With the help of our Global Opportunities team, Business and Marketing student, Lois gained work experience over the summer through an internship in Barcelona.
Work experience is an excellent way to stand out when getting a job. Ahead of my third year, I wanted to set myself apart and I felt an internship would be a great way to do this.
My Business & Marketing tutor told the class about a session from the Global Opportunities team, where I learnt about the different options available for students to spend time abroad. You could spend long periods away on a semester or year abroad, but I was more interested in the opportunity to do a short-term internship over the summer. I got in contact with the team and my journey began.
I applied and attended an interview with an internship company about what kind of work I'd like to do and what I wanted to get out of it. I was accepted and got an internship with an elopement planning agency in Barcelona that needed help with social media, content creation, and blog writing - an excellent way for me to develop a range of marketing skills. My interview with the CEO went amazingly well, and I was placed ready to begin.
Flights booked, suitcase packed, and I was off to Manchester to catch my flight. This was my first time travelling alone, so I had triple-checked my passport and gate number. Once I landed, I met with some fellow interns at Barcelona Airport. It was really nice to get to know people from the moment I got there. The accommodation was located close to public transport and had some excellent facilities such as a small kitchen unit, coworking space, cinema room, and pool. There was a shop nearby so I could go and stock my fridge.
We spent the day getting settled, and in the evening went for a meal with our Program Coordinators and had some icebreakers to get to know each other more.
Our first weekend was spent exploring the city on a scavenger hunt which finished at the Sagrada Familia. We explored iconic locations and learnt more about the history of the city. Being very competitive, my team and I worked through the task well and we came first! This exploration was a great way to get to know the public transport in the city and familiarize ourselves with the key areas of the city.
On my first day, I met my supervisor and my fellow intern, and we began to get to know the business. Our first task was to conduct a content analysis based on the website and various social media channels. This informed our work for the rest of the experience. We spent time learning about industry tools and creating different types of content which was shared on their social media platforms.
Being able to gain feedback from industry professionals was a great way to develop my skills. The company was a women-owned start-up and placed great value on employee well-being and development. In weekly team meetings, everyone shared how they were feeling and discussed their current workload. The CEO would suggest ways she could help and make adjustments so the team could continue working hard.
It helped me value the importance of a good company culture. By working in a start-up, I was able to learn more about a different type of business and take on more responsibility than other interns working at other businesses.
Living in the city of Barcelona was an incredible experience, which opened my eyes to the possibility of living abroad in the future. It was incredible to experience cultural events such as street festivals and explore the rich history of the city. Around every corner, there was something new to find!
Spending time with other interns and sharing recommendations was an excellent way to see even more. I would recommend having a plan of where you want to explore each week because there is a lot and time flies by before you know it. The transport pass we were given was an excellent way to get around. A lot of people spoke English which made it easier to find my way, but it was still a great chance to practice Spanish.
This experience helped me gain a lot of confidence in my professional abilities. Having this on my CV is incredibly unique and helps demonstrate my ability to thrive in a new environment. Having worked in industry, I am more able to answer questions and understand my academic material.
Taking on real tasks helped me understand more about how I handle responsibility in the workplace. After my internship, a member of the team from the company reached out to me about a role in her own start-up which I gladly accepted!
This role is giving me further opportunities to learn and grow and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support from the University which helped me reach this stage.
