Synopsis Intern Profile: Isla Neil
As it has been a year since I first arrived in Lisbon as an intern through Red Ochre, I feel as if now is a great time to truly look back and reflect on my experience so far. When I first arrived in the country I had so many different feelings to consider, having never been to the country before I was of course feeling quite nervous for what it would be like, but the emotion that stood out most of all was just the sheer excitement and expectation of what was to come over the next three months.
From the first day I arrived I immediately felt at home, the support from not only my receiving organisation Synopsis but also my fellow interns was incredible. It immediately felt as if we were one big family, ready to look out for each other and go on many adventures too.
During those months, I was working as an intern at Astoria International School primarily as a classroom assistant but I was also given the opportunity on various occasions to plan and lead my own lessons with various different age groups. The skills I learnt here were invaluable, from developing the confidence to stand in front of a class comfortably to how to manage a classroom effectively. This experience led to me then being offered a job in Lisbon full time working at a Kindergarten.
This experience was not only incredible in terms of work experience but also in simply living so many new experiences, From early morning starts to climb one of Lisbon's many hills to watch the sunrise, to sharing a beer with friends in a gorgeous square and trying so many new foods I wouldn’t even have time to list them all!
I can truly say that I fell in love with Lisbon over those three months and thankfully many of my friends did too. As our time as interns sadly came to end we then put our focus on finding apartments and organising visas in order to live here permanently.
After a few months working as an english teacher I then decided to move away from Lisbon and head for Madrid, However as soon as I left the city I immediately knew that I wanted to return. So after only 3 months in Madrid I decided to pack up my bags and head back!
Now I am super excited to be starting a new Erasmus placement through Capacity Ireland at Synopsis Practice. I will be running the blog for the next few months and can’t wait to show you all more about the city and why I love it so much.
Overall, I cannot recommend an internship in Lisbon enough. I can truly say that for me and so many others it has been a lifechanging experience in so many ways and it is something that you definitely will not regret!
Post by Isla Neil