Internship Abroad with Erasmus+

Would you like to do an internship in another European country? Erasmus+ Internship offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the working world across Europe – regardless of whether an internship is part of your degree program or a personal goal.

Your advantages at a glance:

• You will develop entrepreneurial and creative skills that future employers greatly value.
• You will improve your foreign language skills, your interpersonal and intercultural skills, and your ability to work in a team.
• You will get to know another country and immerse yourself in a different culture.

As part of Erasmus+, TH Köln supports study-related internships lasting 2 to 12 months in over 30 European countries.

• Enrollment at TH Köln
• Internship position in another European country
• Internship duration of 2 to 12 months
• Full-time internship in accordance with customary working hours in the country
• Relevant academic and professional connection to your studies
• Internships at EU institutions and other EU bodies are excluded
• Language skills are assessed in an online language test
• Only students can receive funding for stays abroad in a program country that is not the country of the sending university and is not their country of main residence at the time of signing the Grant Agreement.

Erasmus+ graduate internships: Erasmus+ internships offer the opportunity to receive funding for an internship within one year of completing your studies, provided that your total funding limit of 360 days has not yet been fully used. The above conditions apply. Applications must be submitted during the last semester of university — as long as you are still enrolled.

Graduate internships are intended to facilitate the transition from higher education to the labor market, therefore graduate internships between bachelor's and master's degrees (if this is the goal) are not eligible for funding.

Please register using your campusID on our application portal, Mobility Online, no later than 8 weeks before the start of your internship. In exceptional cases, we will consider whether a later application is possible.

After registering, please upload the following application documents to the portal

• Learning Agreement for Internships bearing a confirmation of the internship by your employer and your faculty. Please note that only complete training agreements can be accepted.
• Letter of Motivation - Please briefly outline your expectations for your internship abroad and the professional and personal benefits you hope to gain from it. The letter of motivation must be personalized and signed! Don’t forget to include a salutation.
• Signed CV/résumé
• Certificate(s) of enrollment (for internships spanning multiple semesters, the second certificate of enrollment may be submitted at a later date)
• Transcripts of Records - are always available in the PSSO or CaMS. The relevant Office of Student and Examination Services can assist you if you have any questions.

Graduate internships: Graduates must be enrolled at the time of applying for Erasmus+ funding and must have exmatriculated from the university by the time the internship begins. The exmatriculation certificate (or, alternatively, the diploma) must be submitted at the start of the internship.

• Grant Agreement: Once you have uploaded all your application documents to Mobility Online, a decision will be made on whether to award you funding. If your application is approved, the next step is to provide you with the Grant Agreement (GA) online. This agreement specifies the amount of your funding and requires you to provide proof of insurance coverage. You will receive the first part of the agreed funding amount (80%) after you have submitted the complete original GA and confirmed the start date of your internship in Mobility Online.

Promoting language proficiency and language acquisition remains one of the core objectives of the education program in the new Erasmus+ program generation for 2021–2027. During their stay abroad, Erasmus+ grant recepients receive support in acquiring and specializing in the working language and/or the local language.

In the current program generation, online language support is provided via the EU Academy, the European Commission’s learning management platform, for grantees of both funding streams (Erasmus+ in Europe KA131 and Erasmus+ Worldwide KA171).

Online Language Support learning content:

The open area provides some basic language learning content. Here, teaser and taster videos are gradually made available, introducing the languages and some elementary aspects of language learning.
The second area, also called the core area, provides Erasmus+ participants with access to Online Language Support. In the core area, additional features are available, such as the placement tests for Erasmus+ participants (so-called self-assessments) or the designation of a community manager who can support participants in their language learning. In the core area, the language offering will be expanded to 29 languages and additional learning levels and content will also be developed.

Important information for you:

• The Erasmus+ team at your university will invite you via email to register in the EU Academy’s OLS before the start of your mobility. Using this hyperlink, grant recipients can access the core area of OLS directly and thus have the opportunity to access the learning content and also complete self-assessments.
• Participants are eligible for online language support if their physical stay exceeds 14 days.
• The requirement to take a test before departure is contractually stipulated in the Grant Agreement for students.
• Currently, grant recipients are not yet linked to a project. As a result, the university cannot monitor the grant recipients’ learning progress.
• The DAAD has therefore suspended the requirement to verify whether grant recipients have taken a language test prior to departure, effective August 12, 2022.
• Access to the Online Language Platform is valid for three years.

Funding Amount for the 2024 and 2025 Funding Years

Maximum financial support per semester: 150 days. Any days you spend at the host institution beyond this funded period are considered “zero grant days,” which are also deducted from your 360-day funding quota.

Group of countries 1: Monthly rate = 600 euros
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden

Group of countries 2: Monthly rate = 540 euros
Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus

Group of countries 3:  Monthly rate = 540 euros
Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey

Top-up amounts:

• for all internship stays:150 Euro / month
• for students with fewer opportunities*: 250 Euro / month
• for sustainable travel: additional 2, 4 or 6 travel days

Please indicate your specific needs when applying via Mobility Online.

For internships starting on or after September 1, 2025, flat-rate travel allowances will also be paid.

Equal opportunity is a central concern of the Erasmus+ program. Students with fewer opportunities* receive an additional 250 euros per month on top of their Erasmus+ grant.

*In the 2024 and 2025 project, this applies to:

• Students and graduates with a disability (GdB 20 or higher) or a chronic illness
• Students and graduates who are studying abroad with children
• First-generation students (students from non-academic backgrounds)
• Working students

Please indicate your specific needs when applying via Mobility Online and contact us regarding the next steps.

Alternative to the Top-Up:

Funding for additional costs via a separate actual cost application:

If you anticipate additional costs exceeding €250 per month that are not covered by other funding sources and/or if you are planning a preparatory trip to your destination (possibly with a companion), please contact the Department of International Affairs well in advance. In this case, you can submit a separate application for actual expenses, under which your grant will be calculated individually (max. €15,000 per semester). This requires individual receipts for incurred costs as well as clarifications with other funding agencies. The application must be submitted no later than 2 months before the start of your internship.

Therefore, please contact us as early as possible if you are interested.

Internship Abroad with a Child

Students who receive funding for an internship abroad through Erasmus+ and travel abroad with their child(ren) may apply for a monthly top-up amount (top-up for students with fewer opportunities), which is paid in addition to the regular Erasmus+ grant.

Regardless of the number of children traveling with you, the monthly supplement amounts to 250 euros.

Here, too, an application for reimbursement of actual costs to cover additional expenses can be submitted no later than two months before the mobility period begins. Please prepare the application well in advance in collaboration with the Department of International Affairs. The NA DAAD decides on the approval of funds.

Further useful information on studying abroad with a child, including internal university and external links, can also be found on the following website [in German].

According to the European Commission, students completing an Erasmus+ internship are required to have adequate health, liability, and accident insurance coverage.

An Erasmus+ mobility grant does not include insurance coverage. Neither the European Commission, the DAAD, nor TH Köln are liable for damages resulting from illness, death, accidents, personal injury, or loss or damage to property in connection with Erasmus+ stays abroad (studies, internships, guest lectures, or Erasmus+ training programs).

Before your departure, please verify whether and to what extent your health insurance is valid abroad. As a general rule, you have student insurance that is also valid in other European countries through the EHIC. Further information can be found on the European Commission’s website.

However, coverage by the European Health Insurance Card or private insurance is often insufficient, especially if repatriation or special medical treatment is necessary. For such cases, especially repatriation, supplementary private insurance should be taken out.

Therefore, check with your German health insurance provider about the benefits of your insurance and, if in doubt, take out additional international health insurance.

Health insurance for paid internships:

As soon as you take up employment (even part-time) in your host country or receive remuneration as part of an internship, the social security law of the host country applies. This means that you must take out health insurance in the host country.

Please check with your internship provider for more information. Contact your health insurance provider in Germany and inform the relevant social security authorities in your host country  that you have taken up employment.

Further information on statutory health insurance during your internship can be found at the German Liaison Office for Health Insurance Abroad.

Other insurance (liability and accident insurance):

Please note that you are not insured through TH Köln during your internship abroad. Therefore, please check with your employer to see if you are covered by accident insurance through them. If you are not covered by accident insurance through your employer, you must arrange for adequate insurance coverage.

For Erasmus+ interns, the DAAD offers combined health, accident, and personal liability insurance.

An extension of an internship or a second consecutive internship is generally possible—provided that the total duration of the internship does not exceed 12 months. Any extension must be requested from the Department of International Affairs at least four weeks before the original internship ends.

An extension must be confirmed in writing by all parties involved by signing the Learning Agreement for Traineeships, Part C: “During the Mobility.”

After completing your internship, you must submit the following documents within 4 weeks:

• Part D of the Learning Agreement - Upload Table D “Traineeship Certificate” (Learning Agreement) or the internship certificate to Mobility Online.
• Final Report and Personal Reflection - In 2 to 4 pages, reflect on your expectations and goals before the internship and describe how it actually went. Other students can benefit from your experiences with planning, applying, finding housing, work tasks, daily life, and leisure time. On our world map, you’ll also find testimonials from students who have already completed an internship.
• EU Online Survey - You will receive an invitation via email. Participation is mandatory.

Once all documents are submitted, we can officially finalize your mobility and pay out the second funding installment (20%).

The recognition of credits earned abroad plays an important role in the Erasmus+ program. For this reason, it is addressed in the Learning Agreement for Traineeships. This document must be completed and signed before the start of your internship abroad, in collaboration with the relevant contacts in your department and the host organization.

After completing the internship, you must also submit the Learning Agreement After the Mobility/Internship Certificate. Mandatory internships should be listed on your transcript. Voluntary internships, on the other hand, should be recorded in the Diploma Supplement, which you will receive at the end of your studies.

You can find more detailed information on the recognition of credits on the website of the Office of Student and Examination Services and under the section “Back in Germany".

If you choose not to fly to your host country and instead travel by train, bus, carpool, or bicycle for the majority of your journey (more than 50% of the trip to and/or from your destination), you may be eligible for a subsidy covering up to 6 additional travel days, depending on the distance to your destination.

In the Mobility Online platform, you must indicate at the time of application whether you plan to travel sustainably.

To receive the subsidy, you must upload the Green Travel Affidavit at the start of your mobility period and, at the end of your mobility period, upload proof of transportation (e.g., tickets) to Mobility Online. You can find the template for the Green Travel Affidavit in your Mobility Online file under “Download Documents.” Students must specify here the type of transportation they primarily use.

TH Köln reserves the right to announce and conduct random checks.

• 2 travel days: 0–499 km between TH Köln and your internship location
• 4 travel days: 500–1,999 km between TH Köln and your internship location
• 6 travel days: 2,000 km or more between TH Köln and your internship location

The additional travel days do not count toward the minimum or maximum duration of mobility or the total Erasmus+ quota per study phase.

The advantages of traveling by train include virtually unlimited luggage allowance and the leisurely pace of travel. Night trains are also highly recommended.

To travel affordably, the My Bahncard 25 or 50 is a good option for those under 27, as it offers discounted student rates.

An Interrail Pass is also a good choice if you want to explore the country directly. The Erasmusbytrain project has worked hard to advocate for an Interrail Pass for young people.

However, sustainability during an internship abroad is about much more than just the journey to and from your destination. Through the Green Erasmus project, we have compiled many helpful and useful tips and information for you here.

TH Köln is a member of the Go2UNIS network and supports the mission of Go2RAIL – Travel Together. Go2RAIL helps students travel together by train by connecting students with similar travel routes. It’s a new way to discover Europe, make friends, and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.

Questions? Send an email to:
outgoings@th-koeln.de

Erasmus+ scholarships are tax-exempt in the Federal Republic of Germany under Section 3(44a) of the Income Tax Act (EStG) as mobility scholarships funded by public funds from the European Commission.

Furthermore, scholarships from the EU’s Erasmus+ program do not reduce the education allowances under Section 33a(2) of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) (Judgment of October 17, 2001 [III R 3/01], Federal Fiscal Court in Munich).

In principle, however, an Erasmus+ scholarship must be reported to the tax office responsible for you, your child benefit office, and your health insurance provider.

TH Köln is subject to tax record-keeping and reporting obligations. Therefore, it submits the following data to the tax authorities annually: first and last name, address, tax ID number, and date of birth of the recipient, type of entitlement, amount, and date of payment. For recurring payments, it also includes the first payment, the payment method, and the expected duration of the payments.

The scholarship recipient is personally responsible for fulfilling tax reporting and declaration obligations regarding income from Erasmus+ to the tax authorities (§ 12 MV).

You have the option of providing feedback regarding your Erasmus+ stay through the TH Köln Feedback Management. Of course, we hope that you felt well supported throughout the entire process and had what is often described as the “time of your life.” And if we were able to contribute to that, please feel free to leave us or your faculty a positive review via the official TH Köln Feedback Management.

But sometimes things in life don’t go as we hope. So if you have a valid reason to complain or suggestions for improvement, you can also do so in a factual manner via the feedback management system mentioned above. This can also be done anonymously.

However, you can also contact us at any time during our weekly office hours if you need to talk

When planning a trip abroad, safety considerations should also be taken into account.

It is therefore recommended that you always consult the travel and safety advisories from the Federal Foreign Office for your destination country.

In addition, you should register with the crisis prevention list Elefand. After your return, it is important to deregister there.