I finished taking part in the exchange in the Canary Islands in Spain. My host was a small company operating on the local real estate market and their clients were based abroad. I was involved in activities in the office, on the Internet, on the phone and physically in various locations.
During this time I worked with international clients interested in purchasing residential property in the area where my host operated. This included representing them locally when they were not present in order to find real estate which met their specification. I collected information about the location, details of the property and pricing. I made onsite videos to send them to prospective buyers. In later stages I met with them for translations, in person viewings and assistance in legal meetings. I also advised them on the local living conditions, language schools and other topics interesting for people moving to a different country. My host gave me freedom in regards to working hours and how I got things done. Even though I found out about many of my tasks at the last minute, we smoothly managed to do everything on time. All our clients seemed to be in great mood, feeling more like they were coming for holiday than for business. Local contractors were also very friendly and helpful. All of this and also a great weather made my exchange very pleasant and rewarding. The time spent on the projects was relaxing and fun. I wish all working environments were like this.
I really enjoyed my exchange, however from my experience I cannot recommend this programme to other entrepreneurs. My first Erasmus Intermediary Organisation turned out to be obstructive, so I had to switch to a different one. Even though my second Intermediary Organisation was very supportive, overall the whole administrative process took almost a year, dozens of versions of various documents and about 200 emails. The programme provided me with a great learning opportunity, however the whole approval process took much longer than the exchange itself.
