Do not forget to bring
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Passport and if necessary a Schengen-Visa (Tip: Make some copies of them!)
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Money for your expenses during the first days (~500 €), e.g. security deposit (~250€), first rent (230€-350€), public transport ticket (~30€) and supplies
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International student identity card (www.isic.org) might be useful
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Warm and rainproof clothes! Normal temperatures in summer are 15 - 30°C; in winter you should be prepared for temperatures down to -15°C.
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Passport sized photographs (for monthly ticket)
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Any personal requirements
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Please DO NOT FORGET to contact us regarding your arrival date and time!
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Your very best mood!
We will lend you bed linen and cutlery.
Welcome to Potsdam
We are glad you applied for an internship in Potsdam. As soon as you get accepted by your employer, we are looking forward to welcome you in Potsdam.
Our local committee consists of about 10 students. We are working voluntarily for IAESTE because we are interested in getting to know foreign students, different cultures and languages - just like you! Therefore we are doing everything to make your stay here as enjoyable and fun as possible. In our summer program we organize many different trips and events for our trainees. During your internship you have the possibility to acquire important experiences for your field of study. At the same time we want you to get to know the German society and culture. Together with us and other trainees you will for sure have an unforgettable stay here in Potsdam!
First steps after your acceptance
As soon as the employer returns the acceptance papers the IAESTE national commitee will send them to you. Once you get these papers it`s time for you to organize some things:
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Within 2 weeks fill out the form N5/b and send it to your home country's national committee (sometimes there are more forms to fill out and send). Once we get your N5/b we start looking for your accommodation. It is very important that we get the N5/b as soon as possible.
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If you are not a citizen of the European Union you need a visa for Germany. Since the processing may take several weeks you should apply for a visa at your closest German embassy as soon as possible. For this application you need the N5/b. Please ask for a "Schengen-Visa". This visa is also valid for our neighboring countries.
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Please make sure your passport is valid for the duration of your internship.
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Book a flight to Germany. More information about the journey are available here.
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Inform us when you are going to arrive in Germany, so we know, where and when to pick you up.
Insurance
The National Committee of IAESTE Germany automatically negotiates an appropriate insurance package for every trainee coming to Germany. In Germany you do not have to care about an insurance coverage, as long as your internship does not exceed a period of 6 months. Should the internship last longer, you have to pay for the extra months of insurance on your own (~ 24 EUR per month).
The insurance policy is available here.
Additional insurance coverage is not provided by IAESTE and lies in your responsibility.
Accommodation
If you inform us in time about your arrival, we will arrange an accommodation for you. We search for low-cost, furnished rooms and rent them for the period of your internship. The rooms are equipped at least with a bed, a cupboard/shelf, a table and a chair. In addition there will be an access to a kitchen and to a shower/WC. In most rooms there will be an internet connection, but we cannot always guarantee for that.
During your first days here you will have to pay your first rent of around 250 € per month and a deposit of 200 €, which you will get back when you leave. Usually we will arrange a room in a student dormitory for you. If this is not possible we will try to arrange a room for you in a student living community or in the guesthouse of your traineeship institute. For people staying here during terms there might be the necessity to change the room.
Please note that you have to compensate for any damages caused by you. In this context we would like to ask you in particular to respect the general conditions like cleanliness and so on, as we need to rent the rooms again next year.
Arrival
Please let us know as soon as possible when exactly you will arrive in Potsdam, so that we can arrange your accommodation and organize someone of our IAESTE staff to pick you up. This person will take you to your accommodation and answer your questions.
Please remember to bring a valid passport and a valid visa (for non-EU-citizens)!!!
Potsdam is very close to the German capital Berlin, so it is very likely, you travel via Berlin. Depending on your means of transport, you will arrive at one of the Berlin airports, at a train or bus station. In the following you find, how to get from Berlin to Potsdam main station, where one of our members will pick you up:
There are two international airports in Berlin where you can arrive, Tegel (IATA-Code: TXL) and Schönefeld (IATA-Code: SXF).
From Tegel airport (TXL):
The best way is to buy an “Einzelfahrt Berlin ABC”- Ticket (~3,50€) first, then you get into the bus X9 direction of “Zoologischer Garten”. There you change into the train RE1 direction of Magdeburg or Brandenburg and in two stops you arrive to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.
From Schönefeld airport (SXF):
After leaving the airport follow the signs to get to the train station Berlin-Schönefeld (500m). There you buy an “Einzelfahrt Berlin BC”- Ticket (~3€) at a machine and get on the train “RB 22” (every hour) direction “Potsdam”. In less than an hour you will arrive at Potsdam Hauptbahnhof
If the train is not going anymore, there are several more complex ways how to get to Potsdam.
You can check them here.