Internship Feedback

Uveřejněné zprávy z praxí neprošly ani jazykovou ani textovou úpravou. Proto, prosím, omluvte chybějící „hacky a carky“, stylistické a gramatické nedokonalosti textů.

Bachelor Roman Adámek, Brno University of Technology,

ročník 3

Faculty

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Field of study

Mechanical Engineering

Field of internship

Engineering, Other

Specialization of Internship

Petroleum Engineering

Internship period (from - to)

3.7.2017 - 25.8.2017

Internship duration (weeks)

Transport (means, price)

Airplane from Vienna to Almaty via Moscow, 12 000 CZK (Aeroflot)

Insurance/Insurance company

ČPZP, 1 200 CZK

Visa/Work permit (yes/no)

Price of Visa

City of Internship

Kazakhstan, Almaty

Internship reference number

KZ-2017-0060

About the country

Location of the place

Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world. The population is 18 million. Oficial languages are Kazakh (similar to Turkish) and Russian.

City

Almaty is former capital city located in south east Kazakhstan. It is still the largest city with a population of 1,7 million and cultural centre. The city lies in the foothills of Ile Alatau mountains. Most of the city was built in the last 60 years and it does not have a lot of historical sights. You can visit all the main tourist attractions in one day.

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

Mountains near the city offer a lot of opportunities for hiking to lakes or to peaks. Other interesting places worth visiting are Charyn canyon, Kolsay lakes, Kaindy lake and Singing dunes. If you don't mind spending a night in the train I recommend visiting of South Kazakhstan and historical city Turkestan.

Employer

Byelkamit was founded in 1995. They manufacture products for oil and gas industry, refineries, as well as for nuclear, energy, metallurgy, construction and food processing industries.
During my stay, the company did not have a lot of orders so most employees were on a vacation.
The factory is 40 minutes from the university campus by bus.

Work description

My task was to create drawings for manufacturing based on a 3D model created in CAD SW. Another task was to create 3D models based on drawings made in AutoCAD which was the main tool for creating drawings in the company.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

Offered salary was 45 000 KZT per month. Since I was working in the company and not at a university, the accommodation was paid from my salary. So I was left with 30 000 KZT per month. This is enough for survival but not for travelling and other social activities. So if you want to enjoy your stay you have to use your own savings.

Language requirements

Only required language in the work offer was English. However, most of the people in construction department were on vacation and ones that stayed did not speak English. So most of the time I was using my Russian to communicate with co-workers.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

The accommodation was provided by local IAESTE in the dormitory for PhD. students in the campus of Al-Farabi University. The rooms were for two people, a bathroom was in the room. Students working in the university had accommodation paid by the university. Others had to pay 15 000 KZT per month from their salary.

Social life

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

I was picked up at the airport by local IASTE members. All of them were very helpful. They accompanied us to the trips and also organized events themselves (hiking, camping, ...).
Trips outside Almaty were organized by tourist agencies.

Meeting other foreign students

All trainees lived in the same dormitory and in the same corridor so we were meeting each other every day.

Sport and culture

In the area of the university was sport's stadium, which you could use for free and gym. All over the city are places for working out and parks for jogging. And mountains behind the city offers a lot of opportunities for hiking. There are also several swimming pools in the city and lake Kapchagay hour and a half by car.
In terms of cultural events, there is a cinema in the shopping mall behind the university. You can also visit a circus, theatres and concerts.

Food, local specialties

Price for food is a little bit cheaper than in the Czech Republic. You can get the cheapest food on markets.
Kazakh cuisine is based on meals with meat. Most common meats are horse, lamb, beef and chicken. Pork is very rare. You can also try fermented horse and camel milk.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

There was a wi-fi connection in the dormitory. Also, mobile internet from local providers is very cheap. Most common tariff is 12 GB for 1600 KZT and you get also free minutes and SMSs.
If you want to send postcards you can find them in the tourist places like Kok-Tobe or Shymbulak.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

Most people don't speak English. So it is good to know at least the basics of the Russian language.
Tap water is not recommended to drink so you can use a water filter or buy bottled water.
Even though the company does not specify in the job offer which software you should know. It is good to know Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD.

What not to forget with you

Almaty is a large city so if you forget something you can buy it there.
But I would recommend you to bring good hiking shoes.

Benefits of the internship

The most significant benefit for me is that I had an opportunity to visit a new country and got to know its nature, culture and local people.
I also improved my Russian, gained more experiences in working in CAD SW and got familiar with Russian industrial standards.

Cooperation with IAESTE in the foreign country

Cooperation with IAESTE Kazakhstan was flawless. They answered all my questions and helped with any problems. They also organized trips for us and gave us additional information for trips we organized ourselves.