Spanish-speaking countries

The Year Abroad is a rewarding and valuable experience for all students of Spanish. Not only does it increase our students’ employment chances significantly, it is also regarded by them as a great step forward in their personal development, positively influencing their career path, world-view and self-reliance.

For their Year Abroad (or part of their year abroad for two-language students), students of Spanish at Queen Mary can choose either the option of a work placement, a study placement, or both placements in a Spanish speaking country within the following schemes:

• ERASMUS Study Placement at one of our partner universities in Spain
• Study Placement at one of our partner universities in Latin America
• ERASMUS Work Placement (including British Council Language Assistantship in Spain and Latin America)
• Independent Studies in a Spanish-speaking country
• Independent Work Placement in a Spanish-speaking country

The European University Exchange Programme: ERASMUS Study Placement in Spain

All students regardless of nationality or fee status are eligible to participate in the EU-financed ERASMUS Exchange Programme.
The Department of Iberian and Latin American Studies has 15 partner universities where our students can study for either one academic year, i.e. nine months, or for one semester if they choose to split their Year Abroad.

• Universidad de Almeria [link]
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [link]
• Universitat de Girona [link]
• Univerisdad de Granada [link]
• Universidad Carlos III Madrid [link]
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid [link]
• Universitat de les Illes Balears [link]
• Universidad de Málaga [link]
• University of Murcia [link]
• Universidad Pablo de Olavide [link]
• Universidad de Oviedo [link]
• Universidad de Salamanca [link]
• Universitat de Valencia [link]
• Universitat Jaume I, Castellón [link]
• Universidad de Vigo [link]

University Exchange Programmes with University of Guadalajara, Mexico

• Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico (not part of the ERASMUS Exchange Programme) [link]

ERASMUS Work Placement including British Council Language Assistantship in a Spanish-speaking country

Students who hold a British passport can apply through the British Council for a Foreign Language Assistantship. Assistantships in Spanish-speaking countries run for nine months and students can work in schools or universities in a number of countries (Spain and Latin America), assisting with the teaching of English.

All students regardless of nationality or fee status are eligible to participate in the EU-financed ERASMUS work scheme if they wish to gain work experience by completing a work placement in Spain and Latin America. The Iberian and Latin American Studies Department is able to assist students in obtaining work opportunities with some of our business and education partners such as Bosch, Consejería de Educación de Madrid and Universidad de Valencia. For further information, please see Work Placements (this link is not accessible to people who are not second year students enrolled on a French, Hispanic Studies, German or Portuguese degree programme at Queen Mary University).

Students who are native-level speakers of English, who hold a European Union passport and who have completed their secondary education in the UK can be given the opportunity to apply through the British Council for an English Language Assistantship. Students then work in schools or universities in Spain and Latin America assisting with the teaching of English (on average 12 hours per week) and acting as ambassadors for British culture. The British Council assistantship is a paid position (salary varies, depending on the country) that runs normally for seven months. English language assistants under the British Council scheme in Europe are also eligible for the Erasmus grant, whereas students undertaking an assistantship in Latin America are not eligible for this grant. For further information please see British Council Assistantship.

Independent Studies in a Spanish-speaking country

Students who wish to study independently, i.e. outside the ERASMUS Exchange Programme, can do so in any Spanish-speaking country. Students who wish to pursue this option must discuss their choice of institution and programme with the Year Abroad Co-ordinator for Spanish. Once the Year Abroad Co-ordinator for Spanish has validated their placement and once the assessment procedures have been clearly established, students will have to apply to the institution they are interested in independently. The SLLF can provide documents to support their application if this is required.

Independent Work Placement in a Spanish-speaking country

Students who wish to complete a work placement in a Spanish-speaking country outside the European Union are invited to do so. It is students´ responsibility to secure a paid or voluntary work placement/internship. The minimum length of the placement must be at least 3 months, however students must ensure that they comply with the Year Abroad requirement of spending at least 24 weeks (6 months) abroad. Therefore, those students who secure a work placement of a duration less than 24 weeks will also be required to undertake an additional placement for their Year Abroad.

Contact

If you have any questions with regard to the above, you can contact the Year Abroad Coordinator for Iberian and Latin American Studies, Dr M. Mar Encinas, m.encinas-puente@qmul.ac.uk.