The effects and side effects of teacher education have been manyfoldly researched in the last years. Different studies prove that student teachers estimate that internships in schools are much more important for becoming a good teacher than the theoretical training at university (Hascher & Moser, 2001). Future teachers expect to gain a deeper and more realistic insight in school and teaching and wish to acquire more important skills for their upcoming profession by working at schools than through their courses at university (Hascher, 2006). The teachers who are in charge of mentoring the future teachers at schools have a high influence on the students’ learning processes (Hobson et al., 2009).

On the one hand, they set the general conditions for a well-organized internship by their interpretation and adaption of the formal guidelines (e.g. duration, contents) of the internship which are set by the university. Organizational sociology shows that this translation of the formal guidelines between the organizations school and university often requires different compromises and informal agreements beyond the formal guidelines (Luhmann, 1972). So far, existing studies designate such informal processes in internships in schools as a desideratum of empirical research (Gröschner, 2011).

On the other hand, different studies demonstrate that the mentees overtake the understanding of professional behavior as a teacher from their mentors. In this context, already existing studies show different non-intended effects of the mentors’ behavior, who give direct instructions and present ideal solutions based on their subjective theories towards teaching which differ from the ideal of teacher education to initiate the development to a reflective practitioner who adapts his theoretical knowledge in a specific situation (Schübach, 2007). Up to now, the interaction in internships between student teachers and their mentors has just been analyzed in formalized and compulsory settings such as the reflection of lessons held by the students. Many other situations, in which the professional behaviors of teachers become obvious, have not yet become the focus of researchers’ attention (Crasborn & Hennissen, 2010).

One setting in which both the informal collusions of the internship and the professional behavior of the mentor will become apparent, are initial interviews which are often offered to the students by the mentors prior to the beginning of their internships in schools. Researchers did not explore these interviews in the past although they could provide important hints at how the initiation of student teachers in practical settings proceeds.

Despite such high expectations on internships of future teachers in schools, there is only little empirical evidence of the opportunities to learn in schools for the students.

In connection to the described research desiderata the following research questions arises:

-          What is the general structure of initial interviews between student teachers and their mentors at schools?

-          How are the formal guidelines for the internship interpreted and adapted by the mentors

-          Which attitude of professional behavior does the mentor show towards the student teachers?

-          What are the expectations of the student teachers because of these initial interviews and are these expectations confirmed in the end?

Crasborn, F. & Hennessen, P. (2010): The skilled mentor. Mentor teachers use and acquisition of supervisory skills. Eindhoven. Grafisch Ontwerpers. Luhmann, N. (1972): Funktionen und Folgen formaler Organisationen. Zweite Auflage. Berlin. Duncker & Humblot. Merton, R & Kendall, P. (1946): The focussed interview. In: American Journal of sociology. S. 541-557. Gröschner, A.: (2011): Innovation als Lernaufgabe: Eine quantitativ-qualitative Studie zur Erfassung und Umsetzung von Innovationskompetenz in der Lehrerbildung. Münster. Waxmann. Hascher, T. & Moser, P. (2001): Betreute Praktika – Anforderungen an Praktikumslehrerinnen und Lehrer. In: Beiträge zur Lehrerbildung, 19, 2, S. 217–231. Hascher, T.: (2006): Veränderungen im Praktikum - Veränderungen durch das Praktikum. Eine empirische Untersuchung zur Wirkung von schulpraktischen Studien in der Lehrerbildung Lehrerbildung. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Beiheft; 51, S. 131–148. Hobson, A.J.; Ashby, P.; Malderez, A.; Tomlinson, P.D. (2009): Mentoring beginning teachers: What we know and what we don’t. In: Teaching and teaching Education 25, S. 207-216. Schübach, J. (2007): Über das Unterrichten reden. Die Unterrichtsnachbesprechung – eine „Nahtstelle zwischen Theorie und Praxis“? Bern u.a. Haupt Verlag.