How an Internship Helped Jule Realize What She Wants to Do in Life
We got to interview Jule, 24, during the last week of her internship in Barcelona. After finishing high school she did an apprenticeship to become a bank clerk. Yet, she figured out pretty quickly that she would much rather liked to work in the social sector. To test whether being a kindergarten teacher is her cup of tea, she decided to do an internship to find out. Moreover, to escape the cold winter in Germany she knew that she wanted to come to Spain. Since she fell in love with Barcelona during a visit she had to try out living in this city. Therefore, she decided to not only stay for a 12 week long internship but also for 2 more weeks afterwards to enjoy the good weather and everything else Barcelona has to offer.
About the Internship at the Kindergarten
Jule completed her internship at a bilingual kindergarten right in the middle of Barcelona. She was mainly responsible for the afternoon care of the 3 – to 5 – year – olds. “At first I only worked part time but I enjoyed it so much that I talked to the manager and offered to sometimes work full days.”
All in all, she loved the atmosphere at the kindergarten since, due to the great ratio of staff and children, it was quite relaxing. Therefore, she was able to take time for each child individually. Her main tasks were taking the kids to the park or the playground or play with them on the kindergarten’s own rooftop terrace. “The working atmosphere was very pleasant and my colleagues were great! I also met up with them outside of work and went to concerts, for example.”
Living in the Neighbourhood of Raval She found a room very easily in a Facebook group when she commented on a post of her then future flatmate. She got in touch with her and voilà: she got her room! She really likes living in her shared flat as she gets along with all of the flatmates very well. “My room is very big and I even have a small balcony!”, Jule tells me. But what she likes most about her flat is its location: “I’m living in the neighbourhood of Raval, exactly between the Ramblas and the MACBA. There’s always something going on in this part of the city and everything is super close.” Living in Barcelona “I absolutely love living in Barcelona. The city is so alive and there are so many things to do every day, especially in the evening.”, says Jule. What she liked the most was spending time in cafés such as the Tropico: “It’s one of my insider tipps since it is rather hidden. That’s why a lot of tourists don’t find it that easily.” Even though she was a little homesick in the beginning, she got over it very fast as she found friends at the first intern meeting. “Most days we met after work or spent the weekends together. Since I was so busy all the time, I didn’t even have time to be homesick!”
What does the future hold for her?
“The internship definitely helped me to find out which job I want to do later in life. I realized how much I enjoy being a kindergarten teacher and how much joy it brings me. That’s why I’m going to start an apprenticeship this summer to become a kindergarten teacher!”
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