In order to graduate Biology doing an internship outside the FU is mandatory. Due to a lucky coincidence, I found the Moredun Research Institute’s parasitology group.
My decision to go abroad for my internship as well as doing so at MRI was the best one, I could’ve made.

The work I did was separated into two projects.
The first project consisted of fortnightly sampling of sheep. I was part of a group of people including a research fellow, a principal investigator, PhD students and research assistants. I enjoyed sampling days a lot as we were going out onto a farm and spending time outside with a beautiful view on the Scottish scenery.
The sampled probes were then taken back to the institute so we could work on them the following days. I got insight into several techniques analysing blood and faecal samples and had a lot of fun working alongside my coworkers.

The second project gave me the opportunity to have a go at working on a project by myself. It included doing ELISA’s on samples from MRI as well as a neighbouring institute. It allowed me to not only sort and analyse serum samples but also furthermore work on the resulting data myself.
During the project I was guided through the lab work by a PhD student. For the data analysis I was given an Rstudio script by my supervisor that included the groundwork for the analysis, and I could expand it as much as I wanted to answer the research questions, we asked ourselves for this project.
On one of my last days of the internship I got the chance to share my results with my supervisors and even the project representative of the neighbouring institute. Having my own work during my stay was a lot of fun and certainly solidified my decision on wanting to go into research more after my graduation.

I believe that working at an institute abroad is a good option to broaden your knowledge on work in research. It was very interesting to see the differences even if that sometimes just included the way they handled taking care of the bin with contaminated samples.
I found myself constantly asking questions on why they are doing certain things. Furthermore, the data analysis is a useful skill for me to have gained as I can definitely apply it to the work for my bachelor’s thesis.

During my break at lunch time, I got to meet many people from the institute working various jobs. It was a wonderful way of getting to know all about the institute and the work that is happening all over.
Additionally, I was invited to many talks on projects from institutes all over the world. The talks were held directly at MRI and especially the PhD students went regularly.
I was given my own desk at the PhD office with my own computer so I could properly carry out my work.

As for my accommodation I asked my supervisor beforehand whether any person at the institute had a free room they could rent out to me and lo and behold there was a PhD student indeed. We got along very well and even went on many weekend trips together all-around Scotland.
I was able to take the bike to MRI and got very lucky as my daily commute went through the most scenic nature.
Furthermore, my accommodation was close to Edinburgh so I could even take the bus into town after work. I was able to visit the different museums and parts of the city and met up with other friends I made through my internship.

All in all, I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity of doing my internship at the Moredun Research Institute and I will certainly be able to apply my gained knowledge in future workplaces. I felt very welcome and enjoyed being part of the parasitology group a lot.
My scientific vocabulary in English expanded and I even learned many new and fun local phrases. I know for sure that I will stay in contact with the people I worked with and the friends I gained and hope to be coming back to Scotland and possibly the MRI as well very soon.

Tips for other Interns

Preparation

To prepare for my internship I basically looked at the requirements needed given by the career service of the FU. Furthermore, I asked my supervisor whether there is something I need to know. Then I just looked at the basics: accommodation, how to get to work, is there a visa, etc.

Visa application

Applying for my visa was easier than I thought it would be. I asked my institute on how to proceed and they sent me a link as well as specific information I needed to add to my application. I had to apply for a GAE (as I was properly working in the UK and not just going on a vacation)

Search for an Internship

I found my internship place by asking a lot of people whether they know any interesting places to work at. At my SHK job in an institute at the HU a PhD student there told me about MRI and how the research they do is very interesting. She forwarded me their contact information and I wrote a mail asking about whether I could do my internship there.

Search for an Apartment

I knew the best way of finding accommodation is to ask people whether they know about something. I wrote a small text with a photo of mine and sent it to my supervisor so he could spread it through the mailing list of the institute and that’s how I found the room I stayed at.

Insurance

I just checked (called) my health insurance if it entails being abroad as well and it did. The NHS still needs to give you an insurance number along with your visa but luckily my insurance was enough so I did not have to pay anything for that.

Formalities on site

Telefon-/Internet

I had both.

Bank-/Accountopening

I could just use my regular bank account (visa card).

Everyday life/Leisure

Going-out activities

Since Edinburgh is so close there is a lot of activities you can do. The pentlands surrounding Edinburgh are on top of that very nice for casual hiking.