¡SpainWorks! – Scholarship for Immersive Internships in Spain

• Interning abroad provides many benefits beyond those of general internships. Students can increase their language proficiency; build an international network; develop communication skills with diverse, cross-cultural colleagues; get to know a new work culture, increase their understanding of global issues and trends; and better position themselves for international careers.

• FGULEM Communications & Marketing Intern
  • FGULEM (Fundación General de la Universidad de León y de la Empresa) oversees the Centro de Idiomas at the University of León. The Center offers classes in a variety of modern languages for a global student population, including Spanish for non-native speakers. The intern will support the marketing team with digital marketing, content creation and social media projects to promote FGULEM’s mission.
    • While tailored to the student’s desired focus, core internship responsibilities can include the following:
      • Social media management: Develop and schedule content across platforms, monitor engagement, track analytics and performance metrics
      • Content creation: Write and edit various content, develop graphics, videos and infographics
      • Internal & external communications: develop internal content, such as announcements and presentations, assist in maintaining branding across all communication channels
    • The ideal candidate will be familiar with social media platforms and digital marketing tools & graphic design software (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)

• Meet our first León UW intern, Paula Thiele (2022). (2 minutes)
• Learn more about León – León: City of innovation and knowledge. (3 minutes)

• Students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for the scholarship:
  • Enrolled undergraduate student at UW-Seattle in good academic standing.
  • Strong and clear interest in conducting an internship in León, Spain.
  • Must be eligible for international travel.
  • Must have advanced conversational fluency in Spanish (ex. completed SPAN 301).
• Due to funding restrictions, preference will be given to students who are in the Department of Communication.

• Recipients of the scholarship are required to:
  • Complete a program orientation before departure.
  • Register your travel with UW Study Abroad by completing the “FRILA – For Credit” application (cost covered by the scholarship).
  • Arrange air and ground transportation to Spain (cost covered by the scholarship).
  • Read and complete the Student International Travel Policy requirements as outlined by the Office of Global Affairs.
  • Enroll in GEN ST 350, our distance learning internship reflection course, during the quarter of their internship.
  • Live with a local family in León during the program (cost covered by the scholarship).

To maintain full-time student status, all interns will complete the FRILA – for credit option with UW Study Abroad. Their team will enroll students in the FSTDY 300 placeholder course, which will be on your transcript until the credit conversion process is complete.

After returning from abroad:

• Students will work with departments to have their academic performance evaluated on their independent study/internship.
• The advisor or instructor will complete the “upon return” section of the credit verification form.
• Once the completed form is uploaded to your FRILA application with UW Study Abroad, they will post the UW credits and grades to the student’s transcript and remove the FSTDY 300 placeholder course. It will convert to the following courses:
  • GENST 350, 6 credits, Internship Practice & Reflection, Career & Internship Center, UW
  • SPAN 199, 5 credits, Spanish Language, Centro de Idiomas, Universidad de León
  • COM 494, 1 credit, Careers & Communication, Communications Department, UW
• The UW Study Abroad Credit Conversion page has more information.

• The total funding package per intern is $7,000.  Approximately $3,500 is spent behind the scenes to cover the Study Abroad Fee, the UW León Center fee, housing costs and language instruction.
• Interns receive approximately $3,500 (split into three installments) disbursed to their student account; this funding is intended to cover air and ground transportation and basic living expenses while in León.
  • Students are required to purchase UW Student Abroad Insurance during their time in the program (roughly $140 for the quarter). This cost is not covered by the scholarship.

• A preview of the application questions is below:
  • Short response about your interest in conducting an internship in León, Spain and how that relates to your longer-term career goals.
  • Self-evaluation about your familiarity with the Spanish language.
  • Short response about your experience in unfamiliar situations.
  • Short response about how conducting an internship abroad would affect your academic trajectory.
  • Current resume
  • Unofficial transcript
• All applicants will be notified of their application status once review is complete.

• Contact us at bereli@uw.edu.  If you’re interested in donating to this scholarship program, please go here.

• 
  Name – Paula Thiele
  Major – Communication
  Internship Site – León City Council
  Description of Internship – I interned at the León City Council in the Press office, working in close contact with the Mayor of León. Here I had tasks such as developing social media content, heading the translation of important historical articles on the city’s website, and monitoring events such as press conferences. This internship provided me with an opportunity to perfect my Spanish, learn more about the Spanish work culture and become immersed in León’s political world.
  Reflections on Living in León – León is a welcoming and familiar city anyone can fit into. The people are receptive and friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. Its history is everywhere, from the Cathedral of León, to the Basilica de San Isidoro, to the Walls that used to surround this city two centuries ago, and still stand. Leonese people love to stay outside having a coffee, some wine with tapas, or walking their dogs, creating a nice environment for students to make friends and explore.
  Related Article – Published in a León newspaper