INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES

PALACK UNIVERSITY IN OLOMOUC

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Introduction Why an internship? Objectives Requirements Preparing to do your internship Looking for an internship Getting your internship approved Internship supervision Rounding off your internship Visa Requirements Useful links 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 8

Annex 13. 14. Interim evaluation form Final evaluation form 9 11

1. Introduction

This brochure will give you some information to prepare for internship application, the internship itself and the evaluation of the internship. The MA Programme Euroculture is a unique, multilingual, interdisciplinary and inter-university project used to highlight the many different expressions and manifestations of selfunderstandings of societies, social groups and individuals of, about and within Europe as an important element of trans-national social and political developments. Due to the enlargement of the EU and globalization issues in recent years, a growing impact and awareness of cultural dispositions, conflicts and exchange can be observed. The undeniable relevance of values, identity concepts or perceptions requires sensitive and well-informed professionals like diplomats, bureaucrats, journalists and cultural consultants. Currently seven European universities co-operate closely in this programme: Palacky University in Olomouc (Czech Republic), Universit Marc Bloch Strasburg (France), GeorgAugust Universitt Gttingen (Germany), Uniwersytet Jagiellnski Krakow (Poland), Universidad de Deusto-San Sebastin (Spain), Uppsala Universitet (Sweden), and the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). Most students spend terms at two different universities and will receive a double MA degree from these two universities (with the exception of the Universit Marc Bloch, who can only grant a single degree, and Palacky University who has a 120 ECTS programme). Euroculture aims to prepare graduates from Europe and third countries for professions and research areas in which knowledge of present Europe and the European Union institutions are of relevance. The focus of the programme is on cultural and social developments, the political process of European integration, values, citizenship, cultures and cultural identity. The programme teaches students the methods and skills that are required to identify the European dimensions of social and cultural problems, to collect and process relevant information of European institutions and organisations and to reflect on the cultural aspects and factors that play a role in the process of European identity formation and European integration. The Euroculture programme aims to equip students and working professionals also with practical competences and personal skills, such as project design and management skills, familiarity with European culture, decision making and operational processes, cross-cultural communication skills, teamwork ability and self-evaluation.

2. Why an internship?

An internship is aimed at giving you insight in the relation between your academic training and the social reality and can be done at any institution either in the country of your home university1 or abroad where relevant job experience can be acquired. This includes public or private sector institutions, such as government organizations, NGOs, research institutions, the media or international companies. An internship should connect as closely as possible to the goals set for the Euroculture programme. Students usually agree that internships are a good way of getting to know what their professional options are, and it has been shown that following an internship increases your chances of finding a suitable job.
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Home university is the university where you have spent the first semester of the MA Programme Euroculture.

Students view this phase as an essential part of their studies. Internships can remove some of your doubts about the usefulness of your studies in a career sense, and help you to see and judge your ability to perform beyond the academic context. As your academic training draws to a close, it is assumed that you are capable of performing at a particular level: it is this that your internship should gauge. In concrete terms, this means that your creativeness and intelligence should be put to the test on a regular basis, and that the knowledge, insights and skills that you have acquired during your Euroculture studies should be applied to tasks that allow for a significant contribution on your part. An internship where you only perform purely supportive administrative tasks does not meet the requirements for a Euroculture internship. Doing and applying for an internship also provides you with the opportunity to gain some experience in job applications, since you will always be required to formulate a job application containing your CV. Overall, employers are positive about the initiatives that students undertake. As well as this, there is always the possibility that doing an internship will result in a job offer. As such, the internship forms an important link between study and the job market. The internship part of the Euroculture programme amounts to 15 ECTS credits and the internship itself should run over a minimum of 10 weeks full-time work2 (including writing of the report). You will also be required to demonstrate that you are capable of reflecting on your tasks and on the experience you have acquired by writing a critical report on these aspects.

3. Objectives

The objective of the internship is to link theoretical knowledge, insights and skills and research abilities with practical experience and prepares you for a future professional career. The internship should be taken in an organisation (national or international) relevant to the Euroculture programme and assignments conducted during the internship should be of an academic level. Competences to be acquired include: the capacity to use your creativity and adapt to new situations learn about project design and management train management skills: decision-making, motivation, responsibility taking further develop and train intercultural communication skills the ability to work independently the ability to work in an interdisciplinary and if applicable, international team the capacity for applying knowledge and research into practice. When searching for an internship, one could think of European affairs related organizations and institutions such as embassies, ministries of education and culture and other international, European, national or regional organizations and other bodies where Euroculture professional

Minimum of the 10 weeks work may after an approval from Euroculture Internship Supervisor be fulfilled also in a form of part time but extending into a longer time period.

and academic profiles are needed. It is recommended to take into account your future career plans and thus profile your internship field in a similar direction.

4. Requirements

To obtain credit points (15 ECTS) for the internship, make sure of the following: You have contacted your Euroculture Internship Supervisor (in Palacky University it is a representative of Career Advicing Centre), you have handed in your curriculum vitae and discussed your expectations and preferences. As a result a list of possible internship areas has been identified and after a search procedure carried out by both sides (you and your Euroculture Internship Supervisor) an internship has been identified and agreed upon with an internship provider. You have made clear supervision arrangements as far as the Euroculture Internship Supervisor is concerned and also with the parties providing the internship (internship supervisor in organization providing the internship). You have drawn up an internship plan which has been approved by the Euroculture Internship Supervisor at your home university as well as by internship provider). If applicable: you have filled-in an internship contract which is to be signed by all parties involved prior to the commencement of the internship. You will submit interim reports (per email) and a hand in final report about your internship by the end, or shortly after the end of your internship, which will be assessed by the Euroculture Internship Supervisor.

The internship will not be graded; you will receive either a pass or a fail. Your report will be evaluated by your Euroculture Internship Supervisor who will also consult with the internship provider about your internship. Also the internship provider will be asked to fill out a special evaluation forms to comment on and assess your skills and competences (see Annex). Of importance will be the evaluation section of your final report: a personal assessment of your acquired and developed competences and the learning process you have gone through during the internship. Both the evaluation section of your report and the written assessment by the internship provider will make it clear what you have learned and which skills have been trained and developed. Therefore, these two documents can be of use when applying for other jobs to give insight in your strong, and also weak, points.

5. Preparing to do your internship

You will be expected to play an active role in finding an internship.3 In other words, you will have to search for it yourself, with assistance of your Euroculture Internship Supervisor with whom you also discuss and share applying procedures. This will take time: you will have to contact your Euroculture Internship Supervisor in advance and begin your search at least five months prior to the planned commencement of your internship. An internship abroad takes a long time to be organised. You are, however, strongly advised to start searching for an internship during the course of the first semester already.
6. Looking for an internship

After you have decided on the type of internship you want to do and the type of institution within which you would like to undergo it, you should write down a list of particular organisations that fit the bill. At that moment you discuss your expectations and visions with your Euroculture Internship Supervisor. He/she will react on your requirements matching them with actual labour market/internship opportunities and will help you in a process of finding a right internship provider. Meanwhile make also use of your personal contacts; try networking and use the experience of former Euroculture students as valuable source of information. Peruse advertisements in the daily and weekly newspapers and in literature and magazines specific to your field. Businesses often regard Humanity and Social Science students to be flexible, independent, open-minded and creative problem solvers: keep up the image!

7. Getting your internship approved

When you have an internship provider identified, it has to be approved. To go about this, you will have to draw up a plan for the internship which you hand in to your Euroculture Internship Supervisor to consult it and approve it. If necessary Euroculture Internship Supervisor will arrange an internship agreement with your internship provider. Your internship plan should provide the following details: A definition and brief description of the organisation that is offering the internship. A description of the assignment/project/research you will conduct during your internship. A description of the extent and nature of your other tasks. A description of how and to what extent the organisation in question will provide supervision for your internship. When your internship will take place: starting and finishing date. When your interim e-mail reports will be handed to the Euroculture Internship Supervisor. When you intend to hand in your internship final report. After you agree on this internship plan with the Euroculture Internship Supervisor you discuss it with the supervisor of the organisation that is going to provide the internship. He or she
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Please note that this requirement may vary between the different partner universities: at some universities agreements for placements of Euroculture students have been arranged. At other universities, it is the responsibility of the student her/himself to find an internship.

naturally also has the right to adjust or add to the plan. The next step is the approval of the final internship plan by the Euroculture Internship Supervisor.

8. Internship supervision

During your internship you will be supervised by the Euroculture Internship Supervisor (at the home university) and by the internship supervisor of the organisation providing the internship. An internship is primarily intended to be a learning experience, and as such, your supervision has to be well organised. You will be required to make arrangements relating to frequency and times of feed-back to your Internship Supervisor and include these arrangements in your internship plan. The frequency of reporting will be agreed on with your Euroculture Internship Supervisor, usually in a frequency once in three weeks. This reporting will be just a brief information about state of the affairs. Halfway through the internship the Euroculture Internship Supervisor will contact you and your internship supervisor at the organisation providing the internship for an interim evaluation (see Annex 12 for interim evaluation form). This evaluation is aimed at timely identification of any difficulties the student has experienced in respect of information provided, the internships place within the course, the amount of time it takes up, and so on. At the end of the internship, the internship supervisor at the organisation will be required to fill in a final evaluation form (see Annex 13).

9. Rounding off your internship

You will round off your internship by writing an internship final report in English. This report should largely be written during the internship itself and you should take this into consideration when planning your activities and drawing up a timetable for the internship plan. Internship reports must be handed in to the Euroculture Internship Supervisor no later than two weeks after completion of the internship. Your internship report should describe the organisation that provided the internship and should describe the internship itself. The Euroculture Supervisor will use this report to gauge the extent to which the internships assignments were properly carried out and the objectives fulfilled. It is also your responsibility to give the provider of your internship a copy of the report. Your report may be useful for future job applicants. On the basis of your report, and feed-back from the internship provider, the Euroculture Supervisor will give a pass or fail for the internship. In your report, the following aspects should be dealt with: Motivating your decision for the specific institution where you have completed your internship. Preparation for the internship (how you approached the institution, application procedures, preparation, overview of the financial side to your internship, costs and payments). Formulate the goals/skills you expect to acquire/train during your internship.

Short description of the nature, organisational structure and aims of the institution where you have completed your internship. Detailed account of the project/research you have undertaken. Description of the supervision. Short impression of accommodation, living costs, social environment etc. in the place where your internship took place (especially if it concerns an international internship). Possible tips for fellow-students wishing to follow an internship at the same institution. Conclusion

In the conclusion you should include the following: An overview of the actual personal and job-related learning outcomes acquired/trained during the internship; To what extent did the expectations before-hand measure up to the internship experience itself? Describe the difficulties and problems you encountered during your internship; Analyse the function of the internship as part of the Euroculture Masters programme. Pay attention to questions as: to what extent did the practical activities relate to your theoretical knowledge? Were there gaps? Which? Relate your opinion about the effect of the internship on your own positioning in the job market: has the internship provided you with more clarity on your prospective career? If you intend to expand your internship research/project into your MA thesis, indicate so in your report by formulating the main questions/areas you will consider and expand in your thesis. Your report, written in English, should be between 10 and 15 A4 pages (not including supplementary material). It should have the following components: title page a preface (if needed) a table of contents an introduction body of your report (see page 6 for points to include in your report) conclusion notes/bibliography supplements An internship report has to show how you carried out your internship assignment and has to critically evaluate your own performance. The internship provider will also be asked to fill out a special evaluation form see Annex 13 to comment on and assess your skills and competences at the end of your internship.

10.

Visa Requirements

It is fully your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of the required and correct VISA documents if you intend to follow an internship abroad. Make sure that you apply for the relevant and correct VISA documents well in advance of commencing the internship. Euroculture Internship Provider does not assist you with VISA applying procedures.

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Useful links

[This section is to be filled-in by every partner institution itself with a list of useful internet links to organisations/institutions with regard to finding/conducting internships] http:/europa.eu/epso/working/training-eu.htm www.mzv.cz (search for Missions Abroad) ww.aiesec.org www.aiesec.org/czech-republic www.jobs.cz www.expats.cz

Career Advising Centre at Palack University

Contact: Email: taraprofessionals@yahoo.com Tel.: + 420 585 633 250 GMS: + 420 607 921 243

ANNEX
12. Interim evaluation form:

Name of intern: Name of Internship Supervisor:

1. Briefly describe the intern's main project or primary tasks during the internship. Rate the intern's level of performance for each task listed (fair/satisfactory/excellent).

2) Please evaluate the intern in the following areas and briefly note any possible suggestions for improvement, if relevant: a) professional development:

b) organizational skills:

c) time management skills:

c) communication skills:

d) research and analytical skills:

e) Overall, 1. what is the interns greatest strength? 2. What areas need improvement?

3) What plans do you as internship supervisor, and the intern him/herself have for the remaining part of the internship (e.g. skills that need to be practiced or developed)?

4) Have there been any problems during the internship that should be addressed? Could you make suggestions in this regard?

5) Please feel free to make any other comments you might find relevant:

Internship Supervisor (name in print):

Signature:

Date and place:

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13.

Final evaluation form

Name of intern: Starting date of internship: Ending date of internship: Internship Supervisor: Institution: Interns function: Professional competencies: Please evaluate the professional competences of the intern, according to your observation during the internship. Select one of the evaluation categories for each area by marking it with an x. Excellent Ability to synthesize and search information and communicate it effectively Ability to work cooperatively with others Ability to identify problems and create and communicate possible solutions to these problems Professionalism; demonstrated interest in the issues, policies and organizations related to the field Good Average Poor N/A

Personal competencies Please evaluate the personal competences of the intern, according to your observation during the internship. Select one of the evaluation categories for each area by marking it with an x. Excellent Ability to adapt to a variety of tasks Decision-making, judgments, setting priorities Good Average Poor N/A

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Persistence to complete tasks Reliability and dependability Enthusiasm for the experience Attention to accuracy and detail Willingness to ask for and use guidance Ability to cope in a stressful situation

Any possible suggestions for improvement, if relevant:

Additional information/further comments:

Benefits gained by the internship from the perspective of your company/organization:

If your company would have a vacancy, would you consider hiring the intern for a position at your company? Yes / No .......................................................... (please circle the relevant answer)

Internship Supervisor (name in print):

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Signature:

Date of place:

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