Intern abroad

Are you an ILS student and are you thinking of going abroad during your law studies? With ILS, this is a win-win situation! According to § 37 I 1 JAPO, law students who complete additional study programmes recognized by the State Judicial Examination Office gain an additional semester, which is not added to the study period of eight semesters after which the free attempt must be taken. What does this mean for you? This means that ILS graduates have an additional semester until they have to take the free attempt. And even better – internships which are completed abroad and within an English-speaking company or department, may give students the opportunity to convert that experience into ECTS and substitute it for courses in the respective module area of ILS, if the thematic focus is consistent. The minimum period of the training is 4 weeks and can be exchanged for a maximum of 5 ECTS. The students may choose any country, as long as the requirements are met and need to write an internship report to receive the credits. For more information, please read on to “Recognition and Crediting Process” below.

The Rwanda Justice Sector Internship Program

The University of Bayreuth through the International Legal Studies Program and the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) in Rwanda have developed an internship program to be offered at the Judiciary in Rwanda.

The ILPD is the only institution mandated to offer professional postgraduate programs in law in Rwanda and will also coordinate the internship program through placing students at different institutions, including the Judiciary of Rwanda (Supreme Court), and monitor their supervision. This program is an offer and a response to the need of engaging students with international legal contexts in practice. Through the internship program, the students will learn about the judicial and legal processes of high-level national institutions in Rwanda in international contexts. This unique, hands-on opportunity will be given to two ILS students per annum. During the six-week program, the students are given the opportunity to develop valuable legal skills such as case research, case analysis, and understanding the role of courts in interpreting and applying national and international law. Yet, participation in the program requires little to no prior knowledge. 

In 2025, the program lasted from August 25 to October 5. If this has piqued your interest, we invite you to take a look at the Rwanda Justice Sector Internship Program Letter and the experiences shared by students from the University of Bayreuth who completed an internship at the Supreme Court of Rwanda. For all further questions, feel free to contact the ILS-Team via E-mail.

Recognition and Crediting Process 

Before starting your internship there are a few organizational steps that need to be completed beforehand. If you have found an internship program abroad, please send us an Email (internationallegalstudies@uni-bayreuth.de) in advance, stating the relevant data of the internship. We will then revise the application and, if appropriate, approve the substitution of the courses through the internship. 

The following data is to be included in the application Email:

• Name of the Law Firm, Company, NGO etc. (note: supervision by legal professional is required, as in § 25 JAPO)
• Timeframe of the internship (dates and duration- note: the internship needs to last at least 4 weeks)
• Location and languages (note: mainly English language is required)
• Topics and tasks during the internship (note: topics must fit the elective module)

Internships can only be credited towards the completion of the elective module of ILS and do not constitute towards an additional semester for the free attempt, according to § 37 I 1 JAPO.

The internship report must be written after the completion of the internship and sent to internationallegalstudies@uni-bayreuth.de to receive the credits for ILS.