Volkswagen internships: from university straight into business

Eric Gopak

June 5, 2016

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Deadline: 3-6 months before your desired date to start the internship | Apply here
Duration: between 8 weeks and 6 months
Salary: the full statutory minimum wage without exception, whether you are a voluntary intern, a compulsory intern or writing a dissertation.
Location: Volkswagen’s home country is Germany, although the company offers internships in different countries and cities.

Volkswagen internships: from university straight into business

Are you on the lookout for an exciting internship? Volkswagen gives you an opportunity to gain practical work experience. And if you are particularly talented, you’ll have the chance to be included in the students talent bank.

Types of Volkswagen internships

Volkswagen offers multiple internship options:

Basic internship: before or during your studies.

Voluntary internship: during your degree or between your BA and MA. At Volkswagen, interns are also entitled to holidays. The number of days is calculated on the basis of the duration of your internship and legal regulations.

Mandatory internship: during your studies.

Basic internship for a technical degree: Volkswagen provides key technical information during your preliminary/basic internship. Between June and August, you will learn skills such as turning, milling, and welding. This initial practical experience ensures that you are well equipped for courses including mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, electrical engineering and industrial engineering.
The next application period starts 2017 and will be announced in time. The internship duration is 8 weeks. Prerequisite is a (predicted) grade of at least 2.4 in the Abitur examination; focus on mathematics and natural sciences.

International internships: if you want to complete an internship at Volkswagen while getting to see the world at the same time, you should think about applying for an international internship. In this brochure, you can find all the information you need on completing an internship abroad for each site, including details of contact persons, requirements, and salary.

Dissertation at Volkswagen: you want to step up a gear on the home straight and finish your studies with a successful and practice-oriented dissertation? Volkswagen not only offers you an excellent professional environment to do so but also attaches great importance to your work. From the first day to the last you will receive intensive technical and personal support.

Generally, you have between 3 and 6 months to write your dissertation. We work with you to set the duration and deadline for your dissertation, taking into account your conditions of the study.

If you have not yet decided on a particular topic, Volkswagen can provide assistance with its extensive catalogue of topics. They look forward to hearing your own suggestions. You work with your professor and Volkswagen to decide on the topic of your dissertation.

In principle, you can write your dissertation in any Volkswagen department. While doing so, you are integrated into the business process. You work full time at your own desk and have access to the full range of Volkswagen’s resources. They create an ideal setting in which to write an excellent dissertation to complete your degree.

At Volkswagen, students who are writing their dissertations are also entitled to holidays. The number of days is calculated on the basis of the duration of your internship and legal regulations.

The Student Talent Pool of Volkswagen

If you make a positive impression as an intern and have achieved good or excellent grades in your studies, your supervisor can propose you for Volkswagen Student Talent Pool.

Whether you will be accepted for the development programme that accompanies your studies is decided in a one-day selection process. Once you have overcome this challenge, there are many possibilities open to you:

you will get to know the Volkswagen locations through excursions,
gather further experience as an intern in Germany or abroad
or you can carry out research on topics that you have developed in conjunction with Volkswagen for your dissertation.
In addition, the team at the Student Talent Pool regularly holds seminars, organises visits to exhibitions and other important events in the automotive world.

The continuous contact to the company offers you the opportunity to become even more acquainted with the diverse Volkswagen World and the chance to build up your personal network already during your studies.

How to apply for Volkswagen internships?

1. Find a suitable vacancy.
You can find all of the advertised jobs in the online job market. You can filter the search by location, job description and/or level. In addition, you can also look for key terms. A partial word search can be conducted using the * character.

2. Applicant profile and the application process.
To be able to apply, create an online application account. For this, they require your name and your email address. Fill out the fields shown with your details and upload your attachments.

3. You receive a notification of receipt.
Shortly after sending your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt from Volkswagen. If you do not receive this, please check your spam folder first. If the confirmation does not arrive, please contact the contact partner for the corresponding job advertisement.

4. Job interview.
The first step is for your application to be checked by Human Resources and the department to which you are applying. If they have been impressed by your application, you will be invited to an interview at the site or they will conduct a telephone interview with you.

5. Contract and appointment.
If the job interview was successful for both parties, then there is nothing to stop your internship. You will receive the contract documents by post or on your first day with Volkswagen.

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