Career Prospects

If you want to intern with the editorial department of the ZDF, a major German TV broadcaster, you need to apply a minimum of six months in advance, at least according to my personal experience. In January and February 2016, I had the opportunity to observe the editors at the ZDF’s regional studio in Kiel as they were going about their daily activities. During the six weeks of my internship, which were incredibly intense, I learned a lot: From conducting research and shooting and cutting a “film” to adding sound and making the final touches, I watched the entire filmmaking process from the beginning to the end and was even allowed to contribute to it myself. My recommendation: Be curious and ask a lot of questions! During my time as an intern, I paid attention to every little detail – and it paid off. When my internship was over, I had made two TV clips myself and left the ZDF with a letter of recommendation. I ended up staying in northern Germany. Since March 2016, I have been working as a freelance radio reporter and news anchor at the NDR studio in Flensburg. Journalism is my true passion and I have fallen in love with the region and the people “up north”. But without my internship at the ZDF and my bachelor’s degree from the University of Mannheim, I would probably never have made it that far.

For my mandatory internship, which forms part of the bachelor’s program in Political Science, I went to Prishtina, Kosovo, where I worked in the foreign office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Being introduced to a political foundation’s international activities and to the local NGOs and political institutions the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung cooperates with to provide a broad range of political education opportunities was particularly interesting. My assignments included the preparation of events and seminars, and I was also allowed to contribute to publications. Thanks to this internship, I can imagine working in the foundation sector in the future, which I am very grateful for.

At the German embassy in Tallinn, I gained profound insights into an upper medium and higher level civil servant’s work in the Federal Foreign Office. I was treated as part of the team from day one and drafted speeches and reports, contributed to the embassy’s web and social media presence, and engaged in general research-related or administrative tasks. My assignments outside the embassy were even more thrilling, though. Shortly before Estonia took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, I attended meetings at Estonian institutions, assisted during evening events at the residence of the German Ambassador, and accompanied German delegations which had come to Estonia to learn more about its pioneering role in digitalization. Being a diplomatic service intern comes with a variety of exciting tasks and duties. I can therefore only recommend students to intern with a German mission abroad, particularly in Estonia.

What is it that drives a sociologist and lawyer? Evaluation! Working in the area of evaluation provides sociologists with the exciting opportunity to put their methodical skills into practice. When I interned with the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law during my bachelor’s program, I developed an evaluation strategy for projects carried out by the foundation that focus on promoting the rule of law in (post) conflict countries. Guided by its core values, neutrality, independence, and local self-reliance, the foundation acts according to its firm belief that sustainable peace and stability can be achieved by establishing a functioning system based on the rule of law. During my internship at the foundation, I carried out interdisciplinary tasks in an international environment – a very rewarding experience. I have been working in the field of evaluation ever since, first as a student assistant and now as a project management assistant, which means that I deal with varied and challenging topics every day, such as the question of how to measure the rule of law.

Working as a student assistant in the GESIS Panel allowed me to apply and enhance my knowledge of quantitative survey research and statistical analysis in a real-world setting. I was able to draw on the methodical skills I acquired during my bachelor’s program in Sociology at the University of Mannheim when working on the GESIS Panel data, for example. Furthermore, I was able to build on my STATA and R skills. As part of my job, I also provided the members of the GESIS Panel with general support in running scientific surveys. By helping to conduct reviews and to revise internal and external studies by the GESIS Panel, I gained profound insights into questionnaire development, which is a great asset. As working hand in hand with the other members of the GESIS Panel team was an integral part of the job, I became an even better team player and learned about new approaches in survey research and data analysis. Since I have decided to stay at the University of Mannheim to pursue a master’s degree in Sociology, I plan to continue putting the knowledge I acquire on the program to good use and gain more practical experience in research.