• Does the company meet the requirements?
  • Industrial companies / start-ups (more than 5 employees) at national and international level
  • Please mind: Research organisations such as the Fraunhofer Institute, DLR or GSI are not considered as industrial companies.
  • Offers employment opportunities for mechanical engineers in an industrial environment and offers the opportunity to expand knowledge already acquired in lectures from the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in a practical environment
• Do the agreed internship contents offer the opportunity to carry out a practical engineering project related to mechanical engineering?
  • If you are unsure, please always read the frequently asked questions listed here first and consult the contact persons listed above if necessary

If you are unsure, please first read the frequently asked questions listed here and, if necessary, consult with the contacts listed above.

Are you looking for an internship and don't know where to find suitable job adverts or how to write a convincing application? HereHere (opens in new tab) we provide a list with links with tips for writing internship applications and how to find an internship position.

The search for a suitable internship is the responsibility of the student. Here are our tips for researching your internship:

• - Research advertisements for internship positions on online job platforms and internship exchanges, also search specifically for advertisements on company websites or write a speculative application.
• - The intership list of the Mechanical Engineering Student Council offers a selection of companies where students have already completed internships.
• - You can find further tips for your internship search and for the design of your application documents here (opens in a new tab).
• - Many companies also use Stellenwerk,to advertise internships for students.

Refer to the list of industrial companies as well as the distributed notices on the notice boards of the Departmental Student Organisation of the Department of Mechanical Engineering or refer to the TU Darmstadt's job portal. The former is particularly helpful as it contains names of contacts, addresses and experience reports by other students.

No, this is not possible. The company must have more than 5 employees.

The usual weekly working hours in the company apply as agreed in the internship contract. In order for the external project work to be recognised, at least 12 weeks of full-time work in an industrial company must be completed. The 12-week period refers to full-time employment (>= 35h/week). This means that at least 420 hours must be demonstrated. If the internship is completed in part-time employment, the period is extended accordingly.

No, this has no effect on recognition.

No. A registration in TUCaN for the external project work is not required

Internships that are completed during a degree programme in accordance with the study or examination regulations are exempt from social security contributions for the period of the internship that is still outstanding.

Therefore, some companies require a mandatory internship certificate (Pflichtpraktikumsbescheinigung). Such a compulsory internship certificate can be issued by the student advisory service at MechCenter on request. Please mind, we do not fill out company forms, we have our own certificate for the external project work. Experience has shown that this is recognised by companies as a “mandatory internship certificate”.
If you have been accepted for an internship and your company requires a corresponding confirmation or certificate, please send us an email to praktikum@mechcenter.tu-… (subject: “External project work: Compulsory internship certificate”) with the following details:

• Full name
• Matriculation number
• Telephone number (this will speed up any queries)
• Company name and internship period

Employees of TU Darmstadt are obliged to maintain data secrecy. Separate certificates will not be issued.

In general, the student is responsible for ensuring that he/she has accident insurance

• In Germany: usually via the company offering the internship--> please clarify!
• Abroad: on your own responsibility – you should check with your own insurance company whether your own accident insurance or that of the company is responsible
• Semester of leave: generally covered by accident insurance/ whether claims can be made always depends on the individual case. If you have any further questions regarding individual cases in connection with accident and leisure insurance, please contact the Studierendenwerk.

The MechCenter is not allowed to sign contracts with any companies! Please clarify at the beginning of your application whether this could lead to a problem with the company!

Yes, the external project work can also be completed in a company abroad.
The university groups AIESEC and IAESTE organise internships abroad

The Erasmus+ programme supports internships in Europe. As part of the Erasmus internship abroad programme, the Technical University of Darmstadt cooperates with the regional contact point for EU-internships.

There is also an independent, publicly funded advice centre for internships abroad (page is only in German available)

Please ask your health insurance company whether you are covered by health and accident insurance during your stay abroad! Student accident insurance does not extend to non-European countries! Studierendenwerk

In principle, the visa application is the responsibility of the student. Please enquire about the required documents and certificates from the university in good time. Please use our office hours if you need clarification.

You must complete at least 12 weeks of full-time work at the company. The 12-week activity refers to full-time employment (i.e. >= 35h/week). This means that at least 420 hours must be demonstrated. If the internship is completed in part-time employment, the period is extended accordingly.
Example: If you complete an internship with 20h/week. You would have to complete at least 21 weeks in order to provide evidence of the required 420 hours.

At least 420 hours of working time must be documented for the external project work. Holidays or sick days, bridging days and days that you are absent, e.g. because you are taking exams, do not count as documented working time. Only public holidays are an exception. Public holidays do not have to be made up.

Working hours lost due to public holidays do not have to be made up.

Please read our Checklist for submitting external project work (opens in a new tab) (opens in new tab).

Please start the recognition process once you have prepared all the documents required for recognition. The recognition process for external project work can take up to six to eight weeks. Please note the requirements for registering the thesis (see download area for your degree programme)

The recognition process usually takes up to six to eight weeks. You will be notified by email once the report has been recognised.

How can I combine recognising the activities during the internship (1) and treating this information confidentially (2) despite the confidentiality of the internal company information?

• (1) Focus on work processes and work results that are not subject to confidentiality, a general description should be just fine.
• (2) The confidentiality of your internship report is guaranteed, as it is only accessible to the responsible MechCentre employees.

It should be a qualified job reference in German or English. The reference must contain information on the duration of employment and the activities carried out. A qualified reference also includes an assessment of all performance and an evaluation of social behaviour. The reference should also be printed on company stationery and signed.

Activities outside industry cannot be recognised.

As a rule, it is not possible to recognise vocational training or work placements completed while attending general education schools as external project work.

A student traineeship can be recognised as external project work in the Master's degree if the requirements for this are met. These are described in the module handbook. To check the possibility of recognition, please submit all the necessary documents that must also be submitted for regular external project work. Please use our Checklist for submitting external project work (opens in a new tab). (opens in new tab)