According to the students

Henrik Nordström is currently enrolled in Bachelor Programme in Political Science. During the autumn semester 2020, he is doing an internship at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency's (Sida) unit for management.

Interview from 2021

Where are you undertaking your internship? Why did you apply for an internship there?

My internship is placed at the government agency Sida. Sida works on behalf of the Swedish parliament and government with the aim of implementing Swedish development policies. Sida does not implement the aid interventions, but works in partnership with other actors. Their role is to allocate financial resources and to develop knowledge and competence, while their partners manage and execute the projects. My application to Sida can foremost be traced back to my interest in development cooperation. During my time at the university I had the pleasure to engage in different boards and organizations which worked with themes related to global development. My bachelor ended in me conducting my bachelor thesis in Sudan on Chinese development cooperation The possibility to get a closer look at the Swedish side of things was therefore particularly interesting. Since Sida is one of the world’s leading actors as well as one of the biggest donors, plenty of opportunities are offered to delve into development cooperation’s inner sanctum.

What are your main tasks at the internship?

As an intern, I have been placed at Sida's unit for management. The unit is responsible for a number of key processes at Sida and aims primarily to support the authority in realizing the government's goals and guidelines for Swedish development cooperation. As an intern, I, together with a small team, have been responsible for producing Sida's annual report with special responsibility for results reporting. The most fascinating as an intern is to be able to deliver such an important product in combination with being able to delve into both Sida's operations as well as key issues within development assistance, such as how we can demonstrate that Swedish development cooperation actually makes a difference.

To what extent is what you learned during your studies applicable in your internship?

In fact, in more ways than I could have imagined. Since my internship is at the intersection between state governance and Swedish development assistance, I have benefited greatly from my studies in administrative policy from my political-science courses. The analytical tools that the Bachelor of Political Science provides you also come in handy when summarizing the activities of such a large authority. It is when it is most complex - when one has to balance the government's governance, Sida's governance, the wishes of colleagues and at the same time not lose sight of the person who ultimately is going to benefit from all this, that I notice how well prepared this bachelor has made me for a future in this field.

Would recommend future students to do an internship? Why/why not?

Absolutely! It is one of the most fascinating things you will do during your bachelor. To finally be able to do something as concrete as an internship is interesting on its own. But it is also a great opportunity to test the tools and assets you have acquired during your time at the university. My guess is that you will be surprised at how far you come in just three years of higher education. I would recommend this specific internship if you have a special interest in either development cooperation (preferably state-administered) or government governance. If you feel you have a place in one of these camps, or maybe even both, I highly recommend you to apply for this internship.

Magda Bertz Wågström is currently enrolled in the Master’s Programme in Political Science. During the autumn semester 2020, she is doing an internship at The Swedish National Audit Office.

Interview from 2021

Where are you undertaking your internship? Why did you apply for an internship there?

I am undertaking my internship at Riksrevisionen (The Swedish National Audit Office). Riksrevisionen audits the whole chain of executive power, and carries out both performance audits and financial audits. I applied to Riksrevisionen because I would like to work as an investigator, and I was confident that an internship semester at Riksrevisionen would give me great insights in how qualified investigation work is executed outside of academia. Also, I wanted to touch upon several political areas during my internship which I knew I would be able to do at Riksrevisionen.

What are your main tasks at the internship?

I am undertaking my internship at the unit that investigates efficiency within the healthcare system. I have been involved in two audit projects during this fall - one project which is auditing the state's work with suicide prevention, and one project which is auditing the authority Tandvårds- och Läkemedelsförmånsverket (The Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency). I am taking part in the ordinary investigation work, for example by executing interviews and to summarizing qualitative interview material. Analytical discussions within the project groups are also a large part of the job.

To what extent is what you learned during your studies applicable in your internship?

The audit projects are developed in a way that has a lot of similarities with the academic way of working. We have seminars with opponents at two occasions during the audit process, and the work is focused on making sure that the conclusions ties well with the found evidence. Therefore, my methodological knowledge has been very useful.

Would recommend future students to do an internship? Why/why not?

I would definitely recommend doing an internship as part of the training. It's definitely a cliché, but maybe it's because it's true: you really get an opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge on reality and on real events which is helpful when you want to grasp the whole picture.

Njord Frölander is currently enrolled in Master’s Programme in Political Science, majoring in political science. During the autumn semester 2020, he is doing an internship at Reform Society.

Interview from 2021

Where are you undertaking your internship? Why did you apply for an internship there?

My internship is at a public affairs agency called Reform Society. The office is located right on top of Bio Rigoletto. Hence, my closest colleague has been a red LED sign this semester.

The first semester at the master’s programme I made a list with potential future workplaces. Inspiration came from newspapers, events and the Government Offices' website. However, Reform Society was always my first choice on the list. In my opinion it was a friendly workplace which worked with what I think is interesting, political know-how. One day when I was visiting Studentportalen I saw that Reform Society was looking for Student associates. I applied and got a job. Since then, I have been working and studying at the same time.

What are your main tasks at the internship?

Despite the corona pandemic there has been a lot to do at my internship. For me it has been an incredible advantage to know some of my colleagues in advance, since all meetings are carried out through Zoom and Teams. During my internship my main tasks has been writing reports, do research and to write texts. I do not think there is one thing in particular which I have enjoyed the most. What I enjoy the most is to understand how things work.

To what extent is what you learned during your studies applicable in your internship?

Methods, methods and methods. The program at Uppsala University has given me good tools to understand papers, to write and to be able to think critically when reading research. However, the handiest toolbox I have gained access to what I learned at the master’s methods course.

Would recommend future students to do an internship? Why/why not?

Yes, the internship is the most important thing that you do at the programme. In my opinion is also important to take the internship course during your bachelor studies. Even if your goal is to apply and study the master’s programme. It is easier to understand the courses at the master’s programme if you can reflect on what you learn in relation to work experience.

Sara Jansson is currently enrolled in the Bachelor Programme in Political Sciences, majoring in economics. During the autumn semester 2020, she has undertaken an internship at Ernst & Young (EY).

Interview from 2021

Where did you undertake your internship? Why did you apply for an internship there?

I was an intern at EY during the autumn semester of 2020, EY is an audit firm that mainly focus on financial audit but I had my internship at the operations audit department. At the operations audit department I became a part of a smaller group that works with auditing state, regional and local operations from laws, control documents and regulations. The operations audit department at EY mainly conducts audits of local operations and compiles the audits in the form of a written report. Operation auditors work on assignment from the local auditors that according to the law needs to bring in experts when auditing the political organization.

What were your main tasks at the internship?

During my internship my main task was to assist in the operational audits, I would help collect important documents as well as other important information, I would schedule interviews and, in some cases, also conduct the interviews. The main task would be to help write the operation audit report which is the outcome of the audit process. I was a part of different audits during my internship such as an audit regarding violence in close relations and how the local government in question handled these questions, how the local government handled targeted government grants and an audit of the local governments economic forecast. I’ve also worked independently on a follow-up audit which is when previous recommendations are followed up and the situation is evaluated and presented in a written report. The assignments at the internship has been very diverse and challenging which is very rewarding.

To what extent has what you learned during your studies been applicable in your internship?

A lot of what I learned during my bachelors in political science and economics was applicable in my internship, through political science classes I learned to collect great amounts of information and single out the important parts and it’s also given me a greater understanding of how our state institutions work which has been helpful during my internship. The conducted audits that we preform is based on how well the operations match the relevant laws and therefore the law class that we took has helped me to make conclusions on how well these two correspond. My knowledge in economics has also been useful due to audits of long-term economic forecasts preformed by local governments.

Would recommend future students to do an internship? Why/why not?

I would definitely recommend future students to do an internship because it can give you a good indication on what you would like to work with in the future as well as work experience.