Before going abroad, the following elements are important:
- You must have submitted your complete application documents
- You must have clarified the supervision and support by your faculty and the company/organization
- You must have completed the OLS language assessment - more information on OLS will be given by the EU-ServicePoint after a successful application.
- You must have a valid work visa for the country of the traineeship if you do not have German or an EU citizenship
Further aspects you should have clarified before your departure:
- Your potential leave of absence (Beurlaubung) from your home university (please get in touch with your academic advisor and the student service centers for more information; JGU students can find more information here).
- The recognition of the traineeship after your stay abroad, especially if the traineeship is mandatory in your curriculum and is meant to earn you ECTS credits.
- Sufficient health, accident, and liability insurance coverage.
You should inquire with your employer about accident and/or liability insurance through the company/organization. If you do not receive insurance through them, you are responsible for taking out sufficient insurance coverage. Private accident and/or liability insurances usually do not cover damages or accidents at work.Health insurance within the EU is usually unproblematic if you hold the European Health Insurace Card (EHIC). However, depending on the host country, you might want to consider getting more information on the exact modalities from your health insurance company.. However, the coverage provided by the European Health Insurance Card may be insufficient, especially if a medical return transport or special medical procedures are required. You will need an international health insurance policy (to be taken out in Germany or directly in the destination country) that also covers pandemic events. - PLEASE NOTE:
If you have statutory student health insurance (usually from the age of 25) and complete a traineeship in the destination country for which you receive a monthly remuneration, you have to temporarily deregister in your home country and take out insurance in the destination country (country of employment) according to new EU regulations (Exception: Students can keep their European health insurance if they have a low-paid traineeship in Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Denmark). After the end of your internship, you must then take out your old insurance again. Students who complete an unpaid traineeship remain insured in Germany with their EU insurance card. If you have any questions concerning Health Insurance, please contact your health insurance provider for more information. - The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Bonn offers an Insurance package which includes all three mentioned forms of insurances. Please contact versicherungsstelle@daad.de
Important: Please also mind the information by Unfallkasse RLP as well as the specific information of the JGU Mainz on accident insurance for traineeships abroad. - Please seek information in due time whether you may be entitled to "Auslands-BAföG” (you may have a right to “Auslands-BAföG” even you are not entitled to BAföG for studying in Germany)
- Important: Visa. Please make sure that you get all of the necessary information on visa requirements and apply for a work visa in the host country in due time, if you are not a German or EU citizen and a visa is required. Each country has its own regulations for visa requirements for traineeships and these may be different depending on the citizenships of the students. Please look at the websites of the host country’s embassies for requirements for a visa for traineeships. It is your responsibility to acquire the proper visa for the traineeships. We can only assist you and are available for questions. We will not reimburse any costs resulting from not applying for visas or not applying for a visa correctly.