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COOPERATIVE EDUCATION REPORT

Date: 17th August 2015

Student Name and ID Number: Ellen Hyde 13131222

Course: New Media and English

Employer Name: Grupos Organizados

Employer Address:Calle Miramar, 79

17320 Tossa de Mar

Start Date of placement: 11th February 2015

End Date of placement: 19th June 2015

Name of Company Supervisor: Karen Hession

Company Supervisors Position:

Signature of Company Supervisor:

Company Stamp:

Name of Visiting University Staff Member:

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1) Summary of Placement

For my Cooperative Education I worked with Grupos Organizados, which is a

company based in both Santa Susanna and Tossa De Mar in Catalonia, Spain. Grupos
Organizados aim is to help primary and secondary school Spanish students develop their
English language skills, but in a more fun and relaxed environment.
Before we arrived in Spain we had multiple meetings with the superiors of the
company; we were told what our job would entail and all the essentials needed to succeed in
Spain. We left Ireland on the 11th of February due to stay in Spain until June 21st. When we
reached Camping Bon Repos, in the Santa Susanna centre our housing arranges were
immediately sorted out. We then went through 3 weeks of training; this included Karen
Hession teaching us all we needed to know about the various activities and lessons that we
would be doing with the Spanish students. We were trained also in the more physical
activities such as Water Sports and Adventure.
Grupos has two centres in Spain, one in Santa Susanna and one in Tossa de Mar. All
of us got the opportunity to see how both camps worked. It was then after the weeks of
training that we were separated into either centre. I was chosen to stay in Santa Susanna,
along with 23 others. We began our first week of work and we now had the job title of a
monitor. We each received a programme of our week, which noted the name of our
assigned school, what time they would arrive and leave, how many children were a part of the
school, the names of the other monitors we would be working with and all the activities we
would do on each given day.
A typical week began working day began at 9:30am, where we had to report to the
office. At this time we also prepared any classes or activities that we had for the day. On our
first day with a school, which would usually begin on a Monday, we greeted them at the
entrance when they arrived and brought them to where they would be staying for the week.
We would then split them into each bungalow and give them time to settle in. It was then that
Elias gave the school a speech on the rules and their expected behaviour for the stay. After
this we would return and split them into groups for each respective monitor; typically of 9, 10
or 11 students would be in a group. Each monitor then took their group on a tour of the
campus, showing them facilities such as the football courts, the disco and the swimming pool.
If we had time before lunch we would then have a short introduction class, where we
introduced ourselves to our group and learned more about one another. On a typical day we
would begin at 9:30am again and commence classes or activities with the children in our
groups at 10:00am. At 1:00pm we finished class and the monitors went to lunch, while the
children went to lunch at their given hour. Each school had free time from 1:00pm to
3:00pm. Activities then commenced again at 3pm and finished at 6:30pm. The children then
had free time for the evening. Dinner for the monitors began at 8:00pm while the schools
went on their given time. Our classes during the, depending on the weather, would take place
outside the schools bungalows. Here you would set up a white board and bring benches for
the children to sit on. As it was English week for the children, monitors were required to
only communicate English to their group, while going to various measures in order to get
across their messages to lower level English speaking students. A variety of games would be
played with other monitors of your school with their group or individually in order to break
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up the repetitive nature of sitting down and just listening. All game instructions were given in
English also. Classes included Sketches and Role-plays, Body Parts, Song and
Dance, projects such as My Newspaper, My Village and Blind Date. Before more
physical activities such as Water Sports, Adventure or Horse Riding, each monitor completed
a theory class on each of these with their group. For Adventure or Horse Riding were given a
bus time by Karen for when our school would go to the Adventure Park or the Ranch. We
would walk the children down to the bus and participate in each activity as much as possible,
i.e. encouragement for the climbing wall or high ropes. We did this every week until
the end of our Co-op.

2) Brief history of the company, including details of the

product/service

Grupos Organizados aim is to help primary and secondary school Spanish students develop
their English language skills, but in a more fun and relaxed environment. Grupos is a family
run business with over 20 years of experience in teaching English to these children. The
family contain native English speakers as well as teaching professionals and professionals in
the various activities that take place at Grupos Organizados.
Carol Bradshaw is the founder of Grupos Organizados, and is a native English
speaker. She is the alma mater. It was her idea to introduce this program where English
was brought to Spain and with the aid of English University students, was taught to Primary
and Secondary school pupils who would stay in the centres for one week. Her idea was
created on her philosophy that practicing oral English was the best way for student to learn.
This was done through her idea of immersing the students into an English environment being
constantly surrounded by English and native English speakers, the monitors. This
philosophy remains to be the key to the success of Grupos Organizados. Other members of
the team include her sons, Chris and Elias Bradshaw. Both, who are professionally trained in
the various activities in Grupos Organizados, have helped for the last ten years in making the
company what it is today.
As mentioned, Carols philosophy was to immerse students into an English
environment. Students from all over Spain and its surrounding islands would come to Grupos
in order to learn English in a more fun and relaxed environment. This is was makes this
company different. Its aim with its service is to provide Spanish students with an
unforgettable, fun-filled week while building up their English skills as they are constantly
surrounded by their monitors, who are us English speaking University students. Instead of the
usual class room surrounding and English grammar, students have the opportunity to practice
their English in a more active and practical way.
Grupos Organizados is based in Spain but it is split in to two different centres. One
centre is located in Santa Susanna, while the other is located in Tossa De Mar. Both centres
carry out the same programme, however, Tossa De Mar is more activity based. Yet in both
camps Spanish students are immersed in English throughout their week stay. The school
would arrive at their chosen camp and each school is given a programme for the week.
Included in this programme is various English lessons, such as Body Parts, Describing
People, Sketches and Roleplays, and many more, including a variety of projects. Theory
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would also take place for the various activities, such as Horse Riding, Water Sports and a trip
to the Adventure Park.
Each school was split into groups of around 9 or 10, and were allocated to one of the
English speaking monitors of their school. In the morning, classes or activities would last
from 10am to 1pm. They would later commence again at 3pm and finish at 6:30pm. Classes
were taught outdoors, depending on the weather. This was a part of Carols philosophy to
introduce the students to a more relaxed environment, in the hope that their enthusiasm for
English would be heightened. This is a very rare service and opportunity for students, and
after every week it was rewarding to see how much each child had grown in themselves and
together, and most importantly in their ability to speak English. The twenty years of
experience the founders of this company has and their passion and philosophy for teaching
English is a vital reason this company is as successful as it is, as it leaves Spanish students
with an experience that they will never forget.

3) Structure of the Organisation and students department

Grupos Organizados is a family run business and has continued to heighten their success in
the last twenty years. It can also credit its success to the fact that its founders are native
English speakers with most involved fluent in English also. The founder of this company is
Carol Bradshaw, who is herself an English speaker. She introduced this program where
English was brought to Spain and with the aid of English University students, was taught to
Primary and Secondary school pupils who would stay in the centres for one week. Her idea
was created on her philosophy that practicing oral English was the best way for student to
learn. Her idea of immersing the students into an English environment being constantly
surrounded by English and native English speakers, the monitors remains to be the key to
the success of Grupos Organizados.
Other members of the company include Chris Bradshaw, who is the eldest son of
Carol Bradshaw. He is the named director of the company. Chris has helped in the last ten
years to heighten the success of the company. Chris is involved in the organisational aspect of
the company, such as training monitors and staff as well as training in activities. Another
member of the team is Elias Bradshaw who is the youngest son and brother of Carol and
Chris. He has been involved with the company for the last ten years, including training and
directing activities. With the team is Karen Hession, who is the main organiser of the
incoming schools. Karen works directly with the schools, being in contact with them before
and during their stay. Karen also organises the timetables and programmes for each school.
Completing the team are the Activity Monitors and the Monitors. The activity
monitors are native Spanish. They help organise and control activities such as Water Sports,
Adventure Park and Problem Solving games. Furthermore, there is the Monitors. This is
us University of Limerick students. We were in charge of our allocated children of each
school and were to teach them and immerse them in English for their week-long stay.
This Co-Op with Grupos Organizados differs from most other Co-Ops, not only in its
foreign destination but with the work entailed in the job. Each student that went here for their
Co-Op were assigned to do the same job for the duration of the Co-Op. No departments
existed in the company, we all equally became known as Monitors.
There were 42 students from the University of Limerick working at Grupos
Organizados as monitors. As mentioned before there is two camping locations for the
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company; one location in Santa Susanna and the other in Tossa De Mar, both 40 minutes
apart. Our Co-Op began with training for three weeks in Santa Susanna, as we learned about
the area and all the details we needed in order to successfully do our job. As spoken about
before, there is no departments within the company. However, monitors were split
between the two camps. I was located in Santa Susanna along with half of the group. The
other half we relocated to Tossa De Mar. After the three weeks of training our work began.
Every week new schools would arrive for their week-long stay in either camp. The work and
structure of the job was the same for both camps. When the school arrived we were split
amongst the schools. The number of students per school was the deciding factor of how many
monitors were allocated to each school. For example, it usually would work out at ten or
more students per monitor, therefore, a school of 22 would be allocated only two monitors,
while a school of 45 could be allocated four or five monitors. Alsoas Monitors we were given
a uniform, which consisted of a blue jumper and a lighter blue top, along with navy pants or
shorts for the hot weather. The organisation was very well structured, which is key for a
company like Grupos Organizados.

4) Students Responsibilities

Our responsibilities to the company Grupos Organizados began when applying to the
company. It was my responsibility to apply for this organisation for Co-Op, and to make sure
that I got all the required items needed by the company and by UL in order to apply. These
included a CV and cover letter stating why you suited this company. The next responsibility I
had was to regularly check my email for updates from the company and from UL, and for a
time and place for my interview. It was necessary before the interview for us to study and
research the company. It was our responsibility to know facts and the operation of the
organisation before we had our interview. It was necessary for us to be prepared to be
questioned on the company itself and the job that we would be undertaking as part of our
cooperative education. Before I received my interview it was my responsibility to attend
various meetings with the company and all the other applicants. This was to provide us with
information on the company and further guidelines for the interview. Once I got my time and
place for my interview it was my responsibility to find correct attire for the interview, bring
the required items and make sure I was at the place of my interview at the correct time. After
this I had to keep track of my emails once again in order to see did I get my place in this
company. After I was offered a position with the company it was my responsibility to attend
vital meetings about future proceedings of the Co-Op. All the successful applicants had the
responsibility to meet up various times and bond as a group before we went to Spain.
As a group we had to decide what flights we would get to Spain and from where was
the easiest to depart. We had received guidelines from the company on what to bring with us,
and it was our responsibility to get all the items that workers in this company required. As we
were arriving in February we had to be prepared with clothes for both cold and hotter
weather, as the weather was set to dramatically change from February to June.Transport was
also our responsibility, how and when we got the airport. Travel to Santa Susanna from
Barcelona El Prat airport was also our responsibility to organise. It was important that we
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followed the guidelines that the company gave us. It was vital we arrived at the given
location on the date that we were required to be there at. And it was vital for us and the
company that we were present for any travel that was needed and to organise travel suited to
when the company wanted us to be present at the location in Santa Susanna.
When we arrived in Santa Susanna we immediately began training for the job. We
had meetings before we started the training about what time we had to show up and how long
the day would be. It was our responsibility to take notes and to remember all the guidelines
we were been given by the company. We were responsible for our own stationary such as a
notepad, pens and folders for sheets about the job and needed for the job that we would be
receiving from Karen Hession. Training everyday usually began at 10am and it was my
responsibility to be present at this time, or a little beforehand, in the area where the training
would take place. It was important that at the training we listened intently to the tasks we
would have to complete. Once again it was my responsibility and all the others to note down
everything that was necessary for our job. As we were dealing with children of many ages
whose native language was not Spanish it was vital for us to pay attention on how to teach
them and how to build a successful relationship with the children. Even as University
students it was our responsibility to behave and to respect the company and everyone
involved within the company, as they would be preparing and helping us throughout our Co-
Op.
As part of our Co-Op we were provided with food for breakfast (training only), lunch
and dinner. This was very unique compared to most other Co-Ops. The meals were being
financed by the company, therefore it was the students responsibility to attend all these meal
times at the correct time given to us. This was to be the case for the whole duration of our
stay; this excludes Saturdays and Sundays where it was our responsibility to feed ourselves.
As we were living in Camping Bon Repos, a camping area that is available to the public we
had to respect the grounds we were on. It was our responsibility, especially at weekends, to
keep noise to a minimum after 12am. I was responsible for respecting the area we were living
in and keeping the area clean, along with the rest of the group. As mentioned before the
group of students were divided between one Grupos centre in Santa Susanna and the other
half in Tossa De Mar. I was centred in Santa Susanna and here students were provided with a
bungalow, which occupied two to four people. It was my responsibility to keep my bungalow
clean. We each gave 100 euro to Elias Bradshaw as a deposit for the bungalows. Therefore
we had to respect the bungalow and keep it in the manner that we got it in or else our deposit
would not be returned.
As with training we had to be at the office area for a certain time every day for work.
We were required to be there at half nine every morning and it was our responsibility to
prepare all activities and classes for our students. At 10am it was our responsibility to go
collect our group at their location. Every week a new school arrived and with our given
timetable along with the other monitors in a group we had the responsibility of waiting for the
children of our school to arrive at the camp. We also were responsible for bringing them and
showing them to their bungalows. It was my responsibility as a monitor to collect the kids at
10am, bring them back at 1pm, collect them again at 3pm and finish at 6:30pm. Every week
one person in a group was named Reference Monitor. Their responsibility wasto
communicate with the teachers of the school and be the middle man for them and Karen.
Theyre responsible for giving them their teachers pack, which consisted of the schools
timetable and information on Grupos. They were required to speak to the teachers every day
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before and after activities, in the morning, at lunch and at the end of the day and to report any
problems they may have had. Every day I as a monitor had to check in to the office, by
simply saying hello. This was in order for the company to keep track of their employees.
As part of the job we were required to wear a uniform which consisted of a blue t-
shirt, a blue jumper, navy pants or shorts and runners. It was our responsibility to bring the
correct navy pants and to keep our uniform clean and presentable at all times for work. We
had regular meetings with the heads of the company Elias and Karen about the job. Every
Friday once a school had departed the camp we would have a meeting discussing our
progress, our work and here we would be given information about our groups for the next
week. It was our responsibility to attend these meetings. It was also my responsibility along
with the rest of the monitors to follow the given timetable for the week with their given
school.
While working with the children it was vital for us to remember the cultural
difference between us and them. Therefore we had the responsibility to respect their culture,
language and way of life. And of course to respect them as people. As Grupos Organizados is
a camp solely based on the English Language, we had the responsibility to immerse the
Spanish students in English, through constant communication of English. Every week a
school would carry out various activities such as horse riding or Adventure. It was our
responsibility to take them to and from these activities. Also, for example, during Adventure
the children were required to wear Harnesses and Helmets for safety. It was our responsibility
to ensure that these were worn and that they were correctly fitted for the childs safety. We
also had the responsibility to tell our own groups the correct clothing to wear for each activity
and the times that we would be commencing and finishing classes or activities. We also had
the responsibility of telling them the rules of the campsite and the rules for the week.
As this job required us to work with Spanish children, it was necessary for each
monitor to be energetic and active. Therefore it was our responsibility to get the correct
amount of sleep in order to carry out the day ahead. As a monitor and a student of the
University of Limerick it was my responsibility to communicate constantly with the heads of
the company and to report any problems that I may have encountered immediately.

5) Opportunities to Learn During Co-Op

1) Basic Work Skills

As I have previously held jobs before I was aware that going on this Co-Op I would be
expected to treat this job like any other professional job. Holding jobs before this was a great
help, however the environment of this job was far different to anything I had done before. As
Grupos Organizados is a company that is based in Spain I knew when I accepted the position
that I would encounter various aspects of work and of a job that I never experienced before.
Now looking back over the experience I have learned so many more basic work skills that I
feel will benefit me greatly with my future career.
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Basic work skills include respect for your job and your bosses, and respect for the
environment that you will be working in. It is also key to have respect for those you will
serving as part of your job. You as a worker are expected to behave in a professional manner,
comply with your companys regulations and rules and carry out your duties in an
appropriate manner that is suited to the workplace. While on Co-Op with Grupos
Organizados I had the opportunity to practice these skills and develop many more.
Every day I was to report to the office at 9:30am and be prepared to begin the day at
10am. Having to do this every day for five months without a doubt developed my skills on
punctuality and this is a basic skill on respect for those you work for. Every day we were to
wear a uniform which consisted of a blue t-shirt, a blue jumper and navy shorts or pants. For
my previous job I was not required to wear a uniform. Therefore having to wear a uniform
everyday has taught me the importance of wearing the proper attire for your job and therefore
respecting the job that you are carrying out. I learned further to respect the rules and
regulations that the company has, for example, no phone use when you are working and
reporting into the office before and after work.
As I was working with other University of Limerick students on a daily basis I
learned to work as a team player and to respect others I was working and their decisions and
opinions that they would put forward. As the job requires constant energy and positive
attitude, as you are teaching children, I learned to always show a positive, cooperative and
constructive attitude; an attitude that would allow me to carry out my job successfully and
that would make the job easier to complete. I learned that sacrifices are necessary for
example if a co-worker is absent. It is important to work with these complications and still
respect the job at hand and carry out any further work as you would normal work.
The job taught me how important personal interactions are with the organisation and
the people working within the company. With any problems or concerns it is key to
communicate these immediately to your employers before they develop into bigger problems
that may not be able to be solved. I learned throughout my Co-Op that honesty within the
workplace with your employers and co-workers is very important in order to successfully and
effectively do your job at hand.
As I was working with children on a daily basis it was important to show respect for
them, no matter what age, race, ethnicity or background they had. Respect from both the
children towards me and my respect towards the children allowed positive relationships to
developand therefore a good week for the children and the job successfully carried out. I
learned from this Co-Op a lot of basic work skills, such as communication, punctuality and
attitude, however the greatest skill I developed was respect. This included respect for my
employers, co-workers and the children. I believe that all these skills that I practiced and
developed will be skills I will hold and benefit from for my future career.

2) Communication Skills

I knew before going to Spain for my Co-Op that I would be practicing certain skills and
gaining many more. As Spanish is not my first language I knew communicating with locals
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and with the students I would be teaching would be a challenge and a skill that I would have
to develop while I was over there. As mentioned before I have held jobs before I completed
my Co-Op. Previously I worked in a bar in Limerick. While working this job I gained many
skills, one including communication skills. I learned to communicate efficiently and
professionally to customers. Therefore I knew when I chose to go on Co-Op with Grupos
Organizados that this skill would be very useful when I was to work. Also having studied
Spanish in Secondary school for 6 years was useful to have, however, the main aim of
Grupos Organizados is to emerge the students into an environment only of English. Therefore
I knew before the Co-Op that I would be challenged when it came to my communication
skills.
The ability to communicate with employers, colleagues and customers is a key skill
that is needed by most businesses. It is essential to be capable of communicating to people in
a manner that will make your job and the business a success. Communication includes
speaking face-to-face with someone, telephone communication, presentation and non-verbal
communication. Good communication skills involve listening to people in an attentive and
professional manner. It involves the ability to communicate ideas and opinions in a correct
verbal way. The ability to participate in meetings and in group settings is also key to good
communication skills. With regard to my Co-Op with Grupos Organizados it was key to
recognise the importance of non-verbal communication and having the ability to
communicate effectivity to the students whose first language is Spanish. With Grupos I had
the opportunity to practice my communication skills and develop them in many ways that I
had not before.
Working with Spanish students was going to be a challenge, however I feel like my
communication skills was one of the skills that I developed the most. As English was not
their first language communicating with them was difficult. However as the months went by I
found it much easier to communicate with the students; the majority of this communication
being simple English along with non-verbal communication. To simplify my English was
difficult however that paired with non-verbal communication was the key in helping the
students understand what you were saying. The students were new to many words and
phrases of the English language, therefore board writing, drawing, non-verbal actions and
helping them with their pronunciation individually greatly made a difference to their English.
I had never had to use my communication skills in this manner, therefore it greatly helped me
in expressing myself further and will definitely help me in my future career, which is
especially focused on communication.
Along with communicating to the Spanish students, it was very important to
communicate effectively and efficiently to my colleagues and to my employers. With most of
this job involving group settings, it was important to be able to communicate correctly with
others in order to avoid conflict. I learned greatly from this experience with groups, as I feel I
have developed my skills further in communicating to others and it is no easier to
communicate with others without hesitation. Communicating to my employers was also key
and is a key element in a work environment. I feel a lot more confident that I can discuss and
communicate any opinions and problems that arise to my future employers.
Overall Grupos Organizados was a great help for my communication skills. Before
going to Spain I felt as if my communication skills were efficient enough to do the job
correctly, which they were. However I now have built a new confidence with communication
and I know that this experience will help me greatly in my future endeavours.
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3) Organisational Awareness

Before going on Co-Op I had a great deal of organisational awareness and respect for the
organisation that I was then currently working with. It is very important within a working
environment that you understand the organisation you are working in and that you respect all
that the organisation has to offer and that you should genuine interest and correct behaviour
towards the organisation and your employers. Organisationalskills also included your
understanding of the goals of the organisation and being the worker they expect you to be. It
is important also to be sensitive to how the organisation works and demonstrate a positive,
self-motivated attitude towards the work that will benefit the organisation itself.
Previously, before Co-Op, I understood completely the ways of the organisation, I
was genuinely interested in the organisation and I believe I respected the standards of
professional behaviour. However I do feel my awareness was heightened during my
experience with Grupos Organizados. What I had never received before was an evaluation of
my work, and this was something which greatly helped me throughout my experience. At the
end of every working week, all the employees would gather around the office area for a
meeting with our employers. At this meeting we would receive information about our next
working week, such as our programmes, the school name and many more details. After this
however we were evaluated, not individually, yet as a group. We were credited if we did a
good job and made aware of any mistakes we made during the week. This helped a lot as it
allowed me to develop myself in my work and the advice is something I will always hold
with me. This also allowed me to understand more about what the organisation was looking
for, what they expected and allowed me to respect my position much more.
Looking back I feel strongly that I developed my organisational skills during my time
with Grupos Organizados. I realised how important this organisation was and how the
organisation of the company itself was a key element to its success. Therefore it was
important that I was aware of how the organisation was ran and how I could help for it to
succeed even further. My time on this Co-Op allowed me to see how important it is for
employees to respect their job. Before in my previous jobs I did then job that needed to be
done and did not take significant awareness about their goals or missions. Grupos
Organizados is an organisation based in Spain that works with children, and its employees are
native English. As this is an important, yet delicate business it was vital that we respected
how the company was ran and their method of making their business successful.
I highly enjoyed working with Grupos Organizados therefore showing respect and a
positive attitude for work was easy. However working with children made all this even more
important. I was expected to act in a certain manner with the children, be sensitive about what
I was doing and maintain a positive attitude. Having to do this every day while working with
Grupos has greatly helped me. I now have a greater appreciation for work and for the people
that give me the opportunity to be a part of their organisation. It has thought me to respect all
that an organisation wants to achieve and this includes conforming to all their policies and
rules put in place. Working in Spain itself helped me greatly, as the work environment was
much larger than I am used to. I learned to respect the area I was working in, for example, the
adventure park, the horse riding ranch, the bus, the pool, and even the beach and the
bungalows I was staying in. All of these locations were a part of the organisation and it was
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important that I respected every one of them in order to prevent any problems arising that
would take the focus of the organisation off their mail goal. In conclusion, I feel I now have a
greater understand of organisation. I now know how important it is to respect the
organisation, their politics, and their general way of business. I also know now how important
a self-motivated attitude and positive behaviour towards the job benefits the organisation. I
now know how all these elements are necessary in making an organisation successful.

4) Cultural/International Awareness

Having cultural or international awareness is necessary in our ever growing multicultural

environment, work place and society. This awareness is now becoming recognised as a key
skill that graduates from all over the world will need. Regardless of where you do your Co-
Op or where you work it is important to have a respect and appreciation for where you are
and of their culture. Before going on my Cooperative Education with Grupos Organizados I
was aware of the fact that I would be experiencing a whole different and new culture, and
engaging with people of a different culture and way of life to me. As I had never spent so
long in a different country, I never had the chance to fully appreciate the aspects of another
culture before. Grupos Organizados gave me this opportunity.
Having good cultural or
international awareness involves many things. You must be conscious firstly of different
cultural values that may be very important to that culture. It is key that you have a good
understanding of the differences in cultures. This also applies to how a business in a different
culture is ran. It is highly important that you are sensitive to other people that have this
different cultural background. Their values and beliefs may differ so you must be aware of
these differences and show respect to them. Having the ability to communicate or to attempt
to communicate to others with different cultures in their language or otherwise is key. Also
being able to develop your skills in their language if previously studied before. Personally,
while on Co-Op with Grupos I had the opportunity to learn and develop all of these skills. As
a student in the University of Limerick, which has a very multicultural based student body, I
already had awareness of different cultures. However, as mentioned I had never been
immersed in a culture for such a long period of time. There were many cultural differences in
Spain, yet they are in many ways similar to us therefore it was an easy transition. There were
many things that I had never experienced or lived by before, so it was interesting and an
experience to be in Spain for those five months and gain a greater appreciation towards how
that culture lives. I really enjoyed
working in Spain and experiencing their culture. Working with Spanish students ranging
from 11-18 was a very helpful experience as both of us had the chance to learn more about
each others culture. While speaking to them in English I would ask various questions about
their way of life, for example, their daily routine, their food, their villages and even
relationships. I learned a lot during my five months about their culture, for example, the
traditional Spanish siesta and how they eat a lot later than the Irish culture. It is important
to even respect these little things as they are a key element to their culture and is what makes
them different.
Another important element of cultural awareness is understanding and being sensitive
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to how a business is run in another culture. With Grupos Organizados being an English based
company there was not much differences. However a lot of the employees were native
Spanish. I found the environment to be a little more relaxed however working hard and
getting the job done in the best way possible was something I really noticed while working
here. Also I studied Spanish for 6 years prior to going on Co-Op and I really had the
opportunity to gain further knowledge on the language, even when the job was based solely
on English.
To conclude, it is very important to have good cultural awareness. This is now key in
the workplace all over the world. Before going on Co-Op I did have a good awareness, yet I
never had the chance to be immersed in one culture for such a long period of time. I do
believe my cultural awareness and all the skills involved were really developed while
working with Grupos Organizados. I now feel that I can expand my desires to work all over
the world and this will greatly help me in my future job, whether it be in Ireland or further
afield.