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Want to gain first-hand work experience in a German company?

Come to Mittelhessen – the strong industrial region just north of Frankfurt/Main.

The partner companies of our cooperative study programmes offer exchange students placements in Business Administration, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Civil Engineering/ Architecture. The work placements are accredited modules of StudiumPlus at Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM). Following an optional intensive German language course, that will also help settle into life in Germany, participants will work full-time in our partner companies.

Key Facts

What you do

• Work full-time within a team on projects in one of our partner companies. A university professor and a company supervisor support you.
• Intensive German language course (optional) to get you started

When you do it

• start anytime of the year OR with an intensive German language course in September or March (see below) followed by your internship
• Regular placement length: 3 months, eg.:
  – September = language course
  – October – December = full-time placement
• Extended Placements: Your degree demands a longer obligatory placement? Ask us! Extensions for degree-embedded placements are possible.

What you earn and gain

• Minimum salary of € 600 per placement month (plus possibly Erasmus funding)
• ECTS if you decide to write a project report and present it
  – 20 ECTS for 3 months placements
  – 32 ECTS for extended obligatory placements of 20 weeks or more
  – 10 ECTS for placements of 8 weeks or more but under 3 months
• 3-4 ECTS for the language course

What else

• Join the Buddy Programme to facilitate intercultural exchange and to get support for your start in Germany
• THM enrolment as exchange student for September/October and March/April intakes including Hessen-wide public transport ticket

Want more

• Combine EIEM before or after your placement with an international semester at THM for a full year abroad. For more information visit go.thm.de/thinc. During your full-time intership classes cannot be attended at the same time.

Requirements

Before applying, please check you fulfill the following aspects:

• Enrolment as a full-time student at a (future) partner university of StudiumPlus/THM during the EIEM programme. Please note, that due to German legislation participation is NOT POSSIBLE without student status at your home university for the entire time of your stay! THM enrolment might take place additionally.
• German language level A2 or higher
• English language level B2 or higher
• non-EU nationals from non-EU/ Erasmus+ -universities: second year of studies completed and proof of additional funding of 395 €/month
• Participation in the International Summer Course Gießen (an intensive German language course – see below) is highly recommended.

How to Apply

Please find the placements our partner companies offer below:

Application Deadlines
31st March for regular programme start in September
31st October for programme start in March
31st January for summer internships starting in June/July
or 5 months prior to intended start of placement.

Nomination: 2 weeks before application deadline
Ask your local international office representative for nomination via SoleMove (nomination guide).

After that you will receive an e-mail to access SoleMove yourself to fill in the application (application guide) including the following documents to upload:

• Placement Application Form
• Letter of motivation in English and German
• CV in English and German
• Transcript of records
• Language certificates for English and German (Please ask a lecturer of your home university to fill in the form provided here)
• Copy of passport
• Copy of EHIC (European Health Insurance Card; GHIC for UK), if you are eligible

In case of questions please contact cornelia.fritzsch@studiumplus.de

Language Course

We recommend  participating in the German course for beginners offered by the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, A1 level, THM Campus Gießen

• Start: September or March (second half of the month)
• Duration: 2 weeks, 6 hours per day 
• Credits: 5 ECTS upon successful completion
• No course fee (living expenses not included) 
• Smooth start (assistance with insurance, enrolment, bank account, residence permit, local authority registration, and more)

Accommodation

Depending on the location of the company you will be assigned to, you can

• stay in student halls of residence in Gießen or Friedberg and travel on local transport (free ticket on THM student ID)
• receive help from your placement company to find appropriate accommodation nearby

Financial Aspects

Please be aware of the following costs and income linked to the programme

• Minimum salary of € 600 per placement month (Please note, voluntary placements which are not embedded in the curriculum of your degree are subject to German social insurance contribution)
• German health insurance (obligatory): up to € 120 per month
• Semester social fee: approx. € 300 (due prior to enrolment)
• Language course fee (highly recommended)
• Cost of living including accomodation

Do check if your home university will support you with an Erasmus+ scholarship for Traineeship or Study – both are possible due to the EIEM double role of intern and enrolled exchange student.

Cost of Living: Mittelhessen is less expensive than cities such as Frankfurt. Estimates and information on costs of living in Germany can be found on the website of the THM International Office, the Deutsches Studentenwerk (German Student Services Organization)  or on the website of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)

Visa

Disclaimer: The purpose of these pages is to provide you with information on important legal questions. However, the authors make no claim to completeness. Although this information has been prepared with the greatest of care, we assume no liability for the correctness of the content provided here.

Students joining EIEM from a university that is not part of the ERASMUS+ programme, need a work placement admission to apply for their visa. The process will be taken care of by EIEM coordinators. However, it can only be successful if the internship is relevant to your degree. With the work placement admission you can then apply for your visa depending on the regulations valid for your country.

Please note that you will need to prove sufficient funding for your stay in Germany to apply for your work permit or visa.

The International Office of THM has put together some general information on visa regulations as well as on necessary steps after your arrival. 

Project Examples

Please find below some examples of former EIEM projects. Please note, that you agree on the language of the report together with your two supervisors at the beginning of your project. It can be written in English or German.

Business Administration

• Kundenpotentialanalyse im Geschäftsfeld D der Elkamet Kunststofftechnik
• Neue Medien bei Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG
• Marketing Rollout Plan für Service
• Konkurrenzanalyse
• Benchmarking E-commerce with Configurator Products in the Industrial Environment
• Customer Centric Focus Topics for the Innovation Management Department

Civil Engineering

• Entwurf und Berechnung einer Logistik-Halle Civil
• GlobalHome und Infrastruktur Civil

Engineering

• Entwicklung eines Automatisierungskonzepts des Ille Zentrallagers
• Vergleich der Qualitätsmerkmale von zwei CNC-Bedienoberfläche
• Simulation von Sensoren und Aktoren in einem Mini Chiller
• Zählen und Verpackung für Schichtkohlmaschine mit doppelter Spannung in Schunk Group GmbH
• Analyse, Prüfung und Vergleich verschiedener kondensatfreier Luftführungen am Kühlgerät 3329.540
• Teilautomatisierung einer Profilbiegemaschine
• Technical and economic efficiency implementation of CHP plant and PV modules

IT

• Implementation of an Internal Communication System
• Medical Ontology Conversion and Enrichment

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