Year Abroad: Keeping it Real

The Tab: So, we hear you interviewed some sort of footballer the other day?

Alex: I interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo just after he scored a perfect hatrick in under 10 minutes against Getafe the other week – left foot, right foot, header! I was told I would be interviewing him about 3 minutes beforehand and to think of 3 questions to ask him as quick as I could. The first one that came into my mind was “will you marry me?” but I managed to gain some form of self-control and came up with 3 reasonably comprehensible questions about the game. He was told it was my first player interview and was really kind to me – so smiley and gave me very long answers. In fact his answers were so good that they were used on National Spanish television and dubbed!

Alex goes to work under the bright lights of the Santiago Bernabeu

Wow. Nicely done. Other than interviewing world famous football stars, what else do you get up to?  

Every day is different – which is one of the reasons I love my job so much. Some days I record news bulletins that go out on Real Madrid TV every hour, I attend training sessions and I go to the games and interview fans outside the stadium, do stand ups pitch side and then go into Real Madrid TV’s VIP mixed zone after the match to interview the players grabbing them as they come out of their dressing room.

On big match days, like the Champions league or The Clasico, I do hourly reports with all the latest team news from the stadium or team hotels. I love these days because we get our make up done and clothes given to us by wardrobe.

I’ve also asked Mourinho questions at pre/post match press conferences and if there’s any special event going on that needs covering – I’m there. But my favourite event so far has been the Audi race day, every player was awarded a car of their choice before racing them around the track – what a life! Sadly we didn’t join in.

Alex hangs out with the Golden Boy

So, any of the Galacticos tickle your fancy?

One or two.

Good luck! Can we watch you on the box in the UK?

We go out in 65 different countries but not in England. Hopefully soon though…but if you’re keen to tune in, some of the shows and news go up on youtube/realmadridcf and realmadrid.com or I continually update my twitter page with the team news so if you happen to be interested – follow @alexaljoe !

Audi Race days…just part of the job

Any advice for those hoping to plan a year abroad with a twist?

My main advice would be not to panic and opt for the easiest option, which is often tempting to ensure you have something sorted. This time last year I had no idea what I was going to do – in fact my job wasn’t even fully confirmed when I arrived in Madrid in September! You have all the time in the world to sort out your year abroad even though Durham try and panic you. Even, the job I am doing in Italy during this summer came about as a result of what I am doing in Spain, so wait until you know exactly what you want to do and aim high! You have nothing to lose so back yourself! It’s also really important to make sure you are open to things changing and be willing to adapt and step outside of your comfort zone.

Next year you’ll be back in Durham but after that – has a year abroad helped you think about life after university?

Without a doubt! I am one hundred percent sure this is the career path I want to pursue. I love every aspect of my job – every day is exciting, I work with and meet such amazing people and to top things off I get a 3 course lunch in the next door hotel everyday… As the famous quote goes “if you love your job then you never have to work another day in your life!”