Internship

During my semester abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, I had the opportunity to participate in a month-long internship program at the five-star Hotel Palacio del Carmen. From 9 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Friday, I worked both behind the reception desk and at the breakfast buffet, where I was assigned a wide variety of duties and tasks. At the reception desk, I greeted guests, performed guest check-ins and check-outs, answered phone calls, created room keys, stored luggage, and answered customer questions and concerns. At the breakfast buffet, I was responsible for signing in each guest and assisting the servers with tasks such as cleaning and re-setting tables, restocking food, and assisting with customer needs.

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This internship benefitted me in a wide variety of ways. It increased my confidence in my listening and speaking abilities, through activities such as answering phone calls and attending to specific guest needs. It increased mhy overall vocabulary (both colloquially and formally) as I consistently conversed with my coworkers and guests throughout the day. I became more familiar with formal Spanish structures, such as the use of the "usted" form, and learned a great deal about the Spanish workplace culture, including the more traditional leadership structure, the familial environment, and the much lower employee turnover rate. I felt incredibly welcomed by each member of the staff, and formed relationships with these coworkers in a very short time. I thoroughly enjoyed this internship experience, and I believe that it greatly helped to prepare me for a career in the Spanish-speaking world.