Information on internships during your studies

The aim of the internship is to provide orientation for the desired professional field, including the acquisition of application-oriented knowledge and practical professional experience.
Contents are the processing and practical solution of clearly defined, concrete problems in the desired professional field of activity or course of study under supervision, getting to know technical and organisational contexts that are typical for the professional field and, if necessary, the preparation of a practice-related Bachelor's thesis.

You can find a suitable placement on internship websites such as www.meinpraktikum.de, http://karriere.unicum.de/ www.praktika.de/, www.praktikum.info/, https://de.jooble.org/.
It is best to enter terms there that fulfil your internship interests.
You can make initial contact with companies by attending information events, company or career fairs such as Connecticum. You can also make personal contacts, ask around in your circle of acquaintances, talk to other fellow students who have already completed an internship or ask lecturers.

It is best to design your internship documents in the corporate design of the company, i.e. the same colour and shape. The text should be as short and concise as possible and the spelling and formalities should always be correct. Special highlights such as graphic elements or quotes have a special effect and appeal to the eye. There are good application training programmes at the UAS that can be used. An e-mail application is now common. The cover sheet, covering letter, CV and certificates are sent as attachments. The email itself contains a general text about who you are and where you are applying. A scanned signature for the documents is essential.

First of all, you should complete the "Application for approval of internship" as early as possible and send it by e-mail to the appropriate account for your degree programme:

• Archive: praktika-archiv@fh-potsdam.de
• Library Science: praktika-bib@fh-potsdam.de
• Information and Data Management: praktika-iud@fh-potsdam.de

After positive feedback from the internship coordinator, fill out the framework agreement. Have this signed by the internship centre. Send the agreement again to the above e-mail address for signature.

You do not need to send the training contract between you and the internship centre to the UAS Potsdam.

Then upload all signed documents independently to the Moodle course "Internship" course. There you will also find a schedule of deadlines.

The forms can be found at the bottom of this website under "Internship regulations & applications" or in the Moodle course "Internship".

You will receive a confirmation by e-mail from the internship coordinator or a request for consultation.

Contact the internship coordinator and look for a new internship quickly. It is recommended that you apply early and do not start the internship at the last minute so that you still have time to reapply if the worst comes to the worst. Please note: Even a signed contract can be cancelled by the company!

Contact the person responsible for the internship and, if necessary, the internship coordinator.

In accordance with the work placement regulations, the work placement organisation is obliged to issue a certificate confirming the duration, content and successful completion of the work placement. The institutions usually have their own templates for this. There is no template provided by the faculty.

For students on the Archive degree programme: The title and grade of the indexing work can also be noted on the internship certificate or they can be shown in a separate document.

Call them again!

For a six-week internship, the internship report comprises 3 – 4 pages (incl. cover sheet) and for the internship semester 8 – 10 pages (incl. cover sheet). Even for two placements, the report should not exceed 10 pages.

Structure: description and tasks of the institution, detailed description of your tasks, work results achieved, evaluation/assessment of your learning success and the internship centre in terms of supervision. Please ensure that the language used is of an appropriate quality, that the content is meaningful and that any critical comments are factual!

Alternatively, an internship poster can be created for the 20-week internship. There are examples of this in the Moodle course "Internship".

You should submit your internship report as soon as possible, at the latest six weeks after the end of the internship period specified by the department. If possible, hand in your internship certificate at the same time.

Please upload all documents independently to the Moodle course "Internship".

Can, but does not have to.

There is no entitlement to remuneration. However, many companies pay for the internship.

See here: Resolution of principle of the Examination board dated 06th of December 2023

The standard full-time working hours apply. In the event of a deviation from full-time working hours, the internships can be extended until the end of the lecture-free period at the latest to compensate for this. Any deviation from full-time working hours must be specified in the framework agreement. Interns are not entitled to holidays. If the internship is interrupted due to holidays, the internship must be extended accordingly. This must be documented in the internship certificate and must already be stated in the framework agreement when specifying the period (insurance cover).

During the six-week internship, you may be absent for a maximum of 5 working days due to illness, and for the internship semester for a maximum of 15 days. The illness must be documented by a medical certificate, the original of which must be sent to the Examination board of the UAS Potsdam and a copy to the internship centre.

If an underaged child falls ill, you are entitled to a maximum of 5 additional working days as days of absence during the internship semester, in addition to the 15 working days stipulated in the internship regulations. In the event of longer absences, the internship must be extended accordingly.

In special cases, the internship can be completed on a half-day basis. However, you must complete 20 x 40 hours and the internship will be correspondingly longer. However, this must be agreed with the internship supervisor and the employer.

The internship can be cancelled at the beginning in justified exceptional cases, but it is best to talk to the responsible person at the internship centre beforehand. In an emergency, the internship officer can also mediate. According to internship regulations §2, companies have a duty to train interns, i.e. pointless work is actually not permitted and can be refused.
Interns who have requested regular feedback have had good experiences.

During the practical semester and the internship, students remain full members of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Students must also properly re-register during the internship semester in accordance with the regulations of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Interns are subject to the personnel agreements in force at the internship centre. During the six-week short internship, you may be absent for a maximum of 5 working days due to illness; during the internship semester, you may be absent for a maximum of 15 days. The illness must be documented by a doctor's certificate, the original of which must be submitted to the Examination board of the UAS Potsdam and a copy to the internship centre. The internship centre decides on leave of absence for attending information science conferences during the internship periods.

The six-week internship cannot be split. The practical semester can be split once. If you are planning an internship abroad, funding could be a reason for splitting it, for example. Some internship centres only accept internships of a certain minimum or maximum length.

According to the decision of the Examination Board of 13/08/2013, the six-week internship is recognised without restriction for media and information services specialists who have successfully completed their training if they are studying in the same subject in which they previously completed their training (e.g. FAMI Library – Library Management course). This must be reported to the internship coordinator. If FAMIs have chosen a different degree programme (e.g. FAMI Library – IuD degree programme), the 8-week internship cannot be waived.

If you have completed a 22-week internship semester as part of an information science degree programme at another university that meets the requirements of the Department of Information Science, you can apply to have this recognised by the examination board.

This is only permitted in justified exceptional cases, as you should gain an insight into different fields of work.

As a rule, it is not possible to complete the internship semester in the institution where a FAMI training programme has already been completed. In exceptional cases, students with FaMI training can apply for this. The prerequisite, however, is a different department or a different field of work or a different activity within the institution (decision of the Examination Board of 14th of January 2014).

Financial support is often available for internships abroad. The International Office and the Department's Internationalisation Officer will be happy to assist you with organisational and financial questions.

Yes, you must initially pay the semester fee in full, but you can apply for a refund of the semester ticket (approx. 200 euros).

Yes, but the remuneration and funding from foundations are fully recognised.

There are also various funding opportunities for internships abroad. You can find out more on the website on internships abroad or seek advice directly from the International Office at FH Potsdam.