Internship Abroad

It’s often not that easy to find an internship abroad. We can’t do the searching for you, but we can offer a few tips.

Internship Exchange/Internship Opportunities

• Schulwärts
• Distribution platform with links to internship reports
• Federal Foreign Office exchange for jobs and internships in international organizations
• Internship exchange from the EU University Office in Hanover
• KOPRA - Internship Exchange and Country Information (primarily Asia)
• Talendo – Jobs and internships in Switzerland
• Get Out of the House
• Europages – Directory of Businesses
• Internships at European and international organizations
• Internship exchanges worldwide – a comprehensive list by country from the DAAD
• Internships Abroad: Different Countries, Different Internships
• Max Weber Foundation – German Institutes for the Humanities Abroad. Internships at the representative offices in Paris, London, Moscow, Rome, Warsaw, Washington, Tokyo, Beirut, or Istanbul, eligible for DAAD funding
• Voluntary International Year: provides comprehensive information on long- and short-term social engagement in development cooperation and international volunteer services.
• German schools and schools offering German language instruction abroad—a fantastic world map with school profiles!
• Back In Job

Support

• Paths to an Internship Abroad – an excellent DAAD brochure available for download
• Rate my placement – former interns evaluate their internship placements
• bab.la: free collection of phrases in various languages for writing applications (e.g., for internships)

Testimonials

• IO Homepage
• EU Community
• Internships at German schools abroad

For an internship abroad, strong language skills are often expected—both by the internship provider and by potential scholarship providers. To be able to contribute effectively during your internship, you need to be able to communicate well not only within the company and the organization, but also in the country where you’ll be working. So make sure to brush up on your language skills early on and consider how you can demonstrate them, e.g., through tests like TOEFL, DELF, or certificates from the VHS.

You can find language course offerings at the Hildesheim Language Forum, among other places, or you can search online at the DAAD, for example.

When applying for an initernship , you should check in advance whether applications are accepted online or if they should be sent by mail. If you submit your application online, be sure to scan all important documents clearly and send them as one single file, which should not be too large. It is also important to pay attention to country-specific customs (for example, is a photo required? How should the cover letter be worded, etc.).

The following links may be helpful:

• Application tips from the EU Community
• Information from the Federal Employment Agency

If you want to have the internship credited toward your degree, you should check with your internship coordinator to make sure this is possible. To do so, you should already have some idea of the tasks you will be performing during the internship.

Here you will also find a flyer from the HRK regarding the recognition of study abroad programs.

Have you found a placement but can't afford the internship abroad? Don't worry—there are several options:

• Erasmus+ for Internships
• PROMOS for internships outside Europe
• DAAD short-term grants for internships at German diplomatic missions, international organizations, German schools abroad, or German humanities institutes abroad
• Lehramt.international for internships for students and graduates at schools (worldwide)
• DAAD travel grants for internships arranged through IAESTE or AIESEC
• Carlo Schmid for internships at international organizations and EU institutions
• German-French Youth Office for internships in France

All the arrangements you have to make…

Visa

Especially if you’re traveling outside the EU, you should find out about entry and residence requirements well in advance, as these not only vary from country to country but also change relatively often even within the same country. Tourist visas are often insufficient for internship stays.

It’s best to research this early on the website of the respective embassy. You can find the address on the U.S. Department of State’s website.

Vaccinations and Insurance

Another point to keep in mind is health care. The Federal Foreign Office provides information on required and recommended vaccinations in its travel and safety advisories. Fit for Travel is also a good resource.

Check with your health insurance provider well in advance to ensure you are covered during a longer stay abroad! Especially outside the EU, you often need additional documents or must purchase supplemental insurance. The DAAD offers affordable group insurance (health, accident, and liability).

Finding Accommodation

If the internship provider does not offer tips or arrange accommodation themselves, online accommodation exchanges, such as those on Learnweb, can often help. But be careful! There are many scammers who ask for advance payments or similar!

Country Information

Different countries, different customs. Intercultural preparation often gets lost in the organizational stress. However, you shouldn’t underestimate it, as it helps you avoid unnecessary stress and trouble once you’re in the country. The eu-community, for example, is helpful, offering free intercultural training and country information. You can also learn a lot from experience reports, and we’ve collected some useful links on our homepage under “Country Information.”

Financial

Fortunately, getting cash abroad is usually not that difficult these days. As a general rule, due to high fees, it’s cheaper not to get foreign currency here in Germany, but rather at ATMs or currency exchange offices once you’re there. With credit cards from certain providers, such as DKB, you can withdraw money worldwide for free.

Final arrangements at home

Here are a few key points to keep in mind when organizing your affairs back home:

• Taking a semester off: For most students, it makes sense to take a leave of absence for Stay Abroad. This must be done by the re-registration deadline of the immediately preceding semester. You can find more information on the Admissions Office’s website.
• Canceling phone and internet contracts: Check with your provider to see if you can suspend your contract for the duration of your stay abroad
• Subletting: The International Office sublets rooms to incoming students from our partner universities. You can find the form in the download section.

Faculty 1:

• Educational Sciences: Christin Sager
• History: Dr. Deborah Cuccia
• Teacher Education: Dr. Jana Chudaske
• Psychology: Maria Weishäupl (required internships), fsbpsy@uni-hildesheim.de (voluntary internships)
• Social and Organizational Pedagogy:
  • SOP International
  • ISOP: Katharina Mangold, Carolin Ehlke: praktikumsop@uni-hildesheim.de

Faculty 2:

• Cultural Studies: Julia Kerk 

Faculty 3:

• IKÜ: Dr. Jacqueline Schnieber
• IIM: Olga Mennecke
• DaZ/DaF: Daria Orobchuk and Prof. Dr. phil. Elke Montanari
• Institute of English Language and Literature: Contact persons can be found here.

Faculty 4:

• Environmental Safety: Prof. Dr. Martin Sauerwein