Placement overview
Name: Jack
Age: 17
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Barcelona, Spain
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“This placement has 100% helped improve my future prospects. As well as learning more about this industry, I got a taste of what working abroad would be like and experienced being away from my family for a long duration. It also gave me a lot of new skills that I don't think I would have learnt in England, such as working in a team where language barriers exist.”
The motivation
I applied to take part in this work placement as I knew that it would help me learn so many useful skills for the future. I also thought it would give me some insight into what it would be like to work in the tourism sector and learn about the skills and qualities needed to be successful. Before I started this placement, I used Duolingo to learn some basic Spanish to help me in some certain situations when working abroad in Spain.
The placement
I had multiple tasks given to me in the month that I worked at Poble Espanyol, which ranged from day to day. My responsibilities included greeting customers, checking their tickets, advising them on how to use their audio guides and assisting them with navigating the museum. We also worked in the ‘Fiesta’ which is an audio-visual film on some festivities in Spain, and I was responsible for taking each person’s tickets and allowing them into the room. Once in the room, I would give a quick overview to the customers about what they were about to see before beginning the film.
The location
There was always something to do when in Barcelona. We were always busy after work and we spent our weekends visiting many attractions, such as Camp Nou and Tibidabo. We were also located just off La Ramblas, which was perfect for us as there were many different transport links for us to use. The location we were in also meant we didn’t always need to travel far for restaurants and shops which was very useful and convenient for us.
The impact
My biggest achievement on this placement was whilst working in the ‘Fiesta’. An English school had come in and started speaking to me. This was the first time I’d ever had to speak to such a big group. This was a great learning experience for me as it taught me a lot about public speaking and increased my confidence.
This placement has 100% helped improve my future prospects. As well as learning more about this industry, I got a taste of what working abroad would be like and experienced being away from my family for a long duration. It also gave me a lot of new skills that I don’t think I would have learnt in England, such as working in a team where language barriers exist.
I’m hoping to find an apprenticeship or full time job in the industry after my college course has finished. I would strongly suggest to future participants to make the this opportunity and make the most of being on their placement as it goes past so quickly. They should also try to persevere through any difficult situations when at work, as the feeling after getting through it is so rewarding.
Outcomes
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Improved language skills
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Exposure to cultural experience
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Confidence building
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Improved public speaking
Collaboration and partnership is at the heart of what we do.
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