Intership

In the following table, you will find an overview of the number of internships required in your degree programme, their duration, and deadlines. Please also consult the examination regulations applicable to you, as these are binding.

• Students are responsible for finding a suitable internship position.
• For the preliminary internship, we recommend visiting the website of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) to view the apprenticeship atlas (Ausbildungsatlas) for the desired region and find suitable companies in the business directory. Upon request, we can also provide you with a list of suitable companies.
• For the advanced internship, we recommend searching on the relevant internet portals and on the Mechanical Engineering Noticeboard.
• If, despite intensive efforts, you are unsuccessful in finding an internship, please feel free to contact us.

• The pre-study internship is intended to impart basic knowledge of industrial manufacturing.
• In principle, the companies should be manufacturing craft businesses and industrial companies. However, companies in the maintenance and service sector that also carry out manufacturing in the industrial sense may also be considered if the activities listed in Table A1 can be performed there.
• Please check whether the agreed internship content corresponds to the required areas of activity in the internship regulations (Experience and areas of activity during the pre-internship). Not all, but at least two of the five areas listed must be completed for the pre-internship, with at least 50% of the internship in the areas of activity VP1 and/or VP2.
• Institutes of colleges and universities are not suitable and therefore not permitted.

• The knowledge and experience to be gained during the advanced internship should be acquired in medium-sized or large industrial companies in the mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, and electrical engineering sectors, but also in other companies that operate extensive technical facilities.
• Engineering firms and university-independent research institutions may also be suitable for parts of the technical internship.
• The internship regulations do not specify any particular areas of activity for the advanced internship. It serves to gain experience in a typical working environment for engineers or persons with corresponding qualifications in the field of the respective internship activity, with predominantly developmental, planning, or managerial activities.
• If you are unsure whether a planned internship activity, which may be more specialized or atypical, is eligible for recognition, it is advisable to consult with the Internship Office in advance.
• Institutes of colleges and universities are not suitable and therefore not permitted

You do not need to register your internship with us before signing the contract/starting the internship. However, if you have any questions regarding the suitability of the company or the areas of activity, please feel free to contact us.

The internship report must be written in German or English.

Pre-study internship:

• Please use the following template to write your pre-study internship report.
• Please refer to the example for the weekly report for guidance on the content and structure of the report.
• Please submit only typed documents. Handwritten documents cannot be processed.
• The weekly report must be stamped and signed by the supervisor(s) at the company on each page.

Advanced internship:

• Write a continuous text internship report of two pages per week of internship to be recognized, which must be stamped and signed by the supervisor(s) at the company on the first or last page. No weekly reports.
• The report should describe the tasks, procedures, approaches to solutions, personal experiences in the company environment, etc.
• The report should also include an introductory description of the company and its activities, as well as a concluding summary. Furthermore, it should contain a table of contents.
• There are no specific requirements for the layout of the reports. However, the font size should not be larger than 12, the line spacing should be a maximum of 1.5 lines, and the page margin should be a maximum of 2.5 cm. You may, of course, insert images and drawings, but these should not reduce the required text portion.

Please submit only typewritten documents.

• The certificate must be attached in German or English. If the certificate is in another language, you must have it translated and officially certified.
• The certificate or confirmation of successful completion of the internship must be on company letterhead and state the duration of the training, areas of activity, and information about days of absence during the student's internship, as well as the date of issue, stamp, and signature of the company.
• You are also welcome to use our certificate template.

You must provide proof for each day that you wish to have recognized as an internship. Days of absence due to illness, vacation, long weekends, exam days, or personal reasons must be made up as soon as they exceed 5% of the total internship period required. Public holidays do not need to be made up. It is best to extend the contract in advance if, for example, you need to take vacation or have exam days coming up.

You can complete the internship at different companies, allowing you to integrate it into your individual course of study in the most optimal way possible. However, the duration of the internship at any one company should not be less than 4 weeks.

One week of internship corresponds to the regular weekly working hours of the respective company for full-time employment. For part-time employment, a cumulative total of 40 hours (60 minutes) is counted as one week of internship.

To apply for a semester of leave, please contact the Office of Student Registration. You can take a leave of absence under certain conditions.

Yes, that is possible. Please feel free to contact the International Office at the university. They will be able to provide you with more detailed information and tell you about various exchange programs.

However, placement does not automatically guarantee that the respective position meets the requirements of the internship regulations. This must be clarified by the interested party with the Internship Office on a case-by-case basis. In principle, the same rules apply as for domestic internships.

After completing your internship, you must submit the following documents to the Internship Office for approval:

• Internship recognition form
  • Please fill out completely and sign.
• Certificate
  • Include a statement regarding days of absence (vacation, illness, bridge days, and exam days), even if none occurred. Public holidays are not considered days of absence.
• Internship report
  • See: “What should be considered when writing the report?”

• After completing the internship and submitting all necessary documentation, the Internship Office will review your application for recognition of the internship.
• The review of your submitted documents usually takes 2-3 weeks.
• You will be notified by email once your internship has been recognized. If any documents are missing or further clarification is required, we will contact you.

• Depending on your training, we can credit this in full or in part as an internship.
• To apply for recognition, please submit your journeyman's certificate and a completed and signed internship recognition form.

Yes, that is possible. Internships in technical degree programs that have already been recognized by German universities will be credited as long as they meet the requirements of the internship regulations. Please submit the completed and signed internship recognition form together with the relevant certificates of recognition from the university and, if applicable, internship reports and company references.

• Professional activity in employment as an engineer
• Working student activities or comparable employment
• Training periods in a school setting
  • at vocational high schools with a focus on technology
  • at technical colleges
• Voluntary scientific year
• Technical training and service in the German Armed Forces
• Technical training and further education in qualified specialist courses

Further information on the recognition of individual substitute periods can be found in the internship regulations.

Please submit your documents digitally, scanned as a PDF attachment, by email to: praktikum@maschinenbau.uni-hannover.de. Unfortunately, we cannot accept other formats. Please briefly describe your request.

If necessary, insurance coverage must be adjusted. LUH does not provide insurance coverage. Please discuss this in detail with the internship company or with the responsible insurance providers. Unfortunately, we cannot advise you in this case.

We do not issue separate certificates or sign any blocking notes. Your documents will not be copied and/or archived. You should try to paraphrase any activities that you are not allowed to explain in your report due to confidentiality requirements so that there is no conflict between the confidential treatment of internal company information and the documentation of your activities. This means that you can omit actual results. Nevertheless, the starting points, procedures, and objectives should be recognizable and comprehensible, and the report must not be less comprehensive.

Yes, you should definitely sign an internship agreement in your own interest so that you are covered and all agreements are set out in writing. The agreement does not need to be submitted to the internship office.

• Internships that are completed during your studies in accordance with the study or examination regulations are exempt from social security contributions for the duration of the remaining internship. Some companies therefore require confirmation of this. We will be happy to issue you with this mandatory internship certificate. Please send us your current certificate of enrollment.
•  Internships completed before the start of studies on the recommendation of the study and examination regulations are subject to social security contributions. As a rule, companies do not require confirmation. If a company nevertheless requests such confirmation, please submit the relevant study or examination regulations for your intended degree program, which show that a mandatory internship must be completed for the degree program.

School internships during attendance at general education schools are not recognized in principle.

The Career Service at ZQS/Key Competencies is your point of contact in this case. You can find more information at the following link:

https://www.uni-hannover.de/en/studium/im-studium/career-guidance-internships-transition-into-employment