Externships Abroad - expenses

[AlfieEquestrian]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has done an externship abroad over the summer for 2-3weeks (specifically in Europe) and if so, how did you go about determining costs for food/personal items/cab between airport & clinic, etc? Or if you have an approximate amount you spent overall on an externship abroad that would be really helpful! I'm just trying to figure out expenses but it's hard to find info on average cost of groceries and such...

Thanks!

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[Shina]

Hey! Sadly I can't answer your question right now. But I'm hoping to do externships in Europe in summer of 2014. If you are still looking for advice then, msg me. So far, I've contacted some of the places and asked them if they have reduced cost housing nearby that students in the past have stayed at and one place responded. Also, you can try a hostel. My biggest problem was finding a place that would be affordable long-term like 3+ wks since most places are for vacationers rather than students & are usually really pricey Or you can ask some of the places if they are willing to house a student with an employee at a reduced cost. I don't know about the UK but I've heard that done before in some externship programs in the states, so it doesn't hurt asking places abroad if they might be willing to do that. Good luck to the both of us!

 

[Elliott Garber]

Good questions. I agree that you can be creative in finding living accommodations. I've had great success all over the world with couchsurfing.org and airbnb.com.

For food and transportation costs, you can just assume that they will probably be fairly similar to a big city in the U.S. Of course this is very dependent on which country you're in and whether you're actually buying groceries vs eating out, taking the bus vs renting a car, etc. You should be able to get estimates of food and transportation costs in a given country through some creative googling.

For example, I live in Sicily, where it's possible to get by quite cheaply on groceries from local shops and markets, but if you're headed to the U.K. or many other parts of the EU prices will be a good bit higher.

What kind of externship are you going to be doing?

 

[Tonkamoo]

What type of externship are you looking for? I know in the UK some of the large horse hospitals will provide accommodation (since you're oncall 24 hours basically) - see Rossdales, Liphook, Newmarket etc. Though you have to book them pretty far in advance.

Some of the larger emergency small animal hospitals might as well, though I haven't looked into that. Its also worth asking if vets will put you up, or be able to recommend cheap housing.

 

[MAbovines]

I did an external this past summer in New Zealand. The biggest cost was the plane tickets. One of the vets was able to put me up for the time I was there. I did contribute to groceries, as well as left her some money to help with electric, etc. I did have to rent a car, which came to about $800 (I took the extra insurance on it) and paid for the gas. If I had to estimate, I probably spent around $3000. If you plan ahead, you can usually find flights that are cheaper. I didn't book mine until a month prior, so they were more expensive.
Not sure if this helps you. Also, look into money that you can get from different associations for externship expenses. For example, AABP has grants for up to $750 that you can apply for if you're doing a bovine related external.

 

[AlfieEquestrian]

Thanks for the help! I am doing an equine externship in Germany and they do provide housing, which is awesome. I'm just thinking about how much I'll need to work so I can go there and buy groceries/pay for the train from the airport to the town I'm staying in/get souvenirs, etc and I had no clue where to even start calculating those expenses...

 

[PetPony]

Where in Germany are you going? I used to live there. I got to shadow my old vet when I visited last time and it was awesome!

 

[AlfieEquestrian]

Lusche, Germany!

 

[Tiraka]

Your contact where you're working would probably be the best resource for things like local grocery expenses, etc. Look into IVSA grants as well - they offered scholarships up to $1500 for international externships a few years ago.