Summer, sun, editorial deadline - my internship on the Costa Blanca
Working where others go on vacation was my motto for three months during my internship in the editorial department of Costa Blanca Nachrichten in Spain. The German-language newspaper is published once a week in print and regularly online and is aimed at German expats and tourists on the Costa Blanca.
On my first day at work, the editors assigned me small tasks to start with, such as turning press releases into short news items, after which I was given a light topic for the first article (a series of concerts in pilgrimage chapels). After that, it quickly became a normal editorial routine, in which I felt fully involved and usually wrote two articles a week. The topics for these were suggested to me by my colleagues, but I then implemented them independently. This included tasks such as contacting the protagonists, conducting interviews, taking photos and writing and laying out the article. Over the course of my internship, I wrote various types of print articles and prepared online articles for the website. There was never a dull moment in terms of content either, from tips for excursions to salt flats in the south of the Costa Blanca to the opening of a state-of-the-art earthquake museum and an interview with a metal sculpture artist. The editorial team is relatively small with six permanent editors, plus two interns. However, thanks to the smaller team, I got to know all my colleagues quite quickly and felt well integrated. Everyone was very open and helpful and I could always turn to them with questions - both of a professional nature and when it came to where to get the best paella.
I found the working atmosphere to be informal and pleasant, even in stressful situations. The interns are treated with respect; I had the feeling that I was given a lot of trust as an intern right from the start and that I was challenged but also encouraged. It was an advantage for me that I had already completed several internships in journalistic editorial offices, as I was at least familiar with many of the work processes and tasks - however, initial journalistic experience is also a prerequisite for the internship. What was new to me were the aspects of "making the paper", i.e. the composition and overall design of a newspaper. The editorial team met twice a week to discuss not only who would report on which topics, but also how the front page would be designed, which motif would be suitable as the cover image or which topics would be teased. This was new territory for me, as my journalistic work had always ended once the article text had been submitted. I had also never laid out articles before - and that presented me with challenges from time to time.
I also improved my language skills during the internship. All articles are written in German, but interviews and research take place in German, Spanish and English. Although I already had an official B2/C1 in Spanish at the start of my internship, the interview situations for the various articles meant that I was constantly talking about new topics and expanding my vocabulary.
From telephone interviews to tapas - free time and experiences
My core working hours in the editorial office were Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. So I had the evenings and weekends at my disposal and used the time to get to know the beautiful Costa Blanca better. My colleagues had some travel recommendations ready and so my excursions took me to larger cities such as Valencia, Murcia, Elche and Alicante, but also to smaller towns such as Calpe, Dénia, Villajoyosa and Moraira.
The Costa Blanca also turned out to be a real natural paradise with beautiful bays and mountain villages, which is why I enjoyed spending my free time swimming and hiking. The region is also a real dream destination for cyclists and water sports enthusiasts - it's definitely worth packing sports shoes and swimming gear (and water shoes, watch out for sea urchins!). I was also able to discover many of the places worth seeing during my working hours when I was there for articles; you definitely get around a lot during an internship, which I really enjoyed. There were always special experiences, and I was particularly surprised by the local people's love of celebrating. It sounds like a cliché, but at least in the region where I lived, there were always different fiestas where young and old came together in the open air. It was a very nice experience, perhaps a little unusual if you come from Germany, where every noise after 10 pm is considered a disturbance of the peace. The internship definitely broadened my cultural horizons (not only) in this respect. I had already been to Spain a few times before, but the experience of living and working there for three months was incomparable.
Preparation and tips
I prepared for the internship relatively long in advance; I sent my written application around a year before the internship started and the first interviews with the supervising editor took place shortly afterwards. This gave me more than enough time to apply for Erasmus+ funding for internships abroad, and I always received support from the editorial team when filling out the necessary forms. Furthermore, I had to clarify issues such as health, accident and liability insurance as well as the subletting of my shared room in good time during my preparations. The internship itself is unpaid, but interns are provided with an apartment. In my experience, this was worth a lot - I think it would have been very stressful to organize my own accommodation for the three months. As an intern, you are also allowed to use the company car for private trips such as supermarket shopping and excursions in the surrounding area. It would have been helpful for me to think about how I could make more contact with the "local population" in advance.
My colleagues were mainly Germans and although I spoke a lot with Spaniards at interview appointments and in everyday situations, I missed the private contact somewhat. I lived in a relatively small, touristy town, which made contact with other students rather difficult, and I had already planned my free time with lots of excursions and visits. However, it is certainly possible to make more contact through sports clubs or similar. Looking back, I would do things differently, but that doesn't detract from my recommendation for the internship.
