We would like to share Luisa Spann's experience of her two-month internship in Spain.
Which city-country, department did you come from?
In Germany I’m taking part in an internship program called “INTERNational@bakertilly” in which I have the extraordinary opportunity to get insights into the two business lines of Audit & Advisory and Tax Services at the national office in Dortmund, Germany, and to experience the work culture abroad at the international office in Madrid. Before I came to Madrid, I was able to get first practices in the field of auditing in which I worked in Madrid as well. Now that I’m back in Germany I’m working in the Tax department.
How long has your experience been?
I had the possibility to go to Madrid for two months, May and June, which is possibly the best time of the year to visit Madrid. When I arrived in Madrid on the 1st of May I was very impressed by the beauty of the city and the welcoming atmosphere of the people living there. Madrid is a very beautiful city and I am very happy I chose to stay there.
What has it been like to work for another Baker Tilly country?
My time at the office in Madrid was very instructive and rewarding as I’ve had the opportunity to broaden my horizons not only professionally but also interpersonally.
I was surprised about how similar the work in Spain was to my previous experiences form Germany.
We were using the same software and the accuracy of the work in Spain was very good. From my point of view the working papers in Spain were even a little bit more structured than in Germany. I was very surprised by that. But in general, I would say there was no big difference between the two countries. I could definitely feel that I was working for the same company!
The only thing I struggled with while in Spain was how late we always had lunch. In Germany it is common to eat at around 12 a.m. but in Madrid we had no lunch break earlier than 2 p.m. It really took me some time to get used to that.
Why did you want to do this experience?
In an increasingly globalized world, I think it is very important for young professionals to gain international experience. I chose Spain because I always liked the country and the Spanish mentality, and I wanted to get to know the Spanish culture, people and work life better.
Staying and working in Madrid for 2 months offered me the chance to experience that firsthand. Learning more about auditing in Spain enlarged my understanding of the auditing sector and the job of an auditor. I really appreciate the honest insights I got from my colleagues because my experience in Spain helped me to build a perspective for my future work life.
What has your experience been like? How did you find your team? What did you visit?
As I mentioned above, I was very happy about the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the audit team in Madrid. Everybody helped me as good as they could, and they made a great effort to give me an honest and extensive insight into auditing in Spain.
Even though there was a language barrier sometimes my colleagues always tried to explain everything in the best way possible and they even helped me improving my Spanish. The lunch break was always a great chance to connect with everybody, because we always spent it together with the whole team. And picking up a coffee together after lunch was the perfect way to start the second half of the day!
What would you highlight the most of this experience? Do you encourage your colleagues to take advantage of these secondments?
I would definitely encourage everyone who has the opportunity to work abroad for some time to do it! The possibility to work in another country, meet new people and get to know a whole new culture is very worthy. Looking back at my time in Madrid I can say that I’m very grateful for all of the experiences I made, and I will always have fond memories of this time.
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