Practical training in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2015-2016

At a glance

Where, who, when

Degree programme at FH Aachen: Product Development (M. Eng.), Faculty 8
Author of the field report: Nico Troß
Start and end of the stay abroad: 01.04.2015 - 30.01.2016
The semester abroad was completed in: 4th master's semester
Company location, country: São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
Homepage of the company: http://www.ccm.ita.br/
Name of the supervisor at the FH: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martina Klocke

(Kopie 1)

Preparations

When did you start your preparations? 1 year before my stay.
How did you make contact with the employer? Contact was made via a doctoral candidate at the Brazilian Institute, whom I got to know through my work as a student assistant.
How long did the application process take and what documents were required? There was no direct application procedure. A secure commitment is made via a recommendation, provided that the resources for employment are available and there are no discrepancies when checking the documents. Approximately 6 months have passed from the moment the contact is made to the secure commitment. An internal application form, copy of passport, letter of motivation, current transcript of records and most recent certificate are required.
Did you need a visa and if so, did you have to organise it yourself or did the employer apply for it for you? A visa is required, even for a stay of less than 90 days. You have to organise the visa yourself, but your employer will help you obtain the necessary documents.
Useful tips or further information on preparation: The national language of Brazil is Portuguese. You should definitely take a language course, as little to hardly any English, let alone German, is spoken even at the Institute. Basic knowledge at level B1 is sufficient, everything else can be learnt during your stay. If documents are requested from Brazil, you should ask for the tracking number.

Finanzielles

Erhielten Sie Fördermittel zur Finanzierung des Auslandsaufenthalts? Mein Aufenthalt betrug knapp ein Jahr. Die ersten sechs Monate erhielt ich ein Promos Stipendium (300€/Monat), die letzten Monate ein Stipendium aus Brasilien (R$ 1500, ca. 350 €, Stand: 2015). Beide Stipendien sind nicht selbstverständlich, sondern müssen in Eigeninitiative beantragt werden. Es wird jeweils ein separates Bewerbungsverfahren durchlaufen.
Erhielten Sie eine Entlohnung vom Arbeitgeber? s. Stipendium
Wie hoch waren ungefähr die Anreisekosten in das Gastland? Ca. 450 € (Nur Hinflug)
Wie hoch sind ungefähr die Lebens- und Wohnkosten im Gastland? Miete ab 150 € monatlich möglich, je nach gewünschtem Lebensstandard. Die Lebenshaltungskosten sind mit denen in Deutschland vergleichbar. Während meines Aufenthaltes konnte ich umsonst in der Kantine Mittagessen, wodurch sich die monatlichen Gesamtkosten reduzieren ließen.
Mussten Sie eine zusätzliche Krankenversicherung abschließen? Der Nachweis einer Auslandskrankenversicherung wird spätestens bei der Beantragung des Visums benötigt. Meine Familienversicherung hat dies jedoch abgedeckt.
Sind weitere Versicherungen notwendig? Nein.

On site

What formalities had to be completed after arrival?
1. An identity card for foreigners, kur RNE (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros) is required. This must be applied for at the local police station within 30 days of arrival. Here you will need: 2 passport photos (3cm x 4cm), internal form, a copy of the passport certified in Brazil, original of the visa application, fee of approx. 40 €;
2. Tax number (required to open a bank account or activate a SIM card);
3. Crachá: University ID, which must be shown when entering and leaving the campus. The ITA is a university that belongs to the Brazilian Air Force and is located on military territory. ID checks are therefore taken very seriously and access is not possible without ID.
How did the search for accommodation work? There is a website similar to wg-gesucht: http://www.easyquarto.com.br. After registering, you will be sent (good) offers quite quickly. Alternatively, you can start by staying in a hostel. The employer will help you find accommodation, but secure accommodation is not guaranteed.
Where is the best place to live? It is a good idea to live near the university. SJC is a city with over 500,000 inhabitants, which means a lot of traffic in the morning.
What are the local shopping facilities like? Supermarkets are usually within 10 - 15 minutes walking distance.
What is cheap or expensive in the host country? Rent is cheaper than in Germany, food is about the same. Multimedia devices (mobile phones, computers) are more expensive.
How far did you live from the company and what was the daily commute to work like? My flat was a 30-minute walk from work. I travelled on foot every day, but in retrospect I should have bought a bike.
What can you say about the company location? SJC is 2 hours away from São Paulo and just under 6 hours from Rio de Janeiro. The nearest beach is 1.5 hours away. There are plenty of natural areas for hiking around the city itself. There are no tourist attractions in SJC itself, but there is a wide range of sports activities (especially martial arts) as well as a few bars and discos.

About the employer

Briefly describe the company! CCM-ITA is an Institute for applied research with a special focus on production technology and machine tools.
Which Section did you work in? Gear technology.
Were there any special features worth mentioning? The CCM is a relatively small research institute and can therefore be seen as a kind of start-up company. This means that you are given responsibility relatively early on and are in charge of your own projects. You are very free to design your own work content and ideas for the realisation of your projects. Out-of-the-box thinking is also highly encouraged.
The focus of your practical training: Developing an alternative approach to determining gear efficiency in a closed-loop power system. Planning, management and execution of subtasks in industry-sponsored research projects for the Brazilian automotive industry.
Was the topic of the practical training given by the company or could you choose it yourself? It was worked out together.
How many hours did you work on average? 40 hours.

Final considerations - Conclusion

How would you rate your stay abroad overall? The stay was professionally and personally enriching. You learn to work very independently, especially due to the high level of personal responsibility. There was definitely plenty of time for travelling.
What were the high and low points of your stay?
Highlights: Organising a multi-day excursion to various regional companies on my own. My trips to Rio, Salvador, Bolivia and Peru.
Low points: The language differences are sometimes difficult to overcome, especially at the beginning. However, you learn quite quickly and after just under three months it was possible to have conversations consisting of more than one sentence.
What will you never forget? I only received my Crachá after a month, so I had to go on and off campus with my supervisor every day during this time. Whenever I asked when it would be ready, I was only told "relaxa" (take it easy). You wouldn't get that in Germany. The after-work beer on Friday (or any other day of the week) at the petrol station in front of the campus. And much more...
What advice would you like to give to other students who decide to do practical training abroad? It's often not where you go, but what you do with it. You should travel and talk to people as much as possible, learn the local language and something about the culture. Show initiative at work and don't make it look like you're just there to party. Insist on a certificate at the end.