Mandatory internship

You have to register your internship at the internship coordination of the FB05 of the University of Kassel. To do so, download the form "Registration Internship", fill it out legibly and hand it in signed by the supervising teacher to the Internship Coordination.

For the "registration" of the internship you need a teacher who will supervise your internship and read and evaluate the internship report. In principle, all teachers of your major subject are eligible for supervision. However, a few restrictive rules apply: In History, the supervising teacher must have a PhD. In politics and sociology, all full-time lecturers and all research assistants who have completed four or more semesters of teaching are eligible.

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

You can find a list of all the authorized examiners for the bachelor's program 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.

As part of your practical module, you will have to write a report in history, and in sociology and political science you will have to submit a course assignment and a term paper. The formal requirements can be found in your examination regulations. Talk to the lecturers of your practical module about the requirements for your course work and discuss your examination performance with the supervising lecturer. Depending on the requirements, you will have to meet different standards. General guidelines for the preparation of reports can be found in the downloads. More detailed tips for writing reports and term papers can be found in our handbook Guess What.

You may have to attend and complete an accompanying course for the compulsory internship for your internship module. It may happen that the period of your internship and the time at which the accompanying course is offered do not fit together perfectly. If you are unsure about the best time to attend the course, it is best to ask the module coordinators or write to the people who are currently holding the accompanying course. At the end of the course, you usually have to hand in a piece of coursework. The form of the coursework can also vary and should always be discussed with the person with whom you are doing the coursework. You must register for the accompanying course in the same way as for other courses.

Some companies require a certificate from you before you start a compulsory internship, which "proves" that the internship is a university-related compulsory internship, which you have to complete as part of your studies. You can easily get this certificate from us, the internship coordination of the FB05.

In order to prepare such a certificate, we only need the following information from you: Full name, date of birth as well as the information what you are studying in the main subject and under which examination regulations. We will then send you the completed certificate by e-mail.

You can complete your internship on a part-time basis. Depending on the reasons why you decide on 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 shorter than 6 weeks.

If you fall ill during your internship, you must submit a sick note to the internship supervisor. Please also refer to the respective regulations of your internship supervisor. You should make up the absences to a reasonable extent in order to fulfill the workload required for the internship to be recognized.

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 in your compulsory internship as stipulated by the study and examination regulations, you are generally insured against accidents by your internship provider during this period. Since this internship is part of your education, you are not entitled to remuneration or vacation. If you are paid for your internship, this is considered income. If you are receiving BAföG, the internship pay is usually counted in full towards BAföG payments. The tax-free allowance for income from gainful employment etc. does not apply in this case. What you do not have to pay, however, are social security contributions. In any case, you should contact your BAföG advisor before starting your internship.

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