Information on the pre-study internship for the Bachelor's study program in Social Work

The following criteria must be met for recognition:

• The activities must have been relevantly social work/social education and/or educational.
• The guidance must have been provided by state-recognized social workers, state-recognized social pedagogues, state-recognized childhood educators, state-recognized educators or state-recognized curative education nurses.
• The scope and duration must comply with the regulations: 400 hours. We recommend a maximum of three placements.
• It is desirable that the activities do not date back more than three years before the intended start of studies.

The form "Bescheinigung Vorpraktikum" must be used as proof of the internship.

Once you have completed your pre-internship, have your internship site fill out and sign the form “Certificate of Completion of Practical Work” and submit it along with all other documents when you register. At the time of enrollment, you must have completed at least 200 hours of the pre-internship.

Relevant practical experience may be credited toward the pre-internship requirement, provided it meets the criteria. This may include a completed Voluntary Social Year or volunteer work. Please also use the “Certificate of Completion of Practical Work” form here to provide proof of this experience.

Applicants who have completed vocational training as an early childhood educator or a therapeutic educator, or who hold a degree in early childhood education, are not required to provide proof of a pre-internship. Please submit appropriate documentation upon enrollment.

If you do not have any of the aforementioned vocational training programs or academic degrees but have already worked full-time in social work settings, your work may be recognized as a pre-internship. In addition to the relevance of the work content and your specific duties, it also depends on the professional or academic qualification held by your supervisor (who would serve as your mentor in the case of an internship). The form “Proof of Completion of Practical Work” may also be used as evidence. If you have any doubts or questions, please contact the Practical Training Office.

The pre-study internship should give you your first impressions of social work and give you the opportunity to gain your first practical experience in your future profession.

The field of social work is very large and there are many areas in which you will work together with other professional fields. Again and again, prospective students are unsure which activities are relevant and in the sense of the pre-study internship.

In order to avoid misunderstandings, we would like to list examples of activities that we do not recognize as pre-study internships:

• Integration assistant/school companion
• Au pair
• Teaching activities (e.g. English lessons abroad) and tutoring
• Nursing activities (e.g. nursing internships in hospitals)
• Parental leave
• Domestic work (e.g. preparing meals in residential care facilities for the elderly)
• Driving services (e.g. patient transportation)
• Translation work (e.g. in refugee work)
• Medical care (e.g. paramedics/accident assistance)
• Training of children's and youth teams

If you have any questions, please contact the Practice Department of the Faculty of Applied Social Studies.

The following regulations apply to activities completed abroad:

• Activities must have been in a relevant social work/social education and/or educational capacity.
• The guidance should have been provided by social workers, social pedagogues, childhood educators, educators or curative education nurses or comparable professional groups typical for the country.
• The scope and duration must comply with the regulations: 400 hours. We recommend no more than three practical placements.
• The activities should not have taken place more than 3 years ago, based on the intended start of your studies.

As proof of your work experience, please submit an English certificate showing all four points listed above. Please submit the certificate to the Practice Department of Faculty 8 for review.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Praxisreferat Faculty of Applied Social Studies