Studying Abroad: Internships Abroad
Finding an Internship
You can either look for a suitable internship yourself or use the services of an intermediary organization. Your first and most important point of contact for internships is the Hamburg-Harburg IAESTE Local Committee . It arranges free of charge internships in over 70 countries for science and engineering students.
Intermediary organizations, both commercial and nonprofit, must cover their costs and charge fees at different rates for their services. That said, their services can prove useful in arranging visas, but make sure you are not offered low-grade jobs as specialized internships! The link list contains offers from by nonprofit organizations. The International Office does not support commercial providers. If you are interested, you will find brochures in the Infothek.
Looking for yourself is harder work, but it will also increase the likelihood of you finding an internship that suits your requirements. You will find foreign newspapers, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and international Internet job exchanges useful in your search. Addresses of companies are available from the Chambers of Foreign Trade (AHKs). You will find a selection of useful links for your internship quest in our link list.
In principle you can also consider a combined study and practical semester. The benefit for you is that you can look for internships locally, making it easier to arrange interviews. A combination of this kind is offered, amongst others, by the ECIU Student Exchange Program run by the TUHH in collaboration with other universities.
Funding
Internships abroad can be funded via scholarships. Some scholarships are pegged to an internship or subject to certain requirements. You will find an overview of the most important scholarship providers here.
Funding is also possible from the ERASMUS Program if the internship is linked in time and content to a previous study visit lasting at least three months.
Just as when studying abroad, BAföG Abroad and educational loans are a meaningful alternative source of funding. Even if you have not applied for a BAföG student loan in Germany, it can make sense to apply for one in view of the higher cost of living abroad. To qualify, your internship must be fore at least 12 weeks and be required by your examination regulations. For further information please check the link list.