Each year, A level Spanish students are invited to spend a week working in Spain.  Here are some of their accounts of their time in Valladolid.

We spent a week working in Valladolid and I was working in a restaurant. I was very busy working as a waitress but I could talk to the customers and other staff and could feel my spoken Spanish improving every day.  Zoe Rivlin

Before the trip I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect from the placement or what being alone for a week would be like in a different country…we had to find our work placements on the day we arrived to Spain. I was working in a sports centre and the kids were very different from the UK: all of the kids really wanted to do well and I even ended up coaching a county tennis player. For the rest of the week I was coaching 6 year olds football and was gobsmacked to find that the kids were doing press ups if they did something wrong. I wish I could go back, the people there are amazingly friendly and I learnt so much Spanish.  Miguel Teixeira-Dias

Valladolid may be a small town but everything you needed was within a reasonable walking distant of the hotel we stayed in. There was also a lovely park called El Campo Grande where you could walk and feed the ducks.

I was told I was only to work for 6 hours a day, but in reality I only worked about 4 hours a day, my colleagues were all very friendly and welcoming, however they spoke incredibly fast! Unfortunately the restaurant wasn’t what I was expecting. There were very few costumers so I mainly listened to those in the bar or helped set tables for the evening shift. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I would definitely recommend going on this trip as you will get an insight into the Spanish culture and improve your accent.  Camilla Simpson

By the end of a week working in a restaurant I was able to hold a long conversation with various customers and colleagues. The town was really pretty and had lots of nice shops. During the week there was a festival in the town. We all went out to buy fancy dress outfits and mix with the locals. However the best part of the trip for me was the evenings we got to go out to lots of bars and restaurants therefore we met lots of other Spanish people our age.
Calypso Ranshaw

Being honest, I thought that working in a book shop would be uninteresting and I would not speak very much Spanish. But it was the complete opposite. Throughout the week, I worked with the boss’ son who not only showed me how to work in the book shop but also showed me around the best places to go in the city. However, the work was not the main focus of the trip: it was the overall experience. We went out every night and learned about local culture by visiting tapas restaurants, clubs and bars. I also met a lot of new English people who also participated in the work experience from different regions of England too and we had a great time. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to move out of their comfort zone and experience a different lifestyle and culture, improving their Spanish!  Jack Mclean

I had an amazing time doing work experience in Valladolid during half term. I learned a lot having to work all day and having to speak Spanish constantly, which will definitely help me in my oral exam. Also I had a great time on the trip because we met lots of new people and made lots of friends and went out a lot and experienced Spanish life.  Charlotte de Clerq