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Bc. Hana Svěráková, CTU Prague, ročník 4

Faculty CTU - Civil Engineering
Field of study Structural and Transportation Engineering
Field of internship Civil Engineering, Geology and Mining
Specialization of InternshipAny
Internship period (from - to) 8.7.2019 - 30.8.2019
Internship duration (weeks) 8
Transport (means, price) Plane 6885 Kč
Insurance/Insurance company ISIC - year insurance + individual days
Visa/Work permit (yes/no) no
Price of Visa No visa for EU citizens
City of Internship Zobrazit místo na mapě  Norway, Trondheim
Internship reference number NO-2019-000005

About the country

Location of the place

My internship took place in Norway. Land of nature, high prices, cold weather and never setting sun during summer.

City

Trondheim is a city which makes a perfect base for exploring Norway. There is the sea with a port and mountains with crystal clear lakes. Even an airport is close to the city reachable by bus or train. The city itself has its beautiful architecture with a monumental cathedral which's worth seeing. There are museums that I never visited.

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

Fortunately, the weather was most of the time nice so I was spending my time outside. The best thing to do is to download app Mapy.cz which has very precise touristic trails. My favourite trips were around lakes after work. Close to Trondheim is an island Munkholmen. On the island
is a fortress which has rich history.

Employer

Employer

My employer was the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (with roots in the Norwegian Institute of Technology, founded 1910). It was more exactly The Department of Structural Engineering. I had 2 supervisors who were kind and helpful and always had time to answer my questions.

Work description

My job was to make a model of a truss bridge in a computer program Abacus (never saw the program before) and suspend it to loads. My schedule was flexible. I was provided with a computer.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

The salary would be nice if I got any during the internship.
I was told I would get the salary monthly which was ok for me. But after the first month I found out the university wanted to pay me everything at the end of my internship. Which did not correspond with what IAESTE Norway had written into the contract. So I spent some time sorting things out. Finally, I was able to take out a loan from IAESTE Norway to pay for my accommodation and the university gave me some money in advance.
From this experience I realised that whole Norway is on holiday during summer.

Language requirements

All the employees at NTNU spoke fluent English.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

My accommodation was provided by IAESTE. I was sublet a room in dorms close to my work (15min walk). The room cost 5070NOK per month. My room was in a flat for 14 other students with a common kitchen and a living room. During summer the place was quiet. Apart from me there was only another girl. At the end of July, students started to return and the place got busy. But it was still big enough for everyone to fit. An advantage of living in the dorm is that the kitchen was provided with all the stuff for cooking.

Social life

Meeting IAESTE members (pick-up at the airport, organized events...)

In Trondheim is a local IAESTE committee. There were 2 guys responsible for trainees. They made sure I had accommodation. Gave me information about how to get from the airport to a bus station where they picked me up and took me to my room. Next day they organised a small trip around the city to show me highlights. First day at work they accompanied me and introduced me to my employer. They also set a meeting in a tax office and helped me with the papers.
Once a week they tried to do some activity with us, for example a hiking trip or a meeting in a pub. During my stay I went for one summer reception event which took place in Stavanger. The attendance was poor but the program was nice. I had an opportunity to visit Preikestolen.

Meeting other foreign students

At my work we had lunch at a faculty canteen where employees from different divisions came to eat together. And sometimes we even went for some coffee. At the department, there was an organisation which arranged different events for employees such as a trip to a fortress or a board game night. When the school year started, even the IAESTE got more active and trainees were invited for an after meeting cake and coffee.

Sport and culture

As the city, Trondheim is surrounded by nature. I spent almost all the free time out. Luckily, this summer was warm and sunny, so I was able to hike a lot after work. There were few very hot days when I and some of my colleagues decided to go to a lake and have a swim. Once we even went
to a seaside. The sea was only cold not ice-cold.

Food, local specialties

Norwegian students claim that the national food in Norway is a frozen pizza and tacos. My flatmates organised a few dinners together where we made tacos. It was great. During my stay I had an opportunity to visit a beer festival which was huge. Tasty beers were sold from local and foreign breweries.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

No problem in this area. Norway is a member of the European Economic Community so I was able to use my SIM card and call home as I wished without any surcharge.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

Extra money is never a bad thing to have in Norway. Everything is expensive there. I took a sleeping bag with me which I used as a blanket.

What not to forget with you

Don’t forget to pack good shoes and a rain jacket for walking in rainy weather. The most important thing to bring to Norway is alcohol!

Benefits of the internship

I worked with high-profile colleagues from the best technical university in Norway. I could attend lectures thanks to my flexible schedule. Moreover, they offered me a future cooperation
on my diploma project. Next, I gained confidence in communication, civil engineering and IT. I developed my technical English. Last but not least, I got great working experience and skills on the CV.

Cooperation with IAESTE in the foreign country

I was not facing the administrational stuff alone. There were IAESTE people who were very helpful. I could always ask them for help.

Overall experience with IAESTE

I improved my English. I gained a lot of experience from my stay in Norway from how to survive to programming a model in Abacus.

Student's website

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Employer's webiste

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Other useful links

facebook page to get furniture and stuff : Students' market Trondheim

Other comments

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