Au pair work, internships, voluntary service & other options , Date: 2024.03.01, format: Article, area: Migration and residence

There are a lot of ways that you can acquire key work experience in Germany - as an au pair, in voluntary service or by doing an internship for example. There are also arrangements enabling nationals of specific countries to work in Germany even if they have no professional qualifications.

Au pair

If you are under 27 and have a basic knowledge of German, you can work for up to one year as an au pair in a family in which German is spoken. You may not however hold the same nationality as your host family.

Internships

Study-related internship EU

You can be issued with a residence title for up to six months to complete a study-related internship if

• you are studying at a university abroad or you graduated no more than two years ago,
• you can provide proof of an internship agreement reached with an institution in Germany,
• the content of the internship corresponds to your degree programme, and
• the institution undertakes to meet your living expenses and costs of leaving the country that public authorities might incur if you fail to leave the country once your residence permit has expired.

Studying with a residence permit

If you are already living in Germany with a residence title allowing you to study, you can take advantage of internships in order to gain work experience while you are still studying. This will help you to set new priorities in your studies, and make it easier for you to enter the world of work later on.

The same legal provisions apply to voluntary internships as to part-time student jobs. The internship counts as regular work, even if it is unpaid. If you are not from the European Union or the European Economic Area, you are allowed to work for a total of 140 days per year. If you exceed this, a permit from the immigration authority and the employment agency is required. Exceptions to this rule are internships that are prescribed in the study regulations, known as "compulsory internships".

Internships in preparation for studies

You can also obtain a residence permit to complete an internship in preparation for studies if a company in Germany has agreed to let you complete such an internship.

Working holidays and holiday jobs

If you are a student at a foreign higher-education establishment, you can obtain a residence title for a holiday job if the employment has been arranged by the Federal Employment Agency and will be of no more than 90 days’ duration within a year. You can find information on placement in holiday work on the website of the Federal Employment Agency.

Special "Working Holiday" programmes are available for nationals of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay, as well as for residents of Hong Kong. If you are aged between 18 and 30, you can take part in one of these programmes, live in Germany for up to 12 months for this purpose and also take on a holiday job. You will find detailed information on the website of the German diplomatic mission in your country of origin.

The European Voluntary Service

Link to the information hotline "working and living in Germany" Source: © Make it in Germany

If you take part in the European Voluntary Service, you will be issued with a residence permit for the duration of your voluntary service, but for no longer than one year. The agreement between yourself and the hosting organisation must contain the following key items of information:

• a description of the activities,
• the duration,
• the working hours,
• the working conditions,
• support and guidance provided,
• pay, and
• any training involved.

If you are under 18, you will also need to obtain your parents’ consent.

Working if you are a national of specific countries of origin

Nationals of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino and the United States of America can enter Germany without a visa, and then apply for a residence title for the purpose of gainful employment after already entering Germany. You will need a residence title to take up employment in Germany. If you wish to work immediately after entering Germany, you will therefore need to apply for a residence title in the form of a visa for gainful employment while you are still abroad.

A corresponding arrangement for countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) is in place, but subject to the proviso that the residence permit application was filed with the competent German diplomatic mission in the country of origin. Applications will not be accepted from individuals who have received benefits in Germany under the Asylum-Seekers’ Benefits Act in the past 24 months.