Mobility specification

Country:Portugal

Institution:Lápis Ligeiro - Placement in Portugal

City:Lisboa

Program:Erasmus+ traineeship

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies / Department of Social Policy and Social Work

Study level abroad:Master

✅Check the boxes

How would you categorize your internship?Humanities

💼How-to: Interning abroad

How did you discover this internship opportunity?Recommendation from acquaintances

Can you describe the role you held during your internship?Recruiter

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?My internship was with a company that worked with international students who wanted to gain experience abroad and connected them with companies in Lisbon and Porto, depending on what field they were interested in.
I was responsible for communicating with candidates, conducting interviews, communicating with managers from other companies and then supporting successful candidates with relocation from their country.

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?no

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

Did the institution have any special requirements?Specific language skills

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?I had to go through two interviews. First, a recruiter contacted me and the second interview was directly with the manager of the team. It wasn't hard. Since it was an internship, they didn't expect any specific experience. It was more about getting to know each other, finding out my English level and describing what I would be expecting.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?An internship is a great way to get to know another country's work culture. You'll meet lots of interesting people, both other international interns and local people who are permanent employees at the company. At the same time, you learn something new and practical that you can use in the future when looking for a job.

💰And how to fund it?

What were your average monthly expenses during the internship?20000 CZK/month

Did the institution provide accommodation?no

If not, how did you find it?I got a link from the organization to several official sites where it is good to look for accommodation. At the same time, I had friends who had been to Erasmus in Portugal before me, so they also recommended me to the verified sites.

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

Do you have any tips on how to save money during the internship?What will save you a lot of money is definitely the food if you cook as much as possible at home.
In Portugal, accommodation is probably the most expensive. After that, it's up to each person how they imagine their stay. I also wanted to travel the country more, so I didn't skimp on the trips.
On mhd it's worth getting a card with a monthly plan. It's a lot cheaper than buying single tickets, and the monthly tariff not only gets you around Lisbon but also to other cities like Sintra, Ericeira etc.

🗺 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?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?In Portugal, you have to take into account that not everything always runs exactly according to the timetable. The metro is quite reliable, but quite often the buses don't arrive or leave even earlier than the timetable says. So there's not much point in looking at exact departures, even with the metro. You just turn up and something will go. But the long-distance services outside the city were always on time.

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?Lisbon is magical in itself. Just wander the streets and enjoy the atmosphere of the city. It has plenty of views of the whole city, so perfect for sunsets. You can even sit and have a drink/beer at most of the views. Then there's such a classic Alfama - the historic centre, walk along the river past the bridge or drive up to the Jesus statue where there's also a great view.
What not to miss are definitely the local beaches. The nearest one is about 30 minutes by train and they are great for surfing too. My favourite beach was Caparica, I definitely recommend a visit there.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?I wanted to explore Portugal in particular, so a trip to Porto was a must, which you can easily get through in a weekend. Definitely worth seeing other nearby towns like Cascais, Sintra, Aveiro, Coimbra, Ericeira, Nazaré which are perfect for a day trip. For the countryside I would recommend places like Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of Europe), Praia da Ursa, or take a weekend trip to the south of Portugal to Algrave where there are beautiful beaches and cliffs.
There are also good flights from mainland Portugal to the Azores and Madeira. And the main island of Sao Miguel in the Azores is almost all of it in 4 days.

Share your best experience:For me it was definitely a roadtrip to the Algarve.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?Lisbon Airport is relatively easy to get to. There is a metro directly to the airport. At the same time, there are much cheaper services like bolt or uber in Lisbon. However, it often takes a long time to get someone at the airport, because a lot of people book them.

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?If you're in Portugal over the winter months, I'd bring some warm clothes for the apartment and for sleeping :D Not many apartments have built in heating and from about November onwards it's much colder inside than outside. And the windows are pretty drafty, so I'd be prepared for that.

🥳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?A great experience full of sunshine, warmth, port wine and pastel de nata.