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Internship Program

IES ABROAD MADRID Academic Department

Welcome to IES Abroad Madrid!!!

IES Abroad Madrid has a high quality academic program where you

will learn from instructors of wide renown. One of the most positively

assessed experiences is the INTERNSHIP. This activity will provide

you with a wider knowledge of the culture of Madrid, and Spain as a

whole, and will give you a cross-cultural vision. It will also offer you

new future opportunities and give you the possibility to know native

people in a working environment. You will practice your Spanish in a

different, more socially complete context, not only in the academic!

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IES Abroad Madrid Internship Program (I)

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE IN MADRID

You are eligible to apply for an in-

ternship with IES Abroad Madrid if

your home university approves

your participation in the program.

You need to complete the applica-

tion forms for the internship pro-

gram including your résumé and

cover letter (both in English and

Spanish).

You will receive an email from the

Academic Department in IES

Abroad Madrid with general infor-

mation. You will be asked to have

an online interview with the Intern-

ship Advisor to define your inter-

ests and discuss your expecta-

tions.

You may be asked to have an

online interview with a company

interested in your profile.

AFTER YOU ARRIVE IN MADRID

You will attend an informative

session during the orientation pe-

riod (first week of the program).

You will have a personal inter-

view with the Internship Advisor

to discuss your situation in the

internship process.

The Internship Advisor will man-

age your admission to the com-

pany/organization, arranging a

date for an interview (if neces-

sary). This process could be ex-

tended up to two weeks but it de-

pends on several factors. You will

always be informed of every step

taken.

How is the student admission managed?

See page 6

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Internship Components

In order to have an internship you must register in

the course IN395 Internship Seminar. This course

has two mandatory parts.

Internship Seminar Experience in companies or organizations

Agents involved in the Internship Program

Student

Internship Seminar Instructor

Internship Supervisor

IES Abroad Madrid Internship Advisor

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Internship Coordinator Gemma Muñoz García, Ph.D. Senior Academic & Internship Coordinator, gmunoz@IESmadrid.org Phone: +34 91 549 73 94 Cell: +34 690 818 726

Holding a PhD. in History from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, I de-

velop my work as a researcher in the heritage education field, especially in museum collection

promotion.

I have been working with IES Abroad since September 2003. Here I combine the academic

and the internship coordination. My tasks involve allocating internship places to students, keep-

ing in touch with companies and organizations and doing a follow-up of the internship situation

of every student. I am the reference person in any matter related to internships.

Internship Advisor

Ana Sidro Gual Academic Department asidro@IESmadrid.org Phone: +34 91 549 73 94

I hold a Masters in Applied Linguistics. I have been working with IES Abroad since January

2015, where I teach Spanish courses and coordinate the Spanish Language Department. I also

collaborate with the Academic Department and I am in charge of the EAS internship program.

Like Gemma, I allocate students in internship positions, keep in touch with companies and or-

ganizations, and do a follow-up of the internship situation of every student.

Internship Seminar (IN395) The objective of the seminar is to extend the professional experience of the interns. The course in-

tends to contextualize the working experience of the students showing the economical, political, and

social background to understand the atmosphere where their internships are taking place.

Internship Supervisor

The supervisor of the company/organization is the main reference person for the student in the institu-

tion where the internship is developed. The intern needs to inform the supervisor if he/she needs to be

excused due to medical reasons. The Internship Supervisor reports the performance of the student to

the Internship Advisor. He/ she also completes a questionnaire at the end of the semester that will be

a part of the final grade of the Internship Seminar.

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The student

The student is the essential element of the internship program. The decision of living

such an experience is highly recommended. The student needs to pay attention to the

following matters:

* Designing your definitive academic

schedule may take a while due to

the internship process, as the com-

pany makes the final decision. Oc-

casionally, this situation may be a

little bit stressful for the student. Our

recommendation is to be patient

and to come by the Academic De-

partment Office to about any doubts

you may have.

* IES Abroad does not guarantee

an internship until the student

has arrived in Madrid and has been

a part of the interview process etc.

Consequently, it is highly recom-

mended that you are registered in

an additional course when you ar-

rive in Madrid to make sure you

have the minimum number of cred-

its (15), in case you are not selected

for the internship in the end. This

alternative course can be dropped

when the internship is confirmed.

* Attendance is mandatory in both

parts of the internship: the Seminar

and the company/organization. Re-

peated unexcused absences will

result in the application of the IES

Abroad Madrid attendance policy

(See the orientation handbook when

arriving in Madrid). The student al-

ways needs to inform the Supervi-

sor and the Internship Advisor if he/

she is going to be absent.

* Once the internship has started, it

will not be possible for the student

to drop it and he/she will have to

complete all the tasks that have

been previously agreed with the su-

pervisor.

* The student will get a folder with

all the information about the intern-

ship program when he/she arrives in

Madrid.

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IES Abroad Madrid Internship Program (II)

HOW IS THE STUDENT ADMISSION MANAGED?

Each student could start the internship at a different moment but normally

they will start during the second or third week of the program. The student

will have an online interview with the Internship Advisor where he/she will

receive the information about the program and the expectations will be

discussed. After this interview, the student will have an interview with the

company/organization that could be online (before arriving in Madrid) or/

and on-site (after arriving in Madrid).

Once the company/organization has confirmed the selection of the candi-

date for the internship, the Internship Advisor will formalize the start.

The IES Internship Advisor will write a document named Internship Con-

tract at the beginning of the semester. It will include your objectives and

expectations and a list of tasks and objectives that must be accomplished

by you and by the internship supervisor, including the establishment of the

definitive schedule as soon as possible. Both parts will sign the contract.

Once the internship has started, you must attend the company regularly.

Being absent is only accepted when there are excused medical reasons

and you will always need to inform your Supervisor and the Internship Ad-

visor. Remember that you need to adapt to the company policy regarding

formalisms, privacy when dealing with information etc. For the proper

functioning of the internship program, you need to attend the follow-up

meetings with the Internship Advisor and fill in the assessment question-

naires.

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Examples of internships IES Abroad Madrid students have had in the past.

Here you can find examples of internships that students at IES Madrid

have had in the past. Every semester we also include new internships

based on the interests and applications of the students. Each company/

organization has its own requirements, as a result this list is only illustra-

tive.

AR-MU

Museo Cerralbo

Museo Pedagógico de Arte Infantil

Real Academia de Be-llas Artes de San Fer-

nando

IR-PO

Club de Madrid

Fundación Fabretto

Instituto Compluten-se de Estudios Inter-

nacionales

ED-SO

Instituto de Ense-ñanza Secundaria Ortega y Gasset

Asociación Edúnica

Fundación Tomillo

BS-MK

Fundación Make a Wish Spain

Imaste

Spotahome

DLA Piper Spain

If you are interested

in an internship area

that is not on the list,

do not hesitate to

email us or contact

the IES Abroad Office

in Chicago so that we

can personally inform

you about other op-

tions.

IMPORTANT

SC-ENG

Bioassays

Prevent Security Systems

UCM Odontology

School

Asociación de Celía-cos y Sensibles al

Gluten

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What will the supervisor grade from the stu-dent participation in the internship?

Attendance and punctuality

General behavior and dress code observance

Understanding of work objectives

Interest in the work developed by the company/organization

Relationship with other workers

Disposition to carry out tasks

Maturity and professionalism

Oral communication skills

Written communication skills

Ability to work without supervision

Ability to work with supervision

Social skills with clients and audience (only if relevant)

The Supervisor will inform the Internship Advisor about your experience

several times during the semester. At the end of the semester, he/she

will fill in a multiple choice test giving answers to questions like:

IMPORTANT

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Documents These are some of the documents we recommend you to be familiar with:

Attendance control. The supervisor needs to sign this document weekly in order to certi-fy you are attending the company.

Class schedule, you need to de-fine it as soon as possible in order to decide the internship schedule.

Internship assessment question-naire. You will be given several questionnaires throughout the se-mester in order to know the differ-ent aspects of your participation in the program.

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Internship Agreement Students have to sign this document as a commitment to the company.

Documents

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Project A day in my internship

MY INTERNSHIP IN MADRID We want to know your opinion about the internship program and at the same time we want to

help future students to clear some doubts. You are invited to participate in this project in two dif-

ferent ways.

Project 1. A Day in my Internship

Project 2. Interviews

Both options require video recording. You can borrow a camera from us if you are doing the first

project and we will record you if you are doing the second one.

Project 1– A Day in my Internship You are invited to record a day in your internship. First thing you need to do is to ask for permis-

sion from the supervisor. Also, you need to make sure that people appearing in the film agree to

be recorded. From this point forward, you are the director. You need to reflect how is your day to

day work, emphasizing the aspects that you think that could be helpful to future students.

Project 2– Interviews You are invited to be a part of a recorded interview in the IES Abroad Madrid Office made by the

Academic Department. You will be asked the following questions:

How long did you take to get an internship?

How important is Spanish fluency for your internship?

How was the interview with the company/organization?

Was it difficult to organize the schedule for your classes/internship/ personal activities?

What kind of tasks do you do for your internship?

How is the relationship with your colleagues?

If you participate in this project, you agree to record your image and the content of your interven-

tion which will then be used for academic purposes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a week do I need to work in my internship? Around 20 hours a week. The definitive number depends on your university require-

ments, the needs of the company/organization and your availability.

My classmates have started their internship but I haven’t. When will I start mine? Most students start their internship around the second or third week after they arrive in

Madrid. However, each admission process is independent. You will always be informed

about the situation of the process.

What happens if I don’t get an internship? The final decision is made by the company/organization. Consequently, IES Abroad

Madrid recommends you to be registered in an additional course during the first week

of the semester. In case the internship needs to be cancelled, you will keep the mini-

mum number of credits required (15). When your internship is confirmed, you can drop

the extra course. Bear in mind that while you are registered in this alternative course,

you need to attend classes if you don’t want to accumulate absences that may affect

your final grade in case you keep the course for the semester.

How do I need to dress and what documents should I bring to the interview? In general, it is appropriate to dress casual business. This means that pants (not

jeans), a skirt, a shirt or a sweater, and dress or nice shoes, (not sport shoes), are suit-

able. Occasionally, if there is a special event, you may be required to dress more pro-

fessionally. It is important to bring a copy of your résumé and your course schedule to

decide together with the supervisor your work schedule for the company/organization.

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Is there a list where I can choose an internship from? In this guide you can see examples of internships that previous students have done in

the past. Most of them are regular collaborators but each semester we add new com-

panies based on the students applications. There is no list where a student can choose

an internship from, but we will be happy to hear your suggestions, and if your profile fits

the company, we will do our best to allocate you in that internship.

What professional profiles are ideal for an internship in Spain? Depends on the company/organization. Generally, aspects such as fluency in Spanish,

previous experience in the field, communicative skills, knowledge and use of specific

software tools, knowledge of other languages, etc., are taken into consideration.

Can I have an internship and also enjoy the experience of living in Madrid, travel around, etc.? Of course! Many students do it every semester. The main challenge is to determine

your expectations and assume that reaching them may involve some sacrifices. You

may have to attend the company on Fridays or spend time commuting from UC3M to

IES office and the internship company.

How am I going to be assessed in this course? You will have all the information in the course syllabus of the Internship Seminar. The

instructor will grade you based on papers, exams, presentations, etc. Also, your intern-

ship supervisor will fill in a form from where your grade will be obtained. With the calcu-

lation of the percentage of each part, your Seminar Instructor will give you a final

grade.