How do I find a suitable internship?

The job portal on the Career Center's website offers a wide range of current internship listings. The Career Center is a joint initiative of the University of Bremen and the Agentur für Arbeit Bremen – Bremerhaven, supporting students preparing for their career entry as well as graduates beginning their careers. More information can be found on the Career Center website:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/counselling
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/jobs-internships/job-fair
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/services/top-links

Many institutes and degree programs share subject-specific internship offers via bulletin boards, emails, Stud.IP or mailing lists managed by internship offices or coordinators. You can find information regarding the relevant contact person here:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/services/downloads
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/studies/starting-your-studies/practice-oriented-studies

Please also check whether your faculty or Career Orientation Office offers career orientation events.

In addition to the resources provided by the University of Bremen, there are many other ways to find and apply for job postings.

Larger companies often only post job openings on their own websites. Smaller companies may also post vacancies on their own website in addition to other platforms. So if you are interested in a specific employer, it is worth checking their site regularly.

There are also several general platforms covering most industries, fields, and regions. Examples include LinkedIn, XING, Stepstone, and Indeed.

For certain industries, types of organizations, or professional areas, it’s worth checking whether specific databases or job portals exist. This is especially relevant for the public sector, NGOs, nonprofit organizations, associations, foundations and others. An online search focused on your field of interest will often lead you to these industry or region specific portals as well.

The RegIS-Online company database (→ regisonline.de) offers a solid overview of over 7,000 companies in the Weser-Ems region and Northwestern Germany. It includes detailed company profiles you can use for making contact. You will find a selection under 'Company Databases' on our website:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/angebote/top-links/jobs-praxis
→ www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/services/top-links/jobs-and-practical-application

Fairs offer a good opportunity to get in touch with employers. After identifying relevant job fairs in your field, research your 'target organizations'. At the fair, you can easily initiate a first conversation about internships or job opportunities and possibly collect contacts.

Exhibitor catalogs, often available online, are great resources for unsolicited applications. The University of Bremen hosts the 'Praxisb?rse' every summer semester. More information:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/praxisboerse and www.uni-bremen.de/en/praxisboerse
→ www.berufsstart.de/jobmessen
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/beratung/ratgeber-berufsstart-karriere
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/angebote/aktuelles/aktuelle-news

Print media (also available online nowadays) is still a useful source when organizing internships. While daily newspaper job sections rarely target interns, they can provide insights into growing companies and required qualifications. They also in many cases include valuable lists of relevant contacts for applications.

Most print outlets also have an online job board. A wide selection sorted by job field is available on our site:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/angebote/top-links/berufsbereiche and www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/services/top-links/occupational-fields

Manuals and directories (usually also available online) provide addresses and additional information about employers. Examples include the 'Taschenbuch des ?ffentlichen Lebens' by Oeckl (→ www.oeckl.de), the annually published books from Klaus Resch Verlag (→ www.berufsstart.de), and Staufenbiel publications (→ www.staufenbiel.de).

These resources contain contact lists for companies and institutions, along with application tips and salary information—very helpful for targeted searches. Up-to-date editions are available in the university library or as free download.

Further directories can be found under 'Company Databases' on our website:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/angebote/top-links/jobs-praxis and www.uni-bremen.de/en/career-center/services/top-links/jobs-and-practical-application

You can also use professional or interest-based associations and networks for your internship search. These organizations typically consist of graduates from specific academic or training backgrounds working in a common field. Their publications and career guides provide useful company insights and updates on current trends and research.

For internships, member directories of these associations are particularly useful.

You’ll find a selection of links, including women’s professional associations, here:
→ www.uni-bremen.de/career-center/angebote/top-links/jobs-praxis

You can also research and present your profile on networks like Xing or LinkedIn to connect with potential employers.

Research several companies or institutions and create a ranking list. If your first contact attempts fail, you won't have to start your search from scratch again.

International students should be aware of certain specifics.

Before starting an internship, find out which conditions apply to you - especially regarding work permits and limits on weekly or annual working hours. This information is usually linked to your visum status as well as general legal regulations. Scholarships may also impose restrictions on working hours or income and must be considered in your internship planning.

Depending on your country of origin or nationality, there may be legal restrictions with regards to export regulations - particularly in areas such as aerospace or defense. If in doubt, indicate your nationality in applications and diversify your choice of companies and industries to be on the safe side.

Language is also a key factor in your application. Depending on the role, the level of required German can vary widely. A posting in German typically means the language plays a significant role in the job.

If your German skills are below B2 CEFR level, a focus on finding internship advertisements in English is recommended. Beyond this you can reflect on the team composition and your potential colleagues and to be expected ways of working and collaboration to estimate how important language skills are likely to be.

Production-related areas or those with significant exposure to regulations, legal requirements, or direct customer contact (in case of German speaking customers) are typically stricter in their language requirements. Teams that already collaborate internationally or are primarily composed of colleagues with higher academic qualifications—where a good level of English is often present—are generally more open to an application in English or to an intern who primarily speaks English.