Student testimonial
Student Maud Hippmann - MSc Tourism, Society and Environment
I am doing my internship at the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT). I have chosen this internship for several reasons. First of all because because of the location. I was interested in the Spanish language and culture and thought that Barcelona would be a great city to live in. Besides that, I have developed an interest in ‘Creative Tourism’ during the first MLE year and I thought that this internship would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about this topic. Another important factor was that the internship is in English and knowledge of the Spanish language was not required.
I would really recommend all students to do an internship abroad if you are able to.
What are you doing in your internship?
During the internship we ( I and the other trainees) work on different projects regarding the convergence of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism. I am working on a project called ‘European Region of Gastronomy’. I have been working on the content of the European Region of Gastronomy website, which has recently been launched, and I helped to organize an information session which was held in the beginning of October in Brussels. At this moment I am creating a reader with summaries of interesting articles for the ‘Art of Food’ event which will be held in Sant Pol de Mar next week. I furthermore update the news on the IGCAT website and keep in touch with region representatives.
Any outstanding stories that you would like to share about your experience?
I really like the atmosphere in the office and working with Diane (the director of IGCAT) and the other trainees that come from different countries over the world. We all have our own responsibilities and are able to give our own input, work by ourselves but also ask each other for advice. Once a month we have a staff meeting and go over all the projects and update each other on what is happening. We are also working together on a promotion video for the institute in which each one of us talks about their project.
Future ambitions
I am not exactly sure yet what my future plans are. I think that I would like to work in an organization like IGCAT as I really enjoy the work that I am doing now. Besides that I would really like to travel in South America and keep improving my Spanish.
From your experience, what would you recommend to current students looking for internship opportunity?
I would really recommend all students to do an internship abroad if you are able to. It is a great way of getting to know a new culture and language, meet new people and get working experience. Think about which country you would like to go to and what topics you are interested in. This might help you to find a suitable internship. Furthermore I would say, try to get out as much as you can from your internship and try to find out if this is the work you would like to do in the future (or not).