Were to go???
 

Hi,

Next year i am moving to Spain for 6 months to do a language course and an internship, but i have a choice of places and I am not sure which to choose. I have a choice of Alicante, Barcelona, Granada, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Salamanca, Sevilla and Valencia.

I was thinking Alicane because it is cheap and near the beach, but I don't no what the town is like, any ideas or info??

Thankyou

Re: Were to go???
 

best bit of advice, go visit all of them so you can get a feel, no good asking all of us that live here as we all have different criteria. what are you looking for, how important is social life, brits, how much do you have to spend on accommodation, what do you want to gain out of it.

So get on a plane and visit all the ones you think are top of your list, look for youth hostels/ hostelbooker.com is a good site to look at they offer cheap places to stay for a few days, cheap flights are available but if you can squeeze a couple of weeks in Spain a cheap way to travel is the bus and then look at your list of must haves, would be nice, not important and def not wanted list.

Re: Were to go???
 

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

Re: Were to go???
 

If you are doing an internship you are very fortunate to have so much choice:blink: I would choose salamanca, would look better on a CV than beach bumming in alicante;)

Re: Were to go???
 

I would also go for Salamanca, less Brits, quicker learning :rofl:

Re: Were to go???
 

Thanks for the advice, it's an unpaid internship unfortunatley, but that is the reason I have the choice. I have been saving for something since i was 18, and I have been stuck in a dead end job since graduating and I thought to gain experience in a field of my choice in a different country would look good.

Fortunatley I have enough money to compfortably live out their for 6 months, but not enough to travel to each place to see which I would prefer.

I think my criteria would be, to go to a city that isn't too big. Near a beach so I can also have fun while I'm over there and a place that loves football, but I'm guessing that's all of Spain :D

Re: Were to go???
 

Valencia probably fits that bill better than anywhere.

Re: Were to go???
 

I would add Sevilla to your list with the extra information you have given. I hope you put your CV through a spellcheck.

Re: Were to go???
 

Cut me some slack, it's early :blink: but thanks for the advice.

Re: Were to go???
 

Hey my spelling is v bad so I always do for important stuff.

Re: Were to go???
 

If you're dead set on being near a beach (which I think indicates you're not going to get as much out of your internship) then Valencia is probably the best option. Barcelona is another option, but it's an expensive city. If you look around in Valencia you should be able to find cheap accommodation.
Personally I feel you'd gain a lot more going to an inland city like Granada, Salamanca or Madrid. You won't learn language or business skills lying on a beach, although I admit you'll get a better sun tan. Save the beach bum weeks as a reward for when you finish your course.

Re: Were to go???
 

I completely agree, lying on a beach probably wont teach me language or business skills (even though degree educated), however, the 2 month intensive language course should help on the language and I'm pretty sure my internships offices wont be situated on a sun bed. The beach is for my weekends, if im going to be working with no pay I think a bit of relaxation and training is a lot more fun on the beach.

Re: Were to go???
 

Thank god for microsoft spell check, i'm not to concerned about my spelling on a forum though :p

Re: Were to go???
 

For that sort of programme Sevilla would be ideal a very cosmopolitan city major university town and very Spanish.

Re: Were to go???
 

Thank you

Re: Were to go???
 

... although a spellcheck won't highlight misuse of their, there and they're.

Re: Were to go???
 

:thumbup:

Re: Were to go???
 

I would go with Valencia. and not just because I live there hahaha

Re: Were to go???
 

I have been taking language courses in Spain for the last four years or so. (Though only for 2/3 weeks) I enjoyed Alicante, I did spend a lot of time at the beach but I was speaking Spanish at the same time! Not sure I would spend 6 months there though but that's just me. Valencia was fanatastic. I also love Madrid!(but so much more expensive) Mmm..I envy you but how to choose!!!! Are you limited to those places? Just come back from Cadiz and I think I enjoyed that experience the most. I would go with the beach option as, I agree, relaxing is important especially when we are working for nothing.

Re: Were to go???
 

If you're more serious about learning Spanish than having fun on the beach, I'd opt for Salamanca as well. There'll be no shortage of fun in any of the destinations if you want it (that's what students are about!), just won't be on the beach. I'd rule out a few where the local language could be a distraction, ie catalan, valenciano, and much as I like Seville (that would be my personal choice) that accent won't do you any favours. Better a nice Castilian accent from Salamanca.

Re: Were to go???
 

Salamanca would be cool, but personally I havent found the Andalucian accent to cause any problems

I learnt Spanish as a beginner here and the teachers were always clear. Since I've lived here I find anyone under 40 easy to understand, as easy as anyone from other places in Spain. The hard ones are men over 40, but its all good practice.

I think accents have been toned down a lot in the younger generations. People dont stay in their villages their whole lives any more

Re: Were to go???
 

I would choose Barcelona, for a good mix of sun, beach, nightlife, football and a bit of culture.

Re: Were to go???
 

Sevilla - great city

Re: Were to go???
 

Yes, but few Spanish people speaking Spanish!

Re: Were to go???
 

Got to agree with the people before about Valencia, if it's access to the beach you are after (also, without doubt my favourite city in Spain when it comes to having fun). Stay clear of Andalucia if you need to learn the language as the locals speak Andaluz which is kind of like Spanish without using the letter s and where 5 words can become 1.

Re: Were to go???
 

Er...in valencia they speak valenciano:rofl: Very much like catalán. A good language school will have teacher from the regions who speak castellano.

Re: Were to go???
 

no they don't..............yes Valenciano is spoken - but not to the exclusion of Castellano

Re: Were to go???
 

"neigh" (I am not sure what your horses mouth comment refers to on the other thread jacky but this neigh was for you) it is well different to a vast part of Andalucia where the people would love to believe it was a language all of their own, whereas in reality they just speak bad Spanish. Excellent paella, yet another reason to head for Valencia

Re: Were to go???
 

In Valencia city there is more Castellano spoken than Valenciano and very little English is spoken.

Rosemary

Re: Were to go???
 

True, but if you have a choice of places to go, why pick one where some will be speaking Valenciano or Catalán in places where you are likely to be socialising. It's hard enough without confusing it further. Someone recommends Barcelona, and if you want a good time, great, but a lot of people there will be speaking Catalán, it's just making a hard job even harder. I like both Valencia and Seville but not sure I'd pick either to study Spanish in.

Re: Were to go???
 

In the City of Valencia there is Castellano. alot of signage and stuff is in valencian. English is very hard to come by unless your at tourist places. there is alot to do here. alot of nightlife and places to visit.

My spanish is very poor but I understand alot and I get by with French and very broken Spanish. People here are very understanding and want to help. Valenciano is a bit of French mixed in too.

I live in a smaller town that is only 8 minutes by train into Valencia. It is alot cheaper then the city. I guess it depends on what u like. by bus, metro or taxi you can get to everywhere.

what kind of experiences are u wanting?

Re: Were to go???
 

Our area has a accent that people say is very strong, but you get used to it, and if you can understand the older generation then you can understand anyone, mainly the older people are broad, the youngers seem to be a lot better, the thing is, is not to copy the accent, stick with finishing our words, the s is dropped a lot, but its not difficult to add it yourself. Tv and internet are good tools and they have all accents to learn from.

Also if you mix with the educated people you will not even notice it, in the villagers it is more prominent, but no reason not to move to Andalusia, and I could probably count the amount of people I know one one hand that really want to speak spanish anyway :o

Re: Were to go???
 

That very much depends on where you go. I met plenty spaniards when I was here and there http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/castellano/index.html

OP did not say his objective was to meet with spanish speakers. I think his primary objective was to locate somewhere with good opportunities for R&R. One to one pillow talk is a great way to learn any language <LOL>

Re: Were to go???
 

The OP said to learn the language and do an "internship". If this is the main priority then I would choose salamanca. If the main priority is to bum around the beach with picking up the language as a bonus then valencia or málaga would do.

salamanca is the equivalent of Oxford and would look good on a CV. British Universities do student exchanges at sevilla and valencia but this includes work experience and the students already have a good grasp of spanish.

Re: Were to go???
 

We have a holiday home between Valencia and Alicante, and our daughter did the 'year abroad' section of her degree (Hispanic Studies with English from Kings College London) at the Universidad de Sevilla. Sevilla is a magical city, lots of language schools, and plenty of opportunities to take a bus to the beach (at Cadiz I believe) at weekends. She would return to Sevilla in an instant :thumbup:

Re: Were to go???
 

Might be true, but what a sad reflection on the people that have chosen to to live in Spain . It's the old story, we decry immigrants to UK for not speaking English, for living apart with just their own culture, then people move abroad and do exactly the same. Thankfully most that I know with an interest in Spain are all very interested in learning the language. It's nice to visit my friends and ex neighbours in Spain, the whole family speak excellent Spanish.

Re: Were to go???
 

To be pedantic OP said
Salamanca may be nice but it is a long way from the beach.

Re: Were to go???
 

Oh yes they (some of them- indeed lots of them) do!