A short guide to ISCL internships

This is an informal guide for internship for ISCL BA students. For official requirements, please see the FAQ on the department web page, and the module handbook. The information on this page is only about the compulsory internship for BA students. The rules for the MA students are different. The MA students who would like to do an optional internship should contact the MA advisor before they start their internship work.

If you are an ISCL BA student you are required to take part in a software internship. This means that your internship should include at least 190 hours of programming tasks (please see the module handbook for full requirements).

Here is a sketch of what to do:

• Find an internship. This is part of the practice. You will need to find a company that offers internships. A list of companies or job advertisement sites are listed in the official FAQ on the department web page. Talking to other students and attending the internship talks will also give you a good idea on where/how to look for internships. Keep in mind that the recruitment process for some companies may take a long time. If you already have a ‘student job’ involving programming, it may count as an internship as well. Contact the internship advisor if you have a non-standard internship, or if you have difficulties finding one on time. Remember that you need to complete your internship requirements (see below) before you can register for your BA thesis.
• Once you find an internship, email the internship advisor. Include a brief description of the internship tasks, the period of internship, and the contact information of your direct supervisor. We do not require a formal evaluation or confirmation from the company.
• After you finish your internship there are two requirements.
  • A short (approx. 10 pages) report describing your internship tasks. The report should be written as a formal report, for example, a research report or a company-internal report to management. Assume your readers are computational linguists, and focus more on explaining your tasks than general background information. Two example reports are provided here:
    - Verena Blaschke @ IBM Research & Development GmbH (pdf)
    - Marko Ložajić @ Dekonta d.o.o. (pdf)
    As well as other interesting information, the SfS Fachschaft also maintains some information on internships, including example reports. Once you are done, you should also consider publishing your internship report on the Fachschaft web page.
  • A short presentation. The presentations are typically held 2 or 3 times a year. You will be contacted by the internship advisor for scheduling your talk after your internship period. The talks are open to anyone interested. Attending these talks is also useful for learning about internships and job opportunities.