AIFS Abroad: Study, Intern, or Study & Intern in Spain

AIFS in Barcelona is a fantastic opportunity. It is all-inclusive, providing the perfect option for staying in budget, while offering the luxuries of such a beautiful city. I studied to 12 countries while studying abroad and volunteered to teach english with Terral. AIFS helped me set this up and was so great in the process. While I was in Spain, the AIFS staff were there every step of the way. They were extremely supportive and constantly there to help me when I needed it the most. Living in another country can bring nerves and AIFS was there to comfort those. In addition, I changed my career path in Barcelona. Seeing the way that businesses work in another part of the world ignited a passion in me. I am now majoring in international business and hope to work abroad some day.

I decided to study abroad with AIFS spring 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. Prior to going I had not done much research on study abroad programs but decided to take a shot in the dark and go with AIFS. This ended up being an amazing decision for me because the program offers everything you could ever want at an affordable price. I had never been out of the country before studying abroad so I was extremely nervous but AIFS provided me with support and guidance from start to finish and I never felt lost or alone. My favorite things about the program is the support from the staff and the included weekend trips. With the program price, AIFS offers several weekend and day trip excursions that were so much fun and a great way to meet other students in the program. Overall I don't think there is a program out there that can top this one and I am so glad I made the choice to study abroad with AIFS.

Coming from a small school where you are secluded to your small campus and community, need to have a car to get around, have limited options for adventures and food, I was inspired to go abroad for the opportunity to create a new day every day. I studied abroad in High School with AIFS in Granada, Spain and they made my transition and experience seamless and life-changing. I was eager to go abroad with them again because of how positive my past experience was and they had the best program for me. I wanted to go to Barcelona, Spain, be immersed into Spanish language and culture, and stay on track with my liberal arts studies and AIFS UPF Program met all of those needs and beyond. On top of all my requirements for my study abroad experience, AIFS hosted cultural events, lead us on day and weekend trips, and provided support when needed.

When I arrived in Barcelona, AIFS was there to orient me with the city, peers, and UPF campus. Our homestay and classes were chosen for us so little work was required on our end which made the transition easy and comfortable. During my second semester, I lived in a residencia, Residencia Onix, with other AIFS students and international students and that experience was amazing. I lived with a Spanish roommate and we learned so much from each other. Throughout my year abroad, I had an amazing time getting to know the staff at AIFS in Barcelona through events and trips. They are caring, generous, and intelligent people who were always willing to listen and help. They felt like family that brought about a sense of comfortability while in a foreign country.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed my classes offered at UPF: Intermediate and Advanced Spanish Language, Social Movements in the XXI Century to Globalization, Understanding Globalization, Pictures of Spain in Contemporary Cinema, Spanish Literature, and Contemporary Spanish Art. These classes allowed me to immerse myself in Spanish and European Studies while getting credit towards my majors. All of these classes that I took at UPF were very challenging because of the grading system and having tests count towards the majority of your grade but I learned a lot. The teachers were engaged and advocated for your success.

In regards to location - Barcelona is the best place to go abroad. It is such a large city with a fascinating history, beautiful landscape, amazing beaches, inspiring architecture, diverse and energizing Catalan and Spanish culture. The city gave me the opportunity to do something different every day and easy access to traveling around Europe.

My experience interning abroad has been life changing. I had three goals when I landed. To enhance my Spanish-speaking skills, make a difference in my internship, and travel. I am happy to say that successfully completed all three of my goals. I got to practice my Spanish daily in Barcelona and lost the fear of making mistakes and just let it out. I was able to help my internship organization with some very important documents, gain hands-on experience in the clinical field, and conduct a educational intervention in the organization that raised awareness about HIV/AIDS to each client who came in for testing. Finally, in three months I was able to travel to 9 countries and 22 cities. I would recommend going abroad to every single person and hope that you take full advantage of such an incredible opportunity.

I had three goals when in mind when going abroad and those were to gain experience at my internship, enhance speaking skills, and travel around Europe. I am happy to say I successfully did all three!! During my internship I was able to gain hands on experience in a clinical setting, which was beneficial for me because I want to pursue nursing in the future. I let go of the fear of making mistakes and was able to practice my Spanish with locals. Lastly I was able to travel all throughout Europe. During my time here I travel to 9 different countries and 22 different cities. As you can imagine I was very busy and enjoyed every minute of it. I highly recommend this program to future interns and promise that you will love it as long as you take full advantage of it.

This has been an experience of a lifetime, and something I will never forget. It helped me grow in all aspects in just three months and for that I am forever thankful.

I feel deeply changed and I’m so excited and motivated to continue living life the way that this program has taught me.

Can’t recommend Global experiences enough’

I started out by just wanting to know more information about interning abroad - I just didn’t feel like studying abroad was my thing.

I had a couple of options and after receiving that first phone call from Global experiences I bailed on the rest of my options because GE was so welcoming and warm and I just couldn’t say no to them!

They helped me instantly and there was 100% support from day one and it was great!!

The program all together was lovely, and it made everything easy!

Going to a different country is intimidating but GE made it so exciting and I felt safe and guarded

This is the best decision I’ve ever made in my life!

Coming here was one of the biggest and best decisions of my life. I wasn't sure what to expect at first and had a lot of questions and concerns. The GE team made sure I was 100% cared for and answered any and all of the questions I had! My biggest concern when applying is that I wouldn't be able to get an internship specifically in the field of Human Resources as it wasn't one of the placements offered on the site for Barcelona. After communicating with them exactly what I was looking for and seeing what options I had, they found the absolute perfect placement in HR for me in my first-choice location!
I truly felt like they went the extra mile to make sure that I was happy from start to finish (and beyond) with this program. Our program Director, Inma, is so positive, fun and always ready to help! Absolutely anything we needed, she was on top of it. The group excursions with her were always stellar and I feel super lucky to have had her as our Director. Shoutout to Katherine and Chrissie as well for being amazing with staying in contact, checking in, and being so helpful, especially at the early stages of this program! The GE staff is so great!!
I can't even begin to explain how much this program and internship has postitively impacted my life. Not only did I get the wonderful opportunity to explore a whole new world and experience a beautiful culture and make tons of new friends from all around Europe, but now I have impressive job experience under my belt that already has and will continue to help me in my future career endeavors.

As a recent graduate, Global Experiences was a great program to utilize as I am still determining what type of career I'm interested in pursuing and was interested in traveling before settling down. Based off of our conversations throughout the application process, my internship placement was spot on. Although I didn't feel entirely passionate about the work I was assigned, it was an excellent opportunity to learn more about what direction I would actually like to move towards in my future positions. I couldn't have asked for better employers. As I don't speak Spanish, they were always open to helping me throughout any obstacles I encountered, gave me a ton of tips about Barcelona, and were always available to answer any questions I had.

I believe being abroad in general after graduating is a unique and special opportunity. The challenges of traveling most weekends have made me feel more independent than ever before and I believe I'm more adaptable because of this experience. Being away from what I know and am comfortable with has given me the chance to really tune in to what I want out of my future.

To all future participants, definitely take advantage of every moment you have in your city. If you're like me, you'll travel most weekends. Don't let that affect what you experience here in Barcelona or whatever host city you may choose. Even if you're tired after a long day of work, drink that extra shot of espresso, and get out and explore.