Program Reviews

I had an amazing 3 months interning in Madrid and would highly recommend doing an internship with Adelante. For the first 2 weeks, I was taking Spanish classes in the language school, Eureka. The grammar section was a great refresher of my previous Spanish knowledge, although I would have loved to have more time in Eureka to do a more comprehensive review. I really enjoyed the conversation class which helped me to become more comfortable conversing in Spanish before beginning my internship. I was housed in a 6-person apartment conveniently located down the street from Eureka and in the heart of the city. My roommates and I all got along great, and had awesome restaurants, shops, and nightlife right outside our door.

The internship that I was placed in was exactly what I had hoped for. I was working 4 hours a day in a small independent pharmacy. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about the differences in healthcare in Spain compared to the US. Although challenging at first, my coworkers were very encouraging of me practicing my Spanish, and it improved significantly throughout my internship. Everyone was very welcoming and willing to answer any questions I had about various medications, how the pharmacy functions, or Spain in general. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and Madrid and can't wait to come back.

My time is Costa Rica was fantastic. The social scene was phenomenal, and my host Family was wonderful. The school itself was quite nice and the campus was beautiful. The only problem I had was the staff at the University itself. It was mildly frustrating to deal with them. Adelante was fantastic and were very helpful and cooperative. They will work around your schedule. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking to study abroad.

The Adelante Internship program in Sevilla was incredible. I knew coming in since I wouldn't be in classes, it would be harder to make friends and meet people. Thankfully, Adelante gave me three weeks of an intensive spanish course before my internship began with kids from other universities in the US. It was an amazing way to meet new people!! My homestay was also INCREDIBLE. The couple had a really nice and modern apartment in the very center of the city and my host mom spoke pretty good English, which was very helpful. They let me do my own thing, but we would always spend a couple hours eating dinner together and talking about Sevillian culture. Sevilla is a very homey city, beautiful, and very culturally immersive because almost no one speaks English! My internship was OKAY. Granted, I was working in the medical field, so i realize it is harder for it to be hands on. I mostly just sat and watched the whole time. However, i feel like I learned a decent amount and the hours were really great (boss was understanding of travel on the weekends). Program highly recommended.

I participated in Adelante Abroad's international internship program from September 2015 to November 2015. I can say that it was a very very very beneficial experience in personal growth as well as gave me a great way to diversify myself when searching for jobs.

If you don't know much Spanish, this program includes 2 weeks of class, for a total of 40 hours. I thought I would be ok and the classes wouldn't teach me a lot of new stuff, boy was I wrong. Upon arrival I realized I needed to learn more. The classes definitely helped. I wish I would have continued to take them after the two weeks was up.

My internship(s) went quite well. I originally was working with a sports company, and my MOU and documents stated my duties would be working on marketing campaigns for FC Barcelona. Needless to say, I was excited and told everyone. Upon beginning work, I wasn't really doing what I was told, and when I brought this up, Adelante realized they made a mistake and sent me the MOU for a summer student. I was quite disappointed as my expectations were crazy high going into this. I told them I would have selected the other option they gave me, had I known I'd be working the afternoons (not allowing me much time during the day to discover and do things in the city) and had I known what I would be doing(lots of busy work)I would have chosen the other internship they discussed in my preliminary phone calls over summer. I stuck with the internship for a few more weeks, as Alicia worked with me to find me another company.

She found me another, which I transitioned into. For a few weeks I was working both internships, so those were long days. Once I worked myself into just this company, my days opened up a lot more and I could experience the city better. I had a wonderful experience with this company and was very sad to leave when the day came.

Housing was great, the apartment was quite large and Luisa was such a wonderful lady. My roommate was awesome and we still keep in touch. I also met people at language class who were in other internships, students who were studying abroad, and my going out and experiencing what the city offered.

My weekends I spent with my roommates, friends, or solo, and explored the city, the surrounding areas, and did some traveling (Oktoberfest, Paris, Rome) and there was never a shortage of something to do.

My internship in Madrid was exactly what I was looking for! My university has a co-op program where we work for a semester instead of taking classes. Unfortunately, as my school does not have a translation major, there were almost no translation co-ops available. Adelante Abroad was one of the only outside options that I saw that guaranteed that I would be actually translating for my co-op as opposed to teaching English. What's more, they quickly let me know that I could either work for a translation agency, or as a translator for a company. I quickly went from having no options to having an abundance of them! What's great about Adelante is that they are with you every step of the way. I never felt alone when applying for a visa, arranging flights, starting my internship, or at any other point during my time in Madrid.

I did a five month program working for a translation agency. It was exactly what I wanted: the opportunity to work in close proximity with other translators. As an added bonus there were always other interns working alongside me from different countries in Europe, meaning I got a lot of exposure to different languages. It was always great helping my new friends out with any questions about English as they translated into French, Italian, German, and of course, Spanish. The office environment was incredibly laid back and I absolutely loved it. Since my contract was for 20 hours a week, the agency let me have any extra hours I worked as vacation time. I worked so many extra hours I had time to go explore Germany, England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, in addition to areas of Spain. They even let me finish my co-op a week early so I could show my mom and sister around my new home!

Having extensively studied Spanish both in school and abroad in Argentina, language was not much of an issue. Still, the two weeks at the Eureka school were great! It was a really helpful way to ensure that I was getting back in the swing of speaking Spanish every day. Being in the highest level class, the grammar was a little complex, and wasn't something that I ever really remember using. The conversation half class time was great however! The activities were fun, we got to meet a variety of different teachers and hear the different ways they talked, and all the teachers were really helpful with making sure we were learning. The best part for me was learning the differences between the Spanish in Spain and the Mexican/Argentine Spanish I had learned previously (things like they don't say "boletos" over there, etc). Of all the Spanish courses I've ever taken, Eureka was definitely the best, and I would recommend it to anybody, even if they weren't looking to do an internship with Adelante.

My housing was through a company that rents apartments to students, so I was with other (non-Adelante) students either studying or working in Madrid. I lived with students from Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, France, and India. None were native English speakers, but most spoke English decently (and wanted to practice), so we spoke a combination of Spanish and English. We all got along extremely well. The housing was a about a 30 minute metro ride from Sol, which was absolutely perfect for me- the neighborhood was quiet and close to my co-op. I walked to work every morning and back home afterwards, which was great exercise. The apartment was cleaned weekly and any problems were fixed fairly quickly. They even bought us new frying pans when we complained that our old ones were bent!

Adelante is absolutely perfect for getting you an internship in any field that you want, while also giving you the freedom to explore a new country or continent!

As I write this, I only have one night left of my 3 month stay here in Barcelona. At this point my only regret is not planning to stay for longer. While getting used to hearing and speaking Spanish was difficult at first, Kingsbrook language school was a huge help. The teachers are extremely helpful and the classes were always a fun learning environment. Besides learning Spanish, the school was also a great way to make friends quickly. Through Kingsbrook I was lucky enough to make great friends from all over the world.

In terms of the internship, I was not quite sure what to expect prior to my arrival. One week after starting at the company however, I already found myself very happy with the placement. The internship had me learning about global sourcing, an industry that piqued my genuine interest in international business. They treated me as a full member of their team and provided projects that challenged me to learn on my own while they were always available to help. Overall, the internship left me with practical knowledge of an industry I had known little about prior to working with them.

Finally, a review of my stay here would not be complete without mentioning that Barcelona is absolutely one of the most amazing cities I have ever been to. Barcelona has everything someone could ask for. Beautiful landmarks and architecture, nightlife, the beach, fine cuisine, mountains to climb, people from across the globe to meet, and more. There is hardly ever a boring moment in this vibrant city.

I've had an unforgettable experience. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in culture and learning Spanish. Definitely take advantage of the school, Don Quijote, it is a great spot to make friends, and generally a great resource for getting to know the city and the main attractions.

all depends on how intelligent the intern is and how good they are with people and culture shock. A program can be the best in itself but if the participant either doesn't make an effort or does not have social intelligence, then it could be a difficult adjustment.

Overall, a positive attitude and a sense of adventure don't hurt!

I can honestly say that i have enjoyed myself in Seville, Spain. I made the difficult but beneficial decision to come to Spain alone. It was my first time ever going to another country so you can imagine my fears, but I decided to try something new and experience a culture unlike my own. When I first came to Seville I was in awe of its beauty and wonders. Of course I experienced home sickness and for that wanted to return to Michigan because I was so accustomed to everything there. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity i had and explore Sevilla. As the weeks passed I became acquainted with so many genuine people here and have improved my Spanish level also. I have visited many different places within Spain such as Cordoba, Cadiz, Carmona, and Jerez, which are all beautiful places as well. Now it’s time for me to return home and I am definitely dreading that, because Seville has become my home. I love the people here, the culture, the food, and the fiestas. I am so happy that I made the most difficult decision which in the end changed me in a way. It has opened my eyes to the world around me. I hope to return again to my home away from home in Seville!!!!!!

I'm an 19y.o. Indonesian that is studying in Australia. For my 2015 summer break I chose to do something I've never done before - living in Europe by myself, in a country where I do not know anyone and which language I did not speak, while having my very first (unpaid) office job. This has been the scariest and life-changing experience I have ever had, and most certainly one I'll never forget. :)

Barcelona is the right place for you if you enjoy going on hikes and getting some fresh air from the city on weekends (it certainly was the right place for me!). Whenever I'm not sick or working, I'm out having excursions and meeting new people. I went horseriding several times in very beautiful and memorable places. I went trekking and hiking and took trains to medieval villages. And the best of all, I get to travel while meeting new people from all over the world and especially Europe, which for me is the most important part of the whole experience. :)

I spent 3 months in Barcelona. During the first 5 weeks I had difficulties in adapting to the environment and I got sick many times - stomachaches, colds, fevers, you name it. Afterwards it got better but I still got sick at least once every two weeks - usually minor, but sometimes I could be immobilized in bed for hours. I have Asian friends who found the same problem - getting a lot of colds and stomachaches, hair falling out, etc,. Maybe the environment is more difficult for Asian people to get used to (lol, who knows). During those times I had to cancel excursions I have planned with my friends - and despite not being able to do anything about it, I regret it very much. I wish I had spent more time in Barcelona.

I loved my job in the office. I interned in a publishing company which also published the FC Barcelona's official albums, which is awesome. I designed banners and book covers and a lot of things for the company. During the process, my coworkers were very honest in giving me feedback and they were very patient with me when I do not understand something. However I think the company lacked communication with me - for example, I had to find out myself (from my friends who were working) that there was a public holiday the following week and that I did not have to be in the office. Other than that, though, it was great. They were patient when I made mistakes and were very understanding. As it was my first office job, I learned so many things from it. It was quite satisfying.

A tip for future interns: Adelante is DEAD SERIOUS when they say that this program is only for independent travelers. You are on your own to decide where you want to go and with whom, and you have to be able to find your own way to be able to meet new people. The Adelante representative in Spain did not meet or greeted me until almost 2 weeks after my arrival, and that was only to talk about work and if I have any other questions, which in my opinion was a bit late to ask about... The pre departure orientation packet was not very updated and helpful about the metro tickets - Make sure to enter your ID number when you buy one or you will be fined! (During the time I bought my ticket, a local who was helping kinda put random numbers onto it and I thought that was what we were supposed to do because it still works - but when the need to renew your ticket arises, you won't be able to do that.) another tip is to NOT go to the hospital that Adelante recommends you to. Contrary to what I expected, I was not given an English-speaking doctor regardless of my request, and the price to just see the doctor for less than five minutes was ridiculously expensive. If it's a minor problem, then just go to the local pharmacy and ask a pharmacist what to get. A final tip is to always be careful with your belongings no matter where you are. So many of my friends have had their things stolen. The hype is real.

The bottom line is, this program is simply a bridge. What you get out of it is your own choice. You will be handed a free rein to make your own experience and make it life-changingly awesome. For me, it certainly was! ;)

I had a very positive experience. After the two weeks of Spanish classes, my Spanish improved tremendously! I was able to do an entire interview with my supervisor in Mexico all in Spanish! The immersion was great to help me become linguistically functional in an hispanic environment, not to mention I learned a lot about Mexican culture and political issues. It was a very eye-opening and exciting summer, and the people were very helpful.