Study Abroad and Internship Info

Study Abroad and Internship Info

Global Michigan Web Portal This portal is designed to help you access all manner of opportunities abroad, including study abroad, internships, and relevant funding opportunities. It also provides easy access to departments, centers and student organizations on campus with an international theme, and is the gateway for international students and scholars interested in the University of Michigan.

Study Abroad

Internships
Travel Deals

Study Abroad

If you are a UofM student, please contact our advisors, Mary and Kalli, for study abroad advice and questions regarding credit toward a German major or minor from a study abroad program.

  • If you participate in the Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF) program, all of your AYF credits will count toward a major (30 hours of German courses) or a minor (18 hours).  You will probably take at least 30 credits in Freiburg, and so easily fulfill the requirements for a German major.

University of Michigan Study Abroad Resources

For general questions about transferability of credit, contact CGIS or the Office of International Programs at the School of Engineering, and/or ask
your academic adviser.

Blogs by University of Michigan students studying or working abroad

  • UROP in Aachen: These posts from the “Michigan Engineers Abroad” blog are by a student who participated in the Summer 2017 UROP International program at RWTH Aachen University.
  • Brezeln und Stoff Blog by a student who studied abroad in Tübingen in Winter 2016, and then spent 2017/2018 on the Congress Bundestag Exchange after graduating.
  • Molly Takes Germany This student studied in Tübingen in 2014, and subsequently spent time in Hamburg and Salzburg.
  • A Year in Freiburg This student studied in Freiburg in 2013/2014.
  • My Foreign Adventure This student studied in Freiburg in 2012/2013.

Blogs by non-University of Michigan students studying abroad

  • Jamie and Julia go to Germany Weekly video blog inspired by the “Lernen to Talk Show,” by two Bowdoin College students studying in Freiburg in 2015

Compilations of Info on Study Abroad Programs

  • DaF-Unterricht im In-und Ausland [DaF = Deutsch als Fremdsprache] A fantastic compilation of resources to help you find German courses in Germany and elsewhere (and courses in lots of other languages while you’re at it). In German, but even if you’re just starting you’ll probably find enough English in the sites referred to to make this worth a look.

Information on Studying in Germany

  • Alles rund ums Studium in Deutschland A comprehensive site produced by Deutsche Welle, available in German, English, and other languages.
  • DAAD [=Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst] The official German Academic Exchange Service
    • “Put Germany on your Resume“: Listing of short-term programs in English in the sciences, Engineering, business and other disciplines
  • Hochschulkompass Information über deutsche Universitäten

Specific Study Abroad Programs [if you are a UofM student, please make sure the credits will transfer here before you enroll!!]

  • CAMPUS AUSTRIA Site collecting info on over 20 language schools in Austria by region; endorsed by the Austrian Federal Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs
  • ABC-Zentrum Sprachinstitut Austria Located in the university quarter in Vienna, they offer a wide range of courses taught by instructors
    with university degrees. They emphasize individual attention and willingness to help course participants also in overcoming bureaucratic obstacles.
  • Actilingua Academy They describe themselves as: “the leading organization in Austria specializing in the instruction of German. Offering a successful range of courses, our expertise in teaching and hosting has already satisfied more than 10,000 students from more than
    50 countries.  At our homepage you can find more information about Vienna (city map, cultural events, etc), our program, or our “Virtual Classroom”.
  • Alpha Sprachinstitut Austria They offer intensive courses modeled on the Goethe Institute’s methodology, located in Vienna and including accommodations.
  • Studienforum Berlin Offers intensive 4 and 8-week summer courses on language and culture in Berlin.  4-week courses have a total of 96 hours of instruction, and cost roughly $1,850 [11/2000 estimate]; 8-week courses will have a total of 176 hours of instruction. Prerequisite is one year of college German, i.e. you need to have completed at least German 102 or 103. They are also just starting a Winter semester program
    running from mid-January to early May and costing roughly $11,750.  Cooperating schools include the Universities of Hawaii, Richmond and Rochester and Nazareth College, but any student interested in obtaining US credits is eligible to apply.
  • Wayne State Junior Year in Munich Program America’s oldest academic year abroad program in Germany; officially affiliated with the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität of Munich.

Scholarship Resources [Note that many of the above links will include some scholarship info, but here are some additional places to look]

  • UofM Global Portal – Funding An excellent summary of scholarship resources available to University of Michigan students and others wishing to study abroad
  • DAAD [=Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst] This link takes you specifically to their scholarships for undergraduate students wishing to study abroad. The navigation bar lets you access scholarships for other categories of applicants.
  • Fulbright The link takes you to the homepage for Fulbright programs for US students

Internships

We cannot recommend this opportunity highly enough! In a summer, you can dramatically improve your language skills, learn a lot about work culture and everyday culture, add an impressive line to your resume, and hopefully even make some money.

If you’re a University of Michigan student, your first step (even if you’re not planning to go for another year or two) should be to meet with our advisors, Mary and Kalli, to discuss available options, including

  • internship placements through the LSA Opportunity Hub
  • the International Cooperative Education Program (see the link further below). This program charges higher fees and is not officially affiliated with UofM, but offers more flexible deadlines and a different selection of internships, often higher-paying.

University of Michigan Resources

  • University Of Michigan German dept. internship info:
    • Foreign Language Internships Here you can find links to internship resources available for UofM students, lists of past student placements, student experience reports, etc.
    • Info on German 351, a course you can take for 1-3 credits for completing an internship (Scroll down)
  • University of Michigan Education Abroad Office Provides info on work, study, and travel abroad.  Click here to go directly to their links for language-specific opportunities
  • College of Engineering International Internship Program
  • IAESTE IAESTE is a competitive work abroad program aimed at students in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Natural/Physical Sciences, Architecture and Agricultural Science, and administered through Cultural Vistas. Contact Cultural Vistas for more info!
  • AIESEC AIESEC is a global, non-political, independent, not-for-profit organization run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher education, whose goals include helping members find internships. Visit the link or search directly for the University of Michigan chapter.

University of Michigan Scholarship Resources for Internships

Other Scholarship Resources for Internships

  • Heinz Prechter Tribute Scholarships The “Heinz Prechter Tribute Scholarships” are sponsored and administered by the Michigan Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, and provide financial support to students from Michigan who have been offered an internship in Germany by a German company. Scholarship recipients will be selected through an application and interview process open to all interested students who are currently enrolled in good standing at a public or private college or university in Michigan, who have attained at least junior-class status, and who possess German language proficiency adequate to the meet the requirements of their overseas assignment. The first Prechter Scholarships of $2,000 each were awarded in 2002 to two University of Michigan students, Erin Krumrei and Jennifer Kokko.

Organizations Providing Internships for Students

Info on Specific Internships

  • International Parliamentary Scholarships This program runs May 1-July 31. Interns (from all over the world) are placed with members of the German Bundestag. Program is a collaboration between the German Bundestag and Humboldt Universität in Berlin. Requires “very good” knowledge of German.

Useful Sites for Finding an Internship or Job with a German or German-American Company on Your Own

  • JYM Job Board Compiled by Wayne State University’s Junior Year in Munich Program – an excellent resource!
  • CareerJet This site consolidates search results from multiple internet sites. The link takes you specifically to a listing of job postings including the keyword “German” and located in the U.S. You will typically get a list of several thousand jobs at a time, which can be further narrowed down to e.g. several pages of jobs in Michigan.
    • You can also search for jobs directly on the German version of the site at www.careerjet.de.
  • Germany-USA Career Center Find jobs with American companies active in Germany, and German companies doing business in the US!
  • Jobmensa.de Currently the most popular internship job-search site for students in Germany. Fill in a profile with your application info (presumably including a “Lebenslauf,” i.e. a German-style resume) and info about what kinds of jobs you want. The site then emails you relevant job postings, you click on the ones you want to apply to, and (only) then your data are sent to those employers. Note: the site tries to generate a list of jobs near you, so when you visit the home page from a U.S. city, it will enthusiastically but mistakenly tell you that several hundred jobs are available in this city. Nevertheless, it should work properly if you look for jobs in actual German cities.
  • GoAbroad.com: Intern Abroad Useful internship info. You can also find lots of other useful information on the GoAbroad.com site!
  • germany-info.org Try a search for “internships” to find lots of announcements for specific internship opportunities.  The site
    also has a very informative section for students interested in study abroad etc.
  • Absolventa Here is some information on this site from Pascal Tilgner, the Managing Director/Co-Founder of Absolventa: “As one of the most famous German job boards with more than 735 German and international companies cooperating with us, ABSOLVENTA.de now provides its service to international students. Our focus is to support foreign students, graduates and young professionals who are interested in getting jobs or doing internships in Germany. We assist them in applying for a visa, getting in contact with prospective employers or in other general challenges that arise if they like to stay abroad. I feel confident that our cost-free service will be very attractive for students of the University of Michigan. ABSOLVENTA accompanies interested students during the entire process of getting jobs in Germany, working abroad or doing internships in Germany.
  • Bundesagentur für Arbeit This is the central German job placement agency.
  • XING Sort of a German/European equivalent of LinkedIn. According to wikipedia (8/2013), 90% of the page views come from Germany/Austria/Switzerland. Look for the University of Michigan alumni group 🙂
  • Escape Artist This site is a goldmine of information for anyone wanting to live and/or work abroad. The site identifies its intended audience as: “Escaping Americans ~ Expatriates ~ Overseas Job Seekers ~ Tax Exiles ~ Adventurers & Freedom Seekers”

Travel Deals [use this info at your own risk!!!]

Flying to Europe

  • Kayak Best place to start to get an idea of the regular prices for your flight.
  • flug.idealo.de German flight aggregator site ==> read the German info on this site CAREFULLY to avoid misunderstandings! Worth trying periodically: you may find nothing today, a MUCH cheaper price tomorrow, and nothing the day after tomorrow. Note prices are in Euros. Once you click on a flight, you’ll be sent to the agency offering this deal. You typically have to wait a day after you enter your payment info before you get an email with your flight details and booking code. The email may refer you to an app such as TripCase.
  • Priceline Name your own price–save up to 40%. You choose the date but not the time, if an airline agrees your credit card is billed, and you are permitted only one bid per route. This is the one Captain Kirk recommends
  • Flight Network I haven’t tried this site, but the description they emailed me sounds promising: “Flight Network specializes in getting great deals for our customers. We also offer Price Drop Protection on all bookings, which allow customers to get the difference back if the price drops.” They also mentioned a phone number: 1-800-671-5032 ext 2390

Getting around in Europe

  • Eurail Pass This allows you to visit multiple European countries by train (provided you are not a resident of a European country). Various packages are available (depending on how many travel days you want, and how many countries you want to visit). You should plan carefully to buy the one that’s right for you. “Youth Passes” are available if you are under 26.
  • German Rail Pass The German Rail Pass, created jointly by eurail.com and Deutsche Bahn, allows for unlimited second-class rail travel within Germany. As with the Eurail pass, a Youth Pass is available if you’re under 26. The price for this was $211 on 8/2/2011 – a great deal if you’re planning to explore Germany.
  • Trabi-Safari If you like the idea of taking a tour of Berlin or various other cities in former East Germany while driving a Trabi (and if you can operate a stick-shift!), this site is for you. While you are enjoying the sights passing by the windows of your personal Trabi, your guide provides you with information via radio. On 8/2/2011, “The Wall Ride” through Berlin cost €89/person (or less with more than two occupants per car). If you have a Eurail or German Rail pass, you may be eligible for a €10 discount on a Trabi tour.