Interning Abroad: What Exactly Was I Doing? 

During my study abroad experience in Seville, Spain, I had the opportunity to not only be a student but also complete an international internship. Thanks to CEA CAPA, this option not only provides valuable work abroad experience but also counts as class credit during your semester abroad, which is super helpful in balancing both the internship and coursework. For my particular internship, I worked as an International Marketing Intern with a local gastronomy company called La Terraza del Cristina, which specialized in food and wine tasting experiences. In this position, I had a handful of different roles, including booking management, client relations, and content creation. The internship fell under the tourism sector, which was one that I expressed interest in when applying for the internship program, and it provided me with some really good insight into this industry! 

Customers of La Terraza del Cristina enjoying some drinks during our Sangria Tasting experience. 

Let’s Talk Logistics 

Studying abroad can be overwhelming immersing yourself in a new country with an unfamiliar culture and, often, an unfamiliar language comes with a lot of adjustments. Trying to balance school with this big transition can be intimidating. Throw an internship on top of that, and things can look really scary. However, I’m here to tell you that it is not as overwhelming as it might seem at first, and CEA CAPA does a great job helping you balance all of these new experiences. So how DOES it all work? 

First of all, it’s important to note that the CEA CAPA internship program has two options: a 3-credit internship and a 6-credit internship. Regardless of which option you choose, you will be getting the same amount of intern hours—20 per week, 240 total. The main difference between these options has to do with the internship seminar that you will be taking in addition to your actual internship. This is a class that meets once a week, and the consistency with which you meet depends on whether you are in the 3- or 6-credit internship. 

• If you choose the 3-credit option, you will only meet for this seminar a small handful of times throughout the semester (maybe 4-5 times). 

• For the 6-credit option, you will meet more regularly—not every week, but more consistently (maybe 6-8 times). 

• Additionally, the 6-credit option includes a research project that you will work on throughout the semester and present as your final. The 3-credit option does not have this responsibility. 

Although all of this information makes the 3-credit option sound much more appealing, there are trade-offs. The biggest one is that if you take the 6-credit option, you only have to take two additional courses throughout the semester to reach 12 credits. This means that, other than the weeks when you have the internship seminar, you will only have two courses to attend. This can be very beneficial and make the balance between your internship and schoolwork much easier to navigate. Conversely, with the 3-credit option, you will still be taking three courses in addition to your weekly 20 hours of internship. 

My boss making a traditional paella during one of our Paella Showcooking experiences. 

The interns of La Terraza del Cristina with CEA CAPA Sevilla’s Internship Coordinator, Kevin! 

My Experience with the 3-Credit Option 

So which option should you choose? Well, it’s all pretty subjective. I personally did the 3-credit option, and I don’t have any regrets about that. Although there were appeals to switch to the 6-credit once I learned that this was an option, I ultimately felt that it was more important for me to take classes abroad that would be valuable to my curriculum back at my home university. 

If I had done the 6-credit option and only taken two courses while abroad, I would’ve been setting myself up for a heavier semester upon returning to my home university. Personally, I felt that it would be more beneficial to get an extra class over with while abroad so I wouldn’t have to worry about it in addition to my other courses back at home. That being said, if you have room in your home university schedule and aren’t worried about how many more credits you need to take once you return from study abroad, the 6-credit option could be better for you. 

In my experience, balancing work for three courses with my internship was manageable. Were there days when I felt overwhelmed? Sure. But that’s pretty inevitable while studying abroad, no matter what you do. One thing that most definitely made this balance easier was the fact that my internship was hybrid, so half of my hours could be completed remotely. This gave me more opportunities to work on schoolwork during the week. 

If your internship is fully in person, and you’re required to be in the office for a full 20 hours each week, the 6-credit option may make your life a little easier. For example, my roommate’s internship was fully in person, so she was spending a lot of time there every week. For her, doing the 3-credit option probably would’ve made her schedule super busy and not very enjoyable. But like I said, it’s all subjective, and there are pros and cons to both. However, inevitably, both are manageable, and CEA CAPA will always do its best to steer you in the right direction. 

The lovely view from the rooftop where the other interns and I would complete our work. 

Takeaways 

Going into the internship experience, I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I knew that I wanted to learn about the tourism industry, what it takes to run a small business, and experience the work culture in a foreign country. Other than that, I was just along for the ride. I can say with confidence that I did achieve all these goals, and my professional knowledge has expanded significantly thanks to this experience. 

Any internship is beneficial, but one in a foreign country is incredibly unique and takes your experience to the next level. Thanks to this internship program, I learned about the Spanish workplace and myself as a professional. I met some amazing people and gained a huge résumé booster. Although it’s not the standard study abroad experience, the CEA CAPA internship program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you’d be hard-pressed to pass up. 

My parents and I enjoying the view from La Terraza del Cristina’s famous rooftop after a Sangria Tasting!