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Internships in Barcelona

Build Your Resume in Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and one of the most internationally connected cities in Spain, a hub for business, design, and culture on the Mediterranean coast. Interning in Barcelona means stepping into a real professional environment, working alongside Spanish colleagues, and building your resume with international experience employers notice.

When you arrive, you’ll be picked up at the airport and brought to your apartment in one of Barcelona’s well-connected neighborhoods, close to Metro stations and everyday city life. From there, you’ll spend your first weeks in Spanish language classes before your internship placement begins, a rhythm designed to ease you into the language and the city before you’re expected to perform in a workplace.

Every Barcelona program includes housing, a guaranteed internship placement in your chosen field, language classes, airport pickup, and in-country support. Our internship programs are unpaid and require upfront fees, so financial planning is part of preparing for the program.

Program Pricing

1 Month
*Teaching English or Social Media Only*
$4,150
6 Weeks
*Mid-May Only*
$4,650
2 Months$5,150
3 Months$5,900
4 Months$6,650
5 Months$7,400
6 Months$8,150
City | Intern in Barcelona

What You'll Gain from an Internship in Barcelona

  • Real professional experience. Placements span 30+ fields, from architecture and design to law and social media, so you’re doing genuine work, not shadowing.
  • Language growth with a safety net. Spanish classes at the start of the program mean you’re not thrown into a Spanish-speaking workplace on day one.
  • A city built for exploring. Barcelona’s public transit, walkability, and coastal location make it easy to explore the city and region on weekends.
  • A support system without hand-holding. You’ll have a country director for ongoing support and a clear point of contact for logistics, while still living and working with the independence the experience is built around.

Every Adelante Program Includes

AFFORDABLE PROGRAMS

Both our Internship Abroad and Study Abroad Programs are among the most affordable you’ll find. Explore a new country and gain meaningful internship experience that makes a difference, without being limited by your budget.

CENTRALIZED ACCOMMODATIONS

Enjoy your own private room in a shared city-center apartment, conveniently located near your placement, local life, and weekend adventures.

GUARANTEED, CONTRACTED INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

You’ll receive a signed contract from your host organization before you arrive. We have placed 100% of our candidates in one of their requested fields and stand behind that with a guarantee.

CUSTOMIZED PROGRAM BUILDING

Your Adelante director builds your placement around your background, interests, Spanish proficiency level, and areas of interest. No cookie-cutter placements.

GUIDED REFLECTION EXERCISES

We help you identify and articulate the skills you’ve built abroad, an essential step in translating impactful international work into language that resonates on your resume, in interviews, and on graduate school applications.

ACADEMIC CREDIT SUPPORT

Nearly every Adelante intern who needed academic credit has received it. We provide full documentation and can work with your home institution to meet their requirements.

Location & Program Information

About Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a coastal city known for Gaudí’s architecture, a strong design and business sector, and a distinct cultural identity shaped by both Catalan and Spanish influences. Its central Metro system and walkable neighborhoods make it easy to get around, and its location on the Mediterranean puts beaches, day trips, and the rest of Spain within easy reach.

Architecture-in-Barcelona-internships

Eligibility

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Most internship sectors require at least a B1 (low-intermediate) Spanish level and a minimum two-month program length, since placements move quickly and participants need to manage daily life independently from the start. Teaching English (1 to 6 months) and Social Media (2 to 6 months) placements are open to beginners with no prior Spanish required.

A valid passport is also a starting requirement, since placement work begins well before your travel dates and passport processing typically takes about two months. This isn’t a barrier to applying: start your application, then work on your passport in parallel so it doesn’t delay your timeline later.

Housing

Standard housing is a shared apartment, fully furnished, with Wi-Fi, in a well-connected neighborhood. A $500 housing deposit is required, refundable as long as the apartment is left in good condition. Participants also have the option to bring a friend to join the program and live with them during their time abroad.

Life in Barcelona

Outside your internship, Barcelona offers beaches, architecture, and a lively food and nightlife scene. Weekends open up day trips or overnight travel to nearby regions, and cheap onward travel to places like France or elsewhere in Spain.

Visa Information

Visa requirements depend on your nationality, so confirm specifics with your local Spanish consulate or embassy well ahead of your program start. Adelante’s Letter of Acceptance confirms your admission to the program, but some consulates also require proof of accommodation or financial means, which the LOA alone doesn’t cover. In those cases, Adelante prepares a separate visa support letter.

Academic Credit

Many participants earn academic credit through their home university while interning in Barcelona. Check with your study abroad office or academic advisor for your school’s specific requirements and how credit transfers.

Is This Program Right For You?

Barcelona tends to be a strong fit if you can answer yes to most of these:

Are you an independent-minded individual?
Will you be 18 years of age or older by the time you begin your program?
Do you speak fluent English? (This program is open to candidates worldwide.)
Do you want the opportunity to live and work alongside local people abroad?
Are you flexible and open to situations outside your comfort zone, like public transportation, a new environment, and different customs?
Are you looking for a placement that runs for 1 to 6 months?

Not sure your Spanish is ready? That doesn’t rule you out. Teaching English and Social Media placements don’t require prior Spanish, and every application is reviewed individually regardless of level.

Have Questions About the Program? Ask Us!

How the Application Process Works

1. Apply Online

Fill out our simple online application. There is no fee to apply, and it takes only a few minutes to get started.

2. Get on the Calendar

Eligible candidates receive a link to schedule a free, first assessment interview by phone or Google Meet.

3. Interview

We’ll learn about your background, areas of interest, Spanish level, and goals so we can start building the right placement for you.

4. Interview Results

In real time or within 1–2 business days, you will receive your interview results by email. Successful candidates receive an acceptance letter with clear next steps.

5. Confirmation

Confirm your spot within one week of acceptance with a $325 confirmation fee. This means there is no tire-kicking, and you are committed to going abroad. A second interview and full placement details follow soon after.

6. Pre-Departure

Once confirmed, you will receive a comprehensive Pre-Departure Information Packet with everything you need to prepare for your time abroad, including visa guidance if required, along with cultural prep.

Hear From Adelante Abroad Candidates

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Intern in Barcelona FAQs

What Happens After I Apply Online, Step By Step?

Once you apply online for free, we will send you a link to our calendar to schedule an initial phone or video call assessment interview. The first interview is hosted by our Program Director and is focused on determining if you are a good fit for the program. It’s also your change to find out what the program offers, and confirm it aligns with what you are wanting to do.

Once both parties have mutually assessed positively, then we send out a Letter of Acceptance and a setup date for a second, longer Google Meet interview. Prior to this second meeting, you will be emailed a link to confirm your spot in the program via a $350 confirmation fee.

Before the second interview, we will also require two references. Once it’s completed, the next step will be for us to send your file to our team in your program city abroad.

They then begin presenting your file to our participating companies abroad, in your desired sector.  Once the best company for your specific program parameters chooses your file, we then contract you, with them, for your international internship. There are lots of other little details in between, and then no later than about 30 days prior to your program start date everything will be finalized. All our candidates will know both where they are living and where they are interning long before they arrive abroad.

Is housing included in the price of the program?

Yes – You will have your own room in a shared apartment with other international students and a Spanish owner. This is NOT a “home stay” or family living situation, rather our candidates live with a single professional who rents 1-3 rooms of their home / apartment to Adelante.  These individuals have been rigorously screened and in this particular program, we have been placing students with the same group for over 10 years. Plan on doing your own food shopping and your own cooking, quite an eye-opener that first time in a Spanish grocery store! A refundable housing deposit is required during your first week in country. This deposit will be returned to you as long as the housing is in the same condition as when you arrived. The apartments are in sought after, working neighborhoods in Barcelona, near to Metro and multiple bus stops. All apartments are fully furnished, with bedding, fully equipped kitchens, washing machine, sheets, towels, pots, pans are also included.  All apartments have Wi-Fi.

What Spanish language classes are included?

For the first two weeks, you are enrolled in an Intensive Spanish Language course for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week (approximately 40 hours). This course takes place at a prestigious private language institute and your level is determined by a placement test.  Each level course is no more than 10 students.

How much should I budget for living expenses per month, other than what is included in the program fee?

For Madrid we suggest approximately $150 USD per week, and this covers normal expenses like groceries, metro money, some going out and one or two nearby excursions a month. The price goes up when you start going out at night more and when you begin to travel further abroad (which we do encourage!) For example, you can get to Portugal, France, Morocco or Andorra very inexpensively from Barcelona.

Is there an Adelante contact in Barcelona?

Yes – We have an Adelante Director for this program. She is based in Barcelona and her name is Andrea Soares. You will meet Andrea sometime during your first week of classes in Barcelona.  Andrea speaks English and you will be given her Spain contact and emergency contact information.  Andrea has ample experience in the education abroad industry and is successful professional.

Will I be picked up at the airport?

YES – Airport pickup is included in your program. In Barcelona, you will be picked up by our Adelante driver, Moises Valis. He is very knowledgeable about the city and enjoys welcoming Adelante students to Barcelona.

Ready for an Internship in Barcelona?

Barcelona offers real placements, a built-in language runway, and a city made for exploring on your own terms. If you’re ready to build your resume while living somewhere new, this is a strong place to start.

Why Choose Adelante Abroad?

Adelante Abroad has earned the trust of thousands of candidates worldwide through 25 years of guaranteed placements and life-changing experiences. Since 1999, we’ve specialized in providing affordable, customized internship and study abroad programs across Spain, Latin America, and Scotland, and we’re not a large, impersonal agency. We’re a team of seasoned travelers and international education professionals who’ve lived abroad ourselves and know what it takes to make your experience a success.

Every program is built around you: your goals, your values, your background. With in-country directors operating full-time in every city where we have programs, you’re never on your own. No matter where in the world you are.

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