Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2012. It refers to Spain’s 2012 General State Budget under Mariano Rajoy, with the education budget down more than 21%, and to unemployment at record highs in 2012.
Education and training have suffered a serious setback in the latest General State Budget presented to Parliament by Mariano Rajoy’s government. Their budget falls by more than 21%, of which 11% corresponds to grants, and there are also hints that grants will be awarded according to students’ own performance. (That last point isn’t a bad idea.)
On another front, Spaniards have just given their verdict: almost 62% consider education in Spain poor because of a lack of resources, low demands on students and poorly motivated teachers.
Unemployment is far above any national record in the whole history of Spain’s democracy, and the work experience many young people are looking for gets harder to find every day.
Given all this, is doing a traineeship (a beca, as it is known in Spain) of any use?
From a CV point of view
Let’s start from the premise that you learn things by doing them. From that perspective, any training that complements your studies is worthwhile. However, as long as these traineeships offer only theoretical material, they have little professional value. A traineeship should be eminently practical.
A traineeship and what it adds to your CV are a starting point and what sets a candidate apart. When many candidates hold the same degree, a particular traineeship can be the deciding factor between one candidate and another.
A suitable, specialized complement to your education. Besides the personal advantages, there is another: professional specialization in a specific field, from a practical rather than a theoretical point of view. A traineeship is a small practical master’s degree.
From a personal point of view
People who have done a placement abroad describe it as an exceptional experience. Making new friends, taking on new responsibilities and obligations, and feeling responsible for your own personal and working life as a trainee enriches you as a person and your ability to handle responsibility.
That personal and social experience validates professional competencies sought in certain profiles, and it is a good chance to stand out among several candidates with similar CVs. The skills you pick up in teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving during this training period enrich your experience for jobs that look for similar competencies.
It is also a way to make good use of your time to improve your language skills. If you land a placement abroad and speak another language, you will strengthen your command of other languages, a real advantage for jobs that require them.
Featured image: Zarateman, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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