Exchange report - Student at KI
Home university: University of Auckland
Study programme: Bioentrepreneurship (Master's)
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Spring semester 2015/2016

Pre-departure

I decided to go on exchange because I thought (and still think) that it represents a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience from a different work environment. Since I was based at a company throughout my exchange, I was highly exposed to the cultural peculiarities of the organization as well as those of the country in general. 

Another reason why I wanted to go on exchange was because I wanted to get some experience from working in a different country. My career plan has always involved working internationally and perhaps even live in a foreign country. This made the exchange programme the perfect opportunity to try and see if this was an environment that I felt comfortable in. Another thing that i wanted to prove to myself was that I could handle working in a different language. I know my english is good enough in writing and casual conversations, but something that I was yet to find out was if I would manage the type of day-to-day conversations at a pharmaceutical company.   

Before I left, my expectation on KI and the host university was to receive something resembling a check-list of things to take care of including visa and housing. I also expected to receive support finding a company. While I did not receive any support in these matters, other than getting the email-address to previous exchange students, I quickly managed to sort things out myself which I suppose was an valuable experience in itself.   

Useful website to find companies:

http://www.nzbio.org.nz/members-directory


Arrival and registration

I arrived in Auckland on November 1st. To get everything in order, including furnishing the house and buying a car, I began working at the company on November 9th. Again, as I was not taking any courses, there were no obligation to go to the university other than that they thought it would be nice to meet and chat.   

The easiest and cheapest way to find furniture is at a store called Warehouse (see link below). If you do not have a car they may deliver whatever you bought to your house for only 20 NZD. If you do have a car but can fit whatever you bought in it, they will offer you t borrow a trailer for free. 

Another way to find furniture and other things is through a bidding site called Trademe (see link below). This is similar to Tradera in Sweden but much more frequently used, so there is a good chance that you will find what you need there.  

The cheapest and most convenient mobile and internet provider is 2degrees, which you can cancel without having to give any 3 months notice like the other providers often require.   

Useful links:

http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz

http://www.kmart.co.nz/

https://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/

https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/bus-services/on-the-bus/ 


Economy

As I was stationed at a company throughout my stay, I had to apply for a work visa. This was slightly more expensive than the student visa, but still not a big cost. Overall, since I was traveling with my family (wife and three kids), the cost of living is difficult to compare to that of the typical exchange student. However, I do believe that groceries and gas were cheaper compared to Sweden.  Buses and trains were more expensive than back home and not as well connected as I would had hoped. I would therefore recommend any future exchange student to try and find accommodation fairly close to work.

Accommodation was cheaper than Sweden although that varies a lot depending of what area you live in of course. For a nice 3-bedroom house we payed 500 NZD a week (2500-3000 SEK). Perhaps the most shocking difference from Sweden was the price for electricity which was ridiculous. This means that if you are living in a house, you might end up having to pay a bit more compared to an apartment. 


I did not have to spend any money an student union fee or vaccinations.


I would recommend opening an NZ bank account through e.g. BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) or ABS. I would also recommend transferring money from your Swedish bank account to the NZ bank account rather than going to an exchange office since you'll get a better exchange rate as well as a lower transfer fee.


Useful links:


www.abs.co.nz


www.bnz.co.nz

Acommendation

I sorted out my accommodation without any support from KI or the host university. This was fine by me since I was traveling with my family and was looking for a proper house rather than a dorm. It was fairly complicated to rent a house since it is required to have been to a viewing of the house before a contract can be signed. This meant that I had to reach out to whoever was willing to help and luckily I found a Facebook-group called "Swedes on New Zealand" where I found plenty. While there are plenty of real-estate agencies through which you may find accommodation, the best website to look at is www.realestate.co.nz as it covers all agencies as well as independent individuals.    

I would also recommend asking around in various Facebook groups. People in these groups are generally very helpful. 


If possible, make sure to sign a fixed-term contract. With a fixed term contract the landlord cannot terminate the contract, even if he/she decides to sell the house. If you do not have a fixed-term contract and the owner of the house decides to sell, there is a 90 days notice, and if your landlord just wish to terminate the contract for any other reason then it is 30 days notice. It is important to keep track of these things since you never know what might happen.


Useful links:


www.realestate.co.nz


www.barfoot.co.nz

Studies in general

Despite being stationed at a company, I did have an academic supervisor at the host university. This person was very professional and we aligned our expectation at an early stage. 

I had a very good relationship with both of my supervisors, the academic and the company supervisor. I believe that the expectation on me where rather high, especially when it came to initiative and ability to work independently. My academic supervisor and I met a couple of times every month to touch base and make sure that the report was progressing. 


During the first meeting with my supervisors, we throughly went through the curriculum for the thesis course to make we were all on the same page in terms of KI’s expectations. We also looked at an old report written by one of the previous KI exchange students in order to give my supervisors an idea of what was expected.    


I would say that the lead word for my interactions with the supervisors was ”transparency”. A potential hick-up in an otherwise smooth process could be the realization that the expectations of the project doesn’t align. By discussing this with both supervisors early on, the writing process went on without any disruptive surprises. 

Courses during the exchange period

Courses corresponding to semester 1 at KI

As I described earlier, I did not take an actual course at the host university and it is therefore difficult for me to provide insight to matters concerning e.g. teaching methods and examinations. 


The only interaction I had with the host university was when I met with my academic supervisor to discuss the progress of my report. 


I suppose that the most prominent difference between KI and Auckland University was when it came to balancing the report. What I mean by that is that when constructing and producing a Master’s thesis, Auckland Uni wish to see I significantly higher amount of methodology than what is expected from KI. However, this did not cause me any trouble as my academic supervisor at the host university was 100 percent fine with following the KI guidelines. In my case things worked out very smoothly, but, I would recommend all future exchange students to as soon as possible bring this up with their supervisor to avoid any disruptive surprises.  


My company supervisor was of course also updated on the progress of the report. It was really helpful to discuss possible topics for the thesis with this person, simply because more assistance could be provided if the topic genuinely interested the supervisor and was aligned with the company’s interests.

Language and Culture

Being an english-speaking country, there where obviously no language barrier except the occasional use of slang. Their culture I believe is very similar to the Swedish culture so there was no more culture clash than what I have been exposed to in the global master's programme. Almost everyone I met were very relaxed and had a good sense of humor.  A bit of sarcasm can be found in almost every sentence and as you can imagine, the culture resembles the UK a lot. 

You will also notice that a lot of signs are translated to maori, which is not at all commonly spoken but has remained on signs here and there.  

Not sure if it is a cultural thing but most of the people I met enjoyed spending a lot of time being outdoors. The activities ranged from hiking to surfing and rock climbing. 

Leisure time and social activities

The partner university arranged a so-called "forum" once a month. For each event, a leader and/or founder of a company did a speech followed by some mingling. The companies were often looking to hire a fresh graduate for a junior position which made this a good opportunity for finding the first job and also meeting other students. 

The university is located in the middle of the city and there are plenty of places for students to meet and socialize. Perhaps the most astonishing are the beach located no more than 5 min by bus from the city centre.      

The city itself is located on the east cost, with a beautiful harbor with plenty of restaurants. There are also several islands located just outside the city. Perhaps the most popular one is Waiheke but there are also other popular ones such as the Great Barrier Islands. All of these can be reached by ferry leaving from the city centre.


I would also recommend visiting the west coast beaches, for example Piha, Karekare, Muriwai and Bethells beach. These beaches are definitely more ”dramatic” and dangerous than the east coast beaches, but they are very beautiful. Google the names of the ones I just mentioned and compare to. e.g. Mission Bay and you will see the difference.


Useful links: 

www.newzealand.com

https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/bus-services/on-the-bus/

Summary

Despite the lack of administrative support I received, I wish to summarize the exchange period as a great and priceless experience. I was absolutely blown away by everything about this country and I would do definitely do it again. 

I really liked the work culture as it was very relaxed but with a constant strive to reach out to new markets. I believe my experiences from the exchange have affected my future professional role since my family and I are considering moving back in 2017. 

The best thing about an exchange programme is that it serves as a mean to gain experience from a different culture. With New Zealand being a very multicultural country in itself, this experience was even more rewarding. One of my largest concerns was that my english would not be good enough, but with the variety of people at the company, my english was among the best.

Overall a great and memorable experience that i would trade for anything. So, if you are unsure about wheter or not to go on this exchange, trust me, it is 100 percent worth it!