Springe direkt zu Inhalt

Frequently Asked Questions on the Internship

It is advisable to begin searching for an internship position several months before you wish to start working, as many employers place job advertisements and vacancies well in advance. Especially for internships with ministries, government departments, research organizations, foundations and companies, these places of work will typically post vacant positions and internship advertisements on their websites and on job-search platforms. Application processes can differ depending on what is required (for instance certificates, letters of recommendation, letters of motivation); these requirements are listed in the job advertisement or internship posting.

 

Here are some search engines, job-search platforms and portals for searching for an internship:

 

Here are some examples for potential places of work where an internship would be thematically fitting, or where previous students of the Master’s program have completed their internships:

 

Other tips and tricks for sorting through job advertisements and constructing a solid application are available here:

 

You have been asked to an interview? Congratulations! Here are some helpful sources to help you prepare for your interview: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/praxisportal/job-applications/job-application-tips/the-interview-be-yourself

You are free to chose any organization in relevant fields for the Master’s program. You don’t need to register prior to the internship at FU. You just need to be certain that the internship suits the requirements in terms of time commitment and content. If you are not sure about a specific situation, please reach out to us via email on global-inequalities@geo.fu-berlin.de.

Your internship must be related to the topics of the Master’s program, to geographic, social scientific, sociopolitical, economic or other related topics of global inequalities. This can include internships with non-governmental or not-for-profit organizations (NGOs), government ministries / institutions, research organizations / think tanks, foundations, planning agencies or companies. The focus should be on enhancing professional skills and on getting to know a broad variety of tasks within an organization, experience team work and to make professional connections.

You don’t need to confer your choice of internship giver with the responsible head of examination board of the Masters program at FU prior to the internship. You just need to be certain that the internship suits the requirements in terms of time commitment and content. If you are not sure about a specific internship offer, please reach out to us via email at global-inequalities@geo.fu-berlin.de. The final recognition and accreditation of your internship is made by the head of the examination board.

If your search is not successful, please reach out to co-students. Only if this is not successful, please reach out to us via email at global-inequalities@geo.fu-berlin.de. As a last step, it is possible to contact your professors / teaching staff.

The goal of this internship module is to give you the opportunity to engage with practical experiences in the field of geographies of global inequalities, to gain helpful insights into potential job opportunities but also to establish professional connections and contacts with potential employers and future places of work. Thus, the exploration of a new field of work is one central aim of the internship. Until September 30th 2025, previous jobs as a student assistant or others done in topics / organizations connected to our field will be considered based on fairness. After this deadline, you must apply for and execute a formal internship during your studies to have your credit points registered. If you are not sure about a specific situation, please reach out to us via email at global-inequalities@geo.fu-berlin.de.

Once you have successfully completed your internship of at least 240 working hours at a place of work related to the topics of the Master’s program, you must submit a request for accreditation to the head of the examination board at humangeoexam@geo.fu-berlin.de.

This submission must include:

  • Proof of work (for instance in the form of an internship certificate or „Praktikumszeugnis“) that confirms a at least 240 working hours in total over a specified period of time; this equates to for example a full-time position (forty weekly hours) of six weeks, or a part time position (20 weekly hours) of three months. These hours must be clearly specified as such in your proof of work!
  • A short description of the organization or place of work and of your role or tasks included during the internship
  • The name and signature of your superior(s) / head of department / head of working group to confirm your proof of work

In order to be counted towards your internship module, your internship must amount to at least 240 working hours. This equates to for example a full-time position (forty weekly hours) over six weeks, or a part time position (20 weekly hours) over three months. Either the amount of hours or dates, specified if full-time, needs to be indicated in an internship certificate („Praktikumszeugnis“).

Yes.

It may be possible to send a speculative or unsolicited application even if there is not a current job advertisement. Sometimes this will be stated on the organization’s website as well. For an unsolicited internship application, you can find some more information and examples for what must necessarily be included here, if the organization does not otherwise specify:

Some general advice on sending unsolicited internship applications is also available on the website of the University of Potsdam.

It is not necessarily advisable to send unsolicited applications to government departments or ministries if not otherwise advertised on their career websites, however, if you have time and energy to spare and this is truly your dream internship, nothing should stop you from reaching out.