How my year abroad helped my career

Name: Garin Chapman (BSc 2020)

Degree subject and school: Business Management with a European Language (Spanish), Cardiff Business School / School of Modern Languages

Global Opportunity: Year of Study Abroad – Spain

Tell us about your Global Opportunity: where did you go and what did it involve?

As part of my degree, I attended the University of Valencia as a student for one academic year. During this time, I studied a variety of modules related to Business Management, Economics, and Spanish all entirely in the Spanish language.

What inspired you to apply for a Global Opportunities programme?

One of the best ways to improve in any language is to live in a country where it is spoken natively. My goal was to advance my language skills beyond what can be taught via books and in classrooms, therefore studying abroad was an easy decision to make.

The flexibility of Cardiff’s programme was extra appealing. I had a choice of both the location and the modules I wanted to study abroad. This allowed me to solely focus on the aspects of the language I wanted to learn about, and be located where I wanted to learn about them.

Tell us about your career: where do you work and what’s your current role? How do you feel your time abroad has helped you professionally?

I’m currently an Onboarding Executive for a fintech company based in Cardiff. My role involves guiding new customers through the beginning of their journey and ensuring they adopt their new software successfully.

My time abroad has helped immensely with my career. I received my first job offer because of my Spanish speaking skills, as the company I joined had an office in Barcelona. Although now I’m not speaking Spanish in my day-to-day, the communication skills I improved during my year abroad are applicable even in my native language. I often have to give presentations to large companies, which would seem a daunting task to many. However, after presenting to 50+ people in one’s second language, a presentation in your native language seems a lot easier in comparison!

What’s more, the challenging nature of studying in a foreign language helped me improve skills outside of language: organisation, critical thinking, and creativity. All of these have helped me excel in the first few years of my career and are all skills that employers seek out.

What’s your favourite memory of your time abroad?

The final night of Las Fallas (Valencia’s Spring festival) that concludes with a giant bonfire and firework display in the city centre is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Also, Casa Carmela does the best paella in Valencia and possibly the entire world!

What advice would you give to a student who is unsure whether time abroad is for them?

If you are given the opportunity to study or live abroad, I personally would highly recommend you take it.
You never know when life and its responsibilities will tie you to home, and the opportunity may never come again. Don’t live life with regrets!