It is natural that you should have many questions about the USA-Interns program. Below you will find more information to the following topics:

Program support
Program services
Internship duration and time period
Position offerings
Internship compensation
Applicant requirements
How to apply
Document format
How to write an American resume
Program process
Program fees

Program support

The USA-Interns program was created to provide students with the following support:

Short-term internship placement (up to 6 months)

Our office is unable to provide assistance with internship/ job placements for young professionals or school children.

Program services

We recognize how challenging and expensive finding an internship in a foreign country can be. In order to ensure that students are not deterred from realizing their dream to work abroad due to limited financial means and various not so small hurdles, we have created a project that is there to assist you.

For a select group of talented individuals, our program provides the following services:

• Coordination with employers concerning available positions and possible intern candidates

• Coordination between the employer and applicant once a match is successful

• Assistance to German students when applying for their visa

• Point of contact for participants before and during their internship

• Assistance with writing a professional cover letter and resume

Internship duration and time period

Internships in the USA are possible througout the year. However, due to current visa regulations, most students prefer to intern between June and October. Most students interning in the USA will need to apply for a J1 visa. The J1 visa is divided into 14 categories; of these the J1-“Trainee” and J1-“Summer Work/ Travel” apply to interning students. Depending on when and for how long you plan to intern and what your future career plans are, you will need to apply for the one or the other category.

Trainee - This category is for internships up to 18 months in duration and that take place year round. It may only be applied for once in your lifetime.*

Summer Work & Travel - This category allows you to intern for a maximum of 4 months between June 1st and October 31st. This visa may be applied for multiple times.*

Please refer to the US Embassy homepage for more information.

* These are only brief descriptions of the categories. The SSG is not liable for this information. Interested applicants must refer to the US Embassy homepage for more information.

Position offerings

The types and number of positions varies from year to year depending on the participating businesses.

Internships for German interns in the US usually include working on a project for the duration of your internship. Due to the advanced level of studies of German students, the internships closely resemble real work experiences.

As we cannot predict what new companies and positions will be available in the future, we recommend that students of all disciplines apply.

Internship compensation

Compensation for internships depends on the length of the internship, economic sector, and academic qualifications of the student. In most instances, internships in IT and business related positions are paid. Unfortunately, certain sectors lack the funding to pay interns. Students interested in interning in social services, the arts, media, politics and non-profit organizations, should keep in mind that, as in Germany, these will be low-paying or non-paying positions.

Please be aware that your stipend/ pay is unlikely to cover all living expenses. Students must be prepared to cover their own travel costs and should anticipate spending 1,500 – 2,500 US$ for two months depending on their chosen lifestyle.

If seeking a position in a metropolitan capital such as New York City and Washington DC or in California, students should be prepared for a significantly higher cost of living. The employer cannot fully compensate for this.

Although we understand that students have limited financial means and are grateful for financial assistance, please consider that such experiences are an investment in your future and are therefore worth the personal financial investment now. Any practical work experience, particularly in a potential career field, in addition to having been gained abroad, is a major asset when applying for future jobs.

Applicant requirements

Students from any German university may apply so long as they fulfill the following program requirements.

• Must be a German citizen or have an unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis (non-German citizens). Foreign students whose Aufenthaltserlaubnis only allows them to reside in Germany until they have completed their studies may not apply. Please note, successful visa applications cannot be guaranteed for anyone.
  
  
• Must be enrolled before and after the internship at a German university (U, TU) or university of applied science (FH). Students who will have graduated no more than 3 months prior to the intended internship begin may apply.
  
  
• Must be between the ages of 22 and 30.
  
  
• Must have completed the “Vordiplom/ Zwischenprüfung” with a minimum grade of “gut” (exceptions are made depending on your field of study); students with a completed “Berufsausbildung” may apply prior to earning their “Vordiplom/ Zwischenprüfung”.
  
  
• Must be able to read, write and converse in English. A minimum of 2 years of English language courses or equivalent is required (may not be older than 2 years). Students who attended a US high school for one year are exempted.
  
  
• Must have previously completed an internship or gained professional experience in Germany.

How to apply

To apply, please download the following documents and send us your completed application form and all of the requested documents.

Application Form for German Applicants - pdf
List of Required Documents for a Complete Application - pdf
Language Evaluation Form - pdf

Due to the varying grading scales of departments, we ask that German students include a "Scheinübersicht" stamped by their department listing all courses completed with grade.

Deadlines

Due to our application process and US visa regulations, German students should apply at least 7-8 months prior to their intended internship.

The following deadline schedule applies for internships in:

Document format

As we predominantly use electronic methods to forward applications to our employers, we ask that the resume, cover letter, transcript and internship evaluations be sent as a PDF file on a CD-Rom to our office. Please do not send applications via email.

How to write an American resume

Please review the following list of recommendations concerning how to write an American-style resume. We have provided two generic formats for your use. You will significantly improve your chances of being offered an internshp by modifying your resume and cover letter as recommended.

Recommendations for American Resumes and cover letters - pdf
American Resume Format a - doc
American Resume Format b - doc

Program process

The following document explains the application and placement process.

Program Process for Applicants from German Universities – pdf

Program fees

W e feel strongly that every student should have an equal opportunity to gain work experience abroad.

Like every other non-profit organization though, our program does involve running costs. In order to cover a small portion of the expenses incurred by placing the students, we have instituted the following fee schedule, which all students agree to when they officially accept their internship.

A refundable deposit (80 €) to be returned to the student when the internship report is submitted to the USA-Interns office within one month of completing the internship.

A cancellation fee (250 €) should a student choose to not complete an internship once it has already been accepted or to return home before ¾ of the internship has been completed. Some exceptions may exist.