Work experience in Bilbao: learn Spanish doing work experience in a company

You can do work experience in a company at any time: in an institute or in the university. They are very important and beneficial for both your personal and professional development.

Work experience placements can be carried out in your native country or abroad, for short or long periods of time. The choices you make in these areas will depend upon your level of studies and the pre-requisites for the placement.

I think that work experience placements are important because they allow you to experience a change of scene, get to know new people, adapt to their working standards and different way of life. Every learning experience is always beneficial and productive!

For example, I am currently in the middle of a 2-month long work experience placement abroad, during my first year of the BTS Diploma in France. This course is obligatory as part of my course, and needs to be carried out outside of France. Even though it was difficult to leave my friends, family and familiar French environment behind, I know this experience will be really beneficial, both for my Spanish and on a more personal level.

Before commencing your internship or work experience placement, you should come to an agreement with the school or company in which you are going to carry out your placement, which should be signed by the intern, a representative from the company and someone from the centre sending you from your home country (if applicable.)

In this agreement you should include, among other things:

• All relevant activities assigned to the student, which should relate to their education if possible
• The start and end dates of the work experience
• Rewards to which the student might be entitled
• Advantages of the internship
• Conditions which guarantee the intern´s job
• Conditions for the issuing of a certificate at the end of the internship and its corresponding validity
• The internal rules of the company with reference to the intern

Stephanie Izard