Compulsory internship

Information on the practical project

WHO: Bachelor's students on the Civil Engineering, Water and Soil Management (Environmental Engineering) and Applied Computer Science degree programmes

WHEN : Regularly in the 7th semester.

HOW LONG? 14 weeks in total - of which at least 12 weeks for working in the company and 2 weeks for preparation and follow-up as well as writing the practical project report

Information event

WHEN? In the winter semester 2025/26. You will be informed of the specific date by email in good time.

You can download (PDF, 4.30 MB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) the presentation for the event from winter semester 2024/25 here (PDF, 4.30 MB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible).

Registration

You must register the practical project at the university before starting work. To do this, send the registration form to the Suderburg Student Service Office. The application forms for the practical project as well as the practical project regulations for Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering (Water and Soil Management) and Applied Computer Science can be found in the Moodle course "Prüfungsangelegenheiten Fakultät B". The link to the Moodle course can be found on the website of the Faculty of Civil, Water and Soil Engineering (external link, opens in a new window).

Contract templates

• german
• english

Schedule for the practical project

You can download (PDF, 86.63 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) the schedule here (PDF, 86.63 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible).

Contact persons for the practical project

Career Service: Jessica Sölter

Student Service Office Suderburg

Do you need help preparing your application documents or looking for a job?

Then please contact the Career Service directly : Tel.: +49 5341 875 15605, Mail: career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window)you will find current vacancies for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, student traineeships and dissertations.

Important information

Internships are organised internally at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. You can find information and documents on the faculty website.

Do you need support in preparing your application documents or looking for a job? Then please contact us directly:

Career Service

Phone: +49 5341 875 15605

Mail: career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window)you will find (external link, opens in a new window)current job advertisements for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, working student activities and theses.

Downloads & Forms

You can find information and documents on Bachelor's and Master's theses on the pages of your faculty. You can find a sample contract for writing your thesis here:

Contract templates:

• german
• english

Information about the internship semester

WHO? Bachelor students on the Automotive Engineering, Vehicle Informatics and Smart Vehicle Systems degree programmes

• WHEN? Regularly in the 7th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 18 weeks, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Automotive Engineering and Automotive Mechatronics and Computer Science degree programmes

• WHEN? Regularly in the 5th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 18 weeks, maximum duration: 6 months

You can find all the important details about the internship semester on the "Automotive Engineering internship semester"page.

Information on the practical phase

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Management in Healthcare degree programme

WHEN? Regularly in the 6th semester, possible from 1 February in the summer semester or from 15 July in the winter semester (after the respective examination period)

HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 13 weeks (exception: 12 weeks for students enrolled before winter semester 19/20), maximum duration: 6 months

You can find all the important details about the practical phase on the "Practical phase in healthcare"page.

Information on the compulsory internship

WHO: Bachelor's students on the Commerce and Logistics degree programme(Important note: The Commerce and Logistics degree programme will be called Business Administration and Management from winter semester 25/26. Information on this can be found on the faculty's website)

WHEN: Regularly in the 7th semester

HOW LONG: At least 12 weeks

WHAT? Details on the practical phase of the Retail and Logistics degree programme can be found in theprocess description (PDF, 192.52 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) and in the practical phase regulations (PDF, 38.93 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible)

HOW : You must register for the practical phase at the university before starting work. To do this, send the registration form (PDF, 231.14 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) to the Suderburg Student Service Office

Information event

WHEN : In the winter semester 2025/26, you will be informed of the specific date by email in good time.

You can download (PDF, 5.46 MB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) the presentation for the event from the winter semester 2024/25 here (PDF, 5.46 MB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible)

Contract templates

• german, English
• english

Contact persons for the compulsory internship

Career Service: Jessica Sölter

Student Service Office Suderburg

Are you studying Social Work in Suderburg?

You can find information on the integrated practical phase in Moodle in the Social Work degree programme course https://www.ostfalia.de/cms/de/h/studium/soziale-arbeit-b.a./ (external link, opens in a new window)

Do you need help preparing your application documents or looking for a job?

Then please contact the Career Service directly : Tel.: +49 5341 875 15605, Mail: career(at)ostfalia.de (opens your e-mail programme) (external link, opens in a new window)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window) (external link, opens in a new window)you will find current vacancies for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, student traineeships and dissertations.

Important information

The subject of the practical project is regulated internally at the Faculty of Computer Science. Information and documents can be found on the website of your faculty.

Do you need help preparing your application documents or looking for a job? Then please contact us directly:

Career Service

Phone: +49 5341 875 15605

Mail: career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window)you will find (external link, opens in a new window)current job advertisements for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, working student activities and theses.

Downloads & Forms

Information and documents for Bachelor's and Master's theses can be found on the website of your faculty. You can find a sample contract for writing your thesis here:

Contract templates:

• german
• english

Information about the internship semester

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Digital Engineering Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering Mechanical Engineering degree programmes

WHEN? Regularly in the 5th semester, possible from February in the summer semester or from July in the winter semester (after the respective examination period)

HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 18 weeks, maximum duration: 6 months (recommended)

You can find all the important details about the internship semester on the "Mechanical Engineering Internship Semester"page .

Information on the practical semesters

WHO? Bachelor students of the degree programmes "Law, Personnel Management and Personnel Psychology" and "Business Law"

• WHEN? Regularly in the 4th and 7th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR by arrangement after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 22 weeks, maximum duration: 26 weeks

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Law, Financial Management and Taxation degree programme

• WHEN? Regularly in the 5th and 7th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR by arrangement after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 22 weeks, maximum duration: 26 weeks

All important details about the 1st and 2nd practical semester can be found on the page "Practical semester law".

Important information

The subject of internships is regulated internally at the Faculty of Social Work. You can find information and documents on the website of your faculty.

Do you need help preparing your application documents or looking for a job? Then please contact us directly:

Career Service

Phone: +49 5341 875 15605

Mail: career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window)you will find (external link, opens in a new window)current job advertisements for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, working student activities and theses.

Downloads & Forms

You can find information and documents for Bachelor's and Master's theses on the pages of your faculty. We have linked the appendix to the training contract (PDF, 173.04 KB) (opens in a new window), (not accessible) for you.

Information about the internship semester

WHO? Bachelor students of the degree programmes Tourism Management, Sports Management, Urban and Regional Management, Media Design, Media Communication, Media Management

• WHEN? Regularly in the 6th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Digital Storytelling degree programme

• WHEN: Regularly in the 6th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? minimum duration: 24 weeks

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Logistics Management, Logistics and Information Management, Sustainable Mobility, Smart Transportation Systems, Mobility and Passenger Transport Management, Industrial Engineering Mobility and Transport degree programmes

• WHEN: Regularly in the 7th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Logistics Management in Practice programme, Logistics and Information Management in Practice programme

• WHEN: Regularly in the last semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Master's students on the Transport and Logistics degree programme

• WHEN: Regularly in the 3rd semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)

• HOW LONG: Minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

All important details about the internship semester can be found on the page "Internship semester Transport-Sport-Tourism-Media".

Important information

Internships are organised internally at the Faculty of Supply Engineering. Information and documents can be found on the website of your faculty.

Do you need help preparing your application documents or looking for a job? Then please contact us directly:

Career Service

Phone: +49 5341 875 15605

Mail: career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program)

On the Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (external link, opens in a new window)you will find (external link, opens in a new window)current job advertisements for internships, permanent positions, part-time jobs, working student activities and theses.

Downloads & Forms

Information and documents for Bachelor's and Master's theses can be found on the website of your faculty. You can find a sample contract for writing your thesis here:

Contract templates:

• german
• english

Information on the practical phase

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Business Administration programme

• WHEN? Regularly in the 6th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Business Administration in Practice programme

• WHEN? Regularly in the 8th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

WHO? Bachelor's students on the Automotive Engineering and Management degree programme

• WHEN? Regularly in the 7th semester (start from 1 March in the summer semester or from 1 September in the winter semester OR already after the respective examination period)
• HOW LONG? Minimum duration: 3 months, maximum duration: 6 months

You can find all the important details about the internship semester on the page "Business internship".

Will my internship affect my BAföG funding?

If you are receiving BAföG funding, you should inform your responsible BAföG office (external link, opens in a new window)about the upcoming internship and seek advice. The following website www.bafoeg-aktuell.de (external link, opens in a new window), for example, describes possible effects . (external link, opens in a new window)

I need help with my compulsory internship! Who can I turn to?

The Ostfalia Career Service team will be happy to advise you on the following points:

• Organisation and handling of the compulsory internship
• Application documents (cover letter, CV) in English and German
• Job search for your internship (but also for topics such as starting a career after graduation, part-time job, etc.)
• Job interviews - correct preparation, typical interview questions

You are welcome to make an individual appointment with the Career Service counselling team .

Can I borrow books from the library for the entire duration of my internship?

If you would like to borrow more books from the Ostfalia library for a longer period than usual, you can do so with the help of a certificate, which you will receive from the SSB and Career Service. You can find more information on the library's "Extended loan periods" page.

Is there an information event on the compulsory internship in advance?

There are compulsory information events on the topic of compulsory internships for the faculties of Construction-Water-Soil, Automotive Engineering, Healthcare, Commerce and Social Work, Mechanical Engineering, Law, Transport-Sport-Tourism-Media and Business. These are organised by the Career Service staff. Students will receive information about this in advance by email. You can also find all the details about the information event at your faculty on this page under "Important information - sorted by faculty".

A statutory minimum wage applies in Germany. Since 1 January 2025, the amount has been 12.82 euros per hour. This is based on the " Act on the Regulation of a General Minimum Wage (external link, opens in a new window) (Minimum Wage Act - MiLoG)". The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) has compiled important explanations on the handling of internships in the brochure "Der Mindestlohn - Fragen & Antworten" (external link, opens in a new window) (from page 10) and a separate brochure "Mindestlohn für Studierende - Fragen und Antworten" (external link, opens in a new window).

What do I need to consider with regard to my compulsory internship?

The compulsory internship is regulated by the examination regulations. A compulsory internship is not subject to the minimum wage due to the minimum duration regulated by the university.

What do I have to consider with regard to a voluntary internship?

A voluntary internship during your studies is not subject to the minimum wage if it lasts a maximum of three months and "if no such internship relationship has previously existed with the same training provider" (Section 22(1)(3) MiLoG). According to the BMAS brochure (external link, opens in a new window), "such an internship relationship" refers exclusively to a voluntary internship. A second voluntary internship at the same company is therefore subject to the minimum wage. However, if, for example, a compulsory internship was previously completed at the same company, the subsequent voluntary internship with a maximum duration of 3 months is not subject to the minimum wage.

What do I have to bear in mind if I combine a compulsory internship and a voluntary internship?

A compulsory internship can be followed by a voluntary internship lasting a maximum of 3 months without the total duration being subject to the minimum wage. The prerequisite for this is that the student has not previously completed a voluntary internship in the same company. In the case of a compulsory internship, the duration of which is prescribed as at least 3 months, this can be used, for example, for a total employment over a continuous period of up to 6 months without minimum wage.

What aspects do I need to consider with regard to my final thesis?

"The mere preparation of study-related final theses (such as a Bachelor's or Master's thesis) or doctoral theses does not constitute an internship relationship, as the student is not involved in any operational activities in the company. If the student is not classified as an employee, there is no obligation to pay the minimum wage.

However, the obligation to pay the minimum wage may exist if an (accompanying) internship has been agreed on the occasion of the final thesis, in the context of which the student is also working in the company, and there is no exception provided for under the Minimum Wage Act. Whether these requirements are met depends on the circumstances of the individual case." - BMAS brochure under "The minimum wage - questions & answers" (external link, opens in a new window)

Where can I get the mandatory internship certificate for my application?

If you need a certificate stating that you will be completing a mandatory internship, please write an email to career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program) or contact the student services office on your campus.

Why does the company need a certificate in advance?

It is often required by companies because of the Minimum Wage Act. The aim is to ensure that it is an internship that is an integral part of the degree programme, i.e. a compulsory internship and not a voluntary internship.

Can I have the semester ticket refunded if I do my internship abroad?

Yes, you can have the fee for the Deutschlandsemester-Ticket refunded. To do this, you need to submit the AStA application in good time, accompanied by a certificate from the Career Service. The prerequisite for this is that you have officially registered there for the compulsory internship, including a copy of your contract, and that you have already re-registered for the semester for which you are applying for a refund.

You can find more information, including the refund application, on the AStA website for the semester ticket (external link, opens in a new window).

Which job portals can I use for my internship search?

• Ostfalia job portal TreffpunktKarriere (filter function job advertisement type: "Praxissemester/Praktikum/Praxisprojekt")
• praktikumsstellen.de: Current internships nationwide
• stepstone: Job exchange throughout Germany and Europe
• praktikumsplatz.info: Internship exchange with current internships from your region
• Die Region - Jobs: The job exchange for the region finds vacancies in Braunschweig, Salzgitter, Wolfsburg and the districts of Gifhorn, Goslar, Helmstedt, Peine and Wolfenbüttel
• meinestadt.de: General job adverts in Germany
• indeed: The job exchange offers job adverts of all kinds
• JOBBÖRSE.de: The job search on JOBBÖRSE.de offers more than 450,000 current internships and job vacancies

Is there a list of companies for the internship?

The Career Service provides lists of companies where students have already completed their internship. To do this, simply send an email to career​(at)​ostfalia.de (opens your email program). Please include the following information:

• What are you studying?
• Where would you like to do your internship? In a specific city/region/country or across Germany/worldwide?

You will then receive the desired list by e-mail.

Students remain enrolled while carrying out an internship (internship semester/practical phase) prescribed in the respective examination regulations. Their legal status is the same as during the semesters. This means that the usual insurance conditions apply as for general semesters. The following applies in detail:

Social insurance obligation:

Students in the practical semester are not subject to compulsory social insurance (health, nursing care, pension and unemployment insurance) in accordance with §27 Para.4 SGB III. This applies regardless of any remuneration. During the practical semesters, health insurance remains in force to the same extent as during the semesters of study. The proof is part of the re-registration.

Exception: However, if there is family insurance, the earnings limit of €538 (as of 2024) must be observed. If the income is higher than this, the student must generally take out their own health insurance. The income limit usually changes every year. To be on the safe side, always check with your own health insurance provider.

Income tax:

Earnings during the internship semester are subject to income tax. Information and current income limits can be found on the Oberfinanzdirektion website (external link, opens in a new window).

Liability insurance:

The internship centre includes students in its group insurance to cover the liability risk; if this is not possible, it expressly points this out and recommends that students take out their own insurance.

Accident insurance:

Students are covered by statutory accident insurance during the internship at the external company (internship centre) in accordance with §2 Para.1 No.1 SGB VII. The responsible insurance provider is the employers' liability insurance association of which the internship centre is a member.

During participation in courses accompanying the practical semester, which are carried out in the organisational area of responsibility of the university, accident insurance cover exists in accordance with §2 Para.1 No.8c SGB VII with the Landesunfallkasse Niedersachsen as the responsible statutory accident insurance provider for the state of Lower Saxony.

The final decision on the existence of an accident at work requiring compensation within the meaning of §8 SGB VII is the responsibility of the competent accident insurance institution.

During an internship abroad, students are not covered by German statutory accident insurance.