<p>I am currently heading to Germany for an intensive German language course then I plan on doing an internship. I am a 5th year Electrical Engineering student. I am still looking for a job, hopefully close to Stuttgart. I was wondering if anyone knew how much money an intern normally make in Germany? In the US I make $21 an hour. Thanks!</p>
<p>Well as an engineer you probably will have good chances getting a comparably well paid internship. As you're going near Stuttgart you'll have a lot of good paying companies (Porsche etc.) near you.</p>
<p>On the other hand the economic situation isn't good over here either and companys are trying to cut off people that cost much and aren't really of long time value for them. As an international short-time intern you fall exactly into that category.</p>
<p>So your field of expertise is good (though a lot of good engineers in the area) but the situation might force you to work for a slave wage. Don't expect too much, interns that are still studying are in many field not paid at all...</p>
<p>I was afraid to hear that. I am aware that it there is an economic situation right now and that interns are often not paid. The problem is I am not receiving a scholarship as of yet to live in Germany and I am concerned I will not be able to pay for housing while I am working abroad. Do you think that I will be able to afford living there is I am only getting paid a "slave wage"?</p>
<p>In most cities (excluding Frankfurt and Munich) you can get a furnished apartment for 300 Euro a month plus/minus utilities. Maybe a little more if it is in a very central location, but that's what most college students budget. I recently read somewhere that the average college student pays about 100 Euro a month for food. Most cities have a very good public transportation system that gets you into every corner of the suburbs. Monthly passes are in the range of 50 to 150 Euro, depending on how many "zones" you want to travel regularly.</p>
<p>I don't know what electrical engineering majors make, but I can try to bug some of my engineering friends in Germany. Hold on...</p>
<p>One of my friends got back to me. He has been interning/working for the same company for half a year now. Initially he did a 3-month internship during the summer after his sophomore year and he got 8 Euro an hour. He continued working for the company part-time during the school year and went back for a full-time internship during winter break. Now his salary is up to 20 Euro an hour.</p>
<p>Engineering has some of the better-paying internships and some big companies supposedly pay their engineering interns almost like full-time employees. However, they also expect a commitment of several months. I looked through a page with engineering internships and the minimum commitment for those internships ranged from 10 weeks to 6 months.</p>
<p>Nice work.</p>
<p>WOW! that is some impressive research! Thanks so much for all of that information. I am intending on doing an internship for 6 months. They offered to pay for my housing but not pay me a salary. Do you think this is a good idea? Thank your friend for me also, that was a quick response time :-)</p>
<p>Well that depends on the offer. Are utilities all included? A few boni maybe like internet access? </p>
<p>As you'll be studying and working at the same time, so you wont have any space left to make extra money to cover your living expenses, which -in southern germany- can be really high (+weak dollar rate). So do you have enough savings to cover food, social life and everyday needs (maybe clothing, transportation...) for 6 months?</p>
<p>I'd do the math: Unicum.de estimates cost of living for a student in stuttgart at around 690€ a month (~900$), housing included (though probably estimated from apartment-sharing communitys). Without housing its still 3300$ for 6 months and that will not guarantee you a "pleasant" lifestyle.
Estimating you'll be working 20hours a weak for housing that probably runs the company ~400€, that makes 5€/hour. I earn twice that stacking boxes in the supermarket.</p>
<p>Also if you're in a foreign country (first time to germany?) you will probably be eager to explore a bit and dig into culture. Also i dont know how old you are but generally a not enforced drinking age of 16 creates a thriving party/club scene that beats every half-illegal frat party in the us. So if you're interested in local culture or under 21, plan in some extra money.</p>
<p>So overall I'd try and get a few more offers, if nothing else works out take it and live off your savings and have the time of your life....</p>
<p>greets</p>
<p>Ooops, I just re-read my previous post and when I said "apartments are about 300 Euro a month," I really meant "a room in an apartment." Several people sharing an apartment is the standard living arrangement for college students in Germany. I don't know if that's what your company would be willing to pay for or if you would get your own apartment. </p>
<p>So the actual cost of an apartment is more like 300 Euro * 3, varying by location.</p>
<p>Have you finished your course? I’m just following [Internships</a> in Germany](<a href=“http://www.epa-internships.org/programs/germany]Internships”>Germany Courses & Internships – EPA Internships) in Epa-Intenships.</p>