Mobility specification

Country:USA

Institution:Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the UN

City:New York, New York

Program:Freemover long-term mobility

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Law

Study level abroad:Master

✅Check the boxes

How would you categorize your internship?Law

💼How-to: Interning abroad

How did you discover this internship opportunity?Other

Other - please specify:Social Media of the Faculty of Law MUNI

Can you describe the role you held during your internship?I worked as a trainee in the second and third committees, with the second committee focusing primarily on economic and social affairs and the third committee on human rights.

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?During my internship I participated in various meetings at the UN and at the EU delegation and followed the current debates and negotiations. I then prepared notes and reports from these meetings, which went to Prague.

Did your tasks align with the pre-defined conditions?yes

Did the internship meet your expectations?yes

Did you apply any theory you learned at university during the internship?yes

If yes, can you provide a specific example?Although it was mainly about diplomacy, I also used things I learned in school - for example, knowledge about the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank or the International Court of Justice. In addition, I had the opportunity to observe the negotiation and adoption of resolutions.

How well did you manage to communicate in a foreign language?almost no difficulties

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?Yes, there is a selection process - first you send a CV and a cover letter and then it depends on which committee you apply to. I applied for the third committee, and there I was given an extra task - they sent me a record of the UN meeting and I had to write a short report from it.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?I think any trip abroad is a great experience and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone just for personal growth. And as far as internships go, there is no better way to combine theory with practice - you just can't imagine it at school, but when you see it live, for example at the UN, it's a priceless experience.

💰And how to fund it?

What were your average monthly expenses during the internship?40000 CZK/month

Did the institution provide accommodation?no

If not, how did you find it?I searched for accommodation through Airbnb, because there was the greatest certainty that it would not be a scam. There's also no big deposit to start with like a regular rental, and it's a bit cheaper.

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

Do you have any tips on how to save money during the internship?It's great to arrange accommodation with other trainees going on the same dates - it's easier to find and a room for two is cheaper than one. Otherwise, it's not exactly easy to save money in New York, but I recommend shopping at Trader Joe's or Lidl, where the prices are probably the most affordable. It's also worth getting a New York Public Library card, as it gives you free admission to some museums on certain days or hours.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How difficult was it for you to adjust to life abroad?no problem at all

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?I've seen better

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?In New York, it's worth downloading the MTA app for subway and bus routes. You can buy a weekly OMNY pass for the subway, but you can also pay with a card or Apple Pay at the turnstiles - after a certain number of rides (12 per week), it's free. For trips outside of New York, we mostly used Flixbus because the trains there were pretty expensive.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?For me it's definitely the tourist spots and spots we all know from the movies - Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Financial District and the twin towers, hockey, Broadway, High Line, etc. But it's worth just walking around the West Village, Chelsea, the neighborhood around Union Square, going to Chinatown for a cheap meal, taking the ferry to Staten Island with a view of the NY skyline and the Statue of Liberty, there's so much to see and something for everyone :)

What are the must-visit trip destinations?You can take the bus to Washington and Boston, which are definitely worth seeing too. Philadelphia is a short drive away. You can also fly by plane to somewhere further away - Miami, Canada - we flew to Toronto and from there we took a day trip to Niagara.

Share your best experience:There's a lot of experiences there, definitely seeing Niagara Falls up close is one of them - we took a cruise right to the falls and although it was about half an hour, it was an absolutely amazing experience. Then the UN itself or the arrival of the Czech delegation is also something I really like to remember.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?The visa is applied for at the U.S. Embassy in the Czech Republic, and the Consular Department of the MFA will support the entire process to make it faster.

What is needed?You have to fill out an online application, which takes quite a bit of time (there are a lot of things to fill out - like the last 5 years of jobs, work, school, etc. and the biggest problem is uploading a photo for the system to accept it), I spent about 3 hours on it, and then you have to take the application certificate and passport to the consular department in Prague.

How long does it take approximately?It depends, some trainees had to go to the embassy for fingerprints so it took longer, some had it fairly quickly but about 1-2 weeks.

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?There's probably nothing to watch out for, but then when you arrive at JFK, be sure to use the diplomatic entrance so you don't have to wait in line or be interviewed :)

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?In NY you can buy almost everything, if you are going to airbnb I would check if there will be towels, hairdryer etc. so that you don't drag it unnecessarily, I took as much cosmetics as possible, because in America it's a bit more expensive (for example, in terms of make-up remover tampons etc.), but then again there is the possibility to try other things that are not available here (or are even more expensive here :D). Otherwise, probably some more formal clothes mainly for the UN, but otherwise nothing special is needed.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?It was an amazing experience - I got a glimpse into the world of diplomacy and took away experiences that will stay with me forever.