Internship period: Oct 2007

Internship details: Hi! I’m Scott, I’m just back from an incredible summer in China. It was a massive experience for the full twelve weeks. I was working with a government owned Design Engineering company in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. It was about an hour away from Shanghai by fast train. Changzhou is a very Chinese city and I learned a lot about the Chinese lifestyle and customs. It seemed crazy at the start but by the end of the placement I was starting to understand why they worked the way they did. All the people who worked in the office were really nice and friendly, it was a mixture of other IAESTE interns and Chinese workers. They welcomed me from the start and bought my first meal and beer in China. We travelled every weekend and I saw a lot of China. I managed to bag all the main sights which were stunning. Had a lot of laughs with the guys we often met up with people from Shanghai and travelled together. The work was really applicable to my degree. It focused on computer aided design, one area which I needed to improve so this was very useful. I now feel confident with a larger variety of programs than I did when in university. Having this experience in China is priceless as my degree has an element of manufacturing. These two combined will raise my employability greatly.

Internship period: Jun-Aug 2007

Internship details: As a laboratory assistant at the National Institute of Pharmacology, I was required to help with simple lab procedures such as dissecting, cleaning up and write ups. This institute is a part of the Kiev Medical Academy and has several departments including the one I was based in- Department of Toxicology. The staff are all very friendly though communicating with English was rather difficult. The work involved was rather simpler and much shorter than suggested. The National Committee in Ukraine sorted out my accommodation which was with several other IAESTE trainees. However, in terms of organising leisure activities, the trainees did most of the work.

Internship period: 4 months, summer 2007

Internship details: Hi, my name is Kelly Liu. I'm a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student at Strathclyde University. I have just completed a 4 month internship in Shanghai, China working in the IAESTE China office. My internship experience was so much more than I had imagined. The challenge, excitement, diversity and significance exceeded all expectations. The IAESTE experience does not only offer you good work experience but also a chance to really submerge yourself in a different culture. Shanghai is such an unbelievable city and I thought it offered everything a student intern could want. The focus of IAESTE China was not only to ensure work experience but to encourage the social aspect. After my experience I have changed my outlook on my life and have made life long friends from all over the world. I am so glad I took this unique opportunity. I would advise every student to do the same.

Internship period: Summer 2007

Internship details: My placement in Switzerland with Huber + Suhner was Excellent. The company had taken many trainees in the past. They were very accommodating when I first arrived and provided a project which was both interesting and challenging but could be completed within the three months of my placement. The placement was in their Research and Advanced development department where I worked with cutting edge equipment and software, and although I was mostly left to my own devices some of the Engineers in the department were always available to help. I was encouraged to write a short paper on the work I completed and have been given the opportunity to present it at a conference in Germany this year. Accommodation was provided in my case by the company. It was very close to the factory in a small town near Zurich and was basic but very cheap. The cost of living in Switzerland is, on average, slightly more than in the UK but the good salary paid to me combined with my low rent meant that I had plenty of spending money and as able to travel throughout Switzerland in my free time. The IAESTE Zurich Local Committee (LC) is also a great help – they not only provide a support network if anything goes wrong but also organise weekly ‘meetings’ (trips to the pub) for the many trainees in Zurich and the surrounding area as well as weekend excursions to other places in Switzerland. Through the LC, trainees in Zurich can very quickly and easily emulate the thriving social life the left behind and this – if nothing else - goes a long way to curing any home sickness… All in all a great experience: I learned about a lot on placement but also met a lot of interesting people, made many new friends, and saw nearly all of a beautiful country. Thoroughly recommended!