Summer woRK prOGRAM
For over 60 years, the Summer Work Program (SWP) has opened up academic and professional opportunities for countless Princeton undergraduates. As the oldest international internship program of its kind at Princeton University, the SWP takes learning beyond the classroom by connecting Princeton undergraduates with summer internships in Germany.
The program has been very successful at stimulating interest in German language and culture at Princeton. Interns improve their German, gain professional experience in their respective fields, and make important contributions to their host organizations. The program also recruits native speakers of German for positions requiring a higher level of language proficiency. An excellent opportunity for students to connect with another culture, the SWP is an important vehicle for promoting transatlantic partnership and producing leaders with international experience.
If you are an alumnus/alumna and would like to help out, please contact us. We are looking for internships (both paid and unpaid), lodging, and contributions to support students who have unpaid internships.
What you need
to know
Partner organizations:
Companies, museums, research institutions, hospitals, and governmental organizations at both the state and federal level.
Fields:
· Arts and Culture · Government and Policy · Non-Profits
· Banking, Finance and Consulting · Information Technology · Science, Technology,
· Economics · Law Engineering & Mathematics
· Education · Media & Journalism · Service and Non-Profits
· Energy & Environment · Medical research
Schedule:
4 to 10 weeks long, early June to late August.
Salary:
Most internships are unpaid. Such internships will be supported by stipends from the PAAG.
Work permits and insurance:
The Summer Work Program arranges Work Permit Waivers (Praktikumszulassung) for non-EU Citizens and ensures that all students have health and liability insurance.
Covid-19:
Summer internships are conducted in-person. We also arrange remote internships if necessary. Please visit Princeton University’s Coronavirus Information pages for up-to-date information regarding Princeton’s Covid-19 policies.
Contact Information:
Alumnae Inquiries: David Fisher
Director, Summer Work Program
Princeton Students: Angiras Arya
Assistant Director
Summer Work Program
German Department | 224 East Pyne | Princeton University |
Princeton, NJ 08544 U.S.A.
+1 609-258-4132
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Sophia Winograd '21
Deutscher Bundestag
Thank you so much to the Max Kade Foundation. Without your support, my past summer experience interning at the Deutscher Bundestag would've been impossible. The experience was quite formative, allowing me to see first-hand how the inner-politics of the German parliament functions day to day. I was able to attend multiple meetings, some in the Plenarsaal where I heard members of all the party fractions address their colleagues with respect to a specific theme or policy dilemma. I also was able to meet Angela Merkel, which was quite an "in awe" moment! Outside of the actual internship, being in Berlin was incredible. My grandparents have always lived there, so I've been almost every summer throughout my life; however, the experience of living in an apartment on my own was drastically different. It allowed me to see what it might really be like to live in Berlin; I now am strongly considering studying there after my undergrad at Princeton. I met new people and got to know the city very well during my 2 month stay. Thank you so much for supporting Princeton German students: without you, all of this would not have been possible."
Sophia Winograd '21
Deutscher Bundestag
I've always considered going to graduate school after Princeton, and this internship allows me to get a good
glimpse of what it is like to work at a research institute in Germany. During the research process I not only
learned a lot of discipline-specific knowledge that would be helpful for my major studies, but also became
more independent as a scholar and person. This would not have been possible without your funding support.
Thank you!"
Jianing Zhao '20
Leibniz Zentrum für
Literatur- und Kulturforschung
I would like to thank everyone at the Max Kade Foundation for their financial support of the Summer Work Program. Through this program, I spent seven weeks of my summer in Germany interning at a refugee integration program at TU Darmstadt. I had a great experience and developed myself professionally and personally as I adjusted to living on my own in a foreign country and working in my first professional setting. I will use a lot of the lessons I learned in Germany throughout my Princeton career and beyond, and I am very appreciative of the opportunity provided by your support."
Shannon Chaffers '22
Zentrale Koordinierungsstelle für Flüchtlingsintegration
I want to say thank you providing funding for my travel in Germany this past summer. I had an invaluable experience researching at the renowned Technical University of Munich on top of immersing myself in the German culture. I understand that it is not without your kindness and generosity that I could have had this opportunity and for that I am truly grateful. Due to this opportunity to research abroad, I have not only increased my grad school prospects, but have also opened my mind to the many opportunities to study
outside of the United States. I am especially grateful for the fact that I could do all of this without having to worry about the costs of travelling. I have always believed that everyone should travel abroad at some point in their life. I was able to get that chance because of the program which you provide. So again, I thank you for all you have done and hope that you continue the program you are doing so that students after me may receive the same benefit I did."