Location
  • Spain
    • Barcelona

Program Details

Compensation
Non-Monetary Benefits
Timeframe
Fall J-Term Maymester Spring Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
3000
Price Details
Contact Connect-123 for Cost Details
What's Included
Some Activities SIM cards
Feb 17, 2024
Aug 09, 2024
138 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Intern abroad in one of the most popular destinations in Europe, Barcelona! Spain is one of the most traveled destinations, especially for study abroad students, and offers a variety of internship opportunities that can be tailored to meet your professional goals. Popular internship opportunities include business and entrepreneurship, medical and health care, human rights and design, just to name a few.

Be part of Barcelona’s buzz and get international work experience that will give your resume a global boost. Our network of host organizations includes small businesses, start-ups, hospitals, foundations, NGOs and schools. If you’re looking to improve your Spanish or Catalan, we can arrange an internship that requires intermediate or advanced language skills. If not, English speaking opportunities are also available.

Contact us today to arrange an internship that best fits your career goals and interests!

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Program Highlights

  • Tailored placements! Connect-123’s experienced team finds unique, best-fit opportunities for you, related to your interests, goals and requirements.
  • Extensive Network! Connect-123’s partner network includes entrepreneurs, human rights organizations, engineering firms, advertising agencies and many more options!
  • Flexibility! Choose your arrival and departure dates, based on your schedule.
  • Service! From pre-departure to in-country support to post internship assistance, Connect-123 provides you with all the support you need!
  • Memories! Meet new friends from all over the world and make memories to last a lifetime!

Popular Programs

Summer Internships Abroad

Have the best summer of your life while gaining international work experience that will accelerate your career. Make your resume stand out from the rest with an internship abroad!

Medical & Health Care Internships

Whether you’re undergraduate or in graduate school, and no matter what aspect of the healthcare field you’re interested in, we can help you find an internship that matches your interests, experience, and career goals.

Environment & Sustainable Development Internships

There is an increasing emphasis on the environment and sustainability around the world. Whether you choose to work in a developed or a developing country, many of the challenges are the same.

Engineering Internships

Whether you study biomedical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, chemical engineering, or environmental engineering, we will find an internship to suit you.

Program Reviews

4.86 Rating
based on 21 reviews
  • 5 rating 85.71%
  • 4 rating 14.29%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.9
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.75
  • Housing 4.5
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 9 - 16 of 21 reviews
Fadzli
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

BARCELONA ARCHITETCURE INTERNSHIP

If you are searching for a sign, this could be it. It has always been a dream for me to see the well-known Sagrada Familia in real life and before I know it, I was right at the foot of the history-in-the-making. My experience with Connect-123 has been nothing less than spectacular! The application process was really easy and fast. I was really impressed by the level of energy they have in initiating regular meet-ups and events for the group of Interns & Volunteers in Barcelona. I no longer need to depend on “Trip Advisor” or search for tourism suggestions as Connect-123 team is constantly suggesting various events and festivals that we can choose to go via a common Facebook Group. What is more heartening is that they will listen to your interest and henceforth look out for any related activities.

I chose to do an architecture internship in Barcelona for 3 months and it was an eye-opening experience. Within the first 2 months, I was closely involved in 4 projects and even a chance to manage the company’s portfolio website. One of the projects was a submission for a local competition and the adrenaline rush during that period was pretty unforgettable. It’s working hours are very flexible and as long as I am done with the work assigned, I can leave as early as 4pm. Hence, I was able to do a little bit of exploration around Barcelona on my own, discovering random places and people around. Every day is unpredictable and there is always something to look forward to. The only difficulty I faced was probably the language barrier, as I do not speak Spanish or Catalan. Hence, there are certain moments when I wished that I learned Spanish before coming over to Barcelona. However, the people there were really nice and will always try to translate whatever they were saying in English for me.

Overall, I am really glad that I signed up for this! My term break has never been so productive yet enjoyable at the same time. Barcelona has taught me many valuable lessons in balancing between work and life. I enjoyed every moment in the streets of Barcelona as I witnessed every details of the remarkable architecture! Hence, for those who are still considering, wait no further to click that sign up button because it will bring you to whole new adventure!

What would you improve about this program?
Probably with the help of settling for accommodation instead of just recommending few options. Other than that, I think it's program has been great.
240 people found this review helpful.
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Nina
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Barcelona is your next trip!

Barcelona is your next trip! If it's not, change your travel plans immediately and get on a flight to Spain!
Bursting with vibrant culture and nightlife as well as some of the kindest people in the world, Barcelona is the place to be. Not to visit, but to actually live, and with my internship through Connect 123, I had the opportunity to truly experience life as a real "Barcelonese." I was able to intertwine myself into the culture and the language for a full immersion experience filled with new friends, personal discovery, and unbelievably delicious food!

However, while living abroad changes you (usually for the better!), I still felt like myself throughout the entire experience because my internship was so tailor-made to fit my personal interests and strengths. I believe I was able to get a lot out of this opportunity because my work was so closely tied and reflective of my personality that I could learn and grow in the areas I wished to improve upon in order to succeed. The internship was valuable to my future career because it allowed me to test the waters of what a life in this field would consist of and now after completing my program with Connect 123, I'm diving in headfirst!

248 people found this review helpful.
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Mark
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Fifty Years From Now - A Barcelona Testimony

Fifty years from now, when you are (hopefully) peacefully retired in the place of your dreams, reflecting on your past experiences, your education, your work, your family, the friends you have made and the friends you have lost, the places you have visited and the places you will never see, what do you think will come to mind?

In my mind I will picture Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain in the summer of 2014 and the blessing of my colleges's International Studies summer fellowship. I will picture my internship at an organization that actively fought to eradicate the housing and economic crisis that began in 2007. A crisis which, in Spain, resulted in the forceful eviction of thousands from their homes, left thousands more indebted to the banks for life, and even led some to take their own lives. I will picture myself, a 22-year-old university student from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee who at first struggled with language and communication, constantly stressing over research, work and cultural awareness, but who quickly adapted to an intimate work environment, becoming truly comfortable with immersion, and able to have the opportunity to contribute personal, meaningful, and useful work to the fight for housing rights in Spain. All this, still being able to have an unexplainable amount of fun and adventure within the city of Barcelona, around Spain, and throughout North Africa and Central Europe.

Lea and Steve Levy, and the rest of the team at Connect-123, gave me the tools I needed to make my experience in Barcelona not only a memory I could happily look back on 50 years from now, but also a contribution to the city that will forever have an impact on the livelihood of its citizens. Without the help of Connect-123, I would have never been able to be placed at an organization that fit my exact interests and aspirations for a summer internship abroad, particularly in the field of protecting constitutional and basic human rights. To anyone who hopes to look back on their time abroad with a sense of accomplishment, personal growth, and unmatchable happiness, Connect-123 is the way to go. 11 out of 10.

222 people found this review helpful.
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Tara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Barcelona Experience

Barcelona is the place to be-between its people, tapas, countless outdoor plazas, beautiful scenery, beaches and nightlife-there is something for everyone. My decision to go live and work in Barcelona was last minute. I was offered two internships, but the one I chose pertained to my career path most and was in the heart of Barca. I cannot emphasize how helpful it was to be a part of the Connect123 program. I had transportation from the airport and the director, Lea Levy, was at my apartment less than an hour later to greet me, make sure I was settled and explore the neighborhood with me to get my bearings. I was able to make friends immediately through the program and eventually, as we made local friends, it felt more like a city we belonged to. I also continued daily activities I would normally do at home, like going on daily runs through the city and having coffee at the same local shop, (where I eventually became a ‘regular’). The think tank I worked for opened a lot of doors to build my professional career. I was able to complete a full report regarding economic relations between the EU and the US (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), in which a shorter version was published through the organization I worked for, as well as a Barcelona E-journal. In addition, I was able to network with people in the Barcelona European Parliament, a few NGO’s and think tanks and even conduct interviews with the Trade Spokesman and a think tank researcher in Brussels. I grew professionally and personally through my experience in Barcelona, I only wish it had lasted longer. You will not regret your decision to go to Barcelona, if anything you will want to stay longer and then look for job opportunities so you can go back.

101 people found this review helpful.
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Vicky
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Social work in Barcelona

As a social sciences student i found it hard to find internships in my field. Being an active person I really wanted something "out of the office" and connect-123 has been able to offer me several options and I managed to do exactly what I wanted. During four months I interned in an Association helping people with AIDS in Barcelona where I had the opportunity to work alongside a team of devoted people eager to help those in need and also live in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The organizers of the internship were extremely helpful by giving information about the city and tips,organizing meetings between interns and events! It was an amazing experience and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an organized work/traveling experience!

104 people found this review helpful.
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Michelle
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Barcelona

Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to work as an intern for a non-governmental organization with the primary goal of improving the quality of life of people affected with HIV/AIDS. Because my future professional goals are set within the medical field, this internship was the perfect fit to help me gain more of an understanding of the field I am so interested in. It helped me understand the differences between the health care system within the United States as well as Spain. It also helped me gain a better understanding of Spain's HIV community and commonalities when working with the group affected by the disease.

Interning abroad has always been one of my dreams in life, and when I heard of this program I immediately decided to investigate to find out more information. Working with Connect-123 was a great experience and I would recommend them in a heartbeat! They were always there to help and always found ways to make our living in a new country as easy as possible. I enjoyed the weekly events planned by Connect-123, which made it easier to become immersed in this new culture. Connect-123 is definitely the way to go!"

What would you improve about this program?
The only thing that I would have liked to be different is the housing situation. However, Connect 123 had nothing to do with where we were staying. Our University told Connect 123 that we were required to stay in a University Residence.
100 people found this review helpful.
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Sarah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Marketing/PR & Journalism Intern in Barcelona

The experience I have gained through this internship is beyond amazing, monumentally amazing one could say. Connect-123 was able to find me the perfect internship in Barcelona, Spain, which was just the cherry on top of my life in Barcelona. I worked for a company that promoted the underground music, art, and culture scene of Barcelona and was able to first hand experience the inside life of Barcelona. Through Connect and my internship, I not only learned a great amount about the Barcelona scene, but also met friends that I will never forget. My biggest take from my three month life in Barcelona was all the connections I made and all the people I had met, and how each one of them helped me realize and learn something new about this world. In school we aren't necessarily taught how to live on our own. The biggest life lessons are learned through experience, and that is exactly what I felt I recieved through this life in Barcelona. Knowledge gained from experiences; experiences with friends, strangers, work, parties, travels, and so much more. Its sad to go and return to reality, but I don't leave with a frown, I leave with a smile on my face because I know that the reality waiting for me back at home will be much easier to face with the experience I have gained through the Connect-123 program.

What would you improve about this program?
I would change my living situation. As students from a university we didn't get to choose where we lived and would rather be closer to the heart of the city where all our jobs are, but of course our University didn't allow us to be "living on our own" in apartments, so there really wasn't much Connect could do.
103 people found this review helpful.
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KWest
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Barcelona, or nothing!

From the moment I arrived in Barcelona, as I remember it well, I was enamored with the city, the language, and the culture. I knew this was a good place to further my Spanish language growth, work experience, cultural knowledge, and my person as a whole.
What made the transition from my fairly small town in the US to a the second largest city in Spain even more seamless was the friendly and tireless staff at Connect 123. From the airport pick up to the checking-in emails to the weekly group events Connect 123 truly became my second family for my three months in Barcelona. Thanks, Lea, Eli and Steven!
As far as Barcelona goes, the city is beautiful and you will never be bored! It literally has everything, the beach, the mountains, a water park, an amusement park, countless bars and restaurants, and easy travel access to any other major city in Spain. Not to forget the public transportation is definitely a high point for the city, as well. Barcelona is a place where everyone can find something to do.
My internship working in first the primary school and then in the kid's summer camp was a great learning experience! I was able to put to use my Spanish language skills everyday, all day, and put forth the skills I've learned in my Teacher's Education courses at MSU. From practicing my future profession I also gained knowledge of how to be an effective teacher and that is something invaluable to me.
Overall, I spent the best summer of my life thus far in Barcelona and I gained experiences, memories, and friends that I will never forget. Thanks Connect 123 for making this possible!

What would you improve about this program?
I would have opted to not live in the university living residence. It was too far north of the city, far away from our internships and most major city life and dining options. Also, the food was lacking and I never felt like I mattered as a guest there to the staff. I know that the place, the Agora, was not the choice of our coordinator, it was the choice of our university that we stay in university housing. It was one of the only university living options in the city and the most convenient they could find. So this is not a fault of Connect 123, but something that could still maybe be looked into changing.
101 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

International internships are typically unpaid, often due to visa and tax regulations. That said, our alumni report that an international internship, customized around your interests and goals, can provide substantial career-related value.

Absolutely! We work with undergraduates, graduates and professionals of all ages. Start dates are flexible and since we customize all programs according to your schedule, both shorter and longer durations are possible.

During the placement process, we work together to ensure that we find the best fit for you, where you’ll achieve your goals and receive a return on investment.