Když se karta obrátí aneb jaké to je, když stážisti přijedou k nám
Věděli jste, že za každého stážistu, který s IAESTE vyjede do zahraničí, přijede jeden k nám do České republiky? Jak to na takové české stáži probíhá, jaký program pro stážisty připravujeme a co na ně nechalo největší dojem se dozvíte od dvou stážistů, kteří přijeli nasbírat pracovní zkušenosti do Brna.
Christian Stewart (Malta)
What did you work on during your internship? (in few sentences)
I am a mechanical engineering student, so in my work I was involved in the Process Engineering team at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, where I designed pressure vessels and heat exchangers both by Design by Rule (DBR) and by commercial software Sant‘ Ambrogio. I was also given the opportunity to obtain an internationally-recognized certificate (CSWA) for 3D software Solidworks during my time there, and finally present my work to the rest of the team members.
What did you enjoy most considering your work?
I mostly enjoyed learning new software which I did not get the opportunity to learn previously in my home country. These included Sant’Ambrogio, Python programming language and Solidworks. These softwares are important in the engineering field, thus, will help in my career.
How did they treat you at work, did you spend some time with your colleagues in your free time?
The colleagues there were great, always interested in how I was spending my free time and
recommending places to visit in the evenings or on weekends. We used to discuss our experiences and ideas over lunch daily. Also, they were very helpful in allowing me to adapt to the work culture there, which was very beneficial.
What were your expectations coming to Czech Republic? Were they fulfilled?
Before I went to Czech Republic, I was hoping to meet and work with people with different
backgrounds and cultures, and it certainly did not disappoint. In terms of the work experience, I am very glad I was given this opportunity as I gained some valuable knowledge in the field, and made some important connections overseas.
How was your arrival to CZ?
I was a little scared before arriving, not knowing what I was going to find. But as soon as I got off my train, a lovely IAESTE member Anicka was waiting to introduce me to the place.
How did IAESTE help you?
When I arrived, IAESTE members took me around the city, showed me my acommodation, introduced me to other interns and helped with any paperwork necessary. They even took us out to dinner on our first night! For the rest of the stay, they were always very helpful whenever we asked for advice or suggestions.
Did IAESTE members prepare some program for you during your stay in CZ?
They would organise events or evening meet-ups regularly, which were always great fun! The people there are amazing and so nice to international students.
Did you make friends on your internship?
During my stay I met several other interns, whom I became great friends with. We would spend evenings and weekends together, travelling together, going on IAESTE weekends in several cities together, and most of all, drinking Czech beer together. I am still in contact with them. In fact, we were planning to meet up in Germany during this summer, but had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
What did you like about Brno?
The city is great! Although not as busy as bigger cities like Prague, it is the perfect balance between chill and crazy (in a very good way!).
What is your strongest memory from your internship?
The relationships and friendships made with the people there are the fondest memories. Travelling together during our stay was also an essential part of the internship, were we visited a total of five different countries. The most amazing was the trip to the Tatra mountains in Slovakia, where we could hike up some mountains to see so many amazing views.
Tom Decheiver (Belgium)
What did you work on during your internship? (in few sentences)
I worked at a pharmaceutical company in a town near Brno. I worked on evaluating and replacing certain chemicals in the production process of anti-tumoral drugs in order to make the process greener. Then, I also helped to execute those processes to deliver the desired products with a reduced environmental footprint.
What did you enjoy most considering your work?
The thing I enjoyed the most was the hands-on experience with chemicals, pharmaceuticals and reactors that you normally wouldn’t get access to, this all in a pharmaceutical context. Also, what I found really interesting was not only the lab work in itself, but also the frameworks surrounding the work; like the risk analysis, the regulations, the structure of the process instructions and so on.
How did they treat you at work, did you spend some time with your colleagues in your free time?
The people whom I’ve worked with were very welcoming! Not only did they help me a lot in the lab, but they also took the time to explain & show me the other processes at the company, like the R&D section and the industrial production lines. Also, in my free time, my internship supervisor took me to a traditional winemaker’s festival, where we tasted some local Czech wines, which was a great experience.
What were your expectations coming to Czech Republic? Were they fulfilled? And did you know any stereotype about Czech people?
Honestly, I didn’t know much about the Czech Republic. I knew about the famous Czech beers & about Zdenek Stybar, and my sister had been to Prague once, but that was about it. But this gap in knowledge was quickly filled by my amazing experience in Brno!
How was your arrival to CZ?
My arrival was a bit chaotic, this was due to the fact that it was the first day of the summer holidays in Belgium, which meant that the airport was very crowded and busy. But once I arrived in Brno I got settled smoothly, mainly due to the help of the IAESTE members there.
How did IAESTE help you?
They really helped me a lot with the accommodation and to obtain everything to get started. They also gave me practical advice, for example regarding the public transport, or also some great tips for good restaurants, bars or for fun day trips in the area surrounding Brno.
Did IAESTE members prepare some program for you during your stay in CZ? (you can give specific examples of the events you liked most)
Yes, they prepared so much I almost lose track of it. They organised tours of the city pointing out fun and historical sights, they prepared great BBQ’s at parks overlooking the city, they also organised movie nights, karaoke evenings, and so on. Or sometimes just a casual evening strolling around the city or at the accommodation.
Did you make friends on your internship?
Yes, I met some amazing people from all around the world who would become good friends of mine! They were by far the best thing to come out from this whole experience. Even after my internship, some of them visited me back in Belgium, and I also visited some of them in their countries back.
What did you like about Brno?
Brno has a really creative, down-to-earth, fun atmosphere to it, which I really enjoyed. Also, the size of Brno was perfect for me. It’s large enough to keep finding cool places to eat, to drink or to visit, but still small enough so that you can really know the city well and, also, all the other interns. A nice bonus was also that some beautiful nature and parks are only like a half an hour away from the city.
What is your strongest memory from your internship?
My strongest memory of my internship have to be the Challenges, which are these huge events the IAESTE members of a certain city organise, where interns from all over the region gather and do different activities for a whole weekend. I went to the ones in Prague and Krakow and they are really one of the high points of my internship. But also, just the little moments with the other interns in Brno will remain in my memory for a long time.