Traineeships and work placements

Through internships, the Carlo Schmid Programme familiarises outstanding students and graduates with the challenges and working methods of the international administrative sector and helps them to expand their intercultural skills. Accompanying activities are also provided with the aim of further improving circumstances and opportunities for these young people to pursue careers in the international field at a later date.

The programme is for German students and graduates from all academic disciplines. The applicants should already have engaged with international issues during their studies.

Two programme lines are offered:

Programme line A
Full-time internships obtained on the applicants own initiative at EU institutions, in the UN system, in the Bretton Woods organisations, at NATO, at the OSCE or in approved non-governmental organisations.

Programme line B
Candidates can apply for one or two of the internship opportunities advertised. The application must be tailored precisely to the specific requirements and tasks of the advertised internship. The Carlo Schmid Programme is run by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienst e.V., DAAD) in cooperation with the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and Stiftung Mercator (Mercator Foundation) and is predominantly financed using funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as well as Stiftung Mercator.

The closing date for the submission of applications for programme line B is 2 February 2023.

The closing date for applications for programme line A is 4 April 2023.

Combined study and practical semesters abroad for undergraduate and masters students

The aim of the programme is to provide bachelors and masters students with international study and practical experience as part of a contiguous stay abroad. The combination of a study semester with a practical semester is intended to give scholarship recipients international experience that they can draw on both in the rest of their academic careers and in their future professions.

A practical semester is a period of work experience integrated into the regular programme of studies. It must be stipulated in the curriculum of the relevant degree programme and be recognised by the applicants home university.

The scholarship is awarded for a total duration of between seven and 12 months, depending on the project. Applications can be submitted once or twice a year depending on the country of destination.

Lehramt.International

The Lehramt.International programme aims to help trainee teachers gain the intercultural skills required to teach successfully in heterogeneous classrooms. In the comprehensive Lehramt.International programme, the DAAD uses funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to support teacher-training students on their stays abroad and also supports universities in internationalising their teacher-training degree courses.

Funding is provided for

• students at German universities who are studying for a degree in Germany in the field of teaching (funding line 1) 
• graduates who have passed the first state examination/or gained a masters degree who would like to gain practical experience abroad before the practical stage of their teacher training (funding line 2).

Grants are awarded for short-term work placements of between 30 days and 6 months for trainee teachers and work placements of between 3 and 12 months for graduate teachers at educational facilities abroad.

Applicants must provide proof that they have arranged their own work placement which is attested to by the German university.

There are three application windows available each year.

HAW.International: work placements abroad for students

The aim of the programme is to support students from universities of applied sciences (Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaft, HAW, and Fachhochschulen, FH) in carrying out work placements abroad and thus enable them to gather practical experience in an international context. Periods abroad also provide an opportunity to gain intercultural experience and to acquire or deepen foreign language skills. In this way, the programme helps prepare students for the international dimension of the labour market.

Students taking bachelors, masters or Diplom degree courses at German universities of applied sciences (HAW/FH) can apply.

Funding is available for work placements in the private and public sectors in two programme tracks:

Placements track A
Applications for full-time work placements obtained on the students own initiative. The work placement must be relevant to the students own studies and fit into their individual educational journey.

Placements track B
You can apply for up to two of the work placements advertised (preference ranking essential). The application must be tailored to the specific requirements and tasks of the advertised work placements.

Funding is granted for at least 2 months, up to a maximum of 6 months. Depending on when you wish to do your work placement, 4 application windows are available a year.

Worldwide Research Internships in Science and Engineering for German students (RISE Worldwide)

With RISE Worldwide, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports international exchange within science and engineering. The programme for funding German students was launched in 2009 and complements RISE Germany and RISE Professional, programmes for overseas students in which British, Irish and North American students receive funding to take part in research internships in Germany.

The programme is aimed at German bachelors students of natural and life sciences and engineering, as well as computer science, medicine and pharmacy students. Recipients are awarded scholarships of between 6 weeks and 3 months for research internships at universities and research institutions in around 50 countries around the world. Supervision during the internship is provided by researchers in the chosen location.

Applications for up to three internships must be submitted online between the start of November and mid-December (from 11 August for Canada) via the RISE Worldwide database, which each year contains approximately 800 internships around the world for the coming summer.

International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE)

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) is an international trainee exchange organisation whose remit is carried out in Germany by the German Academic Exchange Service.

Students (including masters students) of the above-mentioned disciplines at German universities can apply, regardless of their nationality.

Funding is usually provided for 2 to 3 months, preferably between July and October. Depending on what is offered by employers abroad, longer-term work placements (of 4 to a maximum of 12 months) are also possible.

Combined study and practical semesters abroad for undergraduate and masters students

Lehramt.International

• For students
• For graduates

HAW.International: work placements abroad for students

RISE Worldwide

International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience in the fields of science, engineering, agriculture and forestry (IAESTE)

Information on the programmes can be found in the DAAD Stipendiendatenbank (grants database) and also in the DAAD brochure Mit Stipendium ins Ausland (in German)

For general questions about DAAD programmes, you can use the contact form provided by the DAAD Info Centre