Dénia – the port city on the Mediterranean coast. Surrounded by the sea and the Montgó mountain, it enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year. A dream city.
I have visited many times on holiday, but the last four weeks gave me a completely new perspective on this beautiful city in the east of Spain.
As part of my Erasmus internship, I had the opportunity to spend four weeks in Dénia at the language school TLCdénia.
Only a 10-minute walk from the beach, this modern language school offers Spanish lessons on the Costa Blanca with native speakers. And I had the opportunity to complete my internship here.
This period was a very special experience for me, as I was not only able to improve my language skills, but also gain valuable practical insights into marketing, media production, and daily school life.
My everyday life at TLCdénia school
At the beginning of my internship, I got to know the whole team and was warmly welcomed. In a typical Spanish manner, I even received kisses on both cheeks, even from the director. My first positive culture shock here in Spain.
You quickly notice that the people here are known for their warm, open, and Mediterranean way of life. From the very first moment, I felt welcomed and like part of the team.
My first day consisted of getting familiar with the school’s offers and the school itself. I was shown the flyers, the classrooms, and of course (the most important part) the coffee machine.
The first thing I learned here: Spaniards live on coffee! Even before work, people meet for a coffee in a restaurant.
But I was not only an intern, but also the new face of the brand of TLCdénia. This included, among other things, that I was allowed to film and edit videos about the life of a student at TLCdénia, as well as explore the city and take photos of my favourite places.
Ich durfte Aktivitäten mit anderen Schülern (adultos y niños) sowie Lehrkräften mitmachen. Dabei konnte ich sowohl Videos als auch Fotos aufnehmen und dadurch neue Freunde aus aller Welt kennenlernen sowie eine engere Verbindung zum Team aufbauen. Natürlich gehörten auch Aufgaben wie die Arbeit mit Canva (eine Grafikdesign-Plattform) dazu, bei der ich Unterrichtsmaterialien für Spanischlehrer erstellte. Es macht mich stolz zu sehen, dass meine Arbeit auf der TLCdénia-Website veröffentlicht wurde und Lehrkräfte aus aller Welt damit arbeiten.
In addition, I supported the school in researching new cooperation opportunities in the field of educational leave.
But not only work was waiting for me here, but also a one-week intensive course sponsored by TLCdénia (20 hours per week), which I was able to attend during my working hours.
Despite a busy schedule, there was still time to relax. The school was closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and I also had days off on four public holidays in Dénia.
Video projects and social media
A major focus of my internship was the creation of video content.
Planning, filming new videos, and creating them were part of my daily tasks. Creativity is definitely not a foreign concept here!
Every idea that came up could be brought to María and further developed with her.
For the REEL “A life as a student at TLCdénia” I filmed my favourite places in Dénia. These included popular food spots and the shopping street, the “Balearia” ferry at the harbour, and the sea. Eating paella and drinking “BonBon” coffee were also part of my tasks.
Another project was the video “Las Gambas Rojas”, in which I dealt with the “queen of the sea”: the famous red prawns from Dénia (La Gamba Roja de Dénia).
For this, I researched background information about the “Gambas Rojas” and was allowed to take part in the famous competition “Concurso Internacional de cocina creativa de la Gamba Roja de Dénia” and follow the competition up to the award ceremony.
In Dénia, a former fishing village, I was also allowed to visit the “Lonjas” (fish market), where I could observe how the boats arrive at the harbor and how the fresh “Gambas Rojas”, crabs, and fish are taken from the boats and sold to the locals.
The animals were still moving at that point… quite disgusting.
In total, I was able to film and edit six videos myself. All six videos were published on the TLCdénia website:
- How to order a coffee in Spanish
- Why is Dénia your place too study? (ENG & DE)
- Las Gambas Rojas
- A life as a student at TLCdénia
- Review on my internship at TLCdénia
Participation in events and activities
The school allowed me to fully experience Spanish culture; it was important to them that you learn from the locals themselves.
This included tapas evenings, city tours through Dénia, as well as visits to local markets (“El Mercadillo”).
This also included supervising children or preparing activities such as Agua de Valencia, Vino española, …
Conclusion
My Erasmus internship in Dénia was a very enriching experience. Professionally, I was not only able to gain valuable practical skills in the fields of media, marketing, and communication, but also to challenge myself and develop personally.
I was able to experience Dénia much more intensely than during all my previous holidays. Working here is something completely different from simply being on vacation.
It is definitely a challenge to rely only on Spanish and English, but the team took away any worries and fears I had and encouraged me to speak.
I can highly recommend an Erasmus internship at TLCdénia to anyone who is looking for a combination of creative work, international exchange, and living close to the beach.
My time here is now coming to an end, and I already feel a little nostalgic. I will miss the sun, the beach, the mountain, and also the calmness. I will miss the warm-hearted people—locals I don’t even know who greet you in the street, just like that, simply because you are welcome here. Of course, I will also miss my colleagues at the language school. And I will definitely come back!
Thank you TLCdénia.
Thank you Dénia.
Nos vemos pronto.
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