PIG - Praktikumsinitiative Geographie
What is the internship initiative?
The internship initiative consists of a group of geography students organizing internship offers in different occupational fields. The internship initiative was founded in 1993 by students in Heidelberg. In the summer of 1999, the initiative was decorated with an award from the Association of Friends of the Heidelberg University. In 2005 the internship initiative achieved a second-place finish for student initiatives at the German Geography Conference in Trier.
The internship initiative made it its business to inform students about their career opportunities and to support them in finding adequate and interesting internship offers.
The following list shows to what extent internships are obligatory in the different degree programs:
Bachelor:
one six-week-long internship (current regulation) or one eight-week-long internship
(new module description in effect February 2010)
Master:
internships from min. 10 to max. 30 ECTS with individual focus (Examination regulations B.3 „Praxisorientierung“ - Module „Praxis Geographie 1 & 2 (PX01 & PX02)“)
Diploma:
two internships, duration: minimum six weeks each
State Examination:
one internship, duration: minimum four weeks
What is provided by the internship initiative?
The internship initiative maintains a database with more than 1000 addresses of companies, all offering internships in Germany as well as worldwide. This database contains addresses for internships in both fields of human and physical geography. New addresses are continuously added thus keeping the file up-to-date.
Further to this, the initiative posts current internship and job offers. These postings are found on the pin board next to the internship initiative office and are also distributed via a mailing list. To subscribe to the mailing list please send us an email.
The internship initiative also organizes events on a regular basis:
- “Excursions”
We organize visits in small groups to companies and institutions in the area to get some insight into career possibilities for geographers. Here it is possible for the students to get in direct contact with potential future employers.
- Information evening “Stay Abroad”
Every year the course guidance and the internship initiative organize an information evening about stay abroads. No matter if students plan an ERASMUS-term, if they want to teach abroad or if they want to gather experiences in internships - we give you comprehensive information and give you answers to all your questions. For this purpose also the study advisor, the ERASMUS-commissioner of the geography institute and a representative of the international students office take part on this evening. Furthermore students talk about their personal experiences abroad.
- “Job Perspectives”
This information session, which offers insight into possible work areas for geographers, takes place each term. It is now also part of the bachelor program. In general five different speakers talk about their average work day, their work experiences and their professional background. These speakers also discuss the chances of starting a career in their particular occupational field and the necessary skills to do so.
- “Workshops”
In one to two day workshops students learn about important aspects of the most current topics in geography from an expert in these respective fields. The main focus of these workshops is the linkage between theory and practice.
- Bachelor Module “Geography in Internship and Occupation”
We support the Geography Institute in the completion of the Bachelor Module “Geography in Internship and Occupation”. We provide direct contact for the students in all questions concerning internships. In the colloquium “Geography in Different Occupational Fields”, we offer advice about how to find an internship position in Germany or abroad.
- “Orientation for Freshmen”
At the beginning of the winter term the “General Studies Program” organizes a two day orientation for freshman. At this event we introduce ourselves and present our services, including a first look at the prospect of finding an internship.
In the library of the Geography Institute there are several books concerning applications and interviews, geographic occupational fields and internships abroad. A list of titles is available online.
