EUSA Academic Internships

INFORMATION:

Samantha LaCroix, University Relations Director
11 Arlington Street
Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: +1 617 267 2111
Fax: +1 617 267 2160
E-mail: samantha.lacroix@eusa-edu.com

CONTACT IN SPAIN:

Almendra Staffa-Healey, Madrid Program Director
email: almendra.staffa-healey@eusainternships.org

EUSA is a not-for-profit organization that works with universities to provide students with academically-directed internship programs. EUSA Madrid‘s internship team places approximately 150 students each year across all industry sectors. Students apply and are selected by their home institution and EUSA works with the home institution to provide internship placements, support, housing, and academic courses. EUSA also has programs in London, Dublin, Paris, Geneva, Boston, New York City, and San Francisco. Internship placements are available in a wide variety of fields and all students are guaranteed a placement. Students interview with a member of the placement team in order to discuss preferences and to define the types of internship experience they might like to have in Madrid. 

Placement is determined by previous studies and experience, a desire to work and learn about the field, and most importantly the level of spoken Spanish. Students will have an interview at the internship organization prior to acceptance. They may work part or full time depending on the credit requirements of the home institution. Most placements will be centrally located in Zone A and are easily accessible by Metro or bus. Occasionally, if the best opportunity for meeting a student’s professional needs and educational requirements is outside this area, placements may be outside Zone A, either in B1 or B2. The EUSA placement team is available throughout the program to address any concerns and support both students and placement supervisors. 

There is a formal midterm review with students to assess their experiences. At the end of the program, internship supervisors are asked to provide a written evaluation of the students’ performance. The academic program is determined by the home university – in some cases this may mean independent research, or compiling a journal and portfolio of work to support the internship experience, along with small seminars designed to help understand Spanish culture or the industry in which students are working. In other cases it includes semester long courses or workshops taught by EUSA-contracted local faculty or by faculty sent over to teach in Madrid from the home institution. It may also include attending a local school for a Spanish language course. EUSA provides two types of housing options: living in a Spanish home or sharing an apartment with Spaniards and international students or young professionals. 

Each student will have his or her own room and normally students are not housed together. The home institution decides if both options are available to the students. If students live with a Spanish family they will have breakfast and dinner daily as well as laundry done for them. If students live in a shared apartment they will be provided with a grocery stipend to help pay for food, but will be responsible for their own cooking and cleaning. EUSA provides a basic social program for all its students and will supplement the cultural program to include additional day excursions and evening events at the partner university’s request. The goal of the program is to experience life in another culture and improve language ability while developing new skills in a professional setting.