Compulsory internship

The career opportunities after completing a degree in the social sciences are diverse.
There is a wide range of potential career fields. Therefore, it makes sense to start exploring future career paths and their specific requirements early on in order to

• gain some perspective and answer the question: “What do I actually want to be?”
• and to ask yourself before entering the workforce: “What additional qualifications do I need to be able to pursue this specific career?”

However, it’s never too late to do this. Here’s how you can proceed:

Think about what kinds of activities and topics you enjoy, what conditions you’d like to have in your future work life, etc.
We’ve put together a little guide to help you with this here, pp. 136–149

Of course, you can explore your options in many ways—by talking to friends, attending counseling sessions, participating in workshops on the topic, etc.—and by trying out different careers through part-time or summer jobs, internships, or volunteer work. This will help you see what you’re good at, what you enjoy, what you don’t like, and what’s particularly important to you.

Here we’ve compiled various links on the following topics:

• possible career fields
• various job boards
• Rights and responsibilities during an internship
• Information on job applications
• Counseling centers

If the faculty member supervising your internship considers the placement suitable, your chosen internship will count as a required internship for your major. Please refer to the instructions Step-by-Step Guide to the Internshipto find out how to search for and register for your internship, which forms you need, etc.

You can find out who to contact as a supervising instructor further down in the FAQs.

Please note:

BA in Sociology: The internship must be completed outside of the University of Kassel (it may not be completed at an institute of the University of Kassel (INCHER, Itec, etc.)). Internships in the central administration are exempt from this rule.

You must register your internship via the internship coordination of FB05 at the University of Kassel. To do this, download the form "Anmeldung Praktikum", fill it out legibly and hand it in to the internship coordinator, signed by the supervising teacher (digitally to praxis-beratung5[at]uni-kassel[dot]de, by post here, or in the mailroom in box no. 76, Nora-Platiel-Str. 1, 2nd floor, room 2309).

To "register" for the internship, you need a teacher who will supervise your internship and read and evaluate the internship report. In principle, all teachers in your major subject are eligible for supervision. However, a few restrictive rules apply: In history, the supervising teacher must have a doctorate. In politics and sociology, all full-time lecturers may supervise as well as all academic employees who have completed four semesters or more of teaching.

It is best to contact the teacher of your choice by e-mail and briefly describe where you would like to complete an internship and whether the teacher can imagine supervising your internship.

You can find a list of all authorized examiners for the Bachelor's degree course here:

www.uni-kassel.de/fb05/studium/pruefungen/pruefungsberechtigte/pruefungsberechtigte-lehrende-in-den-bachelorstudiengaengen-des-fachbereichs-5

Before you start your internship, you must register it using the "Internship registration" form. After successfully completing your internship, you must either hand in the "Internship certificate" form or submit an internship certificate together with your internship report to the supervising teacher.

You can also support us and your fellow students by submitting the "Internship brief information" form to the internship coordinator. By providing feedback on your experiences during the internship, we are able to pass on valuable information about internship positions to your fellow students and improve our future advice.

You can find all forms under Downloads on this page.

The following applies to all examination regulations:

• Find a faculty advisor for your internship (see FAQs: “How do I find a faculty advisor…?”)
• Register your internship using the form! (see Forms “BA Internship Registration”)

In general, you’ll find the formal requirements in your examination regulations; only the section relevant to this question is listed here. General guidelines for writing reports can be found in the Downloads section. You can also find more detailed tips on writing reports and term papers in our handbook, Guess What.

BA History Study Regulations 2017:

A graded internship report of 4,500 words describing the activities performed, a reflection on potential career paths; if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship with regard to general aspects of the field.

For a 13-week internship abroad, the following applies: The internship report must be supplemented with a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

For a 13-week domestic internship that includes an independent project: The internship report mustalso include a reflection on the skills acquired during the independent project.

The report is evaluated by the faculty member supervising the internship. Discuss the requirements for the report’s content with this faculty member.

BA in History, Curriculum 2024:

A graded internship report of 5,000–8,000 words covering the activities performed, a reflection on potential career paths, and, if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship in light of general aspects of the discipline.

For a 13-week internship abroad, the following applies: The internship report mustalso include a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

The report is graded by the faculty member supervising the internship. Discuss the requirements for the report’s content with this faculty member.

BA Political Science Curriculum 2017:

A graded internship report of no more than 10 pages describing the tasks performed, a reflection on potential career paths; if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship in light of general aspects of the field.

For a 13-week internship abroad, the following applies: The internship report mustalso include a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

For a 13-week domestic internship that includes a self-directed project: The internship report mustalso include a reflection on the skills acquired during the self-directed project.

The report is evaluated by the faculty member supervising the internship. Discuss the requirements for the report’s content with this faculty member.

BA Political Science Curriculum 2024:

Ungraded internship report of up to 10 pages describing the activities performed, a reflection on potential career paths; if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship in light of general aspects of the discipline.

For a 13-week internship abroad, additionally: The internship report must be supplemented with a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

For a 13-week domestic internship that includes a self-directed project: The internship report mustalso include a reflection on the skills acquired during the self-directed project.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Please register for the internship as usual (Registration Form) and find a faculty advisor for the internship (see FAQ “How do I find a faculty advisor…?”), with whom you’ll discuss whether the internship position you’ve found is appropriate for your degree program.

• The completed internship report is submitted to the instructor with whom you are also taking the accompanying course “your fixe”; this instructor will also evaluate your report. Report submission deadline: no later than the middle of the following semester.

BA in Sociology, 2017 Curriculum:

The internship grade is based on the internship report—which is a required course component—and the graded term paper in Module 7a.
The ungraded internship report is a prerequisite for taking the module exam in Module 7a.

Internship report of 25,000 characters (including spaces): a report on the activities performed, reflection on a potential career path; if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship in light of general aspects of the discipline;
Supervision and evaluation of the internship report by a full-time faculty member in the subject area.

For a 13-week internship abroad, the internship report mustalso include a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

For a 13-week domestic internship, including a self-directed project: The internship report is supplemented with a reflection on the skills acquired during the self-directed project.

The report is graded by the faculty member supervising the internship. Discuss the requirements for the report’s content with this faculty member.

BA in Sociology, Program of Study 2024:

The internship grade is based on the graded term paper in Module 6a.

A non-graded internship report of 25,000 characters (including spaces) describing the tasks performed, a reflection on potential career paths, and, if applicable, an analysis of experiences and observations during the internship in light of general aspects of the field.

For a 13-week internship abroad, the following also applies: The internship report is supplemented with a reflection on the intercultural competencies acquired.

The report is evaluated by the faculty member supervising the internship.

Discuss the requirements for the report’s content with this teacher.

Most examination regulations require you to take a course that accompanies your mandatory internship. It may happen that the dates of your internship and the schedule for the accompanying course do not align perfectly. If you’re unsure when the best time is to take the course, ask the module coordinator or contact the person currently teaching the accompanying course in your degree program.

BA in History, 2017 Curriculum: -

BA History Study Plan 2024:

Participation in “jour fixe” meetings: These are appointments scheduled individually between the student and the faculty member supervising the internship. These may include meetings to discuss the internship before and after it takes place, a preliminary discussion of the internship report, or meetings to review the progress of the internship while it is in progress.

Talk to your internship supervisor to schedule these meetings.

BA Political Science Curriculum 2017:

Students reflect on their experiences together as part of a 1-credit accompanying course.

The accompanying course is offered over one or two consecutive sessions. Please check the course catalog and register for the course.

The accompanying course can be completed during or after the internship.

BA Political Science, Academic Year 2024:

Students reflect on their experiences together as part of a 1-credit “jour fixe” accompanying course.

The “jour fixe” accompanying course is offered over one or two consecutive sessions. Please check the course catalog and register for the course.

The accompanying course can be taken during or after the internship.

PLEASE NOTE:

• The completed internship report must be submitted to the instructor who is also teaching the “jour fixe” course; this instructor will also grade your report. Report submission deadline: no later than the middle of the following semester.

• However, please register for the internship as usual (registration form) and find a faculty advisor for the internship (see FAQ “How do I find a supervising instructor?”) to discuss whether the internship position you have found is appropriate for your degree program.

BA in Sociology, Curriculum 2017 and Curriculum 2024:

Follow-up Seminar: Here, your experiences from the internship are evaluated collectively, and connections are drawn to the current state of research in sociology. The goal is for this practical experience to open up new perspectives in your studies and sharpen your professional self-image.

Module Final Exam: Typically a term paper (graded) in the seminar.

Before starting a compulsory internship, some companies or businesses require a certificate from you that "proves" that the internship is a compulsory university internship that you have to complete as part of your studies. You can easily obtain this certificate from us, the internship coordinator at FB05.

To prepare such a certificate, we only need the following information from you: Full name, date of birth and details of what you are majoring in and under which examination regulations. We will then send you the completed certificate by e-mail.

You can complete your internship part-time. Depending on the reasons why you should opt for a part-time model, your mandatory internship will be extended. For example, if you work 20 hours a week, your internship will last 16 weeks instead of 8. At the end, you must have completed 320 hours.

You can complete the internship at two internship locations or at different times. However, please note that both internships must not be less than 6 weeks each.

If you fall ill during your internship, you must submit a sick note to your internship supervisor. Please also follow the respective regulations of your internship provider. You should make up for any absences to a reasonable extent so that the workload required for the internship to be recognized is fulfilled.

Granted vacation days and public holidays are not absences and therefore do not have to be made up.

For an internship abroad, you should always plan a longer preparation time and check the financing options. The International Office offers a wide range of information and advice for all of you who can imagine doing an internship abroad. The Career Service can also advise you on planning an internship abroad. There are a variety of funding opportunities available to you for an internship abroad. You can find an overview at the DAAD, for example. It is also worth contacting lecturers directly who have international interfaces in their teaching. Department 05 at the University of Kassel also offers information on the topic of international affairs.

Compulsory internships as part of your studies are not treated as employment relationships, but are part of your training (this is different for voluntary internships). You do not have to pay social security contributions for a paid internship. However, free co-insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme may not apply if your income is too high (find out about the current income limit for compulsory internships). The German Trade Union Federation, among others, has published a brochure on the topic of "Rights and obligations during an internship".

While you are on your compulsory internship as stipulated in the study and examination regulations, you are generally insured against accidents during this period with your internship provider. As this internship is part of your training, you are not entitled to remuneration or vacation. If you are paid for your internship, this is considered income. If you receive BAföG, the internship pay will generally be deducted in full from your BAföG payments. The allowance for income from gainful employment etc. does not apply in this case. However, you do not have to pay social security contributions. You should always contact your BAföG advisor before starting your internship.

Advice on BAföG is available at the University of Kassel, for example from the AStA or the Studierendenwerk.