German and Work Experience in Berlin

If you are an EU citizen and already have good German language skills, why not hone those skills and take a work placement in Berlin with CESA this year?

There are an amazing array of opportunities available to anyone who is interested in this exciting work placement programme.

• 4 week German course + 6, 8 or 12 weeks internship in Berlin
• Start: any Monday all year round (except Christmas period)

On average the school organises 80 – 100 work experience places every year.

Prerequisites for this German work experience course are a commitment to a minimum four week course duration (be it the Standard, Intensive or Combined Courses) – longer, if you need more time to reach level B1 ). German host companies in Berlin will always require a minimum B1 level language ability. The work placement starts AFTER the German course concludes. Placement working hours are usually a full day commitment, running Monday to Friday.

• knowledge of German to B1 level by the time you start the internship
• participation in a German language course of min. 4 weeks – longer if you need more time to get to level B1
• minimum age 18 yrs

• hold an European Union passport
• finished secondary education
• time budget of min. 10 weeks (course + internship)
• reliability

• Administration
• Advertisement
• Architecture
• Consulting
• Culture and cultural institutions
• Ecology
• Event Management
• Graphic & Design
• IT & Communication Technologies
• Law – legal internships
• Marketing

• Political Organizations (NGOs)
• PR Public Relations
• Real Estate
• Social Work
• Tourism

Please note: these are samples – the German language school in Berlin guarantee an internship in the professional field you indicate, not in a specific company. As host companies insist on a personal interview, you will receive the definite address and acceptance from the selected company once you are in Berlin, not prior to your arrival in Germany.

At the end of the Work Experience programme you will receive two certificates. One from the German language school and one from the host company about your internship in Berlin. The school certifies your language skills; the host company issues a statement commenting your performance as an intern.

Course Application

Please apply for an internship in Berlin ideally 8 to 12 weeks prior to course start date) and absolutely no later than 4 weeks prior to course start date (in the summer months late enrolment won’t be feasible, as course / placement /accommodation options will be in high demand), accompanied by:

• CV in German. Don’t worry about minor mistakes made: If necessary German school staff will correct linguistic mistakes before sending it out to companies. They are also able to work on your CV once out in Berlin, but CESA will need at least a first draft when you enrol, however imperfect.

• letter of intent in German – describing your language skills, previous professional experiences and expectations regarding the internship in Berlin – sample letter of motivation

• your CESA course enrolment form

Coaching session with German school staff

One free coaching workshop (90 minutes duration) at the school in Berlin, held after class in the afternoon, and usually shortly before students have their interview or their first day at their Berlin host company. Sometimes there is only one intern coming to the workshop, sometimes 2 or 3, usually from different countries and diverse backgrounds.

A one-to-one session ensure plenty of personal attention, however where there are a few students together they can talk to each other about their concerns and expectations. They can also hear what other interns say about their professional backgrounds and realise that they must ask a lot of questions in order to fully understand what each intern does – exactly as a German boss would need to, when they are not familiar with your background.