Internships in San Sebastian, Spain

We were hesitant about sending our daughter so far away to "reset" herself. High school wasn't a successful four years and we desperately something for her to believe in her abilities again. Wow....did this program do that! The closeness of the group and support from the organization turned our daughter around. She loved the adventure and thrived both personally and professionally. The communication from the team was super. I reached out whenever I needed anything, and they were quick to respond. Who won't regret this adventure for your child or yourself.

I participated in Spanish Gap Year's Future Leaders program in the fall of 2024 and I had the most amazing experience. We started out in Madrid for the first 4 weeks and stayed with a host family. While in Madrid we took Spanish classes at Tandem. Tandem is so amazing and I had the absolute best time there. For the last 8 weeks we stayed in Barcelona and had internships. Barcelona is so beautiful and fun to explore so there was never a dull moment. If I could, I would do this program all over again.

The Spanish classes alone provided a ton of hands on learning. However, the entrepreneurship and internship portions are what provided a level of experience that has changed my life. With the internship portion you are given the opportunity to explore a field of your interests while making connections within the field and learning real business and work skills. The entrepreneurial portion provided invaluable experience where one can create and chase their ideas while working with mentors who have real credible experience. The skills of forming, creating, and pitching an idea as a real world entrepreneur is invaluable. You will learn public speaking, networking, how to ask for help, what works and what doesn’t with business, and a million other practical real world skills.

The Spanish Gap Year staff is incredibly diligent, knowledgeable and caring, and this combination fosters an incredible environment to explore future career opportunities alongside a group of peers while immersing yourself in a new country. The program balances busy days that bring together Spanish language, entrepreneurship and individualized internships with plenty of independence to explore the cities you live in as well as the rest of Spain and even other parts of Europe if you choose! The support from program leaders in helping me fulfill my individual goals for the experience was truly one of a kind and I learned so much during 3 months, both in the classroom and in terms of maturity and independence from living in foreign cities. I would 100% recommend this program to anyone who has ambitious future goals, wants to expand their worldview, and is looking for a tight-knit group of peers to explore with!

I would love to thank everyone who played/ plays a role on my internship program in the United States. I would love to let you know that I am more than happy at The Union Club Hotel, people are so nice and supportive. I have met other J1's from other countries, it's so nice to learn about other cultures, when we have time we travel, cook and participate in various fun activities. If it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't be here. Thank you, Sanele

I am so thankful to Alliance Abroad for giving me such a wonderful opportunity, even though i faced some difficulties,AAG stood by me moved things around, set me up with the a placement in one of the finest luxury hotels in the world, The St.Regis Resort Aspen, they helped and guided me all the way. So grateful, and i want to take this opportunity to thank Mr.Deon Lamb, who is my first contact from AAG, Ms. Raihaana Fernandez, who stood by me in my whole journey and made sure i am getting the best, a special thanks to Ms. Jen Helsper, who made sure i am well and doing great. No words in the world can justify the respect i have towards them. Thanks a lot! You guys are the BEST!!

I’ve been here for 3 months now and so far my experience has been Superb from my first Halloween to first Thanksgiving ! First White Christmas upcoming?. Alongside , I get to learn new skills and meet a lot of people from locals to all around the world through this program . Thanks to AAG for making this all possible.

I greatly enjoyed my time in Bilbao traveling with Instituto Hemingway. Our program itinerary included the perfect combination of service, tourism, and cultural immersion. The program was excellent. Classes, excursions and activities were well organized. I loved staying with a host family as it was an experience that gave me a glimpse into the every day lives of the locals, as well as an opportunity to use and improve my Spanish! Our chef, Gorka was absolutely phenomenal! He was very knowledgable and experienced, and her presence made the trip even more enjoyable! I can't wait to return to the beautiful country of Spain!

At the beginning, my cooking skills were very low, but thanks to the solid organization and professionalism of my teachers, I was able to cook as a professional chef. The teachers and I got along very well as they are without exception very friendly and polite. Besides their tremendous experience in teaching and undoubtful professional competence, you feel their dedication to teach the students new things and enjoy learning a new language. And above all, they have been very patient with me, which I really admire. I enjoyed the cooking lessons, the internship in a fantastic restaurant, night life and Spanish lessons. Accommodation was really next to our School. Everything was very convenient and affordable. My resume is upgraded and after this experience in Bilbao I found a great position in my home country.

I just finished with this program in Nov and it was a fantastic experience. Chef Thomas is an absolute joy! He is always filled with light and makes coming to class everyday, easy. Bilbao is not a bad place to have a backdrop either, incredible beaches, friendly people and lots to do! I am glad to have chosen this location, lots to see and the ocean is incredible. The chill environment in Bilbao provides a great backdrop for homework, or a fun night out. If you are debating this program, just do it, so worth the month and you have a blast doing it. You will have a great time with chef and your classmates while learning all the skills and practices to become an incredible Chef who knows now much more about Spanish cuisine than before. After finishing the program in Spain I have had 3 job interviews, and feel confident that at least 1 solid job offer will be made. Get it and travel the world!!

All the time spent in the kitchen was absolutely great. I learned how to create better dishes and gained knowledge of how to combine ingredients. I got to work on my knife skills, plating and production. During the language program, the experience with the host family was amazing and all of the teachers at the school were very friendly. One of the most rewarding times in my life. I wish I could live in Spain! Everyone was so friendly, the staff plus my roommates. I had so much fun not only learning new cooking techniques but travelling the country and visiting different sites as well as sampling the great french cuisine. I have friends for life now from all over the world. And also a lifetime of great memories The services that Instituto Hemingway provided are very good. The program was nothing short of exceptional and something I'll always remember.

In my opinion, classes, teachers, location, Internship, facilities and activities are very good. All the premises are clean, the staff was very helpful and friendly, the teachers were very professional. The time I spent in Bilbao was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. At the beginning I was worried because I decided to travel alone, but when I arrived in Instituto Hemingway I met people that were more than acquaintances. People at the front desk are friendly and available for each doubt or piece of advice you need. Teachers are very good and every lesson is absolutely useful. Two of the best things I remember with so much love are the amazing and astonishing city. Each side has a particular story to tell and every traveller is driven by a passionate feeling of wholeness with it. The second are friends that I met there. I'm already in contact with most of them and we promised to see again each other in the next future, and possibly repeat this amazing experience at Instituto Hemingway again. The third thing is how much I learnt about cooking world in Spain. The internship was perfectly located, and staff was friendly to me explaining all process about different dishes related to Spanish cuisine. It was so rewarding!! If I should give a grade from 0 to 10 to the whole experience, evaluating the school, the teachers and the overall service, it is absolutely a 10. Guys what are you waiting for? Go to Instituto Hemingway!!!

I contacted Instituto Hemingway to help me find internship in Spain. Jose the Director was really quick, they contacted me in two days and they offered me five months internship in Bilbao. I accepted this offer and now after four months I am really happy with my internship, and I don't want to go back home anymore! Bilbao is beautiful city all year round, authentic, not disrupted by massive tourism. Really friendly customer service, they also have helped me with all my questions (travelling, accommodation etc.)

I loved this program. It was a inmersion program combined with Spanish courses for 2 weeks at the beginning, before the placement. The location was perfect for me. It was a village with all kind of facilities, top hotel, nice staff, superb chefs and all in all a great atmosphere where I learnt all about Spanish cuisine.