Intern Abroad with a Startup in Barcelona, Spain

Thanks to Sage Corps I had an amazing experience interning abroad! From before my departure to after my time abroad ended, Sage Corps was there helping me every step of the way. With Sage Corps, you don't just apply then get sent away. The whole Sage Corps team works to help find a start up that is right for you. You are taught the hard and soft skills you will need to work at a start up abroad. If you have any questions about flights, accommodations, or general travel, there is a team member happy to help you. Once you arrive program managers and city managers are only a text away no matter what you need. There was not one moment I felt truly alone despite physically traveling alone across an ocean. Even after your program concludes Sage Corp helps you build your resume and connects you with its extensive alumni network. Once you are a part of Sage Corps, Sage Corps cares about you and your future success. That never ends. Because of everything Sage Corps did for me before, during, and after the program, while I was there I was able to feel totally confident everyday at work and after work in a way I never felt before. I was on my own exploring a new city and taking on a new job, but I knew I was capable. This feeling allowed to me experience all my internship and the city of Barcelona had to offer. I cannot imagine a better way to have experienced living and working in Barcelona!

I spent 8 weeks this past summer interning in Barcelona, Spain. As someone who really couldn't make study abroad work with getting two majors and two minors, this was a great alternative to that. As for my working experience, I was placed at a startup in a team of 5 and at Barcelona Tech City, a beautiful incubator space overlooking the marina and steps away from the beach. Although my liberal arts skills were not a perfect match to what their traditional candidate might have been, I was given a lot of flexibility as to what I worked on. My work ranged from UI and UX to website design to one-pagers for marketing - all things I that I had worked on in various capacities through student orgs and past internships. I really enjoyed this as an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and was able to include a lot of new skills to my background and to my resume. It was a bit on the expensive side for a program but if you can get school to help sponsor it or get a scholarship, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone with the means to do so.

I worked about 50 hours a week and really got a lot out of my experience but some of my fellow cohort members generally worked about 10 to 30 hours a week. If that's the kind of working experience you want, setting expectations early on with your boss will be key if you want more time to travel and work flexibly. I did travel almost every weekend but my bosses were very understand of my having to leave early or working longer on Monday to Thursday if I was traveling Friday. I think it also did vary widely in terms of student/boss relationship and amount of work allocated to student but the saying rings true - you get out what you put in!

As for the accomodations, you were surrounded by Americans and other foreign students traveling so it made for a young and fun atmosphere. One recommendation I have to Sage Corps is to put the whole cohort on the same floor or hallway if possible because there was about half of our program all together and the other half that were scattered through the various buildings of TSH Marina.

Sage Corps provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime. I embarked on a journey that seriously changed my life. I went abroad to work for a startup in the amazing city of Barcelona. I gained valuable work experience, expanded my network, and had the time of my life. I was able to travel on some of the weekends which resulted in crossing off some bucket list items; running with the bulls and exploring the ruins in Rome. While in Barcelona, I was able to immerse myself in the culture and learn a bit about how international business is conducted. Without Sage Corps, none of this would have been possible. On top of all of that, the Sage Corps experience doesn't end when you return home. You become part of a community that is always willing to help. I am extremely grateful that I was able to participate in their program and join their incredible alumni network.

A 10/10 experience, being a Sage Corps fellow has been absolutely incredible! I just spent 8 weeks participating in the Barcelona summer internship program, and I have to admit that I was pretty nervous before I arrived since this was the first year Sage Corps has ever had a cohort in Barcelona and I wasn’t sure how great my startup work experience would be as a result. Once I began working, I was completely blown away by my startup and the professional experience I gained in addition to the strong mentor relationship I developed with my bosses. I worked at an experience-sharing social media platform doing business development directly under the COO, and I was encouraged to pursue my passions within the company and develop skill sets beyond my defined role. The skills I’m taking away will certainly apply perfectly to future coursework and positions I’m seeking in business strategy.

Sage Corps worked very closely with me throughout the entire matching process to make sure I was not only satisfied with the company I would be spending my summer working for, but actually really excited by the work I would be doing and the people I would be working with! Without Sage Corps, I never would have been able to work directly under an executive of a company and take ownership of projects that will tangibly affect its success while also having conversations for hours about life and career advice!

In addition to the professional experience I gained from this summer, I also had the opportunity to connect with other students from all across North America through my Sage Corps cohort and many more international students through our residence. We had tons of fun exploring Barcelona and traveling the rest of Europe together! From the random kitchen hangouts to the beach trips to the events organized by our awesome city leads, we spent a ton of time together and I’m lucky to call my cohort some of my closest friends :)

I’m so glad I took the leap of faith to spend my summer abroad, gain valuable work experience, and make great friends simultaneously, and I couldn’t have done it without the immense help of Sage Corps! Thank you!