Internships
Internships form an integral of gaining practical experience alongside your university studies. The department highly encourages internships, assists students in their pursuit, and awards credits for internships and work experience related to the field of study.
While the department maintains a network of contacts to internship positions and publishes new calls on its Facebook page regularly, the fields of interest of individual students is too broad to maintain a "internship menu". Students are encouraged to seek internships in their fields of interest and consult with study advisers on best prospects.
There are two basic types of internship - domestic and abroad (the distinction follows regulations and only impacts the recognition process marginally).
Both types are awarded an approximate amount of 1 ECTS per 25 hours of direct field-related work experience.
So how to go about the process?
Internship abroad (outside of CZE, SVK)
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Plan your internship
Plan your internship well in advance. The ideal time to go abroad is the second year of your studies when everything is settled, and you have a clear idea about the path of developing your education. Alternatively, go abroad at the beginning of the third year, if you intend to get an advantage from your internship in the process of final thesis writing.
Don't be afraid to address well-known institutions, corporations, and agencies. Although you may have some doubts, your predecessors have successfully gotten their internships
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Search for the internship
Where? Whether in governments, embassies, representations, delegations, parliaments, NGOs, transnational corporations, development agencies, or many other venues developing your practical experience in intentional relations.
Examples of destinations your predecessors have recently chosen:
Country embassies (long-list);
United Nations Agencies (long-list);
European Commission (Belgium);
Eastern Europe Studies Centre (Lithuania);
EU-Russia Civil Society Forum (Germany);
Euromind (Spain);
ACLED (USA);
European Landowners´ Organization (Belgium);
European Policy Centre (Serbia);
Centre for British Politics and Government (UK);
Centre for Social Sciences (Georgia);
CENAA (USA);
European Parliament (France/Belgium);
NATO (Belgium, Lithuania, Italy);
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (Austria, Kosovo); -
Familiarize yourself with funding options
The university offers funding opportunities especially in the cases of unpaid internships which may go a long way to making the internship possible. Check out university and consult on our faculty funding.
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Consult us
Talk to your study advisers especially if you have doubts about relevancy of your internship to your field of studies. Approach your lecturers in the field of the perspective internship for guidance and planning of your schedule.
Recommendation letters are frequently sought and we are happy to provide them. Please draft your own cover letter with basic information and submit it to the staff member you wish to support you, whereupon they may furnish you with a recommendation letter.
In case of internships abroad and funding options, please also consult Mgr. Anežka Konvalinová, the department coordinator.
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Enroll in FSS1190 Placement Abroad
Enroll in FSSb1190 Placement abroad either during the course or after the completion of your internship. You may plan this to support your credit load in optional courses for the given semester or the one immediately following the internship.
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Have credits awarded after your return
Credits are awarded through FSSb1190 Placement abroad which carries a variable credit allowance depending on your workload in the internship.
Recognition requires the submission of a letter of confirmation from the intern's supervisor stating the content, the extent and the duration of the internship, sent from the supervisor's e-mail or via a standard paper letter delivered by mail or personally by the student to Dr. Veronika Zapletalová.
The letter must be accompanied by an evaluation of the internship by the intern him/herself found in this form. It shall elaborate on strengths and weaknesses of the internship as well as a brief overview of the skills and knowledge that the internship develops. This form is not made public. It serves to evaluate your internship and accrue institutional knowledge for future internships. The internship report should be delivered by mail by the student to Dr. Veronika Zapletalová.
Internship in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
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Search for the internship
Plan your internship well in advance. The ideal time for your internship is the second year of your studies when everything is settled, and you have a clear idea about the path of developing your education. Alternatively, go for an internship at the beginning of the third year, if you intend to get an advantage from it in the process of final thesis writing.
Don't be afraid to address well-known institutions, corporations, and agencies. Although you may have some doubts, your predecessors have successfully gotten their internships!
Where? Whether in embassies, representations, delegations, NGOs, transnational corporations, development agencies, or many other venues developing your practical experience in intentional relations.
Examples of destinations your predecessors have chosen:
Erasmus Student Network;
EUROPEUM;
Institute of International Relations in Prague;
Amnesty international;
AMO;
Radio Free Europe;
SFPA;
GLOBSEC;
Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation. -
Consult us
Talk to your study advisers especially if you have doubts about relevancy of your internship to your field of studies.Approach your lecturers in the field of the perspective internship for guidance and planning of your schedule.
Recommendation letters are frequently sought and we are happy to provide them. Please draft your own cover letter with basic information and submit it to the staff member you wish to support you, whereupon they may furnish you with a recommendation letter.
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Enroll in IREb2900 Internship
Enroll in IREb2900 Internship either during the course or after the completion of your internship. You may plan this as to support your credit load in optional courses for the given semester or the one immediately following the internship.
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Have credits awarded after your return
Credits are awarded through IREb2900 Internship which carries a variable credit allowance depending on your workload in the internship.
Recognition requires the submission of a letter of confirmation from the intern's supervisor stating the content, the extent and the duration of the internship, sent from the supervisor's e-mail or via standard paper letter delivered by mail or personally by the student to Dr. Veronika Zapletalová.
The letter should be accompanied by an evaluation of the internship by the intern him/herself found in this form. It shall elaborate on strengths and weaknesses of the internship as well as a brief overview of the skills and knowledge that the internship develops. This form is not made public and serves to evaluate your internship and accrue institutional knowledge for future internships. The internship report should be delivered by mail by the student to Dr. Veronika Zapletalová.