The last semester of the Degree in attendance Management-Management Assistance takes place in national and international companies, where ISSA University of Navarra students have their first professional experience and put on internship the knowledge acquired during the four years of degree program. These internships constitute the last subject of the degree program, together with the work End of Degree.

Miren Echavarri is from Oteiza (Navarra), thanks to ISSA's Internship Service she is doing her curricular internship at the Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commercein Warsaw, where she has been living since last January.

For Miren, what is most valued about ISSA graduates is "the fact that ISSA prepares us to work in all fields of business and, of course, languages".

Why did you choose Poland for your internship?

Poland is a country that has currently received 82 billion euros of European funds, so entrepreneurs are motivated to enter new markets in this country. Young people talk about new projects and entrepreneurs talk about market expansion abroad. There is a lot to learn from the Polish population and it can only be achieved by entering the country.

How was your first day at the Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce?
When I arrived I was introduced to my colleagues and my manager, and my work space was explained to me. At that time I also received information about the business, what tasks it carries out and how to carry them out.

What is your position?
work As an assistant reporting to the office manager, but my duties are focused on supporting the other assistants in their daily work .

What are your duties?
The tasks performed during my internship have been diverse, however, there are some that have been repeated more often, such as: translation and proofreading of texts both in English and Spanish, design and essay of invitations, public relations with member companies of the Chamber and financial aid in the organization - and subsequent participation - of the different events.

What would you highlight from all of them?

Organization of events. The Chamber of Commerce is characterized for being a association formed by more than 100 member companies whose mission statement is to contact the largest issue of Spanish companies with the Polish market and vice versa. That is why the celebration of events is a very important task to fulfill the objectives of the business.

If I had to highlight one of these events it would be the 15th Anniversary of the Chamber. It was held last March 12th at the Spanish Embassy in Poland. It was attended not only by member companies, but also by Ambassadors from all over the world, Polish ministers and representatives of other Chambers.

What skills do you consider core topic for the performance of your internship?

The work teamwork and communication are essential in the Chamber Office (department where I am meeting). Organizing events is not the work of one person, but requires the cooperation of several people to achieve the best result.

Do you use languages?

Languages are an important point when you are abroad. Not only when it comes to work, but also in everyday life. Here in Poland, people on the street don't usually speak English, and if you want them to make an effort to understand you, it is better to greet them in Polish and then speak in English.

The same is true when doing business. It is advisable to show your respect by greeting them in their language and then switch to English.

English is a must. We work with people from all over the world and English is the key to be able to communicate.

Have you put on internship what you have learned at ISSA?

I take part in many different tasks, so there are several subjects that I am grateful to have studied. For example, when it comes to proofreading, English and Written Communication; when it comes to organizing events, protocol; when it comes to design invitations, Computer Science; and when it comes to public relations, Ethics and Psychology. These are some of the ones I use on a daily basis, but in the end it is the set of all the acquired knowledge that allows me to perform the work satisfactorily. 

What do you take away from this experience?

Above all to have met many people with different ambitions and business purposes but working in the same market. To be able to exchange opinions and experiences with people from different parts of the world and from different social classes.