A warm welcome to our latest team member in Madrid – Christina. Christina is our new program manager in Madrid and looks forward to welcoming our talented participants from all over the world to this mesmerizing city! We sat down with her to find out a bit more about her and why Madrid is THE place in mainland Europe to complete an international internship.
Christina – tell us a bit about yourself and life up till now – what were you doing before joining our team in Madrid?
Before joining the team in Madrid I spent five years working as a media relations officer in a multi-disciplinary consultancy, which works in the private and public sector in over 140 countries. It was great because I got to meet and build relationships with people from all over the world, as my small team of just three people was responsible for providing media relations services to all 16,000 members of staff in our 120 offices globally. I got to promote some of the largest infrastructure projects that are happening in the world right now!
Where have you travelled abroad – and – have you ever completed an international internship/worked abroad yourself?
Travelling is one of my biggest passions and I’m lucky enough to have been to lots of countries around the world. I’ve also lived and worked in a few countries, including Japan and London. In fact, I completed an international internship in London in a £1 billion, global management, engineering and development consultancy. It was a fantastic experience, I really can’t recommend doing an international internship enough, and another bonus is that it led to me being offered a full time job in the company! I taught Spanish and English in Japan a few years ago. It was a real eye opener into a completely different culture and taught me so many valuable things, primarily the importance of learning foreign languages! But I also learnt that I was able to cope very well outside my comfort zone and actually thrived in such a foreign environment.
Why do you feel that an internship in Spain is a great thing to do?
Spain just has so much to offer everyone, no matter your age, gender or race, I guarantee you will fall in love with the country and obviously Madrid, the capital, is the hub of everything! We work closely with a huge range of companies in Spain and can offer internships in a variety of sectors for example, there is a huge science sector in Madrid as well as lots of finance companies. There is a massive start up network in the country and Madrid is financing a lot of growth for people with innovative ideas. By doing an internship in Spain you will not only boost your resume and your language skills, but you will also have an amazing life experience and make friends and professional networks in Madrid and all over the world! We have students who come and do a Spanish Internship and they all leave telling us that they have had the best experience ever. Some of them enjoy it so much that they decide to stay on and do a second internship! Completing an internship in Spain will enable you to demonstrate to future employers independence, ambition, drive, and an impressive cultural awareness.
What are your favourite things about Madrid?
Where to start – there are so many! I guess firstly it would be the city’s incredible culture scene. There are always loads of things happening: exhibitions, galleries, fairs and festivals, it’s amazing! You could never be bored in Madrid. The next point might sound odd, but I am also very attached to the sky in Madrid! It is the most incredible blue and makes you feel so happy, even in the winter. Whenever I go abroad I find myself comparing skies and I’m proud to say nowhere competes with Madrid – it’s stunning! And did I mention the food?! Wow, it’s the best in the world and I’m not just saying it because I’m biased – come and try it!
How would you describe Madrilenos – in one single sentence?
Madrilenos know how to live life to the fullest and are able to strike a fantastic balance between working hard and playing hard!