On a beautiful morning in Barcelona I meet Lukas in a café to talk about his just finished internship at a big international consulting company.
Actually, Lukas hadn’t planned to do his 6-month internship in Barcelona but when looking back on his time he is sure it was just the right decision. His internship has already come to an end but he feels strange about leaving the company: “I was there 6 months from Monday to Friday and got along really well with my colleagues. We were a well-functioning team and we met many times after work to go out for drinks or just to have some dinner. It was strange to say goodbye to everyone. But tomorrow I’ll meet a few colleagues again to have kind of a farewell evening, I think this will be a perfect end for my time in Barcelona.”
The internship was a perfect match
When Lukas contacted Sí-internships a few months before his trip, he was sure he would like to do his internship in the field of consulting, preferably in a large and internationally operating company. The position at his host company suited him and his ideas perfectly and so he quickly had the confirmation in his pocket and could deal with planning and preparing his big journey.
Vamos a Barcelona! And that’s how it all started. Especially the heat was something Lukas had to get used to first: “For work I always had to wear a suit. You can easily imagine that in summer you’d just sweat easily, especially on the way to the office and back home. But you know, that’s also the beauty of Barcelona: sun, sea and beach – that’s a real holiday feeling you get here. Barcelona generally offers so much!”“
Six months of Consulting
From the first day on Lukas had high expectations of his internship and also of himself. Since his internship company has lots of international prestige he obviously wanted to give his best and learn as much as possible during his internship.
One big challenge at the beginning was the working language since most of the everyday work was done in Spanish. Although Lukas already had a good knowledge of Spanish due to some time spent in Madrid, speaking Spanish every day in the office was something completely different.
But due to the extremely open atmosphere among the team and the good leadership and support of all colleagues and his boss he could quickly get used to working in Spanish.
I’ve learned so much!
The first week in the company was pure learning, both in the daily routine of the company and the theoretical concept. Lukas describes the general workflow in his internship company as very efficient: “The tasks were distributed at the beginning of each week so everyone knew what to do and could plan the week to fit. I myself worked on a larger project which was a lot of fun. I especially noticed how important it is to work together in a team and with the customers themselves. The constant exchange with partner companies and customers was essential in order to develop the project appropriately and successfully”. In his opinion it was especially important to work in a structured way, to plan precisely and to ask questions in case of uncertainties because that’s how he could learn even more and avoid mistakes.
“Time passed quickly, especially since work was so much fun.”
Looking back Lukas rates his internship as a great experience: “The 6 month internship was just right to get an impression in the field of Consulting. I also learned a lot about databases, IT and even programming languages which I didn’t expect at all in the beginning. There were also moments when I got a lot of responsibility and I really doubted myself. But it also made it clear to me that I would never have had so much responsibility if my boss wouldn’t have trusted me with it. So I was able to really prove myself and I am extremely happy that I could do my internship there. The company has a great corporate culture and I was able to learn so many practical things that will be very useful in my future”.
Tips for Barcelona
Lukas reveals his top tips for Barcelona and an internship abroad.
For him it was a great balance to work to do some sports in the evening or just to walk through the city to get some exercise after 8 hours in the office. In his opinion walking through the streets of Barcelona in the evening is relaxing and exciting at the same time as there is so much new to discover. The countless bars and Irish pubs offer great opportunities to meet friends in the evenings for tapas and some fresh drinks.
One of his absolute favourite places during his time in Barcelona were the bunkers del Carmel: “The view from there is simply outstanding! To look over the city and the sea in the evening at sunset and to just enjoy the view, that’s what I will miss.”
But Lukas also recommends the beaches a little outside of Barcelona as they are a little quieter, not many tourists come there and there are great coastal sections for walking and hiking.
“I would recommend this experience to anyone!”
All in all Lukas is sure that the internship was the exact right thing for him. He was able to gain a lot of experience and due to the support of the placement agency the preparation was relaxed and reliable.
We are happy that we could help Lukas to have such a great time in Barcelona and we wish him all the best for his future!Hasta pronto!
