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Internships

The German program at UW-Green Bay offers internships to selected qualified students in the program. These internships provide students an opportunity to test their abilities while exploring prospective career options in German in the teaching or business fields. Working closely with a UWGB German faculty member and a field supervisor, interns will gain hands on experience either teaching German or using their German in a business setting.

Students register for the internship and receive academic credit, which appears on their transcript. Qualified German majors and international and exchange students, who have been to Germany and/or demonstrate a good command of the language, as well as those with double majors in German and Business, who plan to enter either the teaching or business professions, are typically given preference as interns.

German Teaching Internship

Students interested in teaching German, who may or may not also be planning on entering the teaching profession after graduation, will learn about different approaches to foreign language teaching while gaining valuable practical experience in the classroom. Although interns are not given monetary compensation for this learning experience, they often comment on how the program allowed them the opportunity to put their knowledge of German to good use and gave them a chance to make a difference in the community by enriching the education of local school children.

  • What?: A 2-credit internship teaching basic German to elementary and middle school children in Green Bay. Teaching interns are assigned their own small classes of children typically ages 6-9 years old, which they teach every week. German teaching interns also participate in a school orientation and attend instructional meetings with a German professor on campus throughout the semester where they learn some of the basics about lesson design and classroom management, have the opportunity to exchange teaching experiences, and be involved in the development of German teaching materials. Interns will also submit a short summative paper and lesson plans at the end of the semester.
  • Where?: You will be teaching German at a local elementary or middle school in the Green Bay area.
  • When?: The German teaching internship is not offered every semester, but can be repeated for credit. Contact the UWGB German Program for availability and registration. You can register for the internship anytime up until the course add period deadline at the beginning of the semester, but it is advisable to register for it along with your other course registration.
  • How?: Contact either Prof. Jennifer Ham (hamj@uwgb.edu) or Prof. David Coury (couryd@uwgb.edu) in Theater Hall, Rm.385 or Rm. 387.

Internship in German Business

Students interested in International Business will have the opportunity to work in Germany for a German or multinational company to gain valuable experience and insight into German business culture as well as international business practices. In the past, students have worked for two to three months for a German company and were either assigned individual projects or were supervised on-site while taking part in the day-to-day operations of the company. Generally, students are paid for their work and are assisted in finding housing. All additional expenses are, however, at the cost of the student.

The German Program at UWGB has had cooperative agreements with Deutsche Unilever (Hamburg), Otto Versand (Hamburg) and Reemtsma GmbH (Hamburg). Typical internship placements have been in marketing or internal controlling, but the final decision is made by the host company. Students will apply through the German Program in conjunction with the Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft, a nonprofit German governmental organization which, for a fee, will arrange for a work permit.

In consultation with the UWGB German faculty, students who are combining a major or minor in German with a major or minor in Business may apply for these internships for 1-12 credits. As all activities are conducted in German, an excellent command of German is required. Moreover, the companies have set as a prerequisite a strong background in business practices as well. Thus to insure success of the program, the necessary prerequisites for these internships are 424-485 Semester Abroad in Germany, 424-483 Business German and a strong command of the German language. Students will be required to provide periodic updates to the UWGB German Program during the internship and to present a portfolio upon return to the U.S.

For more information on any of these Internships and to register, please contact either of the professors.

UW-Milwaukee Graduate Program in Translation

UW-Miwaukee offers a graduate program in translation to better prepare German students for the work of translating between German and English.