Dora Varosi, NISPAcee Intern

Noemi Girst is an Erasmus Coordinator at the Faculty. She has been working at the University for two years and is responsible for Erasmus+ internships and communication with those institutions accepting students for their internship. Dora Varosi, a NISPAcee Intern from the Faculty, spoke with her about her experience with internships and cooperation with NISPAcee.

As Noemi said, it is significantly important today for the new generation to travel and gain new experience from international exchange programmes. For trainees it is a great opportunity to be a part of the internal workings of such networks as NISPAcee, which offer the possibility to work in the sphere of public administration abroad, organise conferences and other educational activities and to build connections with other students and professionals. After internship, students can understand how such international networks function. They can have, for example, the possibility to participate in NISPAcee’s annual conferences, which are very popular with academicians from the National University of Public Service. Not only teachers, but also PhD students, choose these conferences as their first public presentations in the English language. During 24 years of NISPAcee annual conferences, a community of academicians has been created, who have participated every year. They welcome young, new, participants to take part in the research working groups with their first papers and advise them on their further research and development. 

Public administration and international public administration education are global qualifications. If the student wishes to be unique, he or she should travel abroad to gain experience, first for a study mobility, and then for an internship. Not many students are looking for this type of challenge. They are afraid to leave their comfort zone and communicate in a foreign language. An internship can offer two experiences:  positive personal improvement and professional experience. Usually students go to small institutions, NGOs or a Consulate, so that they can be more involved in the daily activities of an organisation. In larger organisations, they usually have less experience with real projects. Therefore, their professional development can change, based on the type and size of the organisation and responsibilities. NISPAcee involves interns in all their activities. They can also participate in regular working meetings, so that they can become familiar with all the activities, projects and challenges of the network. 

Up until now, NISPAcee has accepted 2 students from the National University of Public Service. In the spring of 2016, Kata Lazar became the first intern and the second, Dora Varosi, is completing her internship with NISPAcee in November, 2016. Both interns had different responsibilities. Mainly, they are involved with the preparation of the NISPAcee annual conferences, assistance in the maintenance and innovation of the NISPAcee website and database and individual assignments based on actual needs. The NISPAcee staff helps interns to contribute to their professional development, and also create a friendly environment for them. 

Students interested in an internship can apply through the Erasmus+ programme. Every year, two calls for applications are announced, in spring and in autumn. For example, the International Relations Office at the Faculty promotes the facility to apply for an Erasmus+ practical placement programme and provide all necessary information on their website. According to Noemi Girst, the National University of Public Service is interested in helping more students to take this opportunity. As already mentioned, students not only gain new experience, but they can also list it on their CV as a reference, which can be very helpful for them on the labour market.