Employer guide
How to hire interns in Germany
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You find interns through universities, individual faculties and student job boards, and you post along the semester cycle. One legal question decides everything else: a mandatory internship required by the study regulations is exempt from minimum wage and social security, a voluntary internship longer than three months is not. Median pay is 1,500 euros per month.
Mandatory versus voluntary internships
This distinction drives your entire cost and compliance picture. Settle it before the first interview, not at contract signing. The university confirms mandatory status with a certificate that belongs in the personnel file.
| Criterion | Mandatory (Pflichtpraktikum) | Voluntary, up to 3 months | Voluntary, over 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | No, unpaid is lawful | No | Yes, 13.90 euros per hour |
| Social security | Exempt for the required scope | Regular contributions | Regular contributions |
| Proof required | University certificate | Enrolment certificate | Enrolment certificate |
| Counts toward the 140-day limit (non-EU) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Written contract | Required under section 11 BBiG | Required under section 11 BBiG | Required under section 11 BBiG |
As of 2026. The contribution exemption covers only the scope the study regulations require.
The three-month line is a hard edge
Once a voluntary internship runs longer than three months, minimum wage is owed for the entire period, not from the fourth month onward. Plan either clearly under three months or with pay from day one.
What you should pay
On 22 September 2026 there were 10,494 live internships on workingstudentjobs.de. The median of the monthly rates that are actually stated is 1,500 euros. Only 11.8 percent of ads name a figure at all, fewer than for working-student roles.
Pay a mandatory internship even though the law does not require it. Unpaid internships with demanding requirements do not filter for ability, they filter for family wealth, and they lose against every paid alternative in the same city. An allowance in the range of 800 to 1,200 euros is often enough to appear in the shortlist at all.
- Below 800 euros per month you will barely receive applications in major cities, because rent alone exceeds that.
- 1,500 euros is the market median and a safe default for a full-time internship.
- Above 2,000 euros is standard in tech, consulting and automotive.
When to post
Internships follow the semester, not the calendar year. The German summer semester starts on 1 April and the winter semester on 1 October. Mandatory internships usually sit in the practical semester fixed by the examination regulations, and students search three to six months ahead.
- 1
Start in the summer semester
Post between November and January. Applications for a practical semester from April run over the winter.
- 2
Start in the winter semester
Post between May and July. Searching first in September means competing over whoever is left.
- 3
Semester-break internships
The lecture-free weeks in February and March, and from August into September, suit short placements under three months.
What belongs in the internship ad
- Whether the role suits a mandatory internship, a voluntary one, or both. That is the first filter students apply.
- Monthly pay in euros, including for mandatory internships.
- Duration in months and the earliest start date.
- Weekly hours. A practical semester normally means 37.5 to 40 hours.
- Language level as a CEFR grade. 91.6 percent of internship ads require German, so an English-language role reaches a largely untouched candidate pool.
- The concrete project tasks rather than a list of soft skills.
- Whether the internship can convert into a working-student contract. For many students that is the actual reason to apply.
An internship is your cheapest recruiting channel
An internship that turns into a working-student role and later into a graduate hire replaces two full selection processes. Put that path in the ad instead of mentioning it in the exit interview.
Employer obligations
- A written internship contract stating learning goals, duration, working time and pay, under section 11 of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG).
- Social security registration for every voluntary internship, including short ones.
- Working-time records. Interns carry the same documentation duties as any employee.
- Pro-rata paid leave for any internship longer than one month, under the Federal Leave Act.
- A written reference at the end, also under section 16 BBiG.
- For non-EU students, check whether the placement counts against the 140-day allowance. Mandatory internships do not.
Post your internship
Publish your internship where students search specifically for practical semesters and mandatory placements.
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