Information on Internships

AUTUMN semester 2016

Master Programme IN political science

Students at the Master programme in Political Science have a unique opportunity to gain qualified work experience during their studies.

Since 1990 the Department of Government has offered their students one term’s internship as an integrated part of its programmes. Combining academic studies and practical work is very popular with both students and the organisations that offer the internships, which has contributed to developing the internship term into an important part of the department’s courses. Every year about 100 students do internships abroad at embassies, international organisations, NGO’s, interest groups, ministries, state departments, and local authorities, in Sweden as well as abroad.

Contents

General information on internships

2. The department’s internship standards

3.The aim with the internship within the programme

4.Why do organisations welcome interns?

5.Finding and applying for internships

6.Practical Issues

7.Follow up/evaluation

8.Internship Agreement

1. General information on internships

Students on the Master’s programme in Political Science have the possibility to do one term’s non-compulsory internship, which is intended to provide them with a hands-on experience from working at a Swedish or international organization. The internship is carried out during the fourth term of the programme.

The internship term gives academic credits and can therefore be included in the final degree from Uppsala University. Please notice that the internship course is on the non-advanced level.You cannot apply for the internship course on universityadmissions.se/antagning.se!

What does an internship mean?

The overall aim with an internship is to give students an opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge from previous courses by experiencing hands on and concrete tasks, i.e. putting knowledge into practice. It can also contribute to a better understanding of how a future career might look. The internship also aims at gaining new knowledge and finding relevant issues that can be of use in further studies. Another important aspect is that an internship can create contacts and references that might be valuable when applying for jobs in the future.

Not only students benefit from an internship, but it is also an advantage for organisations, authorities, and companies to take in interns. They gain access to workforce in form of motivated students with a relevant background. As an intern you are an asset in both administrative tasks and projects. Which means that the organisation get essential work done, e.g. projects and writing reports, through the intern's work during the internship – without any extra cost as the intern is not paid.

Eligibility for internship

To be eligible for the internship course, you must have completed courses equivalent of 45 credits in the Master’s programme, and at least 30 of these on the advanced level.

Roles and responsibilities

The internship is administrated by the Department of Government. Internship is only possible at a workplace that has been approved by the Department of Government.

It is the responsibility of the student to find an internship.

The Department (Peter Smekal) will assist master students with information about internships and about institutions that can provide internship position, by acting as the main contact person at the Department of Government during your internship, by providing advice and discussing your plans, by providing written information about the internship programme, and by providing letters of support and other documents requested by an institution/organization that may provide an internship position for you.

Interest form

You have to hand in the interest form to Peter Smekal as soon as possible in order to find an internship in time.

Examination

To pass the course Internship 30credits, the student needs to have completed the tasks at the work place in a satisfactory manner (confirmed by the supervisor’s evaluation) as well as handed in an internship report to the Department of Government. The internship is marked only with the grades Pass or Fail. The Internship course is counted as a non-advanced course!

Internship Coordinators at the Department of Government

Peter Smekal is coordinator of internships for the Master’s programme. Marie Nylund for the Bachelor programme.

Address:

Peter Smekal, Department of Government, Box 514, 751 20 Uppsala, telephone: +46 18471 19 90, fax +46 18417 16 35, e-mail:

Marie Nylund, Department of Government, Box 514, 751 20 Uppsala, telephone: +46 18471 12 04, fax +46 18417 16 35, e-mail:

2. The department’s internship standards

Since the intern is not paid during the internship and is investing one term's student loan, the tasks assigned to the intern should correspond to the aims of the internship programme. This is also important so that it can be motivated that one term's internship equals one term's theoretical studies within the programme (30 hp).

Supervision

Supervision is an important aspect of the studies during the internship term.

To make the internship as meaningful as possible, for the intern and the organisation, it is vital for the student to be supervised during the internship. To achieve this, the organisation has to assign a supervisor for the intern. The supervisor role includes introducing, instructing, following up, and supporting the intern’s work.

Both the intern and the supervisor are responsible for relevant tasks being received and that the aim of the internship is fulfilled. They will set up a plan together for how the proposed tasks shall be performed. The supervisor is also responsible for the student obtaining the relevant support and training, if any, to be able to accomplish the given tasks.

It is advisable that the student receives independent tasks at an early stage to be able to connect with the work and the other employees at the work place.

The supervisor’s knowledge and experience of the profession are essential resources during the internship. Integrating theory and practice is a process in which the supervisor must take part and contribute with knowledge, support and help in solving specific problems, and discussion about the future professional role.

3. The aim with the internship within the programme

The aim with the internship is to give the students an opportunity to

use their knowledge and skills in real work assignments
apply knowledge gained from theoretical studies in a report or a project
develop their ability to work independently as well as in a team
be able to get an understanding of what their studies might lead to
get an opportunity to build a professional network.

Internship abroad will also give the students

practice in communicating in a different language
experience from living in a new environment.

It is desired (not a demand) that the student has the possibility to work with one extensive task (report or project) during a longer period. Problem formulation, data collection, analysis and result presentation are important parts of the theoretical education and practice in real life is a valuable experience for the future.

The growing internationalization of the world increases demands on future leaders. Language skills, academic knowledge, practical work experience and knowledge of foreign countries must to a larger extent be integrated in the students who apply for positions in a work market that is increasingly affected by international factors.

The internship is therefore a useful opportunity to give the education an effective profile. Many students also choose to do their internships abroad to be able to improve language skills and learn more about foreign cultures, political systems, and economic conditions.

4. Why do organisations welcome interns?

Opening the doors for interns gives the organisation goodwill. This is important, especially because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.
Giving students the chance to develop their competence through one term of internship, will in the long run lead to an increasing quality of the organisation’s future recruitment base.
Giving students the opportunity to develop their competence and better their future competiveness.
Many students have contributed with significant work in projects and reports during their internships.
Without any larger costs they gain access to an ambitious and motivated student at the final stage of their studies.

What can the intern contribute with?

The student is part of the work place staff during the internship. That way the intern is a resource in both administrative tasks and projects. It is important that the interns get to take part in the organisation’s entire business and gain experience from tasks within different work areas.

Previous years many of the students have had the possibility to work with one extensive task (report or project) during a longer period. Many students have therefore contributed with significant work in projects and reports.

What is expected of an intern?

Listed below are a few requirements (wishes) regarding knowledge/competence of the interns, which have been presented during discussions with various places that offers internships:

the intern has to be able to take care of themselves (in practical issues)
the intern has to be able to work independently
the intern has to be able to write good Swedish or English (or some other language)
the intern has to have a great amount of social skills
the intern has to be able to take initiative
the intern must have good analytical skills
the intern must be able to document an interest for the organisation’s field of work
the intern must have good language skills (when placed abroad)
the intern must be computer literate.

5. Finding and applying for an internship

The student is responsible for finding a place for an internship!

Getting an internship - step by step

Step 1

Make up your mind. Do you really want/need to do an internship? If you are interested in applying for PhD-studies, maybe more theoretical would be more helpful. Maybe you want to include some courses on the non-advanced level in your degree instead?

Think about which interests you want to develop during your internship. Consider carefully which kind of organisation You would want to work with and what work you would want to do. Decide if you want to do your internship in Sweden or abroad. What are the advantages of doing an internship abroad? Are there any disadvantages? What are the advantages of staying in Sweden?

Step 2

Next step in the process is that those who are interested in doing an internship during the following term send in their Interest Form + an email to the internship coordinator. This gives a good general overview over how many students are looking for internships. You will the also receive the link to our “secret” internship webpage, with important information about internships. Here you will find current offers of internships (ads), many of them in Swedish Embassies and other Swedish Governmental or non-Governmental Organizations.

Step 3

Now it is time for you to look for internships. There are several ways to do that:

a) check the offers/ads of internships collected on our own web

b) brows the internship search engines on the web

c) contact organizations your are interested in

When you apply for an internship you often attach a cover letter and a CV, but some places require more documents such as certificates and grade records. Always check with the organisation which application documents they require. You should also send them our fact sheet.

Step 4

When the applications have been received every organisation selects those students they find appropriate for an internship. With organizations in Sweden this is sometimes followed by an interview.
Step 5

Each organisation will decide on placements. You shall then inform the internship coordinator at the department who your supervisor/contact person at the work place is.

Step 6

The department and the organisation will then sign an ”Internship Agreement” including the name of the supervisor and the planned work assignments. The studentor the internship coordinator will send the Agreement form and additional information to the organisation.

It is important to point out that it is the organisations that choose who or which students they want to accept, and therefore it is not certain that every applicant gets the internship they have applied for. Should anyone not get an internship because of the competition, or if no ”appropriate” organisation could be found, they can apply again the following term.

6. Practical issues

Period of time

The internship has to equal one academic term, which is 20 weeks. It is usually carried through during the term. However, it is possible to do the internship during the summer (or some part of it). The student has the right to five day’s holiday during the internship.

Funding

The internship is funded by the student, normally through student loan. The students are entitled to apply for additional loans to cover travel costs and possible extra insurance costs. In exceptional cases the organisation contributes to the intern’s fixed expenses, e.g. local travel or lunch.

Scholarships

An internship (especially abroad) usually means additional costs and scholarships give a welcome extra income. Remember that some long-term planning in advance is essential when you apply for scholarships. Scholarships from Uppsala University or Student Nation are issued during internships as during course studies in Uppsala.

Accommodation

Intern accommodations vary. The organisation can in some cases assist in finding accommodation, but the student normally solves this problem. A good advice for interns abroad is to contact a local university; they sometimes offer student accommodation at a good price. Also try to contact students who have had internships there in previous years.

Travel

The students cover their travel expenses between Uppsala and the place of the internship themselves. You can apply for additional student loans for travel expenses and possible additional insurance costs at CSN.

Insurance

As we are a member of the EU, students who are covered by the Swedish social insurance are entitled the same health care as the natives in other EU countries. You need a health insurance card from Försäkringskassan to confirm this.

Interns working in a non-EU country are covered by the so-called STUDENT-UT-insurance, based onUppsala University’s insurance agreement with Kammarkollegiet. It gives practically full cover for students abroad in terms of healthcare and accidents as well as liability and legal aid during their studies abroad. It also covers travel directly to and from the country/place of studies and is valid two weeks before and after the course starts and finishes. Baggage insurance and property insurance while at the place of study are also included. Note that the insurance is only valid in the country where your internship is. If you travel to another country you need to get another insurance.See the insurance terms and conditions at ( to see if you need additional insurance. A ”Medical Insurance Card” (which Peter Smekal will provide you with) confirms that the student is covered by the insurance.

7. Follow up/evaluation

A. Follow up

Visits to the internship work places

To be able to closely follow how the internship programme develops, Peter Smekal visits some work places every year (including those abroad).

B. Report/evaluation

Interns

After the internship, the intern shall hand in a written report evaluating of his/her experiences from the internship. The report shall be handed in to both the organisation and the Department of Government and the main aim is to provide useful information to future interns as well as to continuously develop and improve the internship programme.

The report must be 3 – 4 pages and can include the following points:

The work place – brief description of the business, work assignments, organisation.

Assignments – describe assignments and projects you have done during the internship.

How has your theoretical knowledge been useful during the internship?

Positive feedback – what was good about the internship and the workplace?

Negative feedback – what was not good?

Improvement suggestions – how can possible negative elements be eliminated?

Supervisors

It is also important to get an evaluation of the student’s work during the internship. There is a specific form to be filled out by the supervisor after the internship. You can find that also on our internship webpage.

8. INTERNSHIP AGREEMENT

Internship Agreement and Proposed Assignments for Interns from

the Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.

The Intern is covered by the Swedish State’s Insurance during Education Abroad.

This Agreement should be filled out, signed and sent back to the Department of Government.

Name of intern: ......

Swedish personal number: ......

The organisation

Name of organisation: ......

Name of supervisor: ......

Supervisor's title: ......

E-mail address to supervisor: ......

Address of the organisation: ......

Telephone/telefax to supervisor: ......

Duration of the placement: From: ...... …...... To: ......

Date: ......

Supervisor's signature: ......

The Department of Government

Date: ......

Internship Co-ordinator’s name: ......

Co-ordinator’s signature: ......

Statsvetenskapliga institutionen / Department of Government

Adress / Address

Gamla Torget 6

Box 514, S-751 20 UPPSALA

Sweden

Telefon / Phone

+46 (0)18 471 19 90

Fax

+46 (0)18 471 16 35

E-post / E-mail

Hemsida / Homepage