Christina’s Eye-Opening Internship at a Placement Agency in Barcelona
The Urge to Go Abroad
Christina and I meet at an idyllic park around the corner of the Sí-Internships office and look back on her 5 months in Barcelona. In search of a new challenge abroad, she made the decision to come to Barcelona: “I had never worked at a company before and didn’t exactly know what I’d like to do professionally.” When Christina received the offer from a internship placement agency in Barcelona, she immediately knew she wanted to join the team: “I’ve already worked in the Marketing team of my university and was thinking of going in this field in general. Moreover, working in Customer Service is exciting you get to know the perspective of not being a customer.”
Customer Service and Social Media Marketing
Christina’s working day is very versatile: it consists of answering customer inquiries, doing research work, constructing a social media plan, writing Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn posts and of course playing with the office dog Momo. 🙂
In the beginning, Christina was a little overwhelmed: “You need to know so much information and have a detailed knowledge of so many different topics.” Whether she enjoys the internship? “Yes! Especially the Customer Service is great as you always get immediate feedback. It was particularly nice that I was given so much responsibility and was fully involved in the company’s everyday business.” When I asked her about what she has learned during her internship, she smiles and answers: “Definitely patience, persuasive power and perseverance.” Therefore, she’d recommend the internship to people who are communicative and creative when it comes to problem-solving, who have people skills, but also to those who may be looking for a professional guidance.
Living in a Huge Shared Flat
“I searched for suitable rooms online and directly found what I was looking for.” Christina lives in the neighbourhood of Eixample on the border to Gràcia. 7 people from all over the world are living in her flat and Christina says: “I love living with many people, there is always something going on, you always have someone to talk to and we’re all in the same situation and understand each other. Christina especially likes the fact that the inner courtyard is built like “a village of its own”, so you have the contrast between a busy street on one side and a kind of “oasis” on the other.
Leisure Time in Barcelona
Through the monthly intern meeting of Sí-Internships, Christina met a lot of other people: “We created a WhatsApp group and planned lots of trips and activities together.” She feels like she really got to know Barcelona as she went sightseeing all across the city, watched a football game at Camp Nou, went to a concert and visited many bars and cafes. Asked what she liked best, Christina has to think for a moment: “That’s difficult! I guess one of my highlights was when I went to the Bunkers for the first time and watched the city changing its character at sunset.”
All in all, spending time abroad in Barcelona was a great experience for Christina in a lot of ways: “I can definitely recommend going abroad to everyone. It has given me a perspective on what I’d like to do professionally and it was great for my personal development as well.”
