Barcelona Internships with Beyond Academy

This internship was amazing, I definitely got to experience a lot of Barcelona, and that was massively influenced by the experiences provided by Beyond Academy, not only where we visited but also it allowed us a chance to meet the other interns who I spent most of my time with throughout the internship! Our group orientation leader Isabel was also a big part in why the experience Beyond Academy provided was so amazing. The only thing I would improve is the work experience itself, I would be prepared to not have the work itself meet your specific requirements, but there is definitely opportunity to raise these concerns while you’re there with Beyond Academy but also the workplace itself as my company was more than happy to give me more work when I was looking for it :)

If what your looking for is extra work experience on your CV and you have the funds to participate in something like Beyond Academy, I would say why not? You get to meet some really amazing people, grow your network a little and see a new city that you may have never been to before. I really enjoyed the one on one work meeting, and all the activities that Beyond Academy had to offer, you will definitely never be bored. While I don't think they had to best placement, i still learned a lot at my place of work and got to try something I previously didn't think about doing.

My time in Barcelona with Beyond Academy was a really remarkable experience. I got to live in an amazing city, surrounded by the beach and the vibrant Spanish and Catalan culture. To me, the most memorable parts of the program are all the friendships I made and the great nightlife! Our community coordinator Isabel was like a big sister, always ready to help, and organized fun events we all enjoyed a lot - often with drinks and meals included. We all felt very well-guided and it enhanced our experience a lot. The internship itself was very insightful and helped me in my professional growth, gave me knowledge about different industries, and I learned a lot. I also made valuable professional connections and felt like I had a good life-work-balance in Barcelona! Our accommodation was nice, with a view of the Sagrada Família. However, there was a very big hidden fee for the use of AC (which is very necessary in Barcelona), that was not properly communicated and not listed in the accommodation contract we all signed. Overall, the program is also a bit expensive for what you get. And you have to be really specific with the Beyond Academy staff who are responsible for role matching. They were sometimes inattentive to my requests, and you have to be very specific about what you do and do not want - in order to not be pushed into roles you’re not really interested in. I did end up finding a great host company, though.