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Berlin Internships - FAQs

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  1. How are the internship host institutions selected?
  2. Am I guaranteed an internship placement?
  3. Is this program only for specific majors?
  4. Can I pursue my own host institution?
  5. Is the language requirement flexible?
  6. I really want to be in Berlin for my internship – is this possible?
  7. What are the advantages of interning outside of Berlin?
  8. I am currently a senior – can I do an internship?
  9. Do I need a work permit for Germany?
  10. I am an engineer and I want to intern with a famous German car company – is this possible?
  11. Why do you need my Unofficial Transcript submitted as a Word file?
  12. Why should I apply before arriving in Berlin?
  13. Why would you want to Intern abroad?
  14. What are the benefits of an internship with the Krupp Internship Program?

How are the internship host institutions selected?

There is no given set of internships that we simply distribute to students, though we have continued cooperation with many hosts. Instead, we search for suitable hosts for each student on the basis of their qualifications and interests and discuss priorities with the applicants.

Am I guaranteed an internship placement?

We guarantee placement for every qualified student, assuming their timely and concrete input throughout the application process. This guarantee also means that we must depend on students’ firm commitment to interning in Germany.

Is this program only for specific majors?

No! All majors are enthusiastically encouraged to apply. Although Germany is known for its technical prowess, the Krupp Internship Program is not only or mainly for "techies.” We have had many humanities and social science majors participate as well! After all, Germany is also the land of metaphysics and music...

For information about the range of majors and host institutions of previous interns, please view Selected Profiles of Past Interns.

Can I pursue my own host institution?

If you have your own contacts in Germany which might help you to find a specific internship, feel free to use them. However, (1) please inform the Internship Coordinator that you are using your own connections, and (2) please inform your contact about our program. We can still get the internship permit for you (for internships lasting longer than 90 days). We can help you to get a visa extension/permit to stay, if you do not have an EU passport. And we will support you with a grant if necessary.

Is the language requirement flexible?

No. Our language requirement for the program, one year of college German or an equivalent of it, is the absolute minimum. Some hosts will require (much) more. The more German you know, the more successful you will be, and he more fun you will have outside the workplace! Try to learn as much German as possible before your internship. Language learning requires continuous work and we will check your language progress repeatedly.

I really want to be in Berlin for my internship – is this possible?

Yes. We understand that Berlin is an attractive place and many students prefer to intern in the capital. However, you should keep in mind the following considertions: As far as engineering is concerned (the young startup scene aside), Berlin is not an industrial city. Its industry is still suffering from the deindustrializing consequences of the post-war times and of German unification. Also in non-industrial fields, not all types of work are available. To be able to place you effectively we cannot give priority to geographical considerations. We place interns all over the country, wherever we can find a good host. For whatever reason, if you are fixed on a certain location, it is your responsibility to find a host, though of course we help as much as we can.

What are the advantages of interning outside of Berlin?

There are many educational and cultural reasons for leaving Berlin for your internship. Elsewhere in Germany, you often need to become more of an independent actor, reorganizing life in a new place and speaking German on a daily basis. In small and medium towns, people often take more time to speak to non-native speakers and to socialize with them. Berlin is not Germany and there are many other regions/cultures in the country which are worth exploring, e.g.: Munich and the whole of Bavaria, Stuttgart and the whole of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhein-Westphalia resp. the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region (Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Essen, etc.), Frankfurt am Main (Germany's financial center), the global city Hamburg. Keep in mind that the country has a decent public transportation system which allows high mobility without a car.

I am currently a senior – can I do an internship?

Yes! However, applicants who are seniors and who would usually graduate in June need to postpone their graduation to the end of September in order to keep their student status, which is required for program participation. This can be easily done by applying for a one-time “graduation quarter.” Please contact your major department for the (small) paperwork. We will need proof of this procedure before the start of the internship. You can postpone your graduation only one time and only for one quarter. You are still able to participate in the graduation ceremony in June. Co-term students are required to submit proof of their acceptance into the co-term program (an email from the admission office will do).

Do I need a work permit for Germany?

To be able to intern in Germany legally, non-EU citizens will need a residence permit/visa extension (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung). Only if their internship is longer than 90 days they will also need an internship permit (Praktikumserlaubnis). The former document you will obtain with our support in Berlin from the Immigration office (Landesamt für Einwanderung, LEA).

I am an engineer and I want to intern with a famous German car company – is this possible?

In principle, yes. We had a lot of interns at car manufacturers. However, please understand that not every engineering student can intern with Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche or VW. It is impossible simply for quantitative reasons. Also, not every B.S. engineering student can easily compete with a German diploma student majoring in Vehicle Technology, and many internships in this field are offered only for five or six months. Sometimes car system suppliers like Bosch, Brose, Continental, Hella or ZF Friedrichshafen (to name only a few global leaders) offer equal or even better opportunities (the tendency is that only about 30% of the car parts will be developed and manufactured by the major brands themselves; and more and more R&D is done by engineering consultancies like IAV automotive engineering). Short: We fully support applications to the car industry but ask students to think also about alternatives should such a placement not work out. Try makes wise – Versuch macht klug!

More importantly, there is much more to German industry than the car industry! Consider also other fields of technology, be it AI, alternative energy, "green" civil engineering, the health industries, robotics, aeronautics or railway engineering. BOSP, at Sweet Hall, has books on German engineering, and for inspiration you can also check out the network of the Fraunhofer institutes where we have had many successful internships: http://www.fraunhofer.de/ OR: http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/.

Why do you need my Unofficial Transcript submitted as a Word file?

We request this for better readability and in order to include all classes which you will take before the start of the internship, but which do not yet show up in your UT. Also, the Axess version contains information which should not be made public.

Why should I apply before arriving in Berlin?

We need your application documents before your Berlin study quarter to be able to start the placement process early enough, this applies esp., though not only, for Winter and Spring quarter students: It takes time to draw up a qualified (complete and flawless) application, provide work samples or letters of recommendation – while studying abroad you will be very busy with all kinds of other activities – after all you want to take advantage of being abroad! – and organizing a face to face interview might take several weeks. Also, many hosts expect applications three to six months before the start of the internships, some even earlier applications. And certain internships are very popular and are awarded early.

Why would you want to Intern abroad?

  • International practical experience opens new professional and cultural perspectives and improves career opportunities. Such internships can be life changing!
  • International work and life experience tests skills and helps to develop new skills which are transferable into other fields (adaptability, flexibility, cultural awareness, discipline, etc.).
  • Language acquisition: learning a language while working and living in a different country allows faster, irreversible language progress and much deeper immersion.
  • Inevitably, you will broadening of your horizon and worldview.
  • You can build an international network with people and institutions.
  • You will gain in self-confidence and independence because you learn to establish yourself anew in a different (if not strange) environment.

What are the benefits of an internship with the Krupp Internship Program?

  • Three to six months long internships all over Germany for all majors, not only for MINT students.
  • Fully paid full-time internships at all times of the year: The generous grant (1600€ to 1800€, depending on the location and its living costs) which is much higher than the German average internship payment in the industry (ca. 1100€), is sufficient for rent, food, travelling, cultural activities.
  • The Krupp program helps with the red tape: visa extensions and, if needed, internship permits (for internships longer than 90 days), German tax and social security numbers.
  • Individualized placement: the placement does not depend on a given set of hosts, instead, the coordinators find suitable hosts based on your individual qualifications and interests (in average, the program has 10 to 15 new hosts per year).
  • Cultural and logistical preparation of the internships, evaluating discussions at the end of the internship season.
  • You can get credit for writing about the internship from the German Department.