Victoria's First Impressions from her Internship at CCHF, in Madrid

Starting My Internship at the Finnish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce

My name is Victoria, and I am a third-year International Business student at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, majoring in Marketing and Sales. I am currently completing a five-month internship at the Finnish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Madrid, where I have now spent my first 1,5 months experiencing both international working life and vibrant Madrid.

My internship tasks mainly focus on marketing and communication, which strongly support my studies and professional development. Together with another Haaga-Helia intern, I work on social media marketing and content creation for Meta and LinkedIn, website updates, communication with members and partners, as well as event organisation and coordination. In addition, we assist with a variety of smaller administrative and support tasks as needed.

Events, Networking, and Professional Learning

During my first month, I already had the opportunity to participate in organising, marketing, and coordinating a couple of our events. One of the events has been our new webinar series, and another was the second event for the Young Professionals Network (YPN), which focused on artificial intelligence.

YPN is designed for young interns, professionals, and entrepreneurs, aiming to connect them and provide valuable, relevant content to support their professional journeys. The event, titled “Is Generative AI Our Friend or Not?”, featured Dr. Rana Farag, Head of Google Cloud AI (EMEA-S), as the main panelist. It was particularly insightful, offering valuable perspectives on generative AI from a leading expert in the field. A more detailed overview of the event can be found on the CCHF webpage in a blog post that I wrote about the event.

At the moment, one of my main responsibilities is contributing to the organisation of our biggest annual event, the Summer Party. This event brings together members of the Chamber, partners, and a wide range of professionals, making it an excellent opportunity for networking and learning from industry experts. Being involved in its planning has been especially interesting and rewarding.

So far, I have not yet had many opportunities to meet Finnish companies in Spain in person, aside from communication via email, which has refined my professional communication skills. However, I am especially looking forward to the upcoming Summer Party, where I expect to connect with many of the companies and professionals.

First Observations About Life and Working Culture in Madrid

As for the phenomena I have observed during my time here, one noticeable difference compared to Finland is the more relaxed and open atmosphere. People seem to place a stronger emphasis on enjoying life, and this is also reflected in the working culture. While I cannot yet draw firm conclusions about the working environment, this cultural approach to balancing work and enjoyment has been a clear and interesting observation during my first weeks.

Yhteystiedot: www.linkedin.com/in/victoriakalaeva

Email: office@camarafinlandesa.com

victoria.kalaeva@gmail.com