Companies in Germany do not have to pay wages for mandatory internships – no matter how long they last. This presents students with numerous problems, and lack of money is just one of them.
Eileen Roth remembers the compulsory internship that she completed in 2018 during her bachelor’s degree as an “extreme double burden”. For three months she worked in the office of a city equal opportunities officer, writing texts and creating presentations. She wasn’t paid for it and had to keep her part-time job.