Preliminary internship

In order for students to have practical knowledge of agriculture at the beginning of their studies, a preliminary internship of at least 13 weeks duration is required for enrollment. This internship can be completed up to the start of the study program.

Documentation (see below) is required for the internship to be recognized.

The university particularly recommends that prospective students who do not come from an agricultural background complete a full year as a pre-study internship in order to become familiar with all the seasonal characteristics on a farm.

Proof is provided in the form of a certificate from the training center about the start, end and contents of the internship and a report. If possible, the report is written on the company's letterhead and/or stamped. The company is briefly introduced, the completed time and activities are presented.

A contract is not a substitute for a report card or certificate. It can be helpful in demonstrating that an internship is intended or in progress.

The report includes the parts:
Farm description(form)
a summary description of activities (about one page)
and the execution on a specific topic of the farm (e.g. milking, tillage, haymaking..., length about three pages).

Please upload these documents with the online application in eCampus. Subsequent submissions of certificates and/or reports please to Andreas Kleinlein.

• Training as a farmer or animal farmer (not beekeeping or pond management), dual study program in agriculture, trainee exam: exemption from pre-study internship.
• Horticultural or forestry assistant examination, LTA training: An additional one-month internship on a livestock-keeping farm is required.
  In the case of horticultural training in specialties other than vegetable and fruit growing, as well as forestry training, an eight-week internship on a livestock-keeping training farm is recommended.
• Parental main agricultural business: confirmation of the parents about the previous practical training period as well as an additional 1 month on an external business.
• FÖJ: Is recognized if it took place on a recognized agricultural training farm and the activity took place in agriculture. This must be stated in the certificate.
• Internship abroad: Is recognized if it took place on a farm with arable farming and animal husbandry and it can be proven that the farm meets criteria such as a main farm or training farm. A preliminary agreement is required for this.

Bafög can already be granted for the 13 weeks of the preliminary internship. For this purpose, you can receive a confirmation of recognition when sending an internship contract to the university and submit it to the responsible Bafög office(Studierendenwerk Witzenhausen).