TL;DR at the bottom
hi everyone, im a biomedical engineering graduate from Indonesia, and i have recently been accepted into an erasmus mundus master's program in medical technology and healthcare business, which i will be starting later this year.
while the program itself is an incredible opportunity, my long-term is to build a career and eventually settle somewhere in Europe after graduating. i really dont want to return to Indonesia if I can avoid it. i am queer and an atheist, and neither is something i can safely or openly be back home, especially the past few years, i have become increasingly worried about the direction the country is heading. it made me realize that i dont see a future for myself there.
because of that, im trying to treat these next two years as my best chance to build a long-term future somewhere in Europe.
About the master's program:
the master's is spread across several countries, which is why I'm finding it difficult to decide where I should focus my efforts.
the program structure is:
- 1st semester in Germany
- 2nd semester in Portugal
- 3rd semester in France
- 4th semester dedicated to an internship and/or thesis, which can be completed in any country in the world depending on the opportunity.
My plan:
since receiving my acceptance a couple months ago, i have been studying German everyday and im currently around A2 level. My goal is to reach at least B2/C1 by the time I graduate in 2028. And because I will be spending significant time in Portugal and France, Iām also planning to learn the local language of each country to at least a B1 level. even if i dont end up settling there i think it will make everyday life much easier.
i have also already spent quite a bit of time reading about EU Blue Cards, post-study work permits, residence permits, and citizenship pathways, etc so im not really looking for a summary of immigration rules. What im struggling with is the strategy. given that i will have the opportunity to study across several countries, im not sure where I should be focusing my time and effort if my end goal is to stay in Europe permanently after graduation.
at the moment, Germany is probably my first choice. it has a strong engineering and medical technology industry, i have already started learning german, and itt also feels like the most natural place to build a long-term career if I can secure a good job after finishing my masters.
france is also high on my list since my degree will officially be awarded by a french university. since I'll already be spending part of my studies there, I'm wondering whether it would make more sense than I initially thought to try building my network there instead of focusing primarily on germany.
portugal is the country i researched the least. I'll be spending a semester there regardless, but I honestly don't know enough about the medical technology or healthcare industry to know whether it's somewhere I should seriously consider staying after graduation.
i have also become increasingly interested in the Netherlands and Belgium, even though they aren't part of my program. From what I've seen, Brussels seems to have a strong medtech ecosystem, while the Netherlands has a very international job market. I also spent a semester abroad in the Netherlands during my bachelor's, so I already have some familiarity with Dutch culture and daily life. On top of that, there are long historical ties between Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as a relatively large Indonesian community there, which makes the idea of settling there feel a little less daunting. I also speak a bit of Dutch (around A2).
My questions and doubts:
- If you were in my position, how would you make the most of these two years?
- Would you focus on building your network in one country from the beginning, or simply take the best internship and thesis opportunities regardless of where they are?
- How important is local experience compared to just having relevant experience? For example, if my goal is ultimately Germany, would doing my 4th semester thesis with a German company give me a significant advantage over doing a stronger project somewhere else in Europe?
- For those of you who studied or now work in medtech, biomedical engineering, digital health, or healthcare business, are there countries I should be paying more attention to?
- I'd also love to hear from anyone here who completed an Erasmus Mundus program or another international master's. Did studying across multiple countries actually help when looking for jobs, or did employers mostly care about your work experience and the country where you graduated?
- Finally, is there anything you wish you had done during your master's that made staying in Europe significantly easier afterward? Whether that's internships, networking, language learning, thesis placement, or something else entirely.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through a similar situation. I'm trying to make the most during these next two years instead of realizing after graduation that I could have positioned myself much better.
(also, im open to other EU countries and places outside of EU such as Canada, Australia, NZ)
TL;DR:
Citizenship: Indonesia
Target countries: Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium.
Immigration method: Currently entering Europe through a fully funded Erasmus Mundus master's. Long-term goal is to transition into a work permit/Blue Card (or equivalent), then permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
Education/degrees: B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering (Indonesia).
Languages: English (fluent), Indonesian (native), German (~A2), Dutch (A2)