Travel and Tourism student goes digital in Spain

Scott Todd, HND graduate of Travel and Tourism at Ayrshire College from the Ayr Campus graduated in absentia this year. Instead he has taken the opportunity to work as a Digital Marketing Intern in Seville, Spain.

                                                                               Rio River Guadalquivir

Scott has been working as a Digital Marketing Intern at the Black Swan Hostel in Seville, Spain.

Claire Todd, Marketing Intern at Ayrshire College caught up with him to find out more about his time there and what it's like to live in the Spanish city.

Here's what he had to say about his experience:

“The internship is good fun and Seville is a really nice city with lots to explore including touristy things, like Las Setas- the mushrooms which is a wooden structure with excellent views of the city, as well as the cathedral and Plaza de Espana. I also went on a road-trip to Cordoba and visited some really nice restaurants, bars and clubs!”

Getting into the internship

I saw it on Facebook as a sponsored post and then went through the Twin/Erasmus+ application process.

If you’re considering an internship

I would definitely encourage students or graduates to do an internship, especially abroad as it allows you to experience the culture of living in a different country. Successfully completing my internship should hopefully provide me with skills that will be useful for applying for jobs when I get home.

Not all fun in the sun

My main task is to reply to reviews on Booking.com and Hostel World – sometimes these will be in Spanish, or even in Italian or French, and the reception staff or volunteers at the hostel help me with my translations!

I have also posted content on Facebook to promote the hostel’s activities including the pub crawls, flamenco nights and paella cooking workshops.

Another task of mine is more admin based – to check that the commission that the hostel is paying to Booking.com is correct.

I have also been doing some research about other hostels in Seville to compare their offer with Black Swan’s and also about hostels in Granada because Black Swan are planning on opening a new hostel there next year.

                                                                                     Catedral de Seville

A definite learning experience

I have learned that asking questions does not mean that you are silly! It’s the only way that you can learn! You shouldn’t feel silly about asking questions because someone else may need to ask you about something to help them out.

                                                                                     Plaza de Espana

Benefits of an Internship

You can learn new skills while working somewhere completely different and making new friends. You may even decide that the area of work is not for you, so it gives you some time to experience it and think about your career.

What’s next?

I’m looking forward to coming home for Christmas, and then looking at jobs that are more tourism or digital marketing orientated next year.

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