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Visa options for work placement participants in Spain

Citizens of any countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) are allowed to work freely in Spain. Citizens of some countries can stay in Spain for up to three months without a visa while others will need to apply for a visa before entering the country.

Student visa – the most common visa for those wanting to undertake a temporary work placement as part of a course in Spain is a student visa. Students are identified as “foreigners coming to Spain with the only purpose of studying or undertaking research, training or a non-lucrative job in any Spanish educational or scientific, public or private, officially recognised centre”. Visa applicants must have a letter of acceptance from their training provider and any work placement element must be a full-time training experience rather than a way of earning money.
Although work placements for student visa holders in Spain are classed as unpaid, some employers are able to provide their interns with accommodation and a small amount of pocket money to cover expenses.

How do you think the work experience sector is developing in Spain?

“It is increasing year by year mainly because the Spanish language is becoming [more prominent] in the global market. The demand is increasing due to the volume of people and countries that have Spanish as a first language. The second most important language on the Internet is currently Spanish.”
Fernando Ribas, Marketing Director, AIP Idiomas, Valencia

“There seems to be more demand for work placement programmes. Interestingly, lots of the demand we see comes from outside the EU. We offer only one programme for non-EU citizens, and it is a specific internship type programme in the hospitality/tourism area and requires interest, experience or studies in that area. We’re unable to offer work placement to non-EU students interested in other areas.”
Erin Corcoran, Don Quijote, Salamanca

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Students wanting to improve their CVs and language skills at the same time can find a number of unpaid work experience providers offering placements in the uk. The companies below provide a range of placements that may be combined with formal language lessons.

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