2015
Catherine McClure
Catherine McClure, a final year BSc International Business with Spanish student, recounts her experience living and working in Madrid, Spain.
“The opportunity to go on a year abroad whilst at university is a fantastic experience which I would highly recommend to any student. Not only is it an opportunity to meet new people, live in and experience a new city and a different and dynamic culture but also to learn a lot about yourself as a person. I feel I have learned so much on both a personal and professional level. Being immersed in such a large city, speaking a different language and experiencing a different culture was challenging yet very exciting.
For my placement year I worked as an Assistant Virtual Coordinator for the Language Consultancy Firm in Madrid, Training Express, which is a leading provider of?corporate language training?to clients in more than?50 countries worldwide.
The placement benefitted me in many different ways. I was able to improve my linguistic skills as communication in the workplace was in Spanish. Communication and delegation was very important in my role as not all my team members worked in the same office. The placement opportunity enhanced my time-management skills and this ensured I carried out tasks properly and met deadlines. Once I had been trained in my job and understood the required tasks and procedures, I was given independence and responsibility to carry out tasks alone. My placement also helped me to learn how to problem solve – at the start of my placement I discovered new situations that I was not familiar with and I had to learn how to deal with these in a professional manner.
Overall, I feel I gained many professional skills, including: punctuality; working to reach deadlines; working in a team; and also strong communication skills in both Spanish and English. I feel each of these skills have enhanced my employability profile. I thoroughly enjoyed working and living in Madrid and I am very grateful for the opportunities it has provided me with for when I graduate.”