Internships Abroad
An internship abroad is a wonderful way to learn practical applications for your studies, gain work experience, build your professional network, develop your language skills, and more.
Your first step will be to decide what kind of internship you’re interested in, and where you’d like to go. Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for, you can find available internships and apply for them, keeping in mind the practical considerations below.
Research Internships at Universities
Some of our partner universities offer research internships every year, usually for Bachelor or Master students in their first year.
Typically, the application deadlines for these offers are from early-October to late-January (TUM winter semester) for a stay in spring/summer from May until August. We update our websites with the current application deadlines yearly.
Often, the internships are associated with a scholarship or are remunerated with a high internship salary. You can find the links to the single calls for applications further below or on the left in the menu bar.
Internships at a Company or University
Here you can find preparatory information and a few tips on how to approach an application for an internship. Informatics/Computer Science students are welcome interns worldwide, so take heart!
Your language skills, in particular, are decisive when it comes to choosing your internship destination. In contrast to studying abroad, you do not have the possibility to learn the language only on-site. To be able to work properly at your new workplace from day one, we recommend to have a good spoken and written command of the respective language. Therefore, it often makes sense to do an internship directly after studying abroad. At this point, your language skills are mostly at a level that enables you to communicate with your colleagues without any problems.
Exception: companies that have English as their company language, but are located for example in Finland. In these cases, your English skills are decisive.
There are generally three routes you can choose when looking for an internship:
- going through the Erasmus program,
- finding one on your own, or
- using the services of an agency specializing in international internships, usually for a fee.
Finding an internship abroad yourself is of course more time-consuming, but you don't have to pay fees, as is the case with paid providers. Here you will find research tips for self-organized internships abroad, which you can combine with a scholarship as well as further links to commercial providers.
Some ideas for finding internships independently are:
- Search via the TUM Career Service
- Search via a German company with branches overseas: many large companies (e.g. Siemens, BMW,...) only allow their own working students to take advantage of this privilege, i.e. you would already have to work for this company in Germany in order to be sent to a branch abroad. For some companies, it makes more sense to apply directly to the German branch abroad (e.g. VW in Mexico).
- Search via an international company in Germany: you can try to get into the head office abroad via a German branch.
- Students' initiatives:
- IAESTE München: internships worldwide, mostly for STEM degree programs, application in fall (there is a pre-application phase) for an internship in the following summer, 150€ deposit when accepted for an internship, 15€ for preparatory seminar. You can also request internships during the year.
- AIESEC: internships worldwide, different durations possible, 450€ fee
Agencies and organizations that place internship positions or give respective advice for a fee:
- AYUSA: internships in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
- WORLD-OF-EXCHANGE : information on internships abroad and placement of positions in various sectors worldwide
- gls-Sprachreisen : internships and language courses worldwide
- College Council : studying and working in an English speaking country
- STUDENTS-GO-ABROAD : internship offers in various regions of the world
Other useful links to databases, programs and organizations:
- Scholarships
- Erasmus+ scholarships for internships in Europe and worldwide
- Databases
- Vulcanus (EU program offering internships in Japan that last from August-March)
- Monster (job and internship database)
- Praktikum.de (internship database)
- Join the Best (MLP's scholarship program)
- Academic Work (jobs and internships in Scandinavia)
- International Placement Center e.V. (international internships)
- Bavarian-Indian Centre (internships, particularly in South India & BayIND scholarship)
- Contacts
- Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Once you’ve found an internship you’re interested in, it’s time to prepare your application. Application standards can vary greatly among countries, so make sure to investigate the correct way to format an application in the relevant country. For instance, there may be a preferred way to format your CV, or certain conventions to keep in mind for your cover letter.
Europass offers extensive advice on applying for jobs and internships in EU countries, and provides a CV template.
After being offered an internship position, keep the following in mind:
Health Insurance
- Internships within the EU: Within the EU, your German health insurance covers you as long as you order a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, we also recommend arranging additional insurance to cover repatriation in case of emergency, as this is not covered by the EHIC.
- Internships outside the EU: Outside of the EU, you must arrange health insurance independently.
- Liability insurance: We also recommend arranging for third-party liability insurance for possible damages incurred within the company you where you will be completing your internship.
Visas and Residence Permits
Begin to investigate visa and residence permit regulations as soon as possible after arranging for your internship abroad, as the application processes can be lengthy and complex.
To find visa regulations in the country where you plan to intern, contact the country’s embassy in Germany; usually visa information can be found on the embassy’s website.
Also bear in mind that there are usually fees associated with applying for a visa.
Note: For internships in the United States, the US Embassy is not responsible for issuing internship visas. Rather, certain organizations like the College Council, Cultural Vistas, or the German-American Chamber of Commerce will process your visa application. Contact these organizations directly for details and to apply.
Leave of Absence
In order to take time out of your studies for an internship, you must apply for an official leave of absence. If your internship takes place in an extra-European country, a leave of absence is possible to a limited extend. Please always check with the Matriculation Office. In any case, the internship must last at least 12 weeks for a leave of absence.
The academic advisors can issue a certification for the Matriculation Office to support a semester of leave; they need your contract, your job description, and your TUMonline transcript of records.
Language and Culture
It is vital that you have a strong command of your company’s workplace language, both written and oral, before beginning your internship. This will allow you to successfully communicate with your colleagues. We strongly recommend that you spend time brushing up on your language skills and studying job-specific terminology in advance of your internship.
Also keep in mind that the language used at your company is not necessarily the same as the language spoken in that country; many international companies use English as a workplace language even if English is not an official language in their country.
- The Language Center at TUM offers courses in many languages to help you prepare.
- The DAAD also provides scholarships for language courses (Arabic & some Asian languages).
Additionally, we strongly recommend that you take time to read about the workplace culture in your host country, as cultural norms, particularly in the professional world, can vary greatly.
Your can find interesting calls for funding internships in industry and research on the TUM Global & Alumni website for ERASMUS internships in Europe and worldwide, for internships in Switzerland and on the general website on scholarships.