¿Cómo ir a otro país a trabajar? Mi experiencia en Irlanda e Inglaterra como programador

Durante mi vida profesional como programador de aplicaciones móviles trabajé en varias empresas en España. También intenté una aventura empresarial que no salió especialmente bien, y como me apunté a listas de educación y me llamaron, acabé de profesor sustituto, dando clases una semana en un sitio, una semana descanso y un par de semanas en otro.

Una calle céntrica de Dublín con un filtro de cómic. En aquella época estaban de moda. 

Siempre había tenido esa espinita clavada por no haber ido a trabajar al extranjero. Me encanta viajar y en la universidad desperdicié la experiencia del Erasmus. ¿Había llegado el momento? Parece ser que sí, era ahora o nunca (con "ahora" quiero decir el año 2018).

Leía un montón de páginas y foros de Internet con experiencias de quienes sí se habían atrevido, y no les había ido nada mal. Afortunadamente, la informática es una carrera con mucha demanda.

Una frase que leí un día me marcó: "Lo único que diferencia a alguien que se ha ido fuera de alguien que no, es que el primero ha hecho una mochila y comprado un billete de avión". Si era tan fácil, ¿por qué no probar? Y así fue. Compré un billete a Dublín, que tenía entonces un vuelo directo con Santiago de Compostela y allá fui. Para hospedarme, reservé un hostel para las primeras semanas.

Un hostel no es el mejor sitio para vivir. Pero conoces gente y además, como uno quiere ir a vivir a otro sitio, pone más empeño en buscar trabajo.

Un hostel es como llaman fuera a lo que nosotros llamamos albergue, a un sitio donde duermes en una litera y compartes habitación con un montón de desconocidos que van cambiando cada noche. Pero era la opción más económica y, teniendo en cuenta que los precios de los alquileres de Dublín rivalizan con los de Londres, me pareció el mejor sitio para empezar.

Centro de convenciones de Dublin, por la noche.

¿Por qué Dublín? Bueno, allí hablaban inglés y cuenta con una gran aglomeración de empresas de tecnología como Microsoft o Facebook (ahora Meta). Mejorar el idioma era algo que me atraía, pero no caí en la cuenta de que quizás debería de haber buscado una ciudad un poco más barata para vivir. No se puede tener todo y yo entonces era un novato, y ser novato se paga. Quizás ahora, optaría por ciudades como Liverpool, Manchester o Birmingham, con alquileres más baratos. ¿De qué sirve cobrar un buen sueldo si una gran parte se dedica al alquiler? Una ciudad llena de informáticos con buenos sueldos hace que los precios de las viviendas estén por las nubes. Además, en Dublín los pisos no se alquilan como aquí. De hecho, es posible que encontrar un piso sea más difícil que encontrar un trabajo. Para alquilar uno hace falta tener referencias de "landlores" (caseros) previos y presentar una nómina. Y compites contra todos aquellos que, al igual que tú, han ido también a ver el piso. Los agentes inmobiliarios quedan con un grupo de gente interesada, ante la gran demanda y escasa vivienda, y además de querer alquilar un piso y ser capaz de pagarlo, hace falta que el casero decida que tú eres el mejor candidato como inquilino.

Lo bueno de Dublín (o Londres), por otra parte, es que ahí están los proyectos interesantes, las compañías que mejor pagan, las mejores reuniones de programadores, los mejores eventos en los que establecer contactos, etc.

Selfie con un ciervo en el Phoenix Park de Dublín. Si les llevas zanahorias se hacen tus amigos.

Antes de viajar, dediqué unas semanas a preparar un buen portfolio con los proyectos que había creado para poder enseñar lo que era capaz de hacer en las entrevistas de trabajo. Lo traduje al inglés y le pedí a una amiga nativa que lo revisara para corregir algunos errores. Ella estaba haciendo también traducciones al español, por lo que hicimos un intercambio de corrección de textos.

También utilicé LinkedIn y contacté con muchos recruiters, que son profesionales especializados en situar talento dentro de las compañías a cambio de una comisión. Ellos tienen contacto con compañías y te consiguen ofertas de trabajo, aunque también es recomendable buscar por uno mismo a través de páginas webs como Monster.

Es recomendable informarse sobre la "cultura local" o las normas en cuanto al formato típico de currículum. Es muy recomendable informarse y ver ejemplos de los currículums del país destino. Por ejemplo, en algunos países, para evitar discriminaciones por raza y edad, no se deben enviar currículums con fotos ni con fecha de nacimiento, como es el caso de Inglaterra.

En muchos países también es conveniente adjuntar al currículum una carta de motivación o una carta de presentación en la que se explique el interés del candidato.

Smartflo. Una app para iPad que controla máquinas de microfluidos. Fue uno de mis proyectos para Cellix Ltd., la empresa en la que estuve trabajando. Una de las mejores cosas de ir fuera es que hay proyectos muy interesantes.

Yo he trabajado en Irlanda y en Inglaterra. A Irlanda me fui a "la aventura", como estoy comentando, y a Inglaterra me fui con una oferta bajo el brazo. Si vamos a "la aventura", es muy recomendable llegar al país destino y adquirir una tarjeta SIM para poder poner en el currículum un teléfono local. Un candidato que presente un CV con un número de teléfono español puede ser directamente rechazado.

Actualmente es completamente factible poder realizar entrevistas de trabajo telemáticas desde España e ir con una oferta bajo el brazo. Hay que tener en cuenta el salario en relación a la ciudad en la que se vive. Por ejemplo, en Londres se puede ganar mucho dinero, pero mucho dinero se irá en el precio del alquiler o del transporte. Lo mejor, si se quiere ahorrar, es buscar un sitio cerca de grandes ciudades con eventos interesantes, cuyo alquiler sea más asequible.

Molly Malone, una pescadera que murió de unas fiebres. Es lo que cuenta una de las canciones típicas de acabar la fiesta en Dublín. Quizá por eso, aunque tienen mar no comen mucho pescado.

Ir con una oferta de trabajo simplifica todo el proceso de irse a vivir fuera. Sin una oferta uno entra en un círculo vicioso del que es algo complicado salir, aunque al final se sale. Básicamente consiste en ciertos elementos que están relacionados y que se necesita obtener uno para poder conseguir otro:

• Sin trabajo es muy difícil alquilar una vivienda.
• Sin vivienda ni trabajo no se puede obtener un número de seguridad social.  
• Sin vivienda o trabajo no se puede abrir una cuenta bancaria. Algunos bancos exigen una factura remitida a una dirección, o una prueba de que uno vive en determinada dirección. Y lo peor de todo es que... ¡no les vale el contrato de alquiler! Yo conseguí la cuenta presentando una carta de mi empresa diciendo que vivo en la casa que había alquilado.
• Sin una cuenta bancaria no se pueden cobrar las nóminas del trabajo.

Al final, poniendo como vivienda el hostel, y con una carta de la empresa ofreciéndome trabajo, pude por fin obtener en Irlanda el número de la seguridad social que desbloqueó todo el proceso. Por otro lado, el chico que me alquiló un piso en Airbnb por dos semanas aceptó alquilarlo de forma indefinida, por lo que acabé viviendo en las afueras de Dublín en un bajo de una habitación, con cocina-salón, baño y terraza a razón de unos 1500€ al mes que era el precio del mercado. Le garanticé que no haría fiestas, y como era mi vecino y veía que tenía una vida normal, le pareció bien. Pero alquilar un piso en Dublín es una auténtica pesadilla.

La mesa de billar del hostel de Dublín donde viví dos meses y medio. 

En Inglaterra todo fue más fácil. A través de una agencia alquilé un piso de dos habitaciones en el centro de Stafford, una pequeña ciudad inglesa, a razón de unas 600 libras mensuales. A esto habría que añadirle la comisión de la agencia, la tasa de ayuntamiento (council tax) y el impuesto de televisión, que me lo ahorraba al no tener una.

Para optar a un trabajo hay que pasar las entrevistas que suelen consistir en:

• Una entrevista con el recruiter en la que te introduce la empresa.
• Una entrevista con los que van a ser tus compañeros de trabajo o jefes.
• Una prueba técnica que hay que resolver. A veces dan tiempo indefinido para hacerlo y es recomendable utilizar las mejores prácticas de programación y, en otras ocasiones, hay un tiempo limitado, por lo que hay que conseguir resultados cuanto antes.
• Una discusión final sobre las condiciones del empleo y sueldo.

En otros países como Irlanda o Inglaterra existen dos perfiles definidos: permanent (o trabajador indefinido, tras un periodo de prueba) y contractor (que aquí sería como autónomo). Los primeros tienen más derechos laborales, beneficios, etc. Los segundos cobran mucho más por día, pero tienen que pagar sus impuestos (normalmente a través de una "umbrella company") y sus seguros. Además, estos últimos trabajan en proyectos de relativamente corta duración (de semanas a meses). Para puestos de más duración, las empresas suelen preferir a sus trabajadores que a los externos. Si eres un buen externo puedes llegar a cantidades de entre 500 y 700 libras diarias. Es bueno especializarse en una tecnología en concreto.

Una plaza en Stafford, la ciudad Inglesa en la que viví. ¿A que es bonita?

Las reuniones de programadores suelen darse en las grandes ciudades y son eventos en los que es interesante participar para conocer gente y ampliar el número de contactos profesionales. Hay una aplicación llamada MeetUp en la que por localización te avisa de los eventos que se llevan a cabo: charlas de programación, intercambio de idiomas, etc. Es muy útil si uno llega a un país sólo y quiere conocer gente que tenga aficiones afines.

Una calle céntrica de Mánchester, donde se enfrenta el edificio Printworks con el museo del fútbol, en el que te dejan sacarte una foto con la copa de la Premier League.

Si se opta por ir a vivir a una gran ciudad, es recomendable no juntarse con españoles. Es bueno estar en los grupos de "Españoles en X ciudad", pero si uno siempre está rodeado de españoles no mejorará su "English" o el idioma del propio país. Está claro que es mucho más fácil hacer amistad con gente que está en la misma situación, sólo en otro país y lejos de su familia y amigos, pero hay gente en esa situación cuyo idioma nativo no es el español. En la empresa básicamente se emplea un lenguaje técnico, por lo que mucho vocabulario no se utilizará a menos que se hable de otros temas que no tengan que ver con la informática.

Me cansé de visitar castillos, pero este, a las afueras de Cardiff, es uno de los más bonitos que he visto.

Muchas veces, a la hora de aprender idiomas, conocemos la palabra que queremos decir, pero no llegamos a ella a tiempo. Por ejemplo, quiero decir "faro" en inglés y en el momento en el que estoy hablando no me acuerdo de que es "lighthouse". Probablemente piense en ello y la próxima vez que necesite decir faro, encuentre esa palabra sin problemas. A medida que esto me pase unas cuantas veces, mi inglés se volverá más "fluent".

El último motivo y el que me ha llevado a trabajar a otros países es la posibilidad de visitar sitios nuevos cada fin de semana. Es recomendable encontrar un lugar que tenga cerca un buen aeropuerto o unas buenas conexiones de tren, especialmente si el país al que vamos, no lo conocemos.

Sala de fiestas con música en directo en Cardiff. La noche en esta ciudad es espectacular.

Es genial poder ir el fin de semana a la Caverna de Liverpool a escuchar a los imitadores de Los Beatles, o ir a un pub irlandés en Cork y escuchar música en directo. Cada fin de semana es una nueva aventura. Si lo combinamos con MeetUps podemos conocer gente local y pasar muy buenos momentos. Utilizar aplicaciones como Trainline, que ofrece precios de buses y trenes, se vuelve imprescindible para poder sacar el máximo partido a una estancia en otro país, aunque los lunes haya que volver a la oficina.

Con el torito de Birmingham.

No cambiaría por nada mis experiencias en Irlanda e Inglaterra, y animo a todo el mundo a atreverse a ir fuera. Como ya dije, lo único que hay que hacer es una mochila y comprar un billete de avión. Bueno, y guardar 100€ para el vuelo de vuelta en el caso de que las cosas no vayan como esperamos. Londres o Dublín en avión están más cerca que Bilbao en coche, y lo peor que puede pasar es acabar donde el principio. ¡Así que no hay que tener miedo!

INTERNSHIP IN LONDON 2 - VASSIT

INTERNSHIP IN LONDON 2 - VASSIT

    The company where I am doing the internship is called VassIT. It is a Spanish company that have many affiliates around the world. One of them is VassIT, which is based in London. The company offices are in the Victoria Train Station. The station has offices in the uppers floors of its building that anyone can rent. Therefore, there are many companies working there. Our is on the third floor.

    The offices are good. You are always around 22 degrees of temperature, does not matter what kind of weather is outside. You have kitchen to heat up your food. In addition, they give you free milk, water and coffee. All is always clean. Apart from that, in our company we have Nespresso and other types of coffee. You can find there a thousand types of tea too. If you like tea, you will probably feel like being in paradise (I hate it). English people drinks tea anywhere, anytime. I truly hate it.

    When it comes to it, most of the people in the office buy their food outside of the building every day. There are tons of restaurants and food markets around the place. You can enjoy good food from any part of the word. There is Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc. Of course, you can eat the typical fish and chips (although I am not a fan of fish, so I do not know how it taste yet jeje).

    The people in the company is the best part of all my experience. There is people from all around the world. Brazilians, Romanians, Portuguese, English, Germany… and of course, Galicia. Because some people from our institute that made their internship here, just like me, stayed after it. In fact, I am going to stay in here too. So if you decide to make your internship here, will probably meet each other. The people is so friendly and nice and they treat the internships (trainees, as we are called here) amazingly well. I never pay anything when we go out for drinks (and believe me, I drink a lot jaja). They have even invited me to expensive meals that, otherwise, as a poor internship person, I could not be able to afford it.

    The work environment is amazing. Of course, you have to work, but in a relaxed and friendly space. You can feel the difference between our company and all the other companies. We always have doors open, we do not have to go to work with suits or some shit like that, etc.

    This company is a consultancy one. Which means that we work for other companies. Some of them are well known, like Vodafone or Santander, and others are less known. However, always for other companies. Right know, I changed my project and I am working for a Dubai company. We made them their internal web page. I am working with Oracle Servers and Database, programming in Java, and using HTML, CSS and JavaScript for the front-end part.

Therefore, that is it. See you in my next entry. By Londoner.

    

INTERNSHIP IN LONDON 1 - VASSIT

     INTERNSHIP IN LONDON 1 - VASSIT

    London is one of the best cities in the world. I'd been here 3 times before starting my internship in VassIT. There's a lot to do and so much to enjoy, experience and discover. If you are reading this to find out about the typical tourist places, just look for them on google. My writings on this blog are going to be about my daily life and how I am feeling here, not a tourist guide.

   I studied DAM (Desenvolvemento de Aplicacións Multiplataforma), and I've got to know this company thanks to one of my teachers. She helped me to contact them and they accepted me immediatly. VassIT (that's the name of the company) has lot of experience with internship students. I wasn't the first student from IES San Clemente who came here (and I won't be the last one after you read all my experience jeje), so the confidence that they have in this academic institution played a big role.

    But let's start from the beginning. My internship is an extracurricular one, so I came to London after finishing my studies and after doing the final three months internship that you need to get the title in a company of Santiago de Compostela. So my internship is from the 1st of July to the 30th of August. Some people may say that is not a good thing to lose all the Spanish summer (with all the parties, etc) but I think otherwise. In London, most of the year it's raining, just like in Santiago. But in the summer, you have a really nice weather. I've been here for 3 weeks now and it didn't rain yet.  That's why I think it's better to do the internship in summer, because you can visit a lot of places that, if it's rainning, you wouldn't.

    After being accepted in the company, I started to plan the journey. The plane to London is not expensive or difficult to find. I travelled from the airport of Santiago with Ryanair. The plane was really cheap. The total cost of the tickets was 150 euros, return ticket flight, with 30 kilograms of baggage with-it. The bad thing is that I arrived at Stansted airport, which is one hour and a half by bus from the centre of London. It costed me 13 pounds. Not much. I travelled in a good bus, really comfortable and big. And they left me in Victoria Coach Station, which is 3 minutes away from where I was going to stay.

     The tutor at the company gave me a lot of information of places where I could stay. I decided to stay in a hostel called Holland House, which is just five minutes walking from were the company has it's headquarters. In a room of 3 people. It's 130,5 euros a week if you are under 30. The price includes WI-FI, gym, study room, laundry room and they also give you breakfast and dinner during the week, and breakfast and lunch during weekend. The rooms are pretty good. The mattress is good (at least mine), and you have a closet and a shelving for yourself. The baths are ok. The showers could have been better. They clean everyday, even the rooms, so everything is pretty decent. You can make friends really easy here. You'll find people from all over the world, but mostly, they are Spanish. Almost half of the people here comes from Spain, so you won't have problems if your English is not good enough. You won't find anything cheaper than this in Victoria.

So basically I live near Victoria Station (which you can see in the photo). 

    It's a nice place to live, not very crowded (except for the station). Here you can find some modern buildings and others that are from the Victorian time. It's safe and you can walk around, even at night, without fear. There are some little parks too. It's 10 minutes walking from Buckingham Palace , 15 from the Big Ben and 15 from Hide Park. As you can see, it's really easy to go walking everywhere from here. It's almost the centre.

      Ok then, See you in my next entry. Bye Londoner.

Last reflexions

It has been a few days since I came back from London, so my Erasmus is over. It was nice to be back with my family, but at the same time I feel nostalgic about what I have just left behind, things that were part of my life there, such as places where I used to go to (those walks in Kensington gardens in the weekend) or some remarkable people I met there. In short, it closes a stage, a life experience that I will take with me forever.



I would like to mention some of the most curious things that I found during my time in London.



Urban animals

Foxes and squirrels are two of the most abundant animals in London. Squirrels are normally found in parks and are so used to the contact with people that you can be surprised by then climbing up your leg in search of food. As for the foxes, they keep hidden during the day, and come out at night to look for food, even in the most centrical boroughs.



Politeness

It is totally true what is said of English people, they are very educated, especially the professionals who work in contact with the public. It is not rare to be asked "Are you having a nice day?" before being served.



TV license

English people have to pay, as long as they have a TV, an annual fee, the so-call TV license, for the simple fact of having a TV at home. Why? Because public TV, the famous BBC, has no ads, so goverment get funding in that way.



Sun Light

As winter approaches, the daylight hours decrease drastically, so that at the beginning of December at 4 pm is almost dark night. I have to admit that this is something that affected my mood since I had the feeling that I was living in an eternal night.



Multicultural cuisine

In London you can find almost any kind of cuisine from around the world. I tried a vegetarian ramen close to Totenham Court Road that I will never forget. Prices are sometimes surprinsingly affordable. I have had really large, tasteful pizzas for no more than 7.50 pounds.



Before finishing, I would like to give thanks to  IES San Clemente and VassIT for the opportunity I was given to take part in the Eramus.

Time flies

Candem Town, lovely place

We are already in the month of November, which means that my stay in London enters the final strecht. It's funny, when I came at first to London time went by slowly, now, however, time flies.

Sunset in Picadilly

Things have changed a lot since I arrived. I started living in a tiny room that was one hour distance taking the Tube to my office. Even worse, I had to take the "Central line", which is very busy during 'rush hour'. Now, I have a better room which is located less than 10 minutes walking, so my quality of life has improved greatly and I have more time available to do more things during the week. For example, after leaving the office, on week days, I can still go to a pub with a colleague, study or do some sport. By doing so, I started to feel this place somewhat like my home. At least my temporary home. On weekends I usually try to do some sightseeing around London. I like walking to different places, no matter the distance, to get to really know the city. This way you can discover hidden gems otherwise you couldn´t. Among the well-known I would highlight Candem Town, the so called Little Venice, a pleasant place with a vibrant market next to a channel. From this place you can  walk along the channel and enjoy one of the quiestest places in London. Highly recommended. Aside from that, something that calls my attention is the fact that London, despite being massive, it lacks of really wide avenues. I guess that the reason is that, as I read once, London is not a planned city, such as Paris could be, but a sum of a set of little towns, each one with its own character, that were growing until merged. 

Regarding the work in itself, the professional experience is being positive. On the one hand I have had the opportunity to get to know technologies that only knew from the academic point of view, such as Java or React, and on the other, I have met very interesting people. In the time that I have left, I will continue to enjoy the experience.

The adventure has started

The begginings

I recall the day everything started as if it was yesterday. In a day of June, more than three months ago, I phoned from my office to ask about the chances of doing a internship in UK or Ireland as part of FCT module. The answer could not be more promising: there were a company located in London recruiting people at that moment. I must admit that, althought that was what I was looking forward to, the decission was far from being easy due to my personal circumstances. Leaving behind my wife and my two little children was a tough choice, but after discussing the matter with my partner we agreed that this could be a good opportunity for all of us. In the worse scenario, I would improve my level of english and would adquire new knowledge that could be somehow relevant, but in the best one, we could move to England in the mid-term and would start a new life there. Althought, at the moment I am writing this, that is no more than a far dream.

London
I arrive in London on 15th saturday evening. I was tired and I was looking forward to getting to the room I had rented from Spain. But when I arrived to the place what it was supposed to be my home for the next 11 weeks, what I found could not be worse. The kitchen and the toilets were rather dirty and my room was unreasonable tiny. I was living there 2 eternal weeks, now I am living in a much better place, even closer to my office so I can avoid peak times on the tube, which, during rush hour it is absolutely crowded. Anyway, I learnt the lesson. Accomodation prices in London are exorbitant so if you want to keep the standard of living you had in Spain, be ready to pay as much as the triple or even more. Leaving that aside, London is an amazing city, plenty of historic landmarks and highly cosmopolitan, it is said that by walking through the streets you can hear more than 300 languages. You easily notice that London is one of the capitals of the world.

A view of my office

Regarding the apprenticeship, I have a lot of expectations: improving my level of english, as I said earlier, and try to make a career shift by adquiring knowledge in technologies somewhat different from what I have already been working with. On top of that, once the apprenticeship is finished, settle here with my family. It is too soon to know whether I am going to get it or not, but anyway, dreams are the energy that makes everything move.

More to come
That is what makes the life more enriching, I suppose, making decissions that push our limits to get things you thought were impossible. Bearing this is mind, I will try to make the most of my staying in London. Go ahead!

An ever-growing project

Hi.

Leaving home.

Going on an internship is not always easy. Admittedly, leaving home can be a tough experience, but there are big reasons to willingly hop into the adventure.

In my case I was looking for new experiences: something exciting, yet, unfamiliar. I was also craving for independence; I love home very much, but I knew I had to move on for my own sake, get out of my comfort zone.

Ever since I finished school I often felt stuck in life, doing the same thing over and over again. Life with parents is easy, because they do everything for you. However, in living with your loved ones you are always expected to be the one self they know, the one you've been dragging since childhood all the way to the present. This is a major blocker in life; it prevents growth.

It is very tought to get around this, but a change of life was starting to feel necessary.

A change of life.

If you've read my other posts you may already know that I am now a full-time employee in the UK. You may also know that I'm working for Santander, and that my experience could've been better.

In the past I've shown my utter disappointment with the working conditions in the specific project I was assigned to. It was really bad. However, not long after, things changed radically for me. I can't explain everything here, but things changed.

I called this post "An ever-growing project" for a reason. It is perhaps quite an ambiguous sentence, as it's open to interpretation, but a very meaningful one. You may think of a project as a commercial product in the works, just like what I'm doing at Santander, or really anything that has a start and an end. Just like life, it has a beginning and an end, and it's in constand evolution: the project of life.

Things move and change all the time. This can't be stopped.

An important decission.

You can't just stay still and do nothing, let time fly by. You are not perfect, and you know that. There are things that you would like to be different, but still you let them be in your life.

It is okay to be comformistic, but just for so long. If you can relate to what I've said above, please stop being passive and do something about it! Do you fancy and internship? Come on, set youself free of the chains from the past and hop on the adventure!

Let this be a reminder that you will not be like this forever, that's just impossible.

Move on!

Working as a programmer in London!

Hello reader! Hope you are doing good these days and thank you for dedicating a little bit of your time to reading this post, it really means a lot!

Hippo is always there for you at the office!

As you may or may not know, six months ago I came here, to London, to take part of an internship. The company I was assigned to was called Vassit UK, one of the divisions of Vass, a spanish IT consultacy based on Madrid.

During the three months that the experience lasted I learnt a lot, met lots of new people and grew up a little bit as an individual. But most importantly, unexpectedly, I got hired!

Flying back to Spain!

After comming back to Spain to end the trimester, and after spending one month with my family and friends, I came back to the big city. I was really excited! I was still hessitant to leave home, tho, but I had already made my mind months back during my internship; having some time to prepare emotionally is really important!

A panorama of our little office at the Vassit UK headquarters!

Now that I am here the excitement is still strong, motivated by passion. Still, there are some problems that I would like to talk about. This is dedicated to anyone that likes programming as much as I do and are planning on working for big enterprises such as banks and international firms.

You see, these entities are governed by people with lots and lots of money, big whales to be exact. These people usually only care about profit and very little about others. Thus, you may be treated as a pseudo-slave of sorts rather than a real, valuable, human being.

As a result you may be assigned a desk with a computer and demanded to work for 8 hours straight on a project that very well may not even be ready for development. You will get tired of all the internal burocracy really quick, as they will guard your each and every step you take!

At least this is what happened to me, as I have to commute every day from London to Milton Keynes and work alone in a desk surrounded by dozens of other people I don't know and cannot talk to. It is extremely boring and I usually ask myself: what am I doing in here? I just don't feel like I belong to this place and it doesn't help that I am one of the youngest in this massive office!

The big office at Milton Keynes

But worry not my friend. Every problem always has a solution! In fact I am currently really happy working in London at the Vassit UK headquarters; I had to talk to my manager and we sorted things out, so that I don't have to go to Milton Keynes while the project remains halted and no more people joins the team.

This experience has made me realize how important it is to have things to do at work to remain motivated, make progress and learn, and how awful it is to feel like you are wasting your time when there is none!

I had the opportunity to see the reactions of newcommers to this same project and, so far, noone is happy working in there. We are now doing our own things and having fun playing around with code and learning together many interesting things that will help us in the future. It's really great!

This is a garden in Bath, a roman city near to Stonehedge. It gives me peace and hope looking at this picture :)

I honestly hope that you don't have to go through this but, if you do, please don't give up! Make a list of things you are interested in learning, bring it to work and share it with your team to do interesting stuff while there is nothing else to do! This is an oportunity to grow and learn beyond the scope of  the project, so take advantage of it!

And if this is your first experience abroad, don't waste it! Every minute away from home teaches you something new and strengthens your personality!

Take care my friend, and I wish you the best in this journey!

Back to Santiago and a new adventure waits ahead

Hello reader! This is the londoner, again, writing from my comfy chair. But this time I'm not in London anymore: I am back in Spain!

The amazing views above London and its surroundings

Yes, that's right! I missed this place to be honest. After a whole three months of time spent outside I kind of developed some degree of nostalgia that really kicked in in the last two weeks of my stay abroad.

But now I'm back! My parents, big brother and my grandmother were all waiting for me to reunite (again). I am happy to be back, and my cat is as funny (and stupid) as ever! :3

This is the fire we set up for San Juan. It did burn really well!

I (only) have two weeks to really squeeze the juize out of my time. It's enough time to hang out with my best friends and to experience some memorable moments here and there tho. The weather is perfect for this time of the year, so there's going to be plenty of swim and dip in the pool and in the river (we have a really nice one at a 10 minute's walk from home).

However I still have some homework to do. It's I shame that I actually am yet to finish the project for the cycle's last trimester. Reader, If you are embarking on an Erasmus experience, please finish the project before coming back home; thank me later! (It takes so much time out of your agenda! And it will stress you out!)

The homework's terrible fate!

It is the 1st of July at the time I'm writting, meaning I only have one more day to enjoy here sadly. I wish I had more time but it's been such a blast! I'm thoroughly excited to start a whole new life in Great Britain and I can't wait to come visit my friends and family sometime in christmas time. I'm thinking about all the things I could do in a flat just for me. It's like playing Animal Crossing but with real life ideas! :D

The amazing Milton Keynes

I will be living in a town located around 70km to the north of London city. Its name is Milton Keynes and it resembles the likes of my birth town somewhat. It's bigger and flatter overall but it's quite a big wide green place. Milton Keynes begs to be traveled by bike as it was built from the ground up to act as an industrial area interconnected by really long roads and roundabouts (as seen in the picture). The traffic is usually really light and there are bike lanes everywhere. The town's center is at a 10 minute's ride from the closest point to the frontier, and that's where all the important amenities and the underground are.

Again, it has been a honor taking part of the Erasmus programme and I am thankful for everything the IES San Clemente and the Vassit UK team has provided me with. This has been an experience I will quite never forget. Thank you! ;)

Seguemento

Agora que as mobilidades de primavera finalizan, queremos agradecer aos titores de FCT que fixeron o seguemento das prácticas Erasmus+.

Nas imaxes, alumnos do ciclo SMR durante as entrevistas co seu titor.

...e logo comezan as prácticas de verán! Neste ano batimos récord!

Arrival to London and first experiences

Hello there reader! This is Manuel writing and commenting and I am about to tell you a thing or two about my internship in London so far. Let's get started, shall we?

London is the biggest city of the entire European Union, a must see for every tourist alike, and one of the most culturally mixed cities that Mother Earth has ever conceived.

The London Eye photographed from a tourist's eyes

But for me London has always been much more than just an epicly large and rich location; I've always felt this strange attraction towards London and, even tho I don't know why or how, I always knew I would visit it some day.

But oh boy, never in my life would have I ever expected to have such an oportunity. It's crazy to think that just some weeks ago I was all laid down on my bed uncertain about my future, relaxed thinking about nothing but videogames, and that now not only am I on the city of my dreams, but also I was offered a job to stay there FOR MORE THAN A YEAR!

The really big London Shard in all it's magesty

Wow! This first month in London has been a huge rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from the highest excitement and enthusiasm to the deepest sadness and despair of leaving behind so much of my life in such a short span of time.

Our own private jet ;)

So I arrived at London on the 23rd of March -several days before I was supposed to (oh clueless me!)- accompanied by my parents and brother who is currently working on Germany, so we took advantage of me moving to London to meet and stay together for an entire week. 

We then found a somewhat affordable hotel near Paddington Station, at around a five minute walk to the most important amenities, such as the coach station or the underground, as well as a Sainsbury's and tons of restaurants.

The first thing I noticed was the severe lack of british restaurants. We were in a turistic area, mind you, but one would expect to find some british-exclusive meals aside from the typical and overrated Fish&Chips. Nevertheless, the variety in food was outstanding in every way; we tried italian food, japanese food, servian menus, mexican burritos, and there were even a bunch of spanish restaurants; it felt like a hub for every culture in one small spot.

One of the cheaper menus in London

This variety in food culture comes as a result of the astounding coexisting set of religions and races that are present along the streets at any given moment. It felt weird at first seeing black people as bus drivers, muslims as hotel owners and business rulers and japanese guys all over the place. It took me around two to three weeks to get used to it.

The Albert Memorial

The London Eye as if it was an ad of a car brand

The stunning Tower Bridge

During that first week with my family we would visit as many places as we could, have lunch, then keep going, have dinner and finally go to bed. It was a really busy time as I had to look for accomodation as well, I felt tired and frustrated as it became increasingly unlikely for me to find a place to live in time before we split up.

In the last day of the week I was feeling sick, not sick for a cold, but because I was uncertain about my future, alone in such a city, mentally confused, with no place sleep in. But like if it were a miracle of sorts, I noticed I received an email from Eloisa, one of the Vassit employees working in the human resources department -we miss you!-. In the email she suggested me to check out a students residency located just 6 minutes away both from Victoria Station and from the office, as some other employee had been living there for the previous two weeks.

The views from my room looking down the street with the Shard on the background

I couldn't be more thankful! That residency is called Holland House, it's in a privileged location and the prize is a joke! Just 150 pounds per week for a double room with breakfast and lunch included as well as a fully-fitted gym!

It was such a big relief, but It all would come to an end the day after, a day that I will always remember, because it represents the first time in my life that I was left alone in the wild without any kind of guidance or help. The following week felt as strange as I was lost. It seemed to last like forever as I was facing so many fears and trying to adapt to a brand new life.

And you know what? Now I don't want to look back! This is a life changer, an experience that made me open my eyes and see the world through wider lenses, and a new opportunity to grow as a person and let go old bindings that only held back my true potential.

For everyone considering doing internship, DON'T THINK TWICE! Do it and let life teach you how wonderful and enriching a trimester can be for you both professionally and personally ;)

Cheers to everyone reading this blog and happy living!

Documentación dos Erasmus+

Estes días estamos recibindo os alumnos participantes en mobilidades Erasmus+ que volven a casa despois de tres meses de prácticas no estranxeiro.

Hoxe temos aos tres alumnos que estiveron no Porto, un destino novo, que falaron moi ben da súa experiencia.

Nestas reunións, recollemos a documentación da FCT, revisamos papeis pendentes de Erasmus+, realizamos as últimas publicacións neste blogue e no TwinSpace, e o máis importante: cobren o informe final.

Despois de cumprir estes requisitos, o último paso é transferirlles o segundo pago da bolsa Erasmus+, se é o caso (en concreto, dous deste alumnos aceptaron unha "bolsa cero").

Seguemento da FCT - Primavera de 2016

Na primavera de 2016 realizan a FCT no estranxeiro 17 alumnos a través do programa Erasmus+.

Neste período foron catro os destinos escollidos polo alumnado:

• Dublín: Esteban (ASIR) e Martín (DAM).

• Londres: Miguel (ASIR).

• Porto: Ángel, Eloy e Anxo (SMR).

• Lisboa: Rocío e Gonzalo (ASIR); Brais, Luis, Pablo M., Adán, David, Félix, Manuel, Pablo P. e Joaquín (SMR).

Os titores mantemos contacto por correo electrónico co alumnado e comezamos a realizar entrevistas mediante Skype, Hangouts ou teléfono, para coñecer con detalle as tarefas que están a desenvolver nas empresas e a súa vida fóra delas.

Os contidos das entrevistas están sendo transcritos ao TwinSpace do proxecto.

.

First days in London

Good evening!

It's already been a week since I arrived to London. It's certainly a massive change coming from a small city to one of the largest cities in the world.

I'm living with a host family in Croydon, just to the South of the center of London. It's a residential neighbourhood, so it's very quiet at all times. Also very convenient, since my commute is around 30 minutes long.

I work in a small office located in a big business center just by London Victoria Station. It's part of a company based in Madrid, so there's plenty of Spaniards around. I am also given a lot of freedom regarding any improvements I can think of during my work.

About the weather, there's really no way to predict it. It can switch from very sunny to very rainy in the span of a couple hours, so carrying an umbrella is mandatory.

Still a long time to leave, lots of time to explore.

Cheers!

Documentación da FCT

Este é aspecto da mesa do departamento de informática despois de que Cristina e eu organizásemos a documentación da FCT e de Erasmus+ de catro dos dez alumnos que acaban as súas prácticas.

Isto non é nada... :-D
O luns, cinco máis.

E aínda faltan os certificados Europass Mobility, os Suplementos ao Título Europass, Certificados de participación...

Forza!

Fifty days in London

After more than 50 days in London, I think I can make an assessment of the experience ;D

We started with the arrival in London, after landing at Heathrow (the ideal airport to come to London) I went by tube to the house of my host family, in Tottenham, very close to the station "Tottenham Hale", which belongs to the "Victoria Line ", one of the major tube lines of the city"

From the first day, I can say that was almost the only day when it rained since I've been here! Everyone warns you that in London the weather is horrible, but the truth is that since I'm here is usually sunny.

The street where I live

As for the family, the truth is that I think I can say I was very lucky, the landlady is a very friendly person who tries to help as much as possible, the room is large, the house is practically new and it is located in a nice area.

From the house to my workplace during internship in Victoria, I have about 30 minutes by metro (Victoria Line), it can be a little stressful because of the thousands of people who use the subway every day, but is the best transport option.

My office is located in central London, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, just 800 meters from Buckingham Palace, in a huge office building, where are companies like "The Telegraph",  the truth is that  is a privilege to do the Erasmus+ internship in a place like this.

My office

Regarding to free time, I can say that I have already visited the most famous sights of London (Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square ...) London is an amazing city for sightseeing, have many places to visit, every day there are hundreds of activities throughout the city, and there is always something new to do or discover.

About things to consider before coming, I think the most important thing is to look thoroughly good accommodation to stay, make sure what you are paying is exactly what you will receive, and avoid at all costs pay anything for advance.

London is an extremely expensive city, so it is essential to plan all your steps here before arrive, accommodation, transport, food... Being the most important thing the transport / accommodation ratio.

In short, I value these 50 days in London in a very positive way,  is an amazing experience, knowing from within the reality of one of the most important cities in the world, with the pros and cons London entails. A multicultural city where everything is possible, where you can meet people from all over the world, and that is certainly a perfect place to start...