General Information on Internship
The various work opportunities at the National Park feature diverse areas of interest. The employment periods vary in duration and in remuneration. The following points, however, apply to all employees and may be a determining factor in the choice of trainee deployment.
Landscape and Climate
For the most part, the National Park is located in the nature region of the Berchtesgaden Alps. This is a high massif that reaches an elevation of over 2700m. The climate can be characterized by extreme weather fluctuations. This is particularly true of the National Park area due to its considerable differences in elevation. As the weather can turn very rapidly and that snowfall is possible in higher elevations even in summer, it is necessary to always wear appropriate clothing and shoes. The National Park Administration
The National Park administration
is located in Berchtesgaden. This is where the offices of the technical department heads are located, as well as the contact staff and those responsible for the interns. Just like the Nationalpark-Haus information center, the administration building also includes a library that may be used by all staff members. The administration building is located about 10km from the internship housing.
Accommodation
Lodging is provided at the research station in Ramsau with a capacity of nine rooms most of which sleep two to three persons. The rooms are on the first and second floors of the research station and are equipped with a bed, a nightstand, a closet, a desk and a chair. Toilets and a large bathroom are located on the first floor and in the basement where there is also a kitchen with a lounge area, a refrigerator, a freezer and a washing machine.
On the ground floor of the research station one finds the project offices, the rangers’ offices, as well as the office of environmental education trainees. Here there is also a phone for personal use.
Accommodation is in shared rooms; single rooms are reserved for alternative service or communal service staff, as well as graduates of the Voluntary Ecological Year. Participants of ‘Apprenticeship for the Environment’, a program financed by the Commerzbank, are lodged in a 3-person apartment in the house opposite the research station.
Only scientists working on National Park research, interns, students about to take their diploma and servitors may spend the night at the research station. Visitors are not allowed to spend the night. This applies to ALL persons and to the house opposite.
Lodging costs 3 Euros per night or a maximum of 60 Euros per month.
For sanitary reasons, pets are not allowed.
Transportation
Ramsau is about 10km from Berchtesgaden and lies in the Ramsau River Valley. A bus connects Ramsau to Berchtesgaden approximately every hour. Carriers of a German Rail Pass (Bahncard) receive a 25% discount on the fare. As some of the deployment areas are far from the lodging and public transportation is only possible during the daytime, it is important to have a bicycle, mountain bike or a car, depending on preference.