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Massey University

New Zealand 2019/2020 ISEP Exchange

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Education

Field of study:
Teacher Training for Primary and Lower Secondary Schools / Lower Secondary School English Language Teacher Training

Level of study during period of placement:
Master

Language used:
English

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
autumn 2019

Period of placement (from-to):
2019-07-07 - 2019-11-17

Number of months:
4

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
university website

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
Motivation letter, academic reference, transcript of records, language certificate (TOEFL), copy of passport,

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
6 months

Did you need a visa?:
yes

Documents and materials needed for a visa:
letter of acceptance, proof of scholarship, return flight ticket (or proof of sufficient funds for return ticket), photo, copy of passport

Length of wait for visa:
2-3 weeks

Fee for the visa:
300 NZD (approx. 4500 CZK)

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
yes

If not, why not?:

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
yes

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
yes

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
registration is online, courses must be internal (only one distant course allowed if 3 internal courses are enrolled), higher level courses might expect some background knowledge, it is possible to make changes during the first two weeks of the semester

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
yes

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
- choose option -

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
1 course = 8 ECTS

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
lectures and tutorials (seminars), online learning, continuous assessment (e.g. tests, essays, presentations) and final exam/essay

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
It is not possible to compare the quality of teaching as the teaching style is different. At Massey there are lectures (taught by teachers) and tutorials (taught by assistants), where lectures are the important part of the course while tutorials can be skipped without any consequences. Lectures were usually loaded with new information and powerpoint presentations were rarely available online.

How did you receive study materials?:
Either online or bookshop (due to limited amount of copies in the library it was necessary to buy some of the textbooks).

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
A History of New Zealand's Peoples, Foundation Māori Culture (not available for enrollment but available for auditing)

How well is the school library equipped?:
Plenty of computers, plenty of printers, lots of books and journals (but difficult to find anything in the library system)

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Some computers available in the library, but own laptop highly recommended, eduroam in the library and some of the lecture rooms, pre-paid internet at dorms (approx. $37 per 100GB/month), all required software available for free

Options from printing and copying:
Yes, $0.1 per A4 (black and white copy).

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
- choose option -

If yes then what?:

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
4

or describe in your own words:
I left Europe in July, but in New Zealand it was already Semester Two. Groups of friends have been already created and at times it was difficult to get accepted to some of the circles. Integration with locals was easy during courses, as team work is often required. There were many clubs on campus that were organizing events and trips.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
On-campus accommodation.

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
352 EUR

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
Now here it gets a bit complicated. I did not pay for the accommodation as I was an ISEP student, but I paid for an incoming student to the Czech Republic - basically I paid what I would normally pay in Brno. The price includes accommodation and food (at Massey there was $35/day credit at the dining hall).

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
Do not forget your socket adapter (if you do, it is possible to buy them for about twice the price as in CZ). As a welcome gift students recieve a cutlery set, two plates and a bowl. Bedding is available for purchase ($100 for a duvet, two pillows, pilowcases, bedsheet, and a towel).

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
The sooner you apply the bigger choice you have. I applied only about one month ahead and was still able to get a place.

What are the catering options?:
Catered accommodation for ISEP students.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
$3 bar of chocolate, $4 600ml Coca-Cola, $4 ice-cream, $2.5 bananas (1kg), $3-$4 apples (1kg)

Transport to location of placement:
plane

Rough prices for transportation:
If booked well-ahead you can get a ticket around 20000 CZK. If not, expect 17000 one-way.

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
Well-ahead. 3+ months.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
Free buses in the city for students. Cycling possible, on foot doable. Outside of the city pretty much nothing.

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
Only visa.

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
StudentSafe (local, compulsory, over $300 per semester), Allianz (9000 CZK) - pay extra attention for dental insurance, StudentSafe (and many Czech/travel insurances cover only emergencies/accidents). When visiting a doctor, it is necessary to pay yourself and only after that ask for reimbursement.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
Yes, dentist - tooth extraction. 5500 CZK paid beforehand, got the money back after 2 months from the local insurance.

Did you work during your studies?:
no

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
all depends on the visa details

Tips for free-time activities:
university clubs and their events, the city is pretty much dead

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
33750 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
7500 CZK

Number of supported months:
4.5

Total number of months:
4.5

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
Faculty of Education scholarship, Massey University scholarship

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:
Faculty of Education - 48000 CZK
Massey University Scholarship - 4000 NZD

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
16500 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
10000 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
6500 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
15000 CZK

a/ of which for accommodation:
9000 CZK

b/ of which for catering:
0 CZK

c/ travel and recreation:
6000 CZK

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:
ISEP requires the outgoing students to pay for the living expenses of students coming to their home country. In my case this was 9000 CZK per month, for which I received accommodation and dining hall credit for "free" (i.e. for the money I have already paid to ISEP).

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
60

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
32

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes

What problems did you have with recognition?:
All courses are recognized as C credits and I will have to "re-take" the courses I would have normally taken in the semester that I spent abroad in the following semester.

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
2

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
3

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
Few visits to the medical center, but nothing too seirous.

What would you recommend to take with you:
Anything to help you survive on the other side of the planet.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
Bilingual approach of the university - te reo Maori has an important and significant position in the administration of Massey University. The university has a "university doctors" that are free of charge (but the students need to be enrolled in a compulsory university insurance).

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
The university has three campuses, but does not have enough students and teachers to offer courses at each campus. Consequently, they teach some of the "internal" courses via video - I have never met some of my teachers as they were based in Auckland and never made a single visit to the other campus. Although it is an important factor (and it made me change three of my four courses), it is not stated anywhere in the university system and students learn about this only at the first week during the scheduled lecture.

Further comments: