Veterinary & Animal Care Internships: Intern abroad in Valencia, Spain

Internship details

Veterinary & Animal Care interns in Valencia have the opportunity to collaborate alongside professional vets working with the day-to-day provision of care. Put your knowledge and skills to use and gain hands-on experience, supporting the health and wellbeing of domestic animals. If you’re an animal lover, this is a great opportunity to enhance your passion and build your career!

This is an in-country internship, with accommodation and meals provided.

Veterinary internship duties should be expected to vary, depending on the needs and treatment requirements of clients. Broadly speaking, there is opportunity to assist in the collection of biological samples, assist with creation of recovery programs, pre and post surgery care, administration and operational support, as well as feeding and cleaning duties. Interns may also have creative freedom and scope to contribute to educational services designed to teach and control difficult behaviors in animals.

The diagnosis and treatment of diseases in domestic animal species, related to cardiology, dermatology, digestive, ethology, dentistry, ophthalmology, oncology, reproduction, respiratory difficulties, orthopedics and urinary systems, can also be included within the internship experience (subject to availability). Most veterinary clinics have access to advanced tools, such as X-ray and ultrasound systems. However, it’s important to note that interns wanting advanced hands-on veterinarian tasks must have relevant animal care training and experience.

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

Spanish language proficiency is not a requirement to join. However, interns should expect that a language barrier can still be encountered to a certain extent. Interns should be prepared for the very natural and normal frustration of not always understanding what is being said around them. Come prepared and willing to surmount a language barrier (and ask for help when needed), as opposed to being intimidated by it.

This internship includes five complimentary Spanish language lessons, which must be scheduled within the first two weeks of the internship. These should be considered mandatory for anyone who is not already a fluent Spanish speaker. Any additional Spanish language lessons must be coordinated and paid for separately. We encourage all interns to take advantage of the opportunity to learn some Spanish skills during their program (or develop their existing vocabulary).

Career Benefits