To find a suitable internship in Europe, you can ask the internship office at your university or the chairs in your department for contacts to foreign companies. You can also contact student exchange organisations such as AIESEC and IASTE.

Special offers for Erasmus+ internships can be found on the JOE internship platform of the LEONARDO Network for Academic Mobility (LEO-NET).

There are various ways to prepare for cultural and professional experiences abroad (travel guides, information from tourist offices, experiences from friends, etc.).

Under the following links you will find specific information on living and working in the possible internship countries, but also some general information on history, economy and culture.

Country information from the DAAD

You can regularly find new experience reports on our website.

On the website of the Federal Foreign Office you will also find detailed information on the history, economy and culture of all countries worldwide.

To help you settle in better at your internship location and company without despairing over language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, we recommend that you take the time to prepare accordingly before you leave.

Online Linguistic Support (OLS)

Online Linguistic Support is designed to help Erasmus+ participants improve the language skills they need for their study, work or volunteer placement so that they can take full advantage of their experience abroad.

Lack of language skills remains one of the biggest barriers to participation in European education, training and youth programmes. Online help is not only a flexible and simple tool for language support - it also helps to promote language learning and linguistic diversity, a stated aim of Erasmus+.

Over 350,000 Erasmus+ participants per year test and improve their language skills with online language support and the language courses on offer. On average, active participation in the courses leads to an improvement in language proficiency of at least one CEFR level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

The online language help is available in all official European languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Estonian, Spanish, Finnish, French, Irish, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Slovenian and Swedish.

How does the online help work?

Once they have been accepted for Erasmus+ funding, Erasmus+ participants must undergo an assessment of their language skills via the online language aid before the start of the mobility phase. This allows them to test their knowledge of the language in which they will be studying, working or volunteering. This compulsory test is designed to ensure that participants have the language level recommended by the host organisation (except for native speakers or in duly justified cases). The test results have no influence on participation in Erasmus+.

Participants who would like to improve their language skills can complete an online language course before and during their stay abroad. The language courses also offer access to numerous coaching activities, such as tutorials, and online courses (MOOC). Participants who already have sufficient language skills in the main language used during their stay abroad (at least level B2) can take a language course in the national language instead, provided that this language is offered in the online language support.

If your main language is not covered by the online language support, you will receive language support from the sending or host organisation in another form. On their return, participants take a final test to assess the progress they have made during their stay abroad.

It is very important that you ensure that you have sufficient insurance cover for yourself, as no insurance cover is associated with the Erasmus+ programme.The EU Commission, the NA DAAD, the LEONARDO-Büro Brandenburg consortium or your home university are not liable if you are underinsured.

The following insurances are mandatory:

1. Health insurance
You must have internationally valid health insurance that insures you during your stay abroad - even in the event of a pandemic - and covers medically necessary repatriation and repatriation costs in the event of death.

Basic care during your stay abroad is covered by the beneficiary's statutory national health insurance via the European Health Insurance Card. This card provides access to medically necessary public healthcare services in the EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the same conditions and costs that apply to citizens of the respective country. Further information can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559 

However, the European Health Insurance Card is not valid for healthcare providers from the private sector.

It is advisable to take out additional international health insurance. In the event of illness abroad, this will cover the costs not covered by domestic insurance cover (statutory health insurance/private health insurance), e.g. for medical treatment abroad or repatriation in the event of illness.

As a rule, international health insurance does not provide cover,

• if a travel warning has already been issued by the Foreign Office before departure,
• if the insurance is taken out during the stay abroad or
• if it is only taken out when you fall ill.

In principle, illnesses due to Covid-19 are insured; however, not all insurance policies provide cover in the event of a pandemic. Please take this into account when taking out health insurance abroad.

2. Liability insurance (for private damage and damage caused by the intern at the workplace)
Liability insurance covers damage caused by the trainee during their stay abroad (regardless of whether the damage is caused at the workplace or not). Different models of liability insurance exist in the countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme. This exposes the trainee to the risk of not being adequately insured. The trainee must check whether insurance cover exists for damage caused at the workplace. In countries where this is not mandatory under national regulations, the host organisation cannot be forced to take out such insurance. In this case, the insurance must be taken out by the trainee.Private liability insurance policies only insure against liability claims in the private sphere, not against damage at the workplace.

3. Accident insurance (for private accidents and accidents suffered by the intern at work)
Workplace accident insurance covers damage suffered by the trainee as a result of accidents at work. In many countries, employees are insured by their employer for accidents at work. The extent to which this insurance cover also applies to Erasmus+ interns may vary in the countries participating in the programme.

The trainee must check whether insurance cover exists for accidents at the workplace. In countries where this is not mandatory under national regulations, the host organisation cannot be forced to take out such insurance. In this case, the insurance must be taken out by the trainee.Private accident insurance policies only insure against accidents in the private sphere, not against accidents in the workplace.

The statutory accident insurance, through which you are insured during your studies at your home university, does not apply during your internship abroad (see letter from the Brandenburg Accident Insurance Fund ).

You generally have the option of taking out combined health, accident and liability insurance with the DAAD insurance centre

Student tariff 720A, €38.00/month (see information sheet),which includes the complete insurance cover required for Erasmus+ funding.

Graduate tariff 726A, €69.00/month (see information sheet),which includes the complete insurance cover required for Erasmus+ funding.

Extensive information: See DAAD-Group-Insurance. 

However, this insurance is only valid for the duration of the Erasmus+ grant.Longer stays must be insured separately.

Important! Do not cancel your German statutory health insurance.

You must provide the LEONARDO office with proof of the relevant insurance cover in an insurance declaration before the start of the internship.

Do not forget, especially if you are not a citizen of an EU member state, to inform yourself in good time about the entry and residence regulations at the embassy or consulate of your destination country. Clarify all relevant questions before starting your internship. You must also clarify with the immigration authority, where you are registered, what you need to do to be allowed to re-enter Germany at the end of your internship.