What should you know and do before practical training?

Find the traineeship guide on the web page of your faculty or institute and locate the practical training/internship course description in the Study Information System. Read them carefully. Ask the practical training coordinator or the course lecturer what, and to what extent, you need to do during the traineeship and how it will be assessed.

To go to practical training, you need to:

• register for the practical training course;
• participate in the introductory seminar (if applicable for your course);
• find a suitable traineeship placement;
• agree on the specific objectives, content, deadlines, and other conditions of the practical training in cooperation with the supervisors, prepare an activity plan, and, if necessary, sign a contract with the host institution;
• know what will be assessed during the training, and why, when, and how it is done.

What would you like to see, do, and experience during practical training? How much time do you have for the training? What duties seem exciting to you? What field, institution, or company would you like to get to know better?

Formulate your goals. Set personal goals and think about how they align with the general objectives of the practical training described in the curriculum. Consider what you have to do during the practical training and what you want to do.

Finding a placement for practical training is usually the student’s responsibility. While this can be quite time-consuming and labour-intensive, think of it as a valuable job-seeking experience.

There may not be many suitable traineeship offers and competitions, so be prepared to approach employers and inquire about practical training opportunities.

Ideas for finding a traineeship placement

• Ask the traineeship coordinator or programme director whether there is a database, mailing list, etc., of potential traineeship institutions or offers suitable for your specialisation.
• Take part in the university’s Career Days, where you can meet employers and ask them about traineeship opportunities. You can also find the lists and introductions of the participating companies on the career day web pages of your faculty or institute. The major events at the University of Tartu include the Delta Career Day, the Career Day for students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and the Maarjavälja Career Day.
• Check out the University of Tartu’s internship portal, Futulab, where you can find internship offers and project-based competitions held every semester.
• Find internship and job offers in the weekly student newsletter.
• Ask students from previous years where they completed their practical training.
• Make an overview of companies you are interested in and check the career sections (“Join us”, “Internships”, “Job and internship offers”, or the like) on their websites, where you can find information on how to apply and the contact details.
• Follow the employers you are interested in on social media and join the relevant communication groups. For example, LinkedIn is the largest professional network where you can create your profile and set up a feed of professional information reflecting your interests. This makes you visible to employers.
• It is also possible to find practical training offers on large job portals, such as CV Keskus and CV-Online.
• Gather training ideas from family members, friends, and teaching staff. They may have experience and contacts in the field you are interested in.
• It is also possible to do a traineeship abroad: for example, with the support of Erasmus+ and other programmes. Ask your Erasmus+ mobility coordinator which contacts your institute has with companies and partner universities abroad, or where students of the faculty have previously completed their traineeship. You can find international traineeship offers on the websites of org, Futulab and the international student organisation AIESEC.
• Discuss your traineeship ideas and opportunities with the university’s career counsellor.
• Since looking for a traineeship placement is similar to job searching, read the recommendations in the Looking for a job subsection of the Career Hub.

You must usually send the employer the following documents to apply for a traineeship.

• CV (curriculum vitae, résumé), a brief and comprehensive summary of your personal details, education, work experience, skills, achievements and interests;
• motivation letter, in which you can explain to the employer who you are, what you would like to do during the training, and when and for how long you want to do the training. Explain why you are interested in this particular company and what benefit they might gain from you;
• description of practical training, which is an informative letter or guide prepared by your university and includes the requirements for the content and arrangement of the practical training. The document outlines the objectives of practical training, the learning outcomes, content, schedule, requirements for the host institution, and reporting. The description may also include requirements and guidelines for the traineeship supervisor from the institution or company.

Read the tips and guidelines for writing the CV and motivation letter in the How to apply for a job? subsection of the Career Hub.

When you have found an interesting traineeship offer or company, follow the instructions in the job advertisement or on the website. See where and when you must send or upload your CV, motivation letter and description of practical training.

If you do not receive a response to your application within two weeks, write or call to ask if your application has reached the company. You may also contact them right after sending the documents to ask about the next steps in the process.

If you are invited to an interview, go there prepared, confident, and show interest in the company and the traineeship. Be ready to discuss:

• the university’s goals and your personal goals for practical training;
• your current knowledge, skills and experience;
• your working time, workload and possible time of attendance;
• expectations regarding traineeship supervision, pay, etc.

Read also the recommendations in the How to pass a job interview successfully? subsection of the Career Hub.

Once you have found a suitable position for practical training, you can draw up a traineeship plan, which helps you complete the training and develop general planning skills. A traineeship plan includes the objectives, schedule, activity plan, and the outcomes and summary of tracking the progress of the traineeship. It should answer three questions:

• What do you intend to learn during the practical training?
• How do you plan to learn it?
• How will you prove that you have learned it?

Agree on the initial objectives and the specific activities to achieve them with the traineeship supervisor at the company. The tasks should be interesting and require reasonable effort to allow you to maintain motivation and learn something new.

Discuss with your supervisor whether the traineeship objectives are attainable, and how to measure progress – what needs to be done and when? Also, consider what support the supervisor can provide. When the traineeship plan is in place, coordinate it with the supervisor at the university.

The traineeship agreement is made before the practical training either bilaterally between the student and the host company, the university and the host company, or trilaterally between the student, the university and the host company. Sometimes, a traineeship agreement is unnecessary, and an approved traineeship plan is enough.

In the agreement, the expectations, tasks and responsibilities of all three parties are coordinated and recorded:

• start and end of the traineeship;
• volume of training;
• location of the traineeship;
• list of tasks arising from the practical training course and individual assignments;
• rights and responsibilities of the student during the traineeship;
• rights and responsibilities of the host company;
• rights and responsibilities of the university;
• details of the host company, the traineeship supervisor at the company, and the traineeship supervisor at the university;
• conditions of amending or terminating the agreement;
• procedure for resolving disputes.

The traineeship can be paid or unpaid, which should always be discussed with the company first. If traineeship pay is provided, it must also be recorded in the agreement. For the student, the main benefit of the traineeship is developing knowledge and skills, gaining work experience and building a professional network. The company invests time and money in the traineeship by introducing its activities and providing supervision.

If the practical training course in your curriculum starts with a seminar, be sure to attend it to get the necessary information and ask further questions. Usually, the seminar covers the organisational aspects of the practical training, the schedule of subsequent seminars and whether they are compulsory, the requirements for the content of the traineeship reports, and the content and methods of assessment of the practical training. Also, recommendations for successful communication and activities during the traineeship are given, and the role of the supervisors at the university and the ways to contact them are explained.

If the curriculum does not contain such a seminar, contact the university’s traineeship coordinator before the beginning of the practical training to review your plan to see whether it meets the requirements of the practical training course.