Internship Manual

1. PURPOSE AND CONTENT OF THE INTERNSHIP

An internship is a work-related learning experience under the guidance of an internship supervisor that follows the guidelines set by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies (hereinafter, the Institute). The aim of an internship is to have a work experience in the field of study in order to test one’s theoretical knowledge through practical work, apply obtained knowledge in a real-life situation, see how work is organised in different establishments and observe the work process as well as to develop the students’ ability and habits for doing independent work. Internship must follow the aims and study goals set in the curriculum. The internship must be in line with the aims of the curriculum either by the field of activity or in general with activities that develop research and analytical skills.

2. INTERNSHIP DURATION AND CREDIT POINTS

The students will be awarded 3 ECTS or 6 ECTS for the internship. 3 ECTS corresponds to the minimum of 78 working hours, whereas 6 ECTS corresponds to the minimum of 156 working hours (1 ECTS = 26 working hours). The number of working hours should also be mentioned in the internship contract or confirmation letter.

3. LOCATION AND INTERNSHIP SUBJECT FIELDS

Students can intern in central government (ministries, boards) or local government institutions, diplomatic missions, public law bodies or third sector organisations. Internships abroad have to follow the same criteria as internships conducted in Estonia.

On the BA level, the internship should preferably take place at a government body or at a local government institution.

On the MA level, the internship must be connected to the narrower field of study, depending on the curriculum of the student.

Work done within the Institute or other University of Tartu units can count as an internship. Internships within the Institute can be either organisational (fulfilling different administrative tasks or organising various events) or analytical (active involvement in the Institute’s research projects). Working as a teaching assistant and/or teaching also counts as an internship.

Doing an internship is optional in both BA and MA programmes, unless special requirements are set in the curriculum (e.g. for students in the EU-Russia studies MA programme, an internship is a mandatory part of their development seminar, in the European Studies MA-programme, an internship is recommended).

Internships can also be carried out abroad. If the internship abroad is organised through an external organisation or a programme (for example, through Erasmus+), the deadlines and requirements of that institution for organising internships must also be observed. However, these requirements may not contradict the requirements of the Institute.

4. ARRANGING AN INTERNSHIP

Students are expected to arrange their own internships that would be suitable for their subject field and will help them in obtaining the general objectives of their curriculum. The Institute has created a database of potential internship placements and recommendations for finding internships both within Estonia and abroad. Suitable internship options can also be advertised via the Institute’s mailing lists or other channels of communication. However, it is the responsibility of the student to contact possible internship providers and inquire about internship positions available at that time.

5. INTERNSHIP TUTORS

The intern has two tutors: one from the host organisation and one from the University of Tartu.

1. University tutor

The university tutor is the Internship Coordinator at Skytte Institute who works in a close cooperation with the program manager of the study programme. The tasks of the university tutor include advising, analyzing and approving all compulsory steps of the internship course at Moodle (Internshp JS; https://moodle.ut.ee/course/view.php?id=9204).

2. Tutor from the host organisation

The tutor from the host organisation is responsible for the content of the internship. The tasks of the host organisation tutor include coordinating the daily tasks of the intern, including the formulation of the required work tasks, supervision of their fulfilment, instruction and guidance of the intern and solving problems that may arise during the internship in cooperation with the intern and the university tutor, if necessary.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA

All internships are graded pass/fail. The internship is passed when all the compulsary steps of the internship are fullfilled in Moodle.

If the internship is organised through an external organisation or programme, which requires the submission of additional documents, the intern will be responsible for the timely submission of the required documents.

7. WAGES AND WORK CONDITIONS

Students are expected to arrange their own internships. Generally, interns do not receive a salary, although, various agreements may be made with the employer. The amount of a possible salary will be agreed upon by the employer and the student.

8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If students have questions pertaining to internships, they are welcome to contact the Internship Coordinator of the Skytte Institute at any time. For those interested in internships abroad, we recommend to look through the information on the central University of Tartu webpages (https://ut.ee/en/content/traineeship-or-summer-school) and in case of additional questions to contact the Traineeship and Students Exchange Coordinator of the Study Abroad Centre (Piret Saluveer: +372 7376019, erasmustraineeship@ut.ee).