During his Political Studies in Berlin, Istanbul and Pau Max Middeke gained first work experience at the German Bundestag, at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the Federal Foreign Office, and the Goethe Institute. After his studies he went to Ethiopia, where he worked at the ILO Regional Office for Africa on problems concerning migration, social security, as well as peace and development at the Horn of Africa. As a Mercator Fellow, he focused on the peace process and possibilities of economic development in Somalia. Max Middeke now works for the GIZ in Addis Abeba.