Internship abroad

An internship in a company or at an institution abroad brings you many advantages: It prepares you for the international working world, you make valuable contacts and immerse yourself intensively in the culture, language and life in another country.

You can complete an internship in both European and non-European countries. The preparations are similar and there are funding opportunities for both options (see above under "Internship in Europe" and "Internship overseas").

    The first step is to look for a suitable internship yourself. In general, you have to look for an internship yourself and can apply anywhere. However, there are platforms and organizations that can help you find an internship and provide guidance. In addition to searching on platforms, you can also obtain information from experienced fellow students or from experience reports, or send an unsolicited application to the companies you are interested in.

    The DAAD offers the most comprehensive overview of programs and databases under "Internship placement". In addition to DAAD programmes that offer internships free of charge, there are also organizations that charge a fee.

    Selection of free programs and internship exchanges:

    Selection of fee-based programs and exchanges:

    The following questions should be considered when planning an internship abroad:

    Language skills:
    Are my language skills sufficient for a qualified internship? Do I have to provide language certificates?
    The ZSIK offers a comprehensive range of courses to help you prepare for your internship.

    Finance:
    What financial resources do I have available? What is the cost of living in the host country? Do I need financial support and if so, what options (scholarships) are available?

    Time planning:
    How long should the internship last? When would I like to start it at the earliest/latest? What are the application deadlines for possible financial support? You should not underestimate the lead time. The information and application phase can easily take several months. Application deadlines for funding programs can be six months or even a year and many (large) companies plan their internship placements for the long term.

    Organizational matters:

    • Accommodation
    • Insurance cover (health, liability, accident insurance)
    • Booking of arrival/departure

    Especially for overseas:

    • Entry modalities / visa issues
    • Vaccinations

    Please register for your internship abroad in our online application portal. Here you can choose whether you would like to apply for funding for internships within or outside Europe and go through the relevant application steps. Please refer to the relevant subpages for information on the application deadlines.

    Of course, you apply separately to the company with a cover letter, CV and certificates. Documents should be in English or in the national language. The ZSIK offers foreign language courses with application training.

    When preparing your CV, use templates from the Internet, for example.