In my opinion, internship salary or stipend is based on many different factors.

  • Company
  • Research institute
  • Location
  • Types of internship
  • Duration of internship

Company

If you get an internship in a big company, there are more chances to get a good salary for an internship. On the other hand, there are small companies or medium-sized companies which pay less for the students.

Research institute

It is also possible to do an internship in research institutes. The salary or stipend for an internship is also based on the size or reputation of the research institute.

Location

Another major factor is the location. If a company is a small or medium-sized company and if it is located in a very small village, then there might be also possibilities to get less salary or stipend.

It doesn’t mean that the companies in a big city are better than the companies in a village.

Types of internship

  • Mandatory internship
  • Voluntary internship

Mandatory internship

Gross salary for the mandatory (compulsory) internship in a big company will be lesser than the gross salary for the voluntary internship in a big company. Read below to read why the gross salary for a voluntary internship is more.

The differences between net salary (take-home salary) for the mandatory and voluntary internship will not be too high in the big companies. Because there is no need to pay tax, social security during the mandatory internship.

The net salary or stipend in small companies is approximately 300 to 500 euros per month. The net salary will be good in the big companies. It will be approximately 700 to 900 euros per month.

Voluntary internship

The gross salary for the voluntary internship will be much higher than the mandatory internship in big companies. This statement is valid only for the internship for more than 3 months.

There are a minimum wage (Mindestlohn) rules since 01.01.2015. According to that rule, if a student is doing a voluntary internship for more than 3 months, the company should pay minimum wages.

Duration of internship

As mentioned above, you will be eligible for minimum wages if you do an internship for more than 3 months. If you do an internship for 3 months, the company can decide the salary.

Most of the company has a standard salary for mandatory and voluntary internship students. So there will not be any inequality.

Summary

By considering the above factors, I could say that the students can earn a net salary at an average of approximately 700 euros per month.

I have also heard that not all the voluntary internship students who are working in some companies for more than 3 months getting the minimum wages. It doesn’t mean that company is violating the rules, but the company may follow some other rules and regulations.

Note: The above information is based on what I have heard and experienced in Germany. Kindly read the “Terms of Service” on this website.

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