School internship in Valencia
In May 2022, I did my last teaching internship for my special education studies on the eastern coast of Spain, in the city of Valencia. After having done all my previous internships and having worked as a substitute teacher in Finland, doing an internship abroad sounded like an interesting opportunity. I wanted to see something different as well as improve my teaching in English.
Finding a place for my internship was easy. The University of Jyväskylä supported my trip financially, and after having arrived in Valencia, the local university provided me with a student card and email address that I could use to get around the campuses and use the library services, if needed. Having the support and help of two universities made me feel safe.
Also my host school welcomed me with open arms. The teachers were extremely interested about the Finnish school system, and the students did their best to speak English with me. My supervising teacher was Silvia, a funny and friendly teacher, who taught Science to grades four, five and six. This meant that I got to plan and give lessons to children from nine to twelve years of age.
School days started at 9am, and we gave three lessons before noon. After the morning lessons, we had time for correcting exams and developing our lesson plans. From 1pm to 3pm, I had free time, after which I went back to the school for two more lessons. School days ended at 5pm. During my internship, I also got to work with an English teacher, as I had wished.
All in all, I enjoyed my internship a lot and I felt that my knowledge and ideas were welcomed and appreciated at the school. Especially my ideas about adding functional activities and movement into the lessons were appreciated. However, the most meaningful thing for me was to be treated with incredible kindness and feeling like I truly was a part of the school. On my last day, I was not the only one who was moved to tears when it was time to say farewell!
During the four-week internship, I also had time to explore the city of Valencia that charmed me with its beauty and varying activities. For me, a teaching internship with FORTHEM was a great experience and I do recommend doing an internship abroad, if you are interested in seeing a foreign school. Doing so, you can also view the school system of your own country from a different perspective.
