AIFS Abroad: Intern Abroad in Spain

I've tried to get abroad for years, but things kept falling through with my school. It's been a dream to live abroad and Global Experiences finally allowed that to happen for me! This summer was incredible. I saw so many amazing places that were so easy to travel to from Barcelona, and the city itself had so much going on. From incredible street performers to some of the best food I've tasted...I didn't want to leave! It's going to be impossible to beat this summer, and the cherry on top of it all was the loving and amazing Location Coordinator, Inma. She helped make sure this was the best summer ever!

There is a vast amount of different places and people in the world, and being able to see some of the many cultures I did in my time in Europe allowed me to see many different lifestyles and customs and was able to immerse myself in areas I was not used to. Our world is so incomprehensibly huge, and how many people have lived on this planet, how many buildings, pieces of art, stories, scientific discoveries, etc have been contributed. I finally saw this first hand, and found a greater appreciation for other cultures as well as my own. It is very easy to get stuck in a bubble living our day to day lives, but being abroad teaches you there is so much more out there. I find that my perspective is much more open in all areas because of this experience. No matter where you go in this world there will always be people that you meet that turn into friends and acquaintances. This process may be difficult abroad but in the long run the people you meet abroad can change you forever. From small talks in a coffee shop with a stranger, a late night drink with a group of Australians in a Hostel in Italy to co-workers, and groups of girls from France in a nightclub, and so forth. You learn about culture, cool spots you never heard of, stories, and new perspectives of things you otherwise would have never known on your own because you all come from a different background and are headed a different direction but when you cross paths it is a truly amazing thing to hear how they got to where they are and where they are going and everything in between etc. Being in this program is an investment for your future. The things you learn and grow by doing this internship abroad are priceless as well as the marketable skills of a job and internship experience.

I had a fantastic experience this Summer working as an intern for a public relations firm in Barcelona. Global Experiences took care of all of the networking for me and helped match me with the perfect employer long before going abroad, and also found me housing in a great spot in the city. I doubt I would've been able to get an internship like this and had such a great experience without a very legit agency, and Global Experiences gave me everything I could've asked for!

Global Experiences is THE program for you! This experience is an investment that will give you the opportunity to work in an awesome company as an intern, have fun in a new city, learn a new language, meet new people and have the best team to help you before and during the program. Finding an internship and a good place to stay is an easy and fun process with Global Experiences! What else can you ask for? If you wonder if you should sign up or not, I say do something for you and your future...Challenge your limits, don't miss this opportunity and sign up! It's so worth it! The last 12 weeks have been perfect and every single day was an adventure! I loved it!

My semester with Global Experiences was the perfect way to gain international business experience, improve my Spanish, live in a new culture, and make incredible friends from all over the world. My internship placement was ideal and really suited my request for public relations/event planning. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the industry, while also gaining a global business perspective. I think it will be the perfect addition to my resume and will stand out to future employers.

I really appreciated having a staff member on location in Barcelona to help with any issues. We were definitely given freedom and expected to take care of ourselves as young professionals, but knowing I had someone who spoke the language fluently and knew the culture better than me was a huge relief. Plus, our social outings were always a blast!

Overall, I had an incredible experience. Compared to typical study abroad programs where students are basically exchanging one college atmosphere for another, I really appreciated getting to live and work as a professional in a new place. I think it was more immersive and propelled my professional growth. Also, it was a perfect transition after graduating, but before entering the (paid) work force! I would recommend Global Experiences to anyone, especially recent graduates, for a semester you will never forget.

Finding a program you can trust through the internet is always difficult, however, when there is great staff like the staff at Global Experience you can tell you've found a quality program! I sent out multiple requests for various programs throughout Europe and Global Experience was the best at communication and had the best deal for the money. The staff gave me personal feedback on my resume and cover letter multiple times, which was extremely helpful. They always were prompt to respond to my emails and helped me prepare for my interview with my future employers. Upon arrival, I discovered I had been placed in a beautiful apartment in the city with a short trip to work. My internship was in the center of the city and I grew exponentially through the tasks I was given. I learned many new things about sustaining a company as I had the privilege to work directly with the founder of the company. Along the way, the staff I had originally coordinated with in the US kept in contact to ask about how I was doing. The lady in Barcelona was amazing. I could call her at any time and find help and the excursions she planned were unbelievable. We went to a beautiful beach, Casa Batllo, a Flamenco show, a bike tour around the city, and did many other things. Global experiences description of these events on their website as "social outings" did not do them justice. I almost did not want to go when I heard we had option "social outings," but I am so glad I did. They were so much fun and the lady on site was easy to talk with and we had many great times together! Overall, the program was one of my favorites (I've done many different study abroad programs).

I must say that making the decision to become an intern in Barcelona, Spain has been the best yet! I have had an amazing experience in all aspects. I have amazing roommates who will become lifelong friends and live in an amazingly located apartment walking distance to everything. My internship is coming to an end, which is sad but exciting because I have the opportunity to travel beyond Spain for a couple of weeks and actually be a tourist for a while. I have enjoyed the company in which I have been working for and have learned so much about the event industry that will be a huge benefit down the road. I have had the opportunity to work the largest Mobile World Congress trade show to date, which brought the city 85,000 people and an untold amount of revenue. With that being said, I thank Global Experiences and their staff for making this internship amazing and an experience that I will never forget.

Global Experiences is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. From the start there was little to no helpful communication. Once they got their money.. all $7,000 of it, the communication seemed to slowly disappear. There was no help coming into Barcelona either. No help on how to get to the residence, what was expected, etc. To start, our accommodation was bottom level garbage. The rooms were unfairly small, the kitchen was full of mold and the bathroom was always flooded, muddy or left with no toilet paper, there was no food provided even though most of the other students in the building received food that was made in the building. The Spanish school only cost about $200 so I don't understand where my money went. The only thing about my program that I loved was my job. It was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better company. Once I told my bosses about my experience with Global Experiences they declared they would never use Global Experiences again.

The problems got so bad that when we (we being all 10 students of our program) complained about our accommodation and how we were being treated, they ignored us, treated us disrespectfully and in the upmost unprofessional manner. They threatened my job only because I asked for the cost breakdown. From then I had not spoken one word with the Global Experiences home office. I feel mistreated, taken advantage of and robbed of $7,000. With the extensive amount of programs offering internships abroad I would rank Global Experiences on the bottom.