Location
  • Spain
    • Barcelona
    • Madrid

Program Details

Compensation
Unpaid
Timeframe
Fall Spring
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
Spanish
Weekly Hours
30
Age Min.
18

Pricing

Starting Price
19000
Price Details
The Future Leaders program fee includes:

-Pre-travel preparation: online individual interviews and group meetings
-Onboarding resources: Spanish culture course and language learning subscription
-Access to our online learning & support program and course materials
-Work placement and mentoring in Spain
-Half-board accommodation for the 12 weeks (breakfast & dinner)
-All transport between locations*
-All classes, workshops and activities
* Does not include travel insurance and airfare
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Some Meals Transportation Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

Entrepreneurship program
Placement and mentoring

What's Not Included
Airfare Some Meals SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Jul 16, 2024
May 26, 2024
1 traveler is looking at this program

About Program

A ThreeMonth Program Of Internship, Language & Entrepreneurship: 4 weeks in Madrid + 8 weeks in Barcelona.

The Future Leaders program is designed to help you develop your teamwork and entrepreneurial skills, as well as building your resume. This gap experience combines Spanish language, a work placement in Barcelona, and the creation of a sustainable business model. We have teamed up with highly experienced business professors and successful entrepreneurs to deliver a comprehensive business incubator experience.

As for your internship, you can apply to one of the following industries: Advertising, Business Development, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Event Planning, Fashion, Finance, Graphic Design, Green Technology, Healthcare Hospitality & Tourism, Human Resources, Information Technology, Journalism, Marketing, Non-profit, Pharmaceutical, Publishing, Public Relations, Real Estate, Sports Management, Sustainability, Video Production.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Complete an 8-week internship in Barcelona in the field of your choice
  • Participate in a 12-week entrepreneurship program led by a team of highly-experienced mentors
  • Mix with locals through a homestay and language immersion in Madrid
  • Enjoy independent living in Barcelona: student dorms, half-board, free weekends
  • Earn 3 college credits

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Program Reviews

4.56 Rating
based on 9 reviews
  • 5 rating 55.56%
  • 4 rating 44.44%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.35
  • Support 4.9
  • Fun 4.25
  • Housing 3.55
  • Safety 4.45
Showing 1 - 8 of 9 reviews
Default avatar
Allie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Future Leaders 2024

I absolutely loved my experience on the Future Leaders program. In Madrid I ramped up my Spanish and built foundational business/entrepreneurship knowledge, and I loved settling in in Barcelona with my internship, our classes, and then some free time. Our weeks were definitely super busy, but I loved building a lifestyle and feeling like I was living somewhere, especially after moving around a ton on my fall program. Between our Spanish classes, business concept lessons, hands-on entrepreneurship activities, internships, and official entrepreneurship competition, I learned a TON in areas I hadn’t known much about before. I definitely got lucky with a solid internship and great boss, and it was in a field I had never worked in before (fashion), so I really enjoyed it. In general, this program was super important for my pre-professional development. I also made amazing friends and had tons of fun - our free time was really what you make of it! Especially considering this was a pilot program, I’m so impressed by how well put-together and genuinely professional everything was, and I’m so grateful for Arantxa, our mentors, and everyone who put all of this together. The Spanish Gap Year team is truly the best!!!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would’ve used my weekends more to travel outside of the country!
Pros
  • Freedom - especially in Barcelona we were really able to build our own lifestyle outside our jobs and classes
  • Pre-professional development
  • Great support system/met great people
Cons
  • Curfew in Madrid - we stayed in home stays as opposed to student dorms, which are great for learning Spanish but definitely limit free-time opportunities
  • Packed schedule!! Not necessarily a con, but something to keep in mind if you want to do a ton of sight-seeing, walking around, etc.
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Clara
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spanish Gap Year Spring 2024

From attending Spanish class in a beautiful old building with stained glass to pitching to a panel of investors on the 25th floor of amazing building in Barcelona, this program covered all the bases. We had the freedom to explore Madrid and Barcelona and find our favorite cafes and corner restaurants but were still kept busy with morning internships and afternoon entrepreneurship classes. I felt really supported by our mentors who are all extremely knowledgeable and always ready to lend a hand. Arantxa, the program manager, personally checked in on all of us constantly and made sure everything was going well. It was comforting to have such support while being in such a flexible program with time for whatever adventures we came up with. I loved this program and am sad to leave my new friends and Barcelona.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Take advantage of your weekends and explore as much as you can! Some of my favorite moments were traveling to towns outside of Barcelona and Madrid like Toledo, Alicante, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de mar, etc.! We saw the most beautiful beaches, ate the best paella, and it was so fun to have weekends away where everyone could get closer as a group and have new exciting experiences in different places.
Pros
  • Great mentors and leaders
  • Lots of adventures
Cons
  • Busy schedule
  • Accommodation far from city center
24 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Oliver
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Future leaders spring 2024

This trip has been extremely valuable for me. I have built many great relationships that I hope to maintain for the rest of my life. The entrepreneurship part of the program has been ran perfectly and was my favorite part of the entire program. The internship has also provided me with a lot more knowledge on how to be an asset in the workforce. The only complaints that I do have is the food was disappointing. Overall I definitely highly recommend this program especially for people who are thinking of taking a gap year.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Ask as many questions as you can. Also, use the help that’s provided as much as possible.
Pros
  • Networking
  • Work experience
  • Resume booster
Cons
  • Food
  • Lots of pickpocketers
19 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Grace
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Educational, Entrepreneurship-Focused Group Program in Spain

This program covers a variety of different components and will offer you a very well rounded experience.
In terms of program support, resources and leadership, this program is so well run and absolutely incredible in this aspect. Their number one goal is clearly to provide a top tier experience that suits your goals and they put in so much effort to make this happen.
One of my main goals during this program was to improve my spanish, and for other people who might have that goal, the resources are all available to you but it requires a lot of independent motivation to make it happen. There is a month in a homestay and language school and you interact with spanish speakers all the time, but you have to take the initiative to speak the language and take the opportunities.
In terms of entrepreneurship, I am not someone who plans to pursue it or had much interest in that aspect going into the program. Even still, I learned so much that is applicable to my career path, especially in terms of presentation skills and networking. I also found the mentorship support system absolutely incredible. However, I would recommend this program above all to people with high interest in entrepreneurship because that will be a huge proportion of your time and requires a lot of motivation for it to be worthwhile.
The internships were very well set up and I loved mine. I worked in the industry (sustainability) that I hope to work in in the future and was also able to work in spanish to work towards my language goals.
In terms of social experience, this program is good for people who are looking for a social structure built into the program because you spend a lot of time with the same small group and the social structure ends up built around it. At the same time, there are opportunities to meet other people in student residences or other areas, and weekends are open for independent travel, but the timing is a bit short if you are hoping for longer distance trips around europe. The environment and social life of this trip is definitely better suited to people who enjoy cities and are looking for a well structured experience.
Arantxa’s vision and organization for this program was nothing short of incredible and absolutely made my experience, The mentorship team and everyone involved is so invested in student success and I felt well supported and like I was learning a lot the whole time.

What would you improve about this program?
I found the first component in Madrid with the homestay to be too long. The first two weeks I enjoyed, especially with the spanish class which I found incredibly valuable, but by the second half, I found a lot of aspects to be very limiting. I much preferred the more open social setting, individual internships, and independent living experience in Barcelona and that greatly improved my experience. I think a balance that was more 2 vs. 10 weeks might have fit better.
Pros
  • spanish language learning
  • internship experience
  • travel opportunities
Cons
  • entrepreneurship curriculum is the main focus (only a con of this isn’t your priority)
  • small group can limit social opportunities
  • housing wasn’t the most convenient
23 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kylie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Future Leaders Spring 2024

Future Leaders is an incredible introduction/real life experience for anyone who’s actively interested in entrepreneurship. For myself personally, even though that wasn’t my passion in the program, I was helped by the FL team to find outlets I could channel my interests into. I really liked the Spanish school portion of the program, and found that it was an excellent way to meet people outside of the program, along with the multiple chances of interaction you get with Absolute Internship students. Although your weekdays can be busy, weekends are a good chance to travel, however don’t expect to have a lot of time to do that. It’s only about 1 1/2 days of traveling, because you can only leave Fridays and have to return Sundays. However, depending on where you are you can get a fair amount done in that time! Overall, I would recommend Future Leaders.

1) Entrepreunership
2) Learning
3) General elements

16 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ishan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Future Leaders quick summary

Overall the program was a great experience. It’s super well run, with great communication and the right balance of independence and guidance from the program director Arantxa. Housing was good overall; the homestays during the first month in Madrid are nice enough and the dorms in Barcelona are remarkably well kept, especially by US college standards. The internship component of the program was really fun for me, and gave me great real life work experience. Generally would definitely recommend for anyone interested in a travel program where you’ll also learn a ton.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Use the weekends to travel. Big highlight for me and lots of my peers.
Pros
  • Great internship
  • Interesting classes
  • Good community
Cons
  • Food that is provided was pretty up and down.
24 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Charlie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Invaluable experience

The Spanish classes alone provided a ton of hands on learning. However, the entrepreneurship and internship portions are what provided a level of experience that has changed my life. With the internship portion you are given the opportunity to explore a field of your interests while making connections within the field and learning real business and work skills. The entrepreneurial portion provided invaluable experience where one can create and chase their ideas while working with mentors who have real credible experience. The skills of forming, creating, and pitching an idea as a real world entrepreneur is invaluable. You will learn public speaking, networking, how to ask for help, what works and what doesn’t with business, and a million other practical real world skills.

23 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Daniel
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Future Leaders Spring 24

The overall experience was fantastic, I don’t have any complaints. I always felt supported by all facilitators. I would say the overall attitude of some of the receptionists at the residency weren’t very welcoming. On the other hand, our host family was fantastic and very welcoming. Furthermore, the overall experience with the entrepreneurial aspect of the course coupled with the internships was extremely valuable as we got to learn a lot about all stages of creating a business and pitching it to investors.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make the most out of your time, three months goes by very quick. You have so many resources and so many brilliant minds to help guide you through the experience so make sure to reach out when you need help.
Pros
  • Networking
  • Gain real world experience
  • Learn from mentors who have a lot of entrepreneurial knowledge
Cons
  • Very fast paced
  • Residency food could be better
23 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers