Program Reviews

Adelante provided me with the resources to grow both personally and learn more about my field in a different country. Adelante staff prior to departure were quite helpful and answered all my questions as best as possible. Unfortunately, they only gave me information about my internship about two weeks prior to leaving and I would have preferred if they had more information earlier on to ease my mind. However, throughout my time in Spain, the staff in the US regularly checked in with me via email and sent me resources to better my transition. The two week course at Eureka was great and very laid-back; the teachers are fun and helpful and all of them actually want to teach, so it is a great way to review your Spanish before working. As a pharmacy student, I was given a position at one of the many farmacias in Spain and helped patients find the best medication for their illness, rang out patients, processed orders, and completed paperwork for the pharmacy. While the work got repetitive, I still learned a lot (especially about the Spanish healthcare system) because my coworkers were kind, interested in helping me improve and learn as a student, and explained anything I did not understand. I would suggest this program for those who are at least at a low intermediate level of Spanish because I was spoken to only in Spanish at my position and I know many positions at Adelante that are very similar. While there were no issues to report at my job, I would have felt comfortable reaching out to any of the Adelante staff if I did have any problems because they made it clear that they were there to help me. Adelante does a great job with housing because of its location in the center of Madrid and because they find a solution to problems or maintenance issues relatively quickly, especially if you physically speak to Angel who is the director of the Eureka language school.

I did the medical internship in Viña del Mar, Chile. First of all, it is a beautiful city to live in, with lots to do and with Valparaiso just a 20 minute metro/bus ride away. The location of the house is perfect and in a safe place, just a few blocks from the beach and about a 30 second walk from a supermarket. I lived with other Adelante candidates and got along with all of them exceptionally well. The staff at the language school are welcoming, and my classes really helped me get accustomed to living in my new city. I learned about the unique spanish spoken in Chile, and my professor also took me out of the classroom to explore Viña as well as Valparaíso and learn about their history and culture. In order to meet new people, I recommend going to language exchanges in Viña or Valparaíso - these can be found through MeetUp online, and it's a great way to meet natives and practice spanish! Living in a new city with no familiar faces and a language barrier can be daunting, so these really helped me at first! When I started my internship at a local physical therapy (kinesiology) office, it was challenging of course due to the new environment and the language. Within a few weeks, however, I was effectively communicating with patients, leading several patient sessions, and carrying out physiotherapy. My spanish improved dramatically and I also learned technical vocabulary that will help me in my future career. The employees were great teachers and always made sure I understood what was happening, the patient's affliction, and what techniques they were using and why.
The last month of my stay, there was political unrest in Chile but Adelante staff made sure we stayed safe, and maintained communication with us. I would not change anything about my experience in Chile, as it helped me grow as a person and greatly increased my skills and confidence in Spanish. The people in Chile are very welcoming and kind, even though Chilean spanish can be hard to understand at first! I've come to love Chile so much and I will definitely be coming back! I could't recommend this Adelante program more.

I had a wonderful experience interning in Sevilla with Adelante! Since my university study abroad office didn't have much flexibility, I was attracted to Adelante because they were able to offer a customized experience, both with my preferred internship field and the the amount of time I wanted to spend there. Being a computer science student, I wasn't sure if I would be able to find an internship that was applicable to my career path as an international short-term intern, but the job they found for me was great! I was treated almost as a full-fledged member of the software engineering team, which was great resume-building experience and I learned a ton. Even from my first over-the-phone interview with Adelante staff I was impressed with their experience and personal attention to each student.

An amazing social experience over anything! Every connection I made was a branch to new things to do in the city ! I’ve made amazing friends from all over the world, not just my country of stay, and it has given me new insights on culture, life, and so many other aspects! The activities provided by the program’s connections were also insanely fun! The program also taught me so much about my own self-sufficiency, and how truly competent I am. I now know that if I am able to survive and fend for myself in a foreign environment, I definitely can do it back in my own home country and city. I’ve frequently described this experience and one of if not the best experience of my life so far, and it definitely has molded me into a new, better, more responsible and ambitious person.

I spent 2 months in Madrid working in a LGBT public health office. My experience living in this beautiful city was phenomenal being that I was immersed in Spanish culture. The nightlife is amazing, as you'd imagine, and I made great friends both inside and outside the program. We loved visiting other Spanish cities as well as Portugal whenever we got the chance. I really enjoyed my time at the Spanish school as everyone was extremely supportive and I learned a lot in a short period of time. All my coworkers were also lovely and helped me improve my Spanish skills throughout my time there. I do feel that it is important to mention though that you should take the Spanish language skill required by adelante seriously. Some internships do require a higher level of speaking and if you are dishonest with adelante about your ability there isn't much they can do to help if your boss becomes dissatisfied. Additionally, I will say that my expectations were not fully met on the adelante side. My original desire was to work in a hospital or clinic and although the backup plan of public health was established over the phone and I agreed to it, I got the sense that the Plan B discussed became the default for myself and the other interns I spoke to. I believe I only met 2 interns that were fully satisfied with their work placement and received their Plan A. However, in this situation I believe you get what you pay for being that adelante is securing an internship for you even if its not ideal. To me and many of the others this didn't end up being a big issue as we grew to like our placements, but if youre passionate about working in one specific area to really build your resume, adelante may not be the right fit.
Conclusion: Adelante provided me with the opportunity to live and work in Madrid which was most definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I feel as if the internship placement could have been better, but being the most affordable program I found, I'm far from dissatisfied.

I spent two months in Oaxaca de Juarez with the Adelante volunteering program for working with kids. My time there was amazing, being able to experience local life and history of the state. The housing location was in a great spot, and my landlord was unbelievably kind. My time at the language school was also great as I met and made wonderful friends from around the world and also received a one-on-one tutor which helped me immensely. I also met great people at my internship. The program truly opens you up to many differing walks of life and exposes you to so many new things - not just originating from Oaxaca. The trip being my first solo travel forced me to become independent and actually rely on myself instead of using others as a travel-buddy crutch. When Adelante says that the program is for independent travelers, they're not kidding. This is where I point out the major lack of communication. I won't go into detail, but the program really is like moving to a foreign place by yourself and figuring everything out by yourself. There were a few rough patches but I didn't let them bother me during my time there. You'll run into problems, like no water or power, but you adapt and overcome. I really enjoyed my experience both the good and the bad, but if lack in communication and cultural confusion bothers you I wouldn't recommend this type of program.

From the classroom, to the stable, to nights out at the pubs, this program is the ultimate description of work hard play hard; a perfect blend of classwork with weekday and weekend excursions. Oatridge College is a small, tight knit community where you’ll definitely feel at home. The small class size allows for one on one time with instructors and class discussion. The courseload is easily manageable outside of class. The location of campus is perfect, in a quiet area, but a short train ridge from Edinburgh and other small towns to explore. Overall, I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking for the perfect study abroad experience while building your resume — between classroom lectures and practical session, be ready to get hands on and comfortable around the most beautiful horses!

Love all the staff members, everyone is very willing to help and passionate about what they do. Sometimes the classes hours are too long, but I like we have rest time in between. All the horses are lovely and had a lot of fun riding.
We were very lucky to make it to the gold cup of the Perth Racetrack, we say the winner race of the 2019. We also went to Luccinda Russel's thoroughbred horses training facility in Kinross, and understand and had a deeper look into their daily routine and how the horses are train and been take care of. We had free days to explore Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Some went to London. The amount of opportunities that you have in this program is amazing. We've met a bunch of local people they are just amazing, people take care of each other.
I am also amazed how much our group have bonded over a month. I enjoyed every moment here !!

This program has been one of the best experiences of my life. The staff, students, and overall population are extremely kind, helpful, and knowledgeable about the topics they are teaching and learning. My only suggestion is to rework the Equine Fitness portion of the classes to have more distinct deadlines and clarity in what is expected for each assignment. Overall I truly enjoyed the content of the classes and gained a lot of knowledge regarding the differences between practices in the United States versus the practices in Scotland and the United Kingdom. I also thoroughly enjoyed the side excursions taken as a class and the ability to have free time so we could travel and develop as individuals. I would highly recommend this program to anyone that is ready to grow as a part of a new family and as an individual.

You learn so much in such a short amount of time, it's amazing to see how far everyone advances in their riding skills. It really helps that the groups are kept small so the learning atmosphere is still personal between you, the rider, and the trainer, as well as being a comfortable group environment. It seems a bit unnerving at first to have to ride in front of other people, but everyone else is in the same boat as you so there isn't any room for judgement or skepticism. The teachers, in the classroom and in the arena, are always there to answer questions and provide any advice they can give you (sometimes whether you like it or not :) ). Even though our entire group came from completely opposite sides of the country, we were still able to relate and bond over this one thing we shared in common. This was such a great experience for not only learning more about Equine Sciences but it was also an unbeatable opportunity to make connections with people within your age group and field of study.