I’m a 19-year-old student interested in starting my own restaurant or hotel. My Host, Sea Saffron, works with wine tastings, events, and paella workshops, which matched my interests perfectly. I discovered the EYE programme when my IO presented it at my school. I decided to join because I wanted to gain hands-on experience, learn about hospitality and marketing, and meet people in the industry. The exchange gave me the chance to learn a lot and get involved in many different tasks, from event preparation to customer service.
During my exchange, I mainly helped with preparing the spaces for events and doing kitchen preparations. I supported during events by setting everything up, welcoming guests and making sure they had a great experience. I was also involved in marketing and branding, and we had several meetings about how to improve the company’s visibility. Later, I spent time at the other venue, where they offer paella workshops with wine pairings, and there I learned even more about customer contact. Overall, I was part of many different activities and learned a lot from the team.
I gained practical experience in hospitality, event preparation and customer service. I also learned more about marketing and branding through the meetings we had. Working at both venues taught me how much work goes into running a business, and it helped me develop new skills and confidence. I met great people, learned a lot about the industry and I would recommend this experience to any student. Both my Host Company and my IO supported me extremely well.
I learned a lot, gained confidence and was supported by an amazing team. I would recommend this exchange to any student or NE.