Cultural Vistas partners with the Freie Universität Berlin European Studies Program (FU-BEST) to provide internship opportunities in Berlin for German-speaking FU-BEST students from abroad through our joint FU-BEST Internship Program (BEST-IP). FU-BEST is a study abroad program at the Freie Universität Berlin consisting of two regular American-style Fall and Spring semesters, followed by the possibility of an internship through BEST-IP or enrollment in the FU’s Sommersemester for students with German language skills at the upper-intermediate or advanced level.

BEST-IP takes place following completion of the FU-BEST Spring semester. Internships are fulltime (between 30-40 hours per week) and last approximately 8 weeks.The internship program allows students to expand on their academic experience in Berlin by immersing themselves in a German workplace and gaining valuable intercultural experience along with skills for their careers.
Internships are sought with organizations and companies that match each student’s professional and academic background and career goals. Each internship placement is arranged on an individual basis; there is no database of positions that need to be filled. As such, it is important for each student to clearly express their goals for the internship and their motivation for taking part in BEST-IP, while remaining realistic regarding their skills and previous work experience.

Application Procedure

The application deadline for the FU-BEST Internship Program is February 4, 2015. Students wishing to participate must submit their online applications and all supporting materials by this date.  Supporting materials can be completed or uploaded online and include the following:

• online application form

• motivational statement (should be no longer than 2 typewritten pages and should include your previous work experience, long-term career goals, motivation for participating in the internship program, and expectations for an internship in Berlin)

• English language résumé

• German language Lebenslauf (please see sample here)

• a copy of your transcript from your home university, as well as a list of the courses that will be completed by the end of FU-BEST

• one professional letter of recommendation (from a previous internship or job, ideally related to internship field)

• one academic letter of recommendation (from a current or former professor, ideally from a course related to internship field)

Please contact the administrators of the FU-BEST program for eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and information on receiving academic credit for your internship program.