We have created the office of the Internship Coordinator who offers regular consulting hours and can help you in Getting Started with planning and pursuing your internship. The Internship Coordinator also offers Internship Workshops for American Studies students.
Whether during consulting hours or during the workshops, the Internship Coordinator can advise you on Internship Opportunities and Funding Options. American Studies students can sign up for an update service moreover when new funding and internship opportunities are posted to the dedicated web page for internship services.
On the dedicated web page you will find a section called The Scoop. This is a service by students for students where feedback from earlier internships is provided to help students in their planning for an upcoming internship. The feedback ranges from overall impressions and advice to practical tips on do’s-and-don’ts.
Areas of Internship Support
If you are planning to do an internship as part of your studies, you should begin with your preparations as soon as possible. You should ask yourself: Where do I want to do my internship? What language skills do I need? What kind of internship am I looking for? Can I apply for funding? How can I earn credits for my internship as a BA or MA student?
It is sometimes not easy to find the right internship. To get you started, American Studies Leipzig regularly posts worldwide internship offers on our website. We have also compiled a list of different internship databases that are available online and where you might find the right internship for you. We have compiled a bibliography of interesting internship books and articles which might serve as a good starting point and a valuable source of help when planning an internship. Besides looking at the databases, ASL recommends you to directly contact companies or institutions of your interest and simply ask for internship opportunities.
On this site, you find information about the ASL Intership Workshop, the Career Service, language preparation for interships abroad, and visa preparation.
In order to help you with your preparation the ASL offers a workshop each semester. For your first steps you may also have a look at the checklist and/or see the internship coordinator.
In the internship workshop, students learn why internships are of special importance, where to find them, what scholarships exist, how they can get credits for their internships and how to prepare for them (language skills, visa, insurance etc.). Check the ASL website and ASL bulletin board for workshop dates.
The Career Center of the University of Leipzig offers, among other services, a broad variety of internship related assistance. Run by a dedicated staff, the Career Center has its own internship office, publishes up-to-date internship offers and offers workshops on internships, working abroad, and interview and application strategies.
www.uni-leipzig.de =>career service
Modern employers almost take it for granted that their employees speak at least English fluently. However, it increases your employment opportunities if can speak an additional language. Internships are an excellent opportunity to enhance your language skills. For your language preparation you should have a look at the links below.
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Sprachenzentrum
The language center at Leipzig University is probably the best place to learn an additional language. The center offers a decent variety of languages at a reasonable price. The courses range from beginner to advanced classes. www.uni-leipzig.de/sprachenzentrum
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Volkshochschule Leipzig
In cases the schedule of Sprachenzentrum does not work out for you, you can have a look the course schedule of the Volkshochschule Leipzig. Like at the Sprachenzentrum, the courses offered there have a manageable price.
www.vhs-leipzig.de
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Tandembüro
Every semester there many international students coming to Leipzig to study and to improve their German. The Tandem initiative will give you the chance to get to know these people, their culture, and work on your conversation skills at the same time.
www.uni-leipzig.de =>tandem
If you are planning to do an internship outside the European Union, you should check the visa requirements of country in question. Those requirements can vary a great deal from country to country and it usually takes some time before you get your visa. Please look into the visa application process several months before your internship starts.
Students who want to do an internship in the US can either try to find a big company that helps them with the visa application or get a visa with the help of a sponsorship organization. You can find information on the sponsorship organization websites (below you see a small selection of them) or in the visa information material.
