Mobility specification

Country:Switzerland

Institution:University of Lausanne

City:Villigen

Program:Erasmus+ traineeship

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Science / Department of Condensed Matter Physics

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?Recommendation from acquaintances

Can you describe the role you held during your internship?Research in superconducting HTS tapes and LASSO cables. I mostly spent time in the lab doing measurements, preparing samples or creating set-ups.

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?Running experiments, preparing samples, creating holders and experiment setups, temperature control calibration, help with measurements for commercial partners, data analysis, writing reports, presentation of data to team.

Did your tasks align with the pre-defined conditions?no

If not, how did they differ?My pre-defined conditions were supposed to be 90 % about the LASSO cables but since we found much more interesting things to do with measurements at increased temperatures (15-40 K) i spent most of the time on that.

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?Theory of superconductivity, general Lab work rules and experience.

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

Did the institution have any special requirements?Technical knowledge (e.g., specific software skills)
Specific language skills

Do you have tips on how to make a great impression on the institution?Be yourself. Be confident with your skills but be open to learning new things and approaches.

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?Not at all, I had to go trough a interview which was more like a sanity check.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?You can get unimaginably complex experience. Meeting people from different countries and environments, working at different labs and facilities, discovering new cultures, improving your self-sufficiency. It will open your eyes to new possibilities and views even at the research you are doing at home. It also looks great on a CV.

💰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?Student association for living - shared flat for 4 persons at 670 CHF/month.

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

Do you have any tips on how to save money during the internship?Cook your own food in bigger amounts. I always made food for 4-5 days at once and bring it for lunches. Cooking vegetarian can make a big difference in Switzerland as well. TooGoodToGo application for "left over" food in restaurants can me good in some places - if they have big portions it can be 2 lunches for 8 CHF.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How difficult was it for you to adjust to life abroad?no big deal

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?SBB Mobile app

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?There's nothing much in Villigen, it's just a village, but Zurich is not so far.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Any mountains you like - well known are e.g. Pilatus, Rigi. I usually go anywhere where there is not much in the maps - that means I can hike without crowds around and enjoy the nature. Consider your physique and don't do something stupid though.

Share your best experience:I went for a two day hike from Lumino to Biasca, I slept in a Bivouac near a mountain hut at 2000 m. The mountains were beautiful on the day one and the second day I had a long descent in steep walls that were impressive and saw very beautiful waterfalls. The whole trip was 40 km, over 2000 m elevation gained and about 3000m descent.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Bus

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Outdoor (and climbing) gear - you are going to Switzerland
Some basic medicine
Kofola to share with foreigners

🥳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?Extremely interesting research and infinite possibilities in the beautiful mountains.