Mobility specification

Country:Germany

Institution:Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

City:Garching bei München

Program:Erasmus+ traineeship

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Science / Department of Plasma Physics and Technology

Study level abroad:Master

✅Check the boxes

How would you categorize your internship?Natural Sciences

💼How-to: Interning abroad

How did you discover this internship opportunity?MU website
Other

Other - please specify:At the conference

Can you describe the role you held during your internship?Student (Master's) on work placement.

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?Laboratory work with low temperature plasma (drift injection of electrons into the vicinity of a dipole magnetic field).

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?Knowledge of the movement of charged particles in the vicinity of a magnetic field, soldering, circuitry, using electronics, data processing in Python.

How well did you manage to communicate in a foreign language?neutral

Did the institution have any special requirements?Specific language skills
Level of study

Do you have tips on how to make a great impression on the institution?You just need to meet a person with whom you get along and have similar goals (e.g. at a conference - my case), and then it doesn't matter what institution you work at, for me it's always true that if you want to, you can.

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?The Max Planck Institute provides a lot of internship opportunities, but since I was selected in Erasmus+, it was enough to arrange the administration with the head there and the selection process didn't have to happen.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?For me, it's an opportunity that must be taken advantage of while you are a student (or graduate). When we realize how grateful we can be that we can study in the Czech Republic for free and there is the possibility to go somewhere (almost) for free, we should take advantage of such an opportunity. Not only will you get to know a new country, people, culture, but you will also learn a lot about yourself and your possibilities. It can be intimidating at first, but once you get over it, it will come back to you a thousand times over.

💰And how to fund it?

What were your average monthly expenses during the internship?29000 CZK/month

Did the institution provide accommodation?yes

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

Do you have any tips on how to save money during the internship?Get an app for shopping, make the most of student discounts, go to museums on Sundays (in Germany it's 1 euro).

🗺 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?almost without problems

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?I've seen better

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?I mostly searched for connections in the MVV (Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund) app, which shows you the time and route of the nearest departure to your destination directly from your location. You could also buy a ticket on the app (in Germany it's advisable to buy a Deutschlandticket for a month and you can ride any regional transport). Alternatively, there were ticket machines at the stops.

Otherwise, it's also mega cool to buy a bike because the area around Munich is a total pancake (I bought one for only 15 euros!).

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?Lots of Munich museums on Sundays (for 1 euro) - I recommend the Sudetendeutschesmuseum on Czech-German history. Then Englischer Garten, Olympiapark in Munich, which overlooks the stadium where the most famous artists from all over the world perform (e.g. Hans Zimmer, Linkin Park, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and in the past Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, etc.). And then there is the historical centre (Marienplatz), Nymphenburg Castle, the surrounding towns (Oberschleißheim with its castle, Dachau, Bamberg - part of UNESCO) and of course the Alps (2 hours by train from Munich) - Tegernsee, Schliersee, Ebisee and also within a reasonable distance there is e.g. Neuschwannstein Castle (the one from Disney fairy tales). Also, if you're in Munich in autumn, you must visit Oktoberfest (at least for the experience).

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Englischer Garten, Olympiapark, Marienplatz, Eibsee, Alps (anywhere in Germany).

Share your best experience:The best experience was when my friend came for the weekend. We planned a car trip to Lake Eibsee. Since I had met two other guys from the Czech Republic the week before, I invited them and we took a roadtrip towards the Alps, where the lake is located. We drove through Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the Alpine Ski World Cup is held, and the walk around Eibsee itself was beautiful (the lake is turquoise). After that we stopped at Linderhof Castle, which was built by the same nobleman as Neuschwanstein Castle. Well, it was a great day out and we all had an incredible amount of fun (it was great that we all spoke Czech :D) and as a reward we made a fair home brew at the apartment afterwards.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Train
Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?It's good to know at least some German (but I often spoke English).

Can you pay by card?neutral

What not to forget when packing?Sewing kit, headphones, sturdy shoes, plasters, towel (also by Adam Douglas), USB drive, notebook.

🥳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?Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious story!