Internship

Important documents in the initial phase

• Detailed internship manual
• Guidelines internship work plan - professional practice internship (level 2)
• Guidelines internship work plan - research internship (level 3)
• UU standard internship agreement (Dutch) / UU standard internship agreement (English)
• Internship agreement extension form (in Dutch)

Finding an internship

You are responsible for finding a suitable internship. Tips for finding an internship can be found in the detailed internship manual. Your internship coordinator can also help you if necessary. In any case, you should start your search in time and check if the internship fits within your study programme. Did you find a last-minute internship? Please contact your internship coordinator to see what the possibilities are for obtaining EC.

Internships in the Netherlands

Please keep in mind that most organisations in the Netherlands use Dutch as their working language. Contact your internship coordinator to discuss your options if you do not speak Dutch and wish to do an internship in the Netherlands.

Making an internship work plan and registration internship

Once you have secured an internship position, you will write a draft version of your internshipwork plan. The exact content of the plan depends on the specific internship you wish to complete:

• Guidelines internship work plan - professional practice internship (level 2) (docx)
• Guidelines internship work plan - research internship (level 3) (docx)

Next, you must register your internship in OSIRIS via My Cases > Start Case. Enter all the necessary information and upload your internship work plan. You will consult with your internship supervisor and your supervising lecturer to write a final internship work plan. 

Approval internship work plan

Both your supervising lecturer and internship supervisor have to approve your internship work plan, before you can start your internship. You can always check the status in your OSIRIS Case.   

Allocation of a supervising lecturer

Once you have registered your internship in OSIRIS via My Cases > Start Case, your internship coordinator will assign you a supervising lecturer.

Drafting an internship agreement

Before you start your internship, an agreement is arranged between the Faculty of Humanities, the host organisation and you as the student. This agreement sets out your liability insurance for the internship, giving you greater legal security. You must upload your internship agreement no later than two weeks before your internship begins. You will not be permitted to start the internship without this agreement. To draft your agreement, please use this standard UU internship agreement (pdf). This contract is also available in Dutch: standaard UU stageovereenkomst (pdf).

Once you have signed your agreement and obtained a signature from your internship supervisor (not your supervising lecturer), you must upload it to your OSIRIS Case. The Internship Office will check the submitted documents and sign the agreement, providing the third signature.

Exceptions

For some organisations, different arrangements apply:

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mediastages
  These organisations have their own internship agreements that you must sign and upload in OSIRIS Case.
• Meertens Instituut
  You must submit both the faculty agreement and the Meertens Institute’s own agreement in OSIRIS Case.

Has everything been signed and approved in OSIRIS Case?

Once you receive notification in OSIRIS Case that your internship work plan has been approved and your internship agreement has been signed, you are ready to start your internship. The Internship Office will then register you in OSIRIS (you cannot do this yourself, like you can wit other courses).

Supervision

Several people will supervise you during your internship:

• the supervising lecturer, who supervises the internship from within the university
• an internship supervisor at the host organisation

Keeping a log

At least three times during your internship, you must upload a log in which you record and reflect on your work activities (see manual for details). Your supervising lecturer will give you feedback on your logs. You will receive an email as soon as the feedback can be found in OSIRIS Case. Eventually, you will add all logs as an attachment to your internship report.

Writing an internship report

Your internship will be assessed based on your internship report. It is best to start writing the report early on in your internship. You may spend 10% of your internship working hours on this.

Extend the internship

If your internship goes on for longer than originally intended (and you have discussed this with both your supervising lecturer and internship supervisor), use the internship agreement extension form (pdf, in Dutch).

Important documents in the final phase

• Detailed internship manual – Bachelor’s (guidelines internship report)
• Assessment form – professional practice internship (level 2) (pdf)
• Assessment form - research internship (level 3) (pdf)

Finishing your internship report

At the end of your internship, you must finish your internship report. This report contains an evaluation section and a description of the ‘product’ of the internship (see manual for details).

Submitting your internship report

You must upload your report (including all attachments) in OSIRIS Case. Your report will then be forwarded directly to the Internship Office. Remember to send your report to the host organisation as well, if they ask for it.

Assessment of your internship

Your supervising lecturer is responsible for assessing your internship. The internship report will be the main determinant for your final grade. Assessment is conducted using a standard assessment form specific to the internship type:

• Assessment form - professional practice internship (level 2) (pdf)
• Assessment form - research internship (level 3) (pdf)

Request feedback internship supervisor

 About three weeks before the end of your internship, you will also ask your internship supervisor from the host organisation to provide further input for the assessment. You send this request via OSIRIS Case. Your internship supervisor will then receive a digital feedback form to fill out in OSIRIS Case.

Final grade

Your lecturer will inform you about your final grade. Copies of the completed assessment forms can be found in OSIRIS Case. Your grade and the number of EC will be entered in OSIRIS.

It is also possible to do an internship abroad. 

Finding an internship if you have a disability

Internships for students with disabilities are not always easy to find. If you run into any problems, please contact your internship coordinator. The following websites offer useful suggestions and/or internship vacancies:

• Expertise Centrum Inclusief Onderwijs 
  Information on completing an internship with a disability, including a useful Guidebook (website in Dutch only).
• Onbegrensd Talent
  A recruitment and selection agency for highly-educated people with a disability (website in Dutch only).

Student athletes

Student athletes may face more difficult challenges in finding an appropriate internship. Fortunately, a growing number of companies are aware of the needs of this group of student interns and are taking steps to make it easier for this target group to complete internships (e.g. flexible working hours and a longer internship duration). For more information, please contact your internship coordinator.

Utrecht University liability insurance

• Statement of insurance

According to Dutch law (art. 7:661 lid 1 Burgelijk Wetboek) the student-trainee that causes damage to the host organisation during his/her internship is, in principle, not liable for this. Deviation from this principle can only be done in written agreement and as far as the student-trainee is insured for this (art. 7:661 lid 2 BW).

Utrecht University has included in its liability insurance the students of Utrecht University, without limitation of faculty, during their external internships, provided that this internship is done under the auspices and with the knowledge of the University.