# Internship after the studies



## IceCold (Dec 20, 2014)

Hello everybody!

When I was still a student, it was really easy to get an internship in Germany. I have completed my studies and it's hard to get a job. It's weird because I'm willing to do another internship but I get no positive replies. What is going on? Is there any law that forbids to employ me as an intern? My friends are still studying and they can get an internship. How would you approach this problem?


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

How long ago did you finish studying? Internships are almost exclusively for new graduates.


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## IceCold (Dec 20, 2014)

I've finished few months ago. There must be some sort of salary-law issue. Maybe they don't want to hire new graduate and pay him the minimal wage (i hear it's coming in the year 2015)? It feels like i'm completely cut of from the German job market.


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## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

could be hard to get an internship within the next months because there are often uncertainties in companies...

some sentences from Governments site:

From 2015 at least 8.50 euro

In industries with simple activities, often only low wages are paid. Because only half of the workers working in collective farms. This has led to white patches in the collective landscape.

"The statutory minimum hourly rate applies from 1 January 2015 by 8.50 gross coverage in East and West alike, without using up any industry from", reaffirmed Minister Nahles. So far, there are universally binding minimum wages only in twelve industries.

Only in industries where there are universally applicable collective agreements, also lower minimum wages are possible until end of 2016. No later than 2017, 8.50 euros must be paid again.

The statutory minimum wage is a hard limit that must no longer be observed in future. Prevents dumping wages the minimum wage workers in the low-wage sector, thus reducing the number of workers and employees, who are dependent on social security despite full-time employment.
A few transitional arrangements

For harvest, agreed a four-year temporary special scheme to facilitate the introduction of the minimum wage for this industry. The limit for social security-free short-term employment is raised from 50 to 70 days.

Newspaper delivery boy is entitled to 75% and 2016 to 85% of the statutory minimum wage by 2015. 2017, the full 8.50 euros must be paid.

The transitional simplified entry into the minimum wage for all industries, whose wages are currently well below the level of EUR 8.50.

Generation completed internship

The general statutory minimum wage applies from the 18th birthday - or previously completed vocational training. It would be "generation internship" ended, Nahles affirmed.

The Bill also for the first time requires a quality framework for internships: Interns must a contract get with clear training objectives and entitled to a certificate. Before or during a training or a course applies orientation internships, they are taken out only for a period of three months by the minimum wage. Only mandatory work-placements in training or studies can be longer than three months.


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

Universities in the UK and US have a network of contacts for graduates (not just fresh graduates) which you can use to network; they can also advise. Just wondering if such a facility applies in German universities...


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

When I was working in Germany, in order to take on an intern, we had to have a qualified employee assigned to oversee their work. It was my understanding that internships were only for those currently in school or a training program and that there were specific goals contracted for in relationship to the school program.

In some countries (like the US), "internship" is just a code word for working for free (which, oddly enough, used to be illegal 20 or 30 years ago).
Cheers,
Bev


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

Indeed, internships have always been about but more recently employers are using them a lot to fill what would otherwise be jobs to save money. 

There is next to no chance of being offered a job at the end because there is no job, they will be preparing to fill it again with a new intern. Slave labour imo getting people's hopes up by offering very little. 

Interns in the UK are expected to be recent graduates with no or very little workplace experience. Imo so they can take advantage of the lack of insight to the workplace.


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## IceCold (Dec 20, 2014)

_shel said:


> Indeed, internships have always been about but more recently employers are using them a lot to fill what would otherwise be jobs to save money


Yes, I am aware of this but it's still better to get paid very little than being jobless. This new law that will "protect" the young is not working at all for people like me. So who (or what) are they really trying to protect?


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## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

But it will protect the majority. It protects jobs of those in and seeking work. If they can bring about real jobs for people like you to apply for by regulating internships then it is a good thing. If they can stop employers letting go paid workers only to fill the positions by multiple unpaid interns it is good. 

Employers taking advantage of young enthusiastic people by offering no pay for something they should be offering as a paid work is an abuse of power.


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## IceCold (Dec 20, 2014)

Oh, they will find new interns, believe me. Once you complete the studies they let you go and they take a new intern. At this point you're in the black hole because you are forbidden to work as an intern but too expensive for a "regular job". Some sort of catch 22 or black hole as i call it.


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