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

I have already begun to recommend some of my friends to complete a Global Experiences Internship in Barcelona. It was an amazing opportunity that brought me growth in all aspects of my life. As a student-athlete, I had the opportunity to train in Barcelona while also working and meeting new people. My job gave me experience and knowledge that will shape me into a successful professional in the future and through my internship, I gained strong relationships with my coworkers and supervisors. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity with other students from around the world and a program with staff who truly valued our experiences in Barcelona. Everything from the housing placement to each event planned during our trip was detailed and executed so that every intern would have an amazing time. Barcelona is an amazingly safe and exciting cosmopolitan city with new places to explore everywhere and I have already started planning my trip back.

Global Experiences has great staff. They provide you with everything you need before traveling abroad. They give you city updates before you even arrive, give you many pamphlets and documents with advice on what to pack, how to contact family overseas, how to change your phone number, what to do, etc. When I arrived at my apartment, a staff member was there waiting for me to let me inside, then even gave me a personal tour of my new neighborhood while providing me with detail on where to get basic necessities like laundry detergent. They make you feel comfortable and do not talk down on you as if they know more than you do. They treat you like a real adult and professional. The locations they place you in are outstanding. Better than any other location I have seen provided from other programs. I was placed in an apartment with air conditioning, a washer and dryer, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. When I walk outside, I am less than 60 feet from the Sagrada Familia. I highly recommend this program to all individuals, no matter what career path you are in

My time here in Barcelona was unforgettable. My internship was challenging but also very cool. I was able to develop my marketing skills while also learning about Spanish culture simultaneously in a Fashion Business internship for a Barcelona based Flamenco Fashion and Dance studio. I lived in a gorgeous apartment with air conditioning, washer/dryer and a dishwasher. My roommates quickly became very close friends.
We visited Valencia, Stiges, Monserrat, Milan, Lake Como, and Seville. It was nice to stay in Barcelona for some weekends as well too, but it is also fun to get some friends and travel to places in Spain and other parts of Europe.
Overall, I was able to feel comfortable living in the city and also saw so many beautiful and unforgettable places. I would 100% recommend this program to anyone interesting in interning abroad.

What was surprising to me and the best part of my experience during this internship, was the placement. I was placed in a co-working space founded by my boss, who also had an interior design office. I was able to learn a lot about a branch of architecture which was not my strength and made in part of my knowledge. I got to get to apply my new discoveries from my internship and the city's highlight in my last year of college. I would fully recommend this program who any person interested on interning during college and more in summer, because it's different than you expect. Barcelona was an amazing city to discover, especially for someone with an architecture major like me. I think people need and deserve this life changing experiences......

Saying that this summer has been amazing would be an understatement! I had the best time interning at a luxury and bespoke trip planning company through Global Experiences. Starting from day 1 of enrollment into the program, the GE staff has been there for me through resume and cover letter support, personality tests, interview preps and in every way possible to ensure I had a placement that I would mesh well with. And I did! I loved the company I got placed in and working with my bosses. We got along very well and every day at work was interesting and pushed my best self to come out! I would actually look forward to work because every day would be a new challenge! Over the transition period when we moved into Spain and throughout the summer as a whole, the GE program advisors in Barcelona - Inma and Saskia, have gone above and beyond in making sure that everyone in the program has a smooth tansition into Barcelona and an awesome summer. From handing minor on-site issues to arranging several local trips to experience the culture, the GE team has been an amazing support system! Interning abroad this summer has been an experience that I will cherish forever and the connections and friendships made here will always remain close to my heart. I have been saying "can this internship never end" since week 1 and I will keep saying it until I get on that flight to leave (then it'll be "take me back")! I recommend grabbing this opportunity with GE because it really is more than just an internship abroad - it is a life-changing experience full of personal and professional growth!

I had an amazing experience and loved the location and the staff. My homestay mom was great! She cooked amazing food, was such a sweetheart and treated me like if I was her own daughter with so much love! I loved the excursion to Morocco, it was well organized and I had a great experience. Im happy I was able to see Morocco with AIFS because I don't know how I would've travelled their on my own. AIFS offers so many scholarships and made it possible despite of the roadblocks. I was able to win a scholarship of over $6,500. I was a first generation student so studying abroad was really getting me out of my comfort zone since being a student at a university was already an experience. AIFS is very inclusive and amazing! They have so many opportunities for many diverse groups as well!

My semester in Salamanca, Spain was one that I will never forget. I learned so much about myself while getting to see so much of the world. AIFS was amazing and so helpful with helping me prepare to go abroad, getting abroad, while I was abroad, and even after my return home. I never felt like I was alone, even though I took on this journey completely by myself. The program was set up to where there were many activities that allowed everyone to meet and get to know each other, activities that showed us around our new home, and even excursions that allowed us to travel in a safe and informative way. This program gave me some of my best friends that i am so thankful for finding and I owe all of that to AIFS for allowing this to happen.
My homestay experience was second to none and was the best decision I made for myself. I was placed in a home of a single woman who quickly became a true second mom to me. She was very outgoing, warm, kind, and extremely helpful. My house abroad felt like my home in the U.S. and I always felt comfortable and calm. This was especially important during the beginning weeks when everything was so new and foreign to me. Our house was centrally located and in a very safe area. I was able to walk to the city center in less than five minutes and the location was incredible. I still keep in contact with my host mom and look forward to getting to see her again.
The classes provided were great and set up in a way that allowed us to still have free time on weekends as long as you stayed busy and focused in class. The professors were very educated and challenged us everyday to speak as much Spanish as possible to help us learn. They saw so much potential in all their students and encouraged us to see that same potential in ourselves.
Overall, this program was all around such a great experience and made going abroad such an easy process. I recommend this program and location to all students. It changed my life and I will always have a home in Salamanca and with the AIFS staff.

The staff with AIFS Barcelona made my experience amazing. I recently went back to Barcelona and visited all my professors at the UAB and the staff at the Barcelona office. This office is more of a family. I was abroad for a year and I attribute a lot of the reasons as to why i didnt get homesick because of them. What I also found really exiting and unique about this experience were the catalan classes they offered for students. I took full advantage of those classes and continued to utilize them for anytime I had catalan related questions. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone.
What i found to be the most impressive thing about this program was how much the staff really cared about you. I often found myself in and out of the hospital during my year abroad which should have been a scary experience, but because I had the staff there they made it pain free. They accompanied me to the hospital and were there to answer any questions I had. Although I spoke spanish and techicnally did not need them, they were still always there for me.