the Internship Meet your Expectations?

Yes absolutely, maybe even better than my expectations. My primary goal was to do an internship in Spain, that succeeded. Quality of the internship came second. I didn’t really know what to expect content-wise from an internship abroad. But the content of the internship perfectly matches my education. The learning effect is really great, partly because I jumped in at the deep end.

What Do You Think this Internship Adds Compared to an Internship in the Netherlands?

I’m having the time of my life here! I meet many nice people and I think Valencia is a fantastic city! You arrive alone in an unfamiliar environment and then you have to arrange everything yourself. You learn to deal with cultural and language differences and that’s much less applicable to an internship in the Netherlands. I therefore think that on an international internship you really get to know yourself and your limits well. Doing an internship abroad is really more fun than studying and I think that’s not necessarily the case if you do an internship in the Netherlands.

That Sounds like a Wonderful Internship You’re Experiencing Now. Would You Do Anything Differently Next Time?

Maybe next time I would choose a more international environment.

Finally Wessel, What is your Tip to Students Considering an International Internship?

Start your preparations early and start looking for an internship position early. Finding an international internship position takes longer than you might expect. Don’t give up, keep going!

_______________________________________________________________________

💡 EURES Netherlands helps you find a job in other EU countries. If you, like Wessel, want to talk to us about your opportunities in Spain or elsewhere in Europe, contact us! You can send an email to: werken.ineuropa@uwv.nl