Internship Feedback

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Kateryna Dobrenka, UCT Prague,

ročník 2

Faculty

Faculty of Health Sciences

Field of study

Biochemistry

Field of internship

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Specialization of Internship

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Internship period (from - to)

1.7.-26.8.

Internship duration (weeks)

Transport (means, price)

by plane to Hong Kong (Swiss Airlines), 13 000 CZK (one way)

Insurance/Insurance company

AXA

Visa/Work permit (yes/no)

Price of Visa

City of Internship

China - Macau, Macau

Internship reference number

MO/2025-FHS-02

About the country

Location of the place

Macau is a small city in southeast Asia. It is surrounded by Mainland China and you can get to Hong Kong easily. It used to be a Portugese colony and nowadays it has status of Special Administrative Region of China.

City

Macau is a city state. They use their own currency and credit cards are used quite often. People usually cannot speak English very well. You can get around quite easily because all the signs in the city are also in Portugeese. There are not that many historical sights but you have a lot of shopping and gambling opportunities as it is the only place in China where it is legal. There are also two beaches and a park where you can hike.

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

Hong Kong is very close and you can get there by bus or a ferry. All other close opportunities to travel are in Mainland China and getting a visa is not an easy process. Without being able to go to Mainland China visa-free you will probably get bored quite quickly. However, there is an airport in Macau and you can get affordable flights to other Asian countries such as Taiwan or Thailand.

Employer

I worked in a laboratory at University of Macau – Faculty of Health Sciences.. Laboratory of Edwin Cheung focuses on research of breast and prostate cancer and its connection to hormone signalling. My lab consisted mainly of PhD. student and there were about 5 of them.

Work description

My o-form had only one sentence in it so I did not have any expectations about my work there. I was working under a PhD. student and helped her with her research for two months. We maily did RNA extractions and subsequent measurements. I also had an opportunity to try some data analysis.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

If I had only stayed on campus and eaten in the university restaurants, the salary would have been sufficient. However, for exploring the city, using public transportation, and trying local food, it was definitely not enough. The salary was paid only after the internship ended, so I needed to bring enough money to cover my expenses for two months. On the positive side, accommodation in the university dorms was free, except for electricity and water bills.

Language requirements

People do not speak English very well outside the campus, so a translator was my best friend. Management of the dorms and guards also usually do not speak any English. Students and teaching stuff speaks English but the accent is unique and you need to get used to it.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

I lived in a dorm house provided by the university. I had a shared room with one roommate and we had a bathroom in the room. The room was quite old but it was somewhat clean and without cockroaches. The kitchen was shared between the whole floor. However, there was only a microwave oven, no regular oven or stove. All the local students were cooking in rice cookers or electric woks. The only thing you have to pay for is electricity and water bill above your given allowance. For my stay I paid 124 MOP.

Social life

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

There was no pickup at the airport. We had an intro meeting with IAESTE and then they took us to our employers. There was no organized events throught the internship. At the end we had a lunch with our employers and some university staff and then on our last day we had lunch with Patrick (IAESTE coordinator) and other interns.

Meeting other foreign students

I met other 7 interns at the intro meeting. We then exchanged whatapps and communicated and planned trips there. were not many people on campus during summer, so I did not meet any other people.

Sport and culture

On the campus there was a gym for free for the students. We could also use a swimming pool, badminton cours, squash courts and ping pong tables for a small fee.

Food, local specialties

I ate only local dishes. You can find some wested cuisine restaurants on campus but they are more expensive and it is definetly not authentic. You can also find Portugeese restaurants in the city.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

I communicated with people in Czech republic as normal. Wifi is good in the campus.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

There is not much nature in Macau and the city is small. However, the campus is really nice. The closest destination for travel is Mainland China, but Czech nationals need a visa to enter, which makes travel options during the internship somewhat limited. My main recommendation is to consider whether these conditions suit you before applying. Otherwise, download a good translator and WeChat.

What not to forget with you

Definetly don’t forget to bring a british adapter. And a hoodie! All indoor spaces are cold because of the AC.

Benefits of the internship

One of the main benefits is, of course, some hands-on experience in your field of study. I also learned to be more independent and to solve issues alone but I also found great friends.

Cooperation with IAESTE in the foreign country

IAESTE in Macau consists only of two people – Patrick and Chloe. They answered my emails quickly and were very helpful before my internship. During the internship they always helped me when I needed it.

Overall experience with IAESTE

It was a shame that we did not have any events in the beginning or during the internship and only had farewell events. However, everytime I needed something they were ready to help, especially with my Chinese visa.