Welcome to BEST Programs
Some interests are inherent in us from childhood. I myself have always had talent and attraction to education and culture. BEST Programs reflects my life’s journey in great part. For example, as mother of a small child recently graduated with a Masters in Linguistic, I founded BEST in pre-Internet days (1990) to provide extra-curricular English language classes for Spanish children in camps and after school all-English activity classes. The sections of this website on English for Spaniards and Photos still carry on that style.
The philosophy is based on the belief that we each have an unlimited potential which can be tapped into through creative non-academic methods; by lowering academic stress and seeking this potential with motivation and care. In essence, I believe that the development of one’s potential is the secret to a life well-lived.
All the programs and courses offered by BEST in some way or other empower the participants to find and develop their true potential(s) and life’s purpose.
All the services in BEST, seen in the orange bar above, had similar births as the one described for English language classes. One service grew out of the other. From the children’s EFL classes I realized that they needed many more native English language models, at reasonable costs, which prompted me to begin the Au Pair Program with exclusively native English speakers. Unexpectedly, the type of candidates which we were attracting was university students or recent graduates. These women were interested in living abroad for the life experience and to improve their second language skills but - they were on a more professional track than the au pair program offered them.
The current concept of an international internship stems from the old world practice of apprentiseships in combination with the 19th century practice of taking a tour abroad as a sort of “finishing school” for the well-educated. The bottom line today is that an international internship can help you find a better career in the future. Participants get the benefits of working in their particular field of interest while they are also given the chance to discover and experience living in another country, with its culture, language and perspective. The best thing to keep in mind about these international internships is that the world could be your playground and you need to be prepared to do the things you want to do. My personal definition of being wealthy is being able to do the thing you want to do when you need to do it.
For further information see my article “Yes! You Can Live and Work in Europe and Here’s How.”
If you can resonate with what Mark Twain said, “Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned”, this is one of the prime reasons to go for an international internship. You learn all the exceptions to the rules and face all the real-world challenges. Also, compared to studying abroad it is cheaper and more practical because the program gives you the chance to know the country’s business practices and improve/learn another language.
The biggest challenge we have faced as a fee-based company which is totally independant, unsubsidized and non-sectarian has been to find an economic balance. We work with the advantage of being onsite, based in Madrid, Spain, and being source providers. This means our principal service is to find internships, no subcontracting, Internet-based – passing the savings and the quality on to our participants.
Our general program’s policy guarantees an internship in any field to any student who gives us three areas of interest. In 2005, according to the contacts we made in the local business environments we began to offer internships in specific industries: health professions, logistics, and humanitarian organizations.
Most recently, we have made an enormous edge in Paid International Internships, having devised a protocol, in Madrid, for 6 to 12 months in English teaching and Business posts. This competitive program provides visa documentation and the economic means to pay for itself (in the long run) and, more importantly, it enables the participants to support themselves (modestly) while living in Europe. So now there is really no excuse for not having international experience stand out on one’s resume. You will have a better chance of getting hired compared to those without the experience of living abroad, and most importantly, you will have the life experience of meeting different people and living abroad.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this web page to all that helps people to move towards their optimized state of being for the greater good of themselves and the world.
Jill Arcaro Gordon
Founder
jarcaro@bestprograms.org
Madrid, 2009
Nimi Goaten
International Relations and English Language Department
best@bestprograms.org
Jessica Thomas
Administration and Registrations
programs@bestprograms.org
