EMGIP - Bundestag Internship
About
EMGIP (Émigré Memorial German Internship Program) offers internship opportunities for U.S. and Canadian students in the German parliament, the Bundestag. The internships are two months long and we try to match the position with the student’s interests and experiences. Interns will be placed within the Verwaltung, preferably with a Sekretariat working for their preferred Ausschuss. In addition to contributing to the respective offices, interns have the opportunity to study legislative and administrative procedures in the German parliament.
Please see also EMGIP Landtag in the German State Parliaments administered by Cultural Vistas.

Program Objectives
Eligibility Requirements
Terms of Award
Application Guidelines
Download Applications
Program Objectives
DAAD programs are helping to create goodwill and professional relationships that will help build a solid basis for relations between Germany and North America. EMGIP Internships were founded in 1965 by Professors Louise Holborn and George Romoser with the assistance of many scholars of German affairs, especially in the social sciences and contemporary history, and with the financial and planning aid of various German offices also interested in encouraging the development of future generations of German experts. In view of the contributions of German émigrés, the experiential program was named Émigré Memorial German Internship Program.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants for EMGIP – Bundestag should possess outstanding academic records and personal integrity as well as sufficient knowledge of the German legislative process. Participants should be advanced undergraduates or graduate students in fields such as political science, international relations, law, history, economics or German. PhD students are not eligible. Students must be fluent in spoken German and possess excellent writing skills.

U.S. and Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply. International students who are enrolled in a full time course of study in the U.S. or Canada may also apply. German nationals are not eligible.

Attention graduating seniors: Successful applicants must hand in a certificate of enrollment for the internship period to ensure student status in Germany or enroll at the Free University as program students (information about the enrollment process will be provided to successful candidates).
Terms of Award
The successful applicant will receive compensation of approximately €1,800 per month from the German Bundestag. Subsidized health insurance is available through DAAD for a monthly fee. DAAD can help the interns to obtain housing in Berlin and make contacts with fellow international interns and German students. Travel expenses are the intern’s responsibility.
Application Guidelines
The German Bundestag suggests that you choose a two month period between September and mid-December 2016 when the Bundestag is in session. Placements during the spring are rare, but sometimes possible from May 1st, 2016. Since the spring session ends in late June, placements typically end in early July for the summer break. The Bundestag is not in session in July and August. In order to receive an optimal placement for your internship you should clearly state your particular interests in the essay.
Short-listed candidates will be interviewed in German.

The following documentation is required:
  • Application Form
    Please type your application form, handwritten materials will not be accepted. Make sure to answer all questions on the form completely. Do not fill in any blanks with the phrase "see attached," even if you must refer to additional material. Do not forget to sign your application.

  • Résumé
    Please submit your résumé in chronological form. This Lebenslauf must be in German. Narrative or paragraph-form resumes are not acceptable. Your name should appear on each page.

  • Short Essay (in German AND English)
    The essay should be no longer than 3 pages (1.5 space, pt.12) and should answer why you are interested in the EMGIP-Bundestag Program. You should mention the career goals you hope to achieve by completing an internship at the Bundestag. Please state what your expectations are regarding the character of the internship and what you as an intern have to offer. Give your first and second preferences as to the Ausschuss you would like to work for and any other relevant interests, but please do not indicate any preference for a political party. Be advised that the Verteidigungsausschuss does not offer any internship positions at all. Your name should appear on each page of the essay and you must hand in a German AND an English version.

  • Three Letters of Recommendation
    Submit three (3) original letters of recommendation printed on university letterhead from professors (not lecturers or TAs)at North American institutions in your major and relevant fields of study. The letters can be included in a sealed envelope with your application or should be sent separately to DAAD New York. It is your responsibility that the recommendations get there on time.

  • Transcripts
    Submit official transcripts of all post-secondary studies, including explanations of the grading systems.

  • DAAD language evaluation form / Sprachzeugnis
    This document should be signed by a faculty member of the German Department at your institution or by a Goethe-Institute. We cannot accept Fulbright forms nor can we accept evaluations from teaching assistants.

  • Please provide 5 sets of the documents in the order listed above:
    - one electronic version to be emailed as a PDF file to emgip[at]daad.org (except for the recommendation letters)
    - one original hard copy
    - three extra copies
    Please do not staple or bind any of your documents!

  • Mail the original and 3 copies of your application to:
    DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
    EMGIP-Bundestag
    871 United Nations Plaza
    New York, NY 10017

    Send the electronic PDF version of your application (except for the recommendation letters) to emgip[at]daad.org
Deadline  
September 15, 2016
for internships in 2017

Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted. Be sure to submit all materials and the correct amount of copies of each by the deadline.

If your application meets the deadline, you will be notified by us if anything is missing from your file.
Please do not call our office; you will receive an e-mail or letter of acknowledgment by the end of October.

Please do not staple or bind any of the documents!
Questions?  
FAQ's

How much German do I need to know?
German language fluency is important for you to be able to carry out the assignments during your internship. Your writing skills in German must be equally excellent.

How can I prepare for the internship?
We recommend reading Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen

Who do you consider an advanced undergraduate?
Juniors and seniors have been the only successful undergraduate candidates in the recent years of the competition.

If you have additional questions regarding EMGIP - Bundestag, please contact Ms. Uschi Niethammer at niethammer[at]daad.org

If you are NOT a citizen or student in the UNITED STATES or CANADA, please see:
DAAD International