Orientation internship, practical school studies (SPS I and II) and company internship

• The orientation internship serves to gain experience in pedagogical professional fields of work with children and adolescents.
• It is recommended to complete the internship before the studies or in the course of the first year of studies. It must be proven at the latest by the registration of the first practical school studies.
• The orientation internship is currently only required in the degree program for teaching at grammar schools and is a self-organized internship. It can already be completed at the University of Kassel before the studies.

• It lasts at least four weeks with a working time of about 30 hours per week (120 hours in total).
• The orientation internship can be completed in several sections and at several institutions.

• For the internship locationstate, church or independent institutions of child and youth welfare including institutions for children and youth sports as well as schools are eligible.
• In addition, activities in the field of pedagogical work with children and adolescents that were completed during civilian service, a social year, as part of a voluntary honorary position or a corresponding professional practice can be recognized.
• Internships that were completed during one's own school or vacation time, on the other hand, cannot be credited as a rule.

• Written documentation of observations and experiences serves as evidence of the experience gained during the internship. 
• A template for the documentation, the certificate, and instructions for the internship site can be found here.
• Please send your documentation for submission preferably in electronic form to: orientierungspraktikum[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
• or to: University of Kassel Center for Teacher Education (ZLB), Studienberatung Lehramt, Nora-Platiel-Str. 1, 34127 Kassel.
• Please submit the internship report in a timely manner (preferably before registering for SPS I).

• The registration deadlines can be found on the pages of the Department for Practical School Studies.

• The module examination regulations of the University of Kassel provide for three internships, the practical school studies, for the teacher training programs for grammar schools and vocational and business education.
• The practical school studies I (with block practical course, abbreviated SPS I) are assigned to the educational and social science core studies (module 10).
• The practical school studies I in educational science are prepared or accompanied and evaluated by seminars.

• SPS I with block practicum can be taken after successful completion of module 1a or 1b.

• Schools and mentors for the block internship are assigned to the students by the Department for Practical School Studies in cooperation with the internship supervisors of the University of Kassel.

• The internship schools are located in the wider Kassel region.
• The seminars for the block internship usually take place at the University of Kassel.

• The practical school studies I consist of a preparatory seminar, a five-week internship (block internship) at a school and a follow-up seminar.
• The five-week internship at the school takes place during the lecture-free period. The block internship usually starts in the 3rd semester, but can also be started in the 2nd semester.

• Responsible for the registration for the School Practical Studies I is the Department for School Practical Studies.
• Registration for SPS I is exclusively online via the link that is only activated during the registration deadlines: www.refsps-uni-kassel.de.
• Registration for the winter semester takes place in April/May.
• Registration for the summer semester is in November of each year. The registration period is 3 weeks.

Special feature

• Special internships may be indicated when registering for SPS I. It is possible to complete SPS I and SPS II in one teaching subject as an intensive internship. In this case, the practical school part is carried out within half a year at a school.

• Possible waiting periods for SPS II are thus eliminated and the bond with the students and the school is more intensive. The block internship can also take place in cooperation with student teachers. In this case, the students not only have a mentor, but also a trainee teacher as a partner.

  The Department for Practical School Studies offers various special internships, about which you can find out more on the website of the Department for Practical School Studies or in person during office hours.

• The examination performance consists of the internship report, which includes the following aspects:

1. Lesson planning and reflections,
2. development observations of teaching observations,
3. a pedagogical topic related to the internship school and reflection on the student's own development,
4. as well as a brief description of the  internship school.

• The module examination regulations of the University of Kassel provide for three internships, the practical school studies, for the teacher training programs for grammar schools and vocational and business education.
• The practical school studies II are completed in the subject didactics of both subjects.
• The subject didactic School Practical Studies II (SPS II for short) are prepared or accompanied and evaluated by seminars.

• The subject-specific practical school studies II (SPS II for short) are completed in both subjects. A generally valid prerequisite - in addition to some subject-specific ones - is the successful completion of SPS I (block internship).

• Schools and mentors for SPS II are assigned to students by the Department for Practical School Studies in cooperation with the internship supervisors at the University of Kassel.

• The accompanying seminars usually take place at the university.
• The school internship takes place at schools in or around Kassel.

• The subject-specific didactic SPS II are usually completed during the semester, and attendance at the internship school is compulsory for all school hours in a class specified by the lecturer in one subject per week.
• In minor subjects it can be determined to attend all lessons of two classes (more detailed specifications are regulated by the subjects, the requirement  can vary slightly depending on the subject).
• SPS II are accompanied by a seminar.

• Registrationfor SPS II is done through the Department for Practical School Studies one semester in advance!

• Exceptions: Physical Education, Physical Science and Physics as well as the majors Economics, Electrical Engineering and Metal Engineering!  Please check with the departments directly for deadlines and procedures. 

• Most subject didactics schedule a pre-departure meeting prior to the start of SPS II. Please inform yourself about the date for the preliminary meeting in the course of your registration in the subject didactics of the individual subjects.
• On the homepage of the Department for Practical School Studies you will find the link to the registration, as well as further information. 

• The examination for the completion of SPS II is an internship report.
• Please refer to the module examination regulations for the individual subjects for information on the content and form of this report.

• The self-organized work placement is intended to provide insights into areas of life and work that have no points of contact with the professional field of school .
• The work placement is required for the degree programs Teaching at Primary Schools (L1), Teaching at Secondary Schools and Secondary Modern Schools (L2), Teaching at Grammar Schools (L3) and Teaching Special Education with a Focus on Inclusion (L5). This does not apply to students studying to teach at elementary school and secondary modern schools who started their teacher training after 2014 and before 2023.
• This internship is not required for vocational and business education courses. Instead, company internships of 48 weeks are completed there.

• Recommended internship locations are service, processing, trade and production companies.
• The duration of the internship is at least 8 weeks. The internship can also be divided into two parts, e.g. 4 weeks each at two different internship locations.

• The  examination performance  consists of the internship report. Instructions for writing the internship report can be found on the homepage of the Hessische Lehrkräfteakademie.
• The internship certificate must also be submitted to - at the latest by the time you register for the First State Examination. 
• The Hessische Lehrkräfteakademie is also responsible for the recognition of the internship.