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An internship can be an enriching experience - if you know your rights and obligations
Photo: Willie B. Thomas / Getty Images
What internships are there?
Not all internships are the same - this applies to content and tasks, of course, but also to the rights of interns.
They differ depending on whether an internship is voluntary or compulsory.
Compulsory internships are part of the course, just like the botany lecture or the statistics exam.
Or as Valentin Dietrich from the youth department of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) says: "I have to do compulsory internships in order to be able to finish my studies." That is why they are in the study or examination regulations, for example.
There it is also specified how long the internship should last and in which areas it can be completed.
There are also voluntary internships.
These can be orientation internships before your studies or study-related internships during the semester break.
They are independent of the course and are not counted as examination performance.
Do I get a minimum wage for the internship?
Pay is one of the main differences between voluntary and compulsory internships.
Mandatory interns do not have to be paid.
They are also exempt from the minimum wage.
The situation is different with a voluntary internship during your studies.
In the meantime, interns are legally entitled to a minimum wage - but only if the internship lasts longer than three months and they are older than 18 years.
Despite these rules, most interns do not go away empty-handed: According to a survey on behalf of the management consultancy Clevis, around 92 percent of internships were paid for in 2020.
The average salary was therefore around 1067 euros.
58 percent of those surveyed completed a compulsory internship, 42 percent a voluntary internship.
Important for everyone who receives student loans: In the case of a compulsory paid internship, the full salary is offset against the payment amount.
How long should the internship last?
In the case of a compulsory internship, the duration is stated in the respective study or examination regulations.
At Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, for example, students of the humanities and social sciences must have at least six weeks.
Eight is the limit, says Katrin Schmidtke, who is responsible for the interns in this department.
Valentin Dietrich from the DGB-Jugend advises a maximum of three months.
With longer internships, the character as a learning relationship is in doubt, he says.
In fact, internships often last much longer - an average of five months for those surveyed in the Clevis study.
Are you allowed to work overtime?
Overtime is also allowed in the internship.
However, the average working time must not exceed eight hours per day.
And according to the Working Hours Act, interns are also not allowed to work more than ten hours a day.
The Youth Labor Protection Act applies to interns under the age of 18.
Am I covered by social security during the internship?
Social insurance includes health, long-term care, accident, pension and unemployment insurance.
Compulsory internships are insurance-free - regardless of how long the internship lasts, and regardless of how high the salary and weekly working hours are.
However, compulsory interns must continue to take out health insurance for themselves, for example as a student: with or through family insurance.
Internships before or after your studies without pay are also exempt from social security as long as they do not last longer than three months.
A voluntary internship during your studies is insurance-free if it lasts a maximum of three months and is remunerated with a maximum of 450 euros per month.
Then it is considered a mini-job and the employer pays a flat-rate contribution for those with statutory health insurance.
Because there are many individual cases, you should find out more before you start your internship.
Do I get Bafög for an internship abroad?
In the case of a compulsory internship abroad, everyone receives: r Auslands Bafög, who is also eligible for Bafög in Germany.
Important: Foreign student loans are only available if the internship lasts at least twelve weeks - and not longer than a year.
But even if you do not get a student loan in Germany, it is often worthwhile to apply for a foreign student loan.
Valentin Dietrich of the DGB-Jugend says: "Some people who do not receive student loans in Germany can get that."
On the other hand, there is no student loan for voluntary internships abroad.
The only exception: the domestic student loan will continue to be paid if the voluntary internship is done during the semester break or part-time.
Can I get student loans and internship salary at the same time?
For a compulsory internship, there is still student funding.
However, the amount of the salary is important: "Because the internship remuneration is offset against the student loan," says Stefanie Vahlenkamp, department head at the student loan office in Oldenburg.
Voluntary internships can continue to be funded as long as they do not interfere with your studies.
This is why full-time internships are only allowed during the semester break - part-time internships are also allowed during your studies.
If the salary is over 450 euros, it will be credited as with a part-time job.
How many vacation days do I have?
Voluntary internships are considered normal employment relationships, so interns have the right to vacation.
With a five-day week, there are 24 vacation days per year.
If the internship lasts six months or less, the vacation days are calculated proportionally.
With three months it is about six days.
Compulsory interns, on the other hand, are not entitled to vacation.
Can I ask for an internship certificate?
Every intern can request a certificate at the end of the internship.
How detailed this needs to be depends on the type of internship.
Voluntary interns, for example, have the right to a so-called qualified certificate.
It says how the performance and behavior during the internship will be assessed.
For compulsory interns, on the other hand, a simple internship certificate is compulsory.
The type and duration of the internship are noted in this.
Usually the employers write a qualified certificate, but also for compulsory interns.
Everyone should have a certificate issued, says Katrin Schmidtke from the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel.
"An internship is your first calling card for practical experience." It is all the better for later applications to prove what you can do.
Can I cancel my internship?
If everything goes wrong, as an intern you can: quit, yes.
There is no deadline for this during the probationary period.
Once the trial period is over, there are set times.
How long they are is stated in the internship contract.
These rules also apply to employers.
Do I have to make coffee every day?
There is no law that prohibits making coffee during an internship, explains labor lawyer Martin Bechert.
But the internship is about learning something.
It is okay to make coffee as long as you get to know the actual fields of work.
If you have any problems, it is best to speak to the internship supervisor first.
And if nothing changes, in case of doubt there is the possibility of canceling the internship.
aba / dpa