I started loving biology in my youth and therefore decided to study it. I am currently still in Bachelor and really enjoyed my time at the Free University Berlin. Still, I felt like I wanted to see a little more then just the research world in berlin. So, I decided to do an internship abroad. My mentor, a fellow older student who welcomes the first years, told me that she did it and that it really broadened her horizon.

Having made that decision the first challenge was now finding a hosting institution that matched my interests. I went to my professor for evolutionary biology (because this was the field I was interested in) and asked him if he could help me find a suitable place. He immediately named institutes and people he knew all over Europe, providing me with a broad field of topics to choose from. He also told me that I could mention a recommendation from his side to help my chances. I then chose two interesting topics and stepped into action writing emails. Both replied within a few weeks telling me to schedule a meeting to talk about possible projects. Both conversations went very well and from not being able to find any spots for internships I found myself in the luxurious position of being able to choose.

I went with the offer from the university of Leiden in a small research group investigating the group of soil dwelling bacteria the Streptomyces. Finding a place to live turned out to be quite a challenge. I was not aware before, but the Netherlands have a very competitive housing market with little room for students. Also being a not Dutch speaking international narrowed my options down to nearly none within a 50-kilometer radius around the university. I was forced to come to Netherlands staying at friends in Amsterdam for the first weeks while actively searching for apartments and rooms. I eventually was able to find a place in a Dutch fraternity house. They rent out rooms to internationals when someone of the house is on a stay abroad. It was sufficient for the time, but I can strongly recommend for internationals not to move in with them. The Dutch fraternities I encountered were very traditional and not willing to switch to English. The house was seldomly cleaned and the roommates were very rude in respecting privacy.

On the working side of things my stay was allot more successful. I had a project on my own which helped me gaining valuable knowledge in the work with microbial methodology. I worked on the antibiotic production of the species Streptomyces griseus. I looked into the ecological benefits and costs of producing antibiotics. This taught me allot how to work in science in general. It helped me knowing how to research and apply established protocols but also developing them on my own. I loved working in the lab. It was a very diverse working schedule. Every was different from the previous one. I also enjoyed about the work the surprises each day in how experiments developed. I learned that things not working in science is more the rule than the exception and was therefore impressed by the support of my group. My supervisor was very patient and helped me allot in developing new methods. I was impressed with how much time he made for me although I was just a bachelor student, and he had a full group of projects to look after.

I really enjoyed my colleagues as well. There were very flat hierarchy structures within the group which was really uplifting. Phd’s and bachelors could chat during lunch without any inconvenience. The whole team was very welcoming and helped me allot with settling in. I was immediately invited for dinner at a colleague’s place. That made me really confident in being able to socialize there. I ended up going bouldering with some colleagues each week and doing things with them on the weekend. The Dutch universities host allot of internationals due to most of their studies being in English. That gave me the pleasure of having nearly everyone speaking English at work. I also chatted allot with the internationals at work and made friends all over Europe and the world. Together we experienced the Netherlands and Dutch culture, going to Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and many more.

In general, I really enjoyed my mobility and would definitely recommend for everyone having this opportunity to use it and go abroad. It is an unforgettable enriching experience.

Tips for other interns

Visa application

Was not needed in the Netherlands for citizens of the European Union or members of a permanent residency within an EU country.

Internship search

Do not hesitate to ask for contacts from professors or other people working in the field. Often they are internationally better connected then you expect. Also initiative applications have the often underestimated advantage of being the only contender for a position.

Wohnungssuche

Start early and ask your hosting institution for help. Sometimes they can provide you with housing but more importantly they almost always have good advice where to look for places.

Insurance

Check your existing insurance before searching for a new one. You would be surprised how many countries they often still cover if it is just a few month of stay.

Other

Also take the working environment into consideration. The team is ultimately often what keeps you going even if working days are long or things do not work. Even the most interesting topics are not worth working in an uncomfortable environment.

Formalities on site

Telephone/Internet connection

Within the EU you can phone on roaming without a new number for up to six month. If you are staying shorter than six months a new number will not be necessary.

Bank/account opening

Usually bank cards work abroad as well. But keep in mind that certain transfer services can be country specific. In the Netherlands for example, the train check in only works with Dutch debit cards. A German one will not be accepted. With a credit card you should be fine.

Other

Bear in mind that you can vote from abroad if an election occurs during your mobility. German elections can be voted via post and EU elections can even be voted in official voting offices. You just need to inform the municipality of your wish to vote. Then they will provide you with it.

Everyday life/leisure time

Going out options

Leiden is a very nice city with many places for coffee, tea, dinner but also some nice and cozy bars for nights out with the colleagues. If you want something a bit more exotic it can be found in The Hague which is just 20 minutes by train.

Other

The Netherlands is a more expensive country so take in consideration that not all costs will be covered by Erasmus.