Intern Abroad This Summer in Madrid

The program includes support through the interview and placement process, two evening Spanish lessons at Expanish a week, on-site orientation and supervision throughout the internship, university credit, free cultural activities, housing options, and 24/7 emergency services. The exact cost of each 8-week Summer internship program will depend on the type of housing you choose.

1. Intern sends application with the following documents

   1. Enrollment Form, with up to 3 placement areas selected

   2. CV with photo and professional objectives

   3. Passport copy

2. Expanish staff will arrange for the intern to complete a questionnaire and have an informational phone call with the internship coordinator to better understand their goals and background.

3. Expanish staff will select an appropriate internship site to present to the intern.

4. The applicant and workplace site supervisor(s) will conduct an interview via Zoom.

5. Expanish receives feedback from both the supervisor(s) and the applicant after the interview. *If feedback is negative from either intern or site supervisor, Expanish will provide 1 additional placement site to interview with. After the initial two, any additional placement sites will incur extra fees.

6. Both parties sign a commitment letter

Interns will be placed in a customized internship in the professional field of their choice. The placement process typically takes 8 weeks from the time we receive the application documents. Internship areas include the following:

● Architecture

● Art & Design

● Business

● Education & Teaching

● Fashion

● Hospitality & Tourism

● IT & Computer Science

● Language & Translation

● Nonprofit Sector

● PR & Marketing

● Social Work

Expanish selects placement sites with the following characteristics:

1. High-performing business and nonprofits

2. Spanish and international entities

3. Small and medium-sized companies (we do not work with large corporations)

4. Spanish-speaking and English-speaking offices

Here are example descriptions of internship sites:

Business: Professional women's group and global community that helps early-stage female entrepreneurs

Computer Science: Startup company related to the tourism industry that offers platforms and tools to make business travel reservations easier.

Marketing: Video game development company that makes competitive games for mobile devices

Non-Profit: Nonprofit organization working to provide better opportunities to children and teenagers in vulnerable situations

The Spanish course book, flights, and optional weekend excursions are not included in the program cost. Meals are also not included unless you are staying at a homestay.  

• Age - 18 to 35 years old.

• Professional Experience - None required but ideally studying the subject of internship area

• Language - Proficient in Spanish or English (B2 or higher)

• Required Documents - Enrollment Form, CV with Photo

• Minimum personal liability insurance of 1,000,000€ (travel insurance)

Expanish offers the opportunity for applicants to participate in an internship with an English-speaking supervisor or a Spanish-speaking supervisor. In order to participate in a Spanish-speaking internship, applicants are required to possess a B2 level of Spanish by the start of their program. Applicants are required to complete an online written Spanish exam as well as an oral level assessment during their initial phone call with Expanish staff.

Yes! At Expanish you only pay for the services that you need. If you would like to handle your own housing, for example, we can eliminate those costs from your program fees.

The program is from June 2, 2024 - July 27, 2024 (8 weeks). The deadline to register for the Summer Internship is April 6th, 2024.

Final payments must be received in full 45 days prior to the program start date. Payment instructions are provided with the invoice. The payer is responsible for all bank and transaction fees.

Students can choose between Student Shared Apartments or Homestay options.

Homestays are a great option for students who want to truly immerse themselves in Spanish culture and language, whereas the student shared apartments offer the opportunity to make friends with other international students and live the full student life experience. Students staying in homestays are provided with 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner), whereas students living in the shared apartments do not have meals included. 

Students receive their housing placements 2 weeks before the start of the program.

Students must inform the school of any dietary restrictions or allergies upon booking a homestay. Special dietary requirements may be accommodated -subject to availability  - for a fee of €40 per week. This applies to vegan, gluten-free, halal, and kosher diets only.

Homestays and student shared apartments are located in Salamanca, Guindalera, Lista, Ibiza, El Retiro, Madrid centro, Chamberí, Atocha, Legazpi, Cuatro Caminos, Tetuán, and Chamartín,with a maximum commute of 35 minutes to the school.

Homestay- Students will live with a local Spanish family, which could be a couple or a single host, with or without children. In homestays, students will have someone at home to help them adjust to Spain, share meals, and to practice Spanish. Some families host more than one student at a time, which means students could live with one or more other students as well.

Student shared apartment -Each apartment has 2 to 8 international students, so there may be other Expanish students or living in the same place, although this is not guaranteed.

Tuesdays & Thursdays from 7pm-9pm.

For our 8 week summer internship program, you will complete 32 academic credit hours which transfers to 2 semester credits.  

Since many universities have different course requirements, it is important for you to confirm with your home university that they will accept your credits. This can usually be done by showing them the course syllabus prior to enrolling in the program, though each university may have different requirements. You can find a copy of the syllabus by contacting hola@expanish.com.

Normally, 3 semester credits are equal to 1.5 quarter credits, and are obtained with45 academic hours at Expanish. If your home university uses the quarter system, make sure to confirm with your university beforehand what their process is and how many units you will receive.  

Expanish will ask you to confirm the email address of the person who needs to receive the transcript when we are confirming your booking. Usually students provide contact information from someone at their university's registrar’s office. The transcript should arrive at the indicated email address within 2 months after the end of your program.

1. A1 = SPN225 

2. A2 = SPN226

3. B1= SPN325

4. B2 = SPN326

Expanish is proud to offer 5 US$ 1,000 scholarships to be used to help students cover costs for Expanish programs in any of our locations.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the program.

• Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA at the time of the application.

• Applicants must be enrolled in a University or College at the time of their program, either at an undergraduate or graduate level.

• Applicants must plan to use their scholarship for an Intensive Month or longer study abroad program.

• Successful applicants will be required to write 1 to 4 guest blog posts detailing their experience, depending on program length, and as such must demonstrate a high level of proficiency with the English language.

Applications are due February 20, 2024 and decisions will be made March 15, 2024.

No, successful applicants will have until March 15, 2025 to make use of their scholarship.

Students must complete the application form and upload the following documents:

• 1 letter of recommendation

• University transcript

• CV

• 2 essays detailing their reasons for applying

  • Essay 1: Why do you want to study Spanish in Spain or Argentina?

  • Essay 2: How will studying Spanish abroad benefit your future and personal growth?

Students can get in touch with us by completing a contact form or emailing us at hola@expanish.com if they have any questions or concerns.

All scholarship applicants will also be considered for partial financial aid. We recognize that putting together an application takes time and effort, so we are willing to reward that as well on a case by case basis. Although it will not be the full scholarship amount, we can provide aid that can help cover up to 50% of the total of the program.

Students are also encouraged to check with their university to see if they qualify for any additional scholarships or financial aid. We accept all types of financial aid, grants, scholarships, or loans that they may receive to help pay for any of our academic programs.

Yes. US citizens must have a valid US passport to travel to Spain and we recommend that your passport be valid for at least 6 months after your program’s date.  Starting in 2024, US citizens will need to purchase an ETIAS, a travel authorization document, in order to travel to Spain. You can read more about how to obtain the document here. 

Students from the US do not need a student visa to travel to Spain for less than 90 days, but if you wish to stay longer you will require a visa.

Expanish has an Emergency Phone students can call in case of an emergency after office hours: Phone & Whatsapp: +34 913 855 979 (24hr emergency line)

During business hours, please call: : +34 913 855 979 

Additional Emergency Numbers:

All general emergencies: 112

Police: 091 & 092

Ambulance: 061 / 91 479 93 61

Fire Dept: 080 – 085 – 092

Madrid is generally a very safe city, however pick-pocketing is common. It’s a good idea to write down the important information of your credit card(s) and important phone numbers on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place. It’s also advisable to always keep a copy of your passport on you, but do not take the original unless you need it.

If you are taking a treatment, it is important to bring a dose for the entire stay and accompany it with the original prescription. All medication should be in its original container and prescriptions should have your name on it. If it runs out, even in the case of a chronic illness, the foreign prescription will not be accepted. You will have to go to a local doctor, to prescribe the medicine again.

While studying abroad can be a life changing experience, it often takes time for students to adjust to a new culture and social setting. It’s completely normal to feel emotionally out of sorts while experiencing these changes. 

Before starting your program we recommend talking to your current medical provider(s) to discuss how your wellbeing may be affected by traveling abroad and how to best prepare. 

During the onsite orientation, Expanish will provide a list of local mental health resources, including English speaking psychologists and 24 hour mental health services, that students can utilize throughout their time. In addition, the Expanish team is always available to assist you onsite and are well-trained in student support.  

Students are required to have adequate travel/medical insurance and this is included in program fees.

Public transportation in Madrid is easy to use and very affordable! Students can take the bus, train, or metro to all parts of the city. We recommend using Google maps or other transportation apps to find the quickest route to get around.

Getting a sim card is probably the easiest way to have access to all the capabilities of a smartphone and to be able to make calls. To put a local sim card into your phone your phone needs to be unlocked by your home carrier. Putting a sim card into your smartphone will give you access to a Spanish number and data, so you will be able to use apps around the city and make phone calls to local numbers. Local Carriers: 

Local Carriers: 

• Movistar - Central Location: C/ Gran Vía, 28, 28013 Madrid

• Vodafone - Central Location: Puerta del Sol, 13, 28013 Madrid

• Orange - Central location:  Puerta del Sol, 12, 28013 Madrid

• Yoigo - Central Location: C/ de Alcalá, 192, 28028 Madrid

International Plans: Many carriers will allow you to put international plans on your phones, which will give you data internationally and allow you to make foreign calls. This option can be quite expensive, but make sure you look into the different offers of your home phone carrier. 

Wifi: You will have wifi all around the city, but you should not rely on wifi as your only source of communication, as it can be unreliable and you may not be able to access it in the case of an emergency.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: If your iphone is lost or stolen while in Madrid and you try to mail a new phone from your home country (outside the EU) to Madrid it WILL get stuck in Spanish Customs, and you may never receive it. For this reason, we do NOT encourage you to have smartphones shipped to Madrid, we recommend you to buy them locally. 

You will begin your stay with a student orientation, where you will have the opportunity to meet other program participants. You will also be able to meet other students in your classes, during workshops and weekly activities, in your homestay or shared apartment, and through the local Expanish staff. You will have plenty of opportunities to socialize with other students if you wish.