Alliance Abroad | Hospitality & Culinary Internships in Spain

Would not recommend! I signed up for the 1 year program. The program contract states that they find you interviews and when a job has been found you sign the paperwork and Alliance Abroad has done their job. What it doesn't state is that if you sign up for 1 year (2 placements) up front you are not getting a guarantee of anything honestly. They will attempt to get you a job but it may not be directly after your first job. You could be in limbo for a month or 2 and in addition to that they may not even find you a job or an interview. They will not give you a refund for the second placement because they fulfilled their terms of the contract by finding you the first job. The second job is just an expensive bonus for them! You pay for it but get nothing in return.

For me the first placement went well because I made the best of it but the second placement was a nightmare. I was held in limbo for 2 months without a job. I was then offered a job in a different city which I spent money to fly to, only to find I wasn't what they expected and rescinded my job offer. Alliance tried to find me other jobs but failed in getting me any other interviews. When I requested a refund, I was told that they have fulfilled their obligations by finding my my first placement which I completed and will not be issuing a refund. This is a scam!. They took money for a service they did not provide. Please use caution if you are going to use them. They have very pleasant and polite staff but the contract rules are way in Alliances favor. Don't get screwed like I did.

Also, don't be fooled by false promises. Helping you with housing refers to sending you links to housing websites you could find on your own. They are not much help in that regard. They sometimes give you a little help of areas to look in but have unrealistic expectations on what you can afford. Sure you can get a apartment next to your job but you won't be able to afford food. Or you can get an affordable place out of the city if you are willing to buy a car. Either way won't matter to them. More than likely you will end up living in a hostel and they'll be like "ah, it'll all work out"...NOT!

As for the job placements themselves, they are very candy coated and do not portray the actual jobs themselves. I was told I would be working for a restaurant in a hotel......it was a wildlife park. Not a hotel at all! How do you get that mixed up! I enjoyed working for the park because of the animals but the job itself was not even close to what I was described. Make sure to speak with employers directly. Alliance gives false information to either cover their lack of knowledge or lack of glamour of the job. I asked multiple times about the placement before I left America and was reassured it was a hotel despite my doubts since the website did not match the description. I was right.

Do yourself a favor and don't sign with this company. If you have any questions about my experience please contact me. I would be more than happy to help people avoid my mistake.

Travelling so far from home can be pretty overwhelming. There is so many things to get organized and figured out before you can finally relax but thankfully Anita at AAG helped me settle in very smoothly. She has worked really hard to ensure I secured a job and helped me with my housing situation. I am very thankful to have such an awesome team helping me throughout my stay in Australia!

After being in australia for a couple of months after traveling the east coast it was time to find a job. I had settled in sydney and applied for a number of jobs and heard nothing or just wasnt what i wanted. This is where i found alliance and they instantly found me a job and i started within a matter of days.
Without them i honestly think i would still be looking for a job and probaly thinking i need to go back home.

I would like to thank everyone especially anita! She has supported me throughout and still asks me how work is going. A true credit to the team.

In six short months of living in Australia, I have seen more than I ever thought imaginable. Beaches that take your breath away, mountains that make your life seem small, and animals I didn't even know existed.
Working at the Great Ocean Ecolodge in Cape Otway, Victoria, I had no clue what to expect. It has exceeded my furthest expectations. Kangaroos bounce past my doorway and windows each morning and night, koalas hang above me in the treetops when I set up my hammock, and everything I had thought seemed so dangerous about Australia, has become beautiful in its own unique way. I've eaten gourmet meals at the Sydney Opera House while the Harbour bridge glows in all its glory. I've swam alongside the sea turtles of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. I've hiked the tallest mountain in Tasmania to see the sunrise over the Franklin river. Still none of this will compare to the feeling you get when you realize you live in AUSTRALIA! That feeling will never fully sink in or go away. I have met some of the best people I will ever know and made friends that I know will last a lifetime! This experience has been the BEST decision of my life.

Living on an island has been an interesting experience. Since most of the time I worked breakfast shift, I have the rest of the day off and will have activities like scuba diving and skiing available for me. And most evening I would head to the beach to watch beautiful sunsets. Its definitely a luxurious working life. One of the difficulties I found was mainly having to do a lot of overtime as living on an island, the resort does not have access to a lot of human resource and are usually under staffed. Overall it was a very interesting and wonderful experience that I feel everyone should give it a try.

Its a good experience for personal growth. You have all the instruments to make it great! Get a lot of friends and travel around australia.
As soon as you arrive you get your job.
this is a great start. then your adventure can only be improved.
Fix your goal and get it!

This was the most exciting and scariest decision ever. Exciting because I was about to be in a whole new country, scary because I was leaving everything I knew behind and starting a life on my own! Because of taking this leap with this awesome program, I have been able to meet so many amazing people that I can honestly call life long friends, I've tried so many new foods, learned about different cultures, learned how to live on my own, I've created a million and one memories, I even found the love of my life here, most importantly, I have realized just how strong and independent I am by making this big move! AAG has been there every single step of the way and I don't see them as my "program coordinators" but as my friends and mentors! They helped out with my accommodation, my banking, my job, and even helped me with getting my Aussie cell phone. They truly care and have your best interest and want the best for their applicants! I could not have gotten this far without them! They always let us know about upcoming events here in Oz, and check up on us to see how we are doing, so you will never feel alone. I love AAG and glad I made the decision to go with them!!!

I decided to go to Australia after meeting someone who had done it previously and loved it. I was already hating the after college life and needs change quickly! I was about 2 weeks out from my departure date when I stumbled upon AAG. It almost seemed to good to be true. I inquired and was quickly responded to. Rose helped me through the process and she was amazing. They help you step by step and I'm sure everything is even better if you give them more advanced time to work with than the 2 weeks I gave. They got me a job with a few days to spare and I was off to be a food and beverage attendant at the Sea Life Aquarium. It was not the most glamorous work, but it was a blast. I got to work with some truly amazing individuals and made friends that will last a lifetime. Every facet of work was great. I was averaging around 30 hours per week, which was okay. It was difficult to save at first, and then a manager in the Events department asked me to start working functions at all the various attractions. I started doing that, and saving was no longer an issue. It meant working a lot, but the people I worked with made work seem like a giant hangout. If things already weren't great, Anita came to Sydney periodically to arrange one large hangout with the rest of the AAG people. We had excellent nights out and it was cool to meet everyone else in the program. Anita is fantastic and always looking out for you. Once Rose was done helping me, Carolyn stepped up and she was always checking in to make sure everything was great. I decided not to use them for the second six months as I couldn't commit to another 6 months. I have a booked travel schedule the last 3 months. So I have been looking for another job on my own. Let me tell you, it is difficult! I'm confident I will find something soon, but AAG got me a job before I arrived and allowed me to enjoy Sydney stress free, totally worth the money! I'd like to thank you guys again, you were wonderful!