Did you just finish your university studies and you don’t really know what’s next? Do you need to take a break from work or your studies and go abroad? Would you like to get to know other countries with different languages and cultures with a long-term stay or maybe do your internship while you learn a new language?
Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of the former president of the United States Barack Obama, did so and took a year break before she started her studies in Harvard University. If you feel what Malia felt before taking the decision and your heart is asking you to take a new path away from home, then what you need is a sabbatical year or “Gap Year”. You will have 365 days for you to start writing a new story in a different country with new friends and experiences.
Madrid is the perfect destination for you to start this adventure, a welcoming and multicultural city with many possibilities of leisure and which has Spanish, one of the 5 most spoken languages in the world, as its official language.
1. Madrid, a city with everything you need
Madrid is the capital of Spain, a city where the political and administrative life of the country is concentrated and which is also the heart of the economy of the nation. Therefore, Madrid is the perfect place for those who are looking for new working opportunities abroad or who wish to live in a stable destination.
Madrid is also a cosmopolitan city where visitors feel just like home soon after they get there. The government of Madrid aspires to turn Madrid into a city that is known in the whole world because of how it embraces and welcomes the people that visit it, and that’s why it has renovated its image with this symbol.
If you are a creative spirit, you will find everything you need to fuel your inspiration. The city has a priceless cultural heritage with museums with valuable deposits and works of art, monuments and cultural proposals for all tastes and pockets throughout the whole year in “the city that never sleeps”. “youtu.be/w6laabReDVc”
2. Learning Spanish while you experience the city’s daily life like a true “madrileño”
With a gap year in Madrid you will have the chance to become fluent in Spanish and experience the Spanish life. This means that you will not only improve your academic and linguistic knowledge but also get in direct touch with the Spanish culture and language as you will interact with local people who will share their traditions with you and provide you with personal and social values for your future life. You will obtain social skills that will accompany you for the rest of your life.
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3. Academic advantages of a gap year
Many universities consider that a sabbatical year abroad can be a really rewarding experience. For this reason, future students who have spent a year studying abroad are positively assessed during the admission process. Take notes if you want to increase your possibilities to study in the university you want, as a gap year in Madrid could be your passport to the university of your dreams.
If your dream is to study in Spain, getting the Certificate of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) (the international and official certificate of Spanish) will make a difference with respect to other students, as there are many Spanish universities who grant ECTS credits to those who have the DELE certificate and even allow them to access classes where a higher level is needed. TANDEM is aware of this fact and therefore we have two specific programs called “Gap Year” + DELE or “Gap Year” + SIELE in order to help you achieve your academic goals.
“https://youtu.be/nm5_dzq3hS4”
4. Enrich your CV and get better working possibilities
In the working environment people who have been abroad for a year are been more and more positively assessed by the companies. This is not only because these people learn the language and the culture of the destination country but also because of other valuable skills such as the ability to adapt to changes and new situations, to work in multicultural teams (many of them work while they are abroad in order to get financial support for their stay) and to open their minds to new ways of seeing things and living life, among others.
A gap year in Madrid can open the doors of the labor market for you, especially if the company operates in the Spanish-speaking market or has projects of expansion to Spain or Latin America. Make a difference!
5. Explore the world and find your place in it
A gap year is the perfect opportunity for you to explore the world, try things that you wouldn’t dare to do if you were in your country and make decisions about the future. A gap year in Madrid learning Spanish will not only help you learn the language but also force you to face unknown situations which will help you to discover, confirm and dismiss what you wish to do while you’re abroad. This is definitely a good way to find your place in the world while you live an international adventure.
“Gap Year in Madrid, Spain” “Spend your sabbatical year in a sunny, fun and cultural place.”
