Faculty of Biology and Psychology

Self-organised Placements

Finding an institution

Compared to a classic exchange semester, a placement in a foreign country offers the opportunity to gain practical skills in addition to the experience of going abroad

Depending on your personal interests there are different strategies to find a suitable institution. You can give priority to

  1. a special (kind of) institution (university, research institute, company),
  2. a particular country or
  3. a certain city
to start your search.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Approach your university teachers to make use of their contacts to companies and/or universities abroad.
  • Search online on internship platforms. Attention: Some internship platforms may be run by professional agencies that demand high charges but do not guaranty a highly qualified placement.
  • Contact German companies that have affiliated companies or cooperation partners abroad.
Contact companies or university institutions matching your research/work interests in your desired country or city.

Making contact with your desired institution

You should contact the head of the department and/or lab you selected via email. Send a short cover letter (in English or the local language) that provides information about the purpose of your request (looking for a placement), your time window (when are you available) and your motivation to address exactly this institution. Always attach a CV concentrating on your relevant (practical) skills.

Tip: The longer your internship can last, the better the chance to get a positive answer (starting from 8 weeks or more).

Attention: It may take a long time to make contact. Expect approximately two answers from ten requests. It may be necessary to send your request a second time to get any reaction.

Funding possibilities

If you have a positive answer for a placement you need to see for funding possibilities. First of all, you may ask if there is any financial support from your hosting instituition, e.g. direct payment or care for housing or travel expenses. You can find out more about further funding options here.

Things to have in mind when planning your internship aboad

Before your departure you should take care of several important points:

Learning Agreement:
If you have any questions about the Learning Agreement and for the final signature, please contact your degree programme coordinator.

Field reports about placements abroad

If you aspire to pursue an international internship, the opportunities are boundless. Numerous students have successfully secured suitable internships in the past, each employing distinct methods to find their ideal placement. In one student's report, they shared their experience:

"One evening, I watched one of those numerous TV shows about nature conservation projects, which was not unusual for me. What made this particular evening special was that, after the documentary ended, I decided to get in touch with one of the conservation experts featured in the show. A few minutes and a few clicks later, I wrote him an email asking if I could possibly work in his organization for six months. I mentioned how much I enjoyed the documentary and how conservation was truly my passion. Surprisingly, I received his response the very next morning, thanking me for my interest, redirecting me to a colleague, and recommending the website Primate Info Net. Immediately, I found some interesting volunteer jobs on the site and sent out two more emails. Just one more day later, I received a response from the Spanish Jane Goodall Institute West Africa, suggesting that we communicate directly via Skype instead of email. And so, two days after cute animals appeared on my TV screen, I found myself completely unprepared, having an impromptu job interview in English with the director of the institute in Barcelona."

Below, we provide a comprehensive list of institutions where students have completed their internships in recent years. We hope that this compilation will serve as a source of inspiration for you in your search for potential internship opportunities.



Contact

Faculty of Biology and Psychology
Wilhelm-Weber-Str. 2
37073 Göttingen

Departmental Coordinator Biology
For subject-specific questions
Anke Schürer (she/her)
erasbio@biologie.uni-goettingen.de
Advisory Service

Göttingen International
For general Information
Information and Contact