Outgoing
Information for students
These pages are intended for students of the educational institutions in Darmstadt, Germany. Students who are studying in other countries must apply for an IAESTE internship through the committee in their home country. The IAESTE local committee Darmstadt provides internships for students in the Rhine-Main area, including e.g. the following universities:
- TU Darmstadt
- h_da Darmstadt
- EH Darmstadt
- Goethe-Universtät Frankfurt am Main
- Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
- Hochschule Rhein-Main
- TH Aschaffenburg
The offered internships are predominantly suitable for students in natural science or technical disciplines ausgelegt. Von Zeit zu Zeit werden jedoch auch Praktikumsplätze mit wirtschaftlichem oder gesellschaftswissenschaftlichem Schwerpunkt ausgeschrieben.
There are places both in industry and at research institutes. Most IAESTE internships last about 2-3 months and often take place during the summer months. The internships are always remunerated; the earnings depend on the typical cost of living of the country. IAESTE takes care of the housing search for the interns and takes care of all necessary formalities. This service is free of charge for students enrolled in Germany. This is made possible by the integration of the IAESTE program into the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
How to get an internship with IAESTE?
The following requirements must be met when applying for an IAESTE internship:
- You are currently enrolled at one of the universities listed above
- You are studying in the third semester or higher
Some employers ask for an additional letter of recommendation (in English) when applying for an internship. This can be a letter from a previous employer, or from the university. Our experience shows that many faculties have a template for this type of letter prepared. Just visit your favorite professor and ask.
We have different types of internships with different application processes. We briefly present the two most important types here, for more details see here: https://iaeste.org/internship-programmes
1. Exchange Internships, three deadlines per year
The application deadlines for Exchange Internships are always beginning of November / February / May each year. The process is as follows:
The pre-application procedure runs via the IAESTE Exchange Platform (EP). There you have to register as a student, enter your data and upload the following files:
- Letter of motivation, which we use to decide who we would like to offer an internship abroad. The letter is intended for us (not for the potential employer) and should show why and to what extent you are interested in cultural exchange and work experience abroad.
- CV
- Transcript of Records
- Certificate of registration
- English language certificate
Only when all documents are complete, we can verify you and take the next steps!
The internships then take place in the following months (usually in the summer).
The next deadline is beginning of November 2024.
Depending on the specified boundary conditions (country requirements, period, qualifications), an attempt will then be made to exchange suitable internship offers for our applicants. This takes place at national conferences organized by the DAAD, in which we as LC Darmstadt will participate.
As we currently receive about 7 places per year in Darmstadt, and the number of applicants is around 20, we can not offer every applicant a suitable internship. For several interested students on an available internship we then decide on the basis of the pre-applications.
If we were able to assign you an internship, you have to decide if you definitely accept the offer, i.e. want to send a compulsory application to the employer. After paying a deposit (100€), you will receive from us all documents that are necessary for the final application. The final feedback will be received approximately one month later.
The deposit will be returned to you as soon as your internship is over and you have submitted a report to us.
In this process, there are often internships left over after the first allocation phase, some of which are quite interesting. These remaining internships are allocated in a subsequent exchange process or published directly as a Global Internship (see "2nd way"). If we were unable to exchange an internship for you, we will of course inform you about the subsequent exchange options and consult with you to see which internships you might also be interested in.
More information can be found here.
2nd Way: Global Internships
In addition to the regular one-year cycle for internships, there are also Global Internships. These are updated throughout the year and it is worth checking the current list from time to time. Applications are possible all year round! You can find them on the IAESTE Exchange Platform or under this link. If you are interested in an internship, simply contact us at info@iaeste-darmstadt.de and we will be happy to help you.
You can apply for a maximum of two internships at the same time.
Employers receive several applications for these internships (in contrast to exchange internships).
Advantages of an IAESTE internship
Time saving
An internship with IAESTE saves you a lot of time - especially during the application and formal processes (visa etc). If you have any questions, we as LC Darmstadt assist you whereever possible. This service is cost-free for students studying in Germany.
Remuneration
IAESTE internships are usually paid and the salary is sufficient for all living expenses. An additional advantage is the travel grant ('Reisekostenzuschuss') of the DAAD for travelling to countries outside the EU.
Local Assistance
The Local Committee at your working place will organize a place to live, will pick you up at the airport and is able to assist you for any questions. Also, the LCs usually organize trips and partys for you to meet other interns and new people.
“All in all the on-site support by IAESTE was very good, our contact person (from São Paulo) visited us a few times in Campinas in our Republica and we could always contact him with questions.”
“Furthermore, the great dynamic with local IAESTE volunteers inspired me to take up the same task and show people around back home in my own LC. I was shown so much hospitality from locals, that I would like to give something back to foreign interns arriving in Germany.”
"My goal was to perceive the world from a different perspective for a while and to fill white spots on the map with life. I completely fulfilled that with the internship, without feeling uncomfortable for even a moment during it."
"I made many new friends and I plan to travel to Bolivia again. In conclusion, I highly recommend an internship or a trip to Bolivia."
“For me it was not a once in a lifetime experience since I will for sure come back to this amazing, beautiful, sometimes a bit weird but just lovely country and I would recommend everybody to get out of their comfort zone and apply for a country that wasn’t on their “bucket list” beforehand – you won’t regret it!”
“The time at work itself was great. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and my colleagues were super welcoming. Everyone gave their best to make me feel comfortable. I got a lot of recommendations what to do and where to go and my colleagues told me a lot about the current situation in Lebanon.”
"I was on the construction site from morning to night, accompanied the engineers and was able to observe a lot. I was also allowed to help with surveying. I am very grateful for the insights and experiences of this week."
“Apart from all the fun, I had good growth working in this company professionally and personally. For my work, I have helped my company creating system models of different Infineon Smart Power Switches in MATLAB Simscape environment.”
“I learned to be more open and relaxed, and I think I can handle new and unfamiliar situations a little better in the future.”
“The support and hospitality of my colleagues, the exposure to a dynamic work environment, and the immersion in Vietnamese culture have left an indelible mark on my journey. I am immensely grateful for the friendships I formed, both locally and internationally, and for the valuable lessons and experiences gained during my time in Vietnam.”
“I appreciated that the internship abroad combined the positive aspects of working with locals and enjoying the Erasmus community.“
“In conclusion, I am incredibly glad that I took the bold step of doing the internship in Hong Kong. Initially, I had reservations because I had originally planned to visit another country, and I had limited knowledge about Hong Kong. However, this journey allowed me to immerse myself in a different culture, enhance my English language proficiency, bolster my self-confidence, adapt to unforeseen challenges, and become more self-reliant and spontaneous. I also had the amazing opportunity to meet incredible people from all over the world and make unforgettable memories.“
"The cultural exchange was also particularly important. I talked a lot with my Brazilian colleague and my Polish friend about life in Germany, Brazil and Poland in all respects and compared their advantages and disadvantages.“
"In conclusion, I can say that I am very happy to have had this experience. I really enjoyed the project and was able to learn a lot of new things. I also felt very comfortable on campus, especially as the accommodation and food were wonderful. As we had a starting point for excursions, we enjoyed going on very short trips lasting several days. This allowed us to get to know this very diverse and exciting country, but also gave us a place to retreat and process all the new and exciting experiences."
"Although I was very nervous when I started my internship about whether the internship abroad was the right decision for me, I am now absolutely convinced that I could not have made a better one."
FAQ
In many countries, it is anyway mandatory, but in any case, a health insurance is vitally important. Furthermore, an accident and a liability insurance, which is valid abroad, is highly recommended.
The DAAD offers IAESTE interns a low-cost combined foreign health, foreign accident and foreign liability insurance. The insurance premium (tariff 720/A) has been a constant € 32.00 per month since 1st of December 2015. The insurance conditions for interns can be found here.
Applying for insurance for IAESTE interns is done in different ways, depending on whether you have applied for a travel grant or not.
If you have applied for a travel grant or plan to do so, then you can also take out the insurance via the DAAD portal. If you are not applying for a travel grant, you can email the application for insurance directly to our office.
Students of all disciplines who would like to complete an internship prescribed or recommended by the respective faculty can apply for a travel grant from the DAAD. The amount of the subsidy depends on the destination country.
More information can be found here
- Valid passport (or ID card within EU)
- Visa
- Health, accident and liability insurance
- Enough money for the first month
- Vaccination pass
- Certificate of enrollment from your university
- International student ID card - available at Asta
- Camera
- Hiking boots
- Warm clothes (even in the desert it can get chilly)
- Swimsuit
- Adapter for foreign power sockets
- Maybe sleeping bag, bed sheets, mosquito net
- Optional: Information about Germany, gifts for hosts
If necessary, you apply for the visa by submitting the form N / 5a (provided by us), the employer confirmation, and any other enclosed documents directly from the responsible consulate or embassy. Since from time to time legal changes may occur, you should inform yourself in good time about the current status of the entry requirements.
As soon as you are assigned to your internship on the Exchange Platform we will ask you to transfer a deposit of € 100. This is to make sure that assigned students seriously intend to apply to the employer and we do not loose any opportunities for other outgoers due to untaken reservations. After the submission of a short report of your experience you get the deposit back.
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