From July to September 2016, I was working for Ailola Quito in Ecuador and responsible for social media and (online) marketing.

The Swing at the End of the World in Baños — © Stella Genge.
The Swing at the End of the World in Baños — © Stella Genge.

Why did I end up in Quito?

Panorama of Quito — © Stella Genge.
Panorama of Quito — © Stella Genge.

After working some months in Buenos Aires in 2015, I knew that I wanted to come back to South America, which was why I was looking again for marketing jobs over there. Since many travelers have recommend Ecuador to me so far, I constrained my job search to Ecuador and fairly quickly found the job offer from Ailola in Quito. After applying for the job, I already got an invitation for a job interview the next day, in which I was immediately given a firm offer.

What were my tasks?

Waterfall in Mindo — © Stella Genge.
Waterfall in Mindo — © Stella Genge.

In general, I was responsible for social media and online marketing matters. This included, among others, the following main tasks:

  • Conception and publication of social media content on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Plus & YouTube
  • Design of (online) publications such as flyer for promotion as well as other publications
  • Content marketing
  • Photo shoots as well as post processing / editing of photo material
  • Composition Writing and publication of various posts for this blog
  • Quality Management through student reviews, internal feedback and other
  • Conception, execution and editing of a virtual school tour video
  • Translations (English — Spanish — German) and creation of instructional material
  • Support of language students

What was the school like?

Part of my internship agreement were also free Spanish classes (3–4 hours/day) which I took at the language school. During my 3-month-stay, I had the chance to join both group and private classes and, thus, got to know a lot of teachers as well as students from all over the world. Altogether, Ailola Quito is a really good Spanish school, which made me easily improve my Spanish from B1 to C1, so that I am now able to speak Spanish fluently. Therefore, even apart from the internship, I can definitely recommend the school to Spanish learners of all registers.

Hiking in the mountains — © Stella Genge.
Hiking in the mountains — © Stella Genge.

What was the city life like?

Since I was living in a nice Ecuadorian host family, which the school has organized for me, I quickly felt at home in Quito. Apart from that, Quito itself, as the highest capital of the world (at 2,800m), also has a lot to offer — both, naturally as well as culturally. While walking through the streets, you can see the magnificent volcanos and Andes Mountains that surround the city. And even though Quito is a busy, crowded and loud city, there are still many places in the city where you can rest and enjoy nature. Besides, the Quiteños are really welcoming people and, what was even more delightful, speak a very clear Spanish, which makes Quito a great place for Spanish learners.

Originally published on Ailola by Stella Genge on November 13, 2016.