The city of Seville is the capital of southern Spain and over the years has achieved its title of the city with the highest GDP in Andalusia. It in fact accounts for a quarter of Andalusia’s total GDP due to it’s growing service and industry sectors. Tourism has always been a strong pillar for Seville’s economy however, trade, financial, and technology services are on the rise. With the growing variety of industry, Seville is always on the lookout for fresh, new talent making an internship in Seville, Spain a perfect opportunity!

The journey of my internship in Seville, Spain

After graduating, I began to search for a cultural adventure combined with a credible work experience opportunity. Attracted by the language, lifestyle, and culture of Spain I began my search for an internship in Seville, Spain. After some intensive Googling, I came across Third Sector International (3Si). 3Si is a company that offers internship programmes in Andalusia across a range of sectors from digital marketing internships to tourism internships to teaching English. They are popular for their English teaching internships due to the TEFL qualification you gain at the end. As a bonus, 3Si is partnered with Erasmus Plus meaning all expenses during your internship are fully funded. Once coming across this opportunity it almost sounded too good to be true so it took me no time to apply. After the initial application and a few interview stages later, I landed myself a Digital Marketing Internship for one of Seville’s boutique and authentic tourism companies, Not Just a Tourist!

I set off to Seville open-minded, curious, and not knowing quite what to expect. It was my first time working within the tourism industry and with Spain being a top destination for international travellers I knew the industry would be challenging but nevertheless exciting. Doing an internship in Seville, Spain allowed me to work cross-culturally as I was constantly communicating with Spanish locals as well as people from all over the globe! One of the great things I found from working in the tourism industry is that you’re able to travel through people and through their stories.

Doing a tourism internship you’ll also find that you’re given frequent opportunity to travel. Working with Not Just a Tourist I was able to join several company tours allowing me to see new places across Andalusia and discover the hidden spots which would otherwise be difficult to find without a professional guide. My excursion to The White Village of Grazalema and Ronda alongside my flamenco dance class experience with Not Just a Tourist are amongst two of my highlights during my 3-month stay in Seville. After speaking with so many clients and hearing their great reviews of our tours, it was great to undergo the same experiences and witness the same sights for myself. I understood what clients meant when they said their tour felt like a day out with old friends as the guides we work with are super friendly, welcoming, and always go above and beyond to make the day perfect!

Doing a remote internship for Not Just a Tourist also showed me another side of Seville. For starters, it was a great excuse to indulge in and explore all the tucked away cafes in the city. Here are just a few of my new favourite spots. However, it also exposed me to the working life of a digital nomad. My internship in Seville, Spain was my first experience working in this way and I can definitely say I don’t want it to be my last! The digital nomad lifestyle provides you with more flexibility, freedom, and is also a great way to immerse yourself into new places.

It’s fair to say I settled into the Spanish working culture quite quickly. My commute to work had dramatically shifted from a painful 1-hour endurance on London’s sweaty underground, to a pleasant and refreshing fifteen-minute cycle to work. My working day also started later as all events and meals tend to in Spain. I suppose the only thing I haven’t managed to grow accustomed to is having a lunch break at 2 pm in the afternoon!

Besides all things work, Seville is a lively, entertaining, and enjoyable city to live in. Seville is home to a great range of restaurants, tapas bars, clubs, live music, and dance events – the list goes on! Even if you’re volunteering or doing an unpaid internship in Seville, food, drinks, and events are all relatively cheap in Seville so you’ll still manage to have a good time. From my experiences here it is clear to see that there is a great balance between working and social life in Spain. This is something that employers greatly respect and value as well which makes it much easier to enjoy your free time.

I’m keen to continue the digital nomad lifestyle and hope that my work will take me to new and exciting places across the globe! To keep up to date with my travels you can follow my Instagram profile here.

Have you ever thought about working abroad or looking for that perfect opportunity to be able to experience a remote working internship? Take a look at Not Just a Tourist’s current job vacancies here. We’d love to have you on board!