Pflichtpraktikum vs. voluntary internship: what's the difference?

In Germany, the word Praktikum covers two very different things. Whether an internship is mandatory (Pflichtpraktikum) or voluntary (freiwilliges Praktikum) decides whether you must be paid the minimum wage, whether you're entitled to paid holiday, how social insurance works — and, if you are a non-EU student, whether it counts toward your work limit. This guide explains both types and how to find out which one applies to you.

What is a Pflichtpraktikum?

An internship is mandatory when your study, examination or internship regulations (Studienordnung, Prüfungsordnung, Praktikumsordnung) require it. Typical examples:

• a practical semester (Praxissemester) at a university of applied sciences,
• a required internship of a set number of weeks in engineering, business or social-work degrees,
• a pre-study internship (Vorpraktikum) that some programmes require before enrolment.

What matters is the regulation, not what the company calls it. An internship you "should" do, or that your professor recommends, is not mandatory unless the regulations require it.

The rules for mandatory internships

• Minimum wage: does not apply (§ 22 MiLoG). The company may pay less than the minimum wage, or nothing. Many still pay an internship allowance (Praktikumsvergütung) — it's a matter of negotiation.
• Work limit for non-EU students: a mandatory internship is part of your studies and does not count toward your 140 full / 280 half days per year.
• Social insurance: a mandatory internship during your studies is free of social-insurance contributions, even if it is paid. Different rules can apply to internships before or after your studies — ask the employer's payroll team.
• Holidays: mandatory interns are students, not employees, so there is generally no legal right to paid holiday. Many companies still give days off — check your contract.
• Proof: the company will ask for a confirmation from your university. Keep a copy; your Ausländerbehörde may ask for it too.

What is a voluntary internship?

Every internship your degree doesn't require is voluntary — even if it's useful for your studies or your career. Internships after graduation are always voluntary.

The rules for voluntary internships

• Up to 3 months alongside your studies: the minimum wage doesn't apply, as long as you haven't done an internship with the same employer before.
• Orientation internship of up to 3 months before starting a degree or training: also exempt.
• Longer than 3 months: you're entitled to the minimum wage (€13.90/hour in 2026, €14.60/hour in 2027) — from the first day, not only from month four. If a "3-month" internship is extended beyond three months, the exemption no longer fits — talk to the employer about pay before you agree to an extension.
• After graduation: covered by the minimum wage from day one.
• Holidays: voluntary interns are entitled to paid holiday — at least 20 working days a year for a five-day week, in proportion to the length of the internship.
• Social insurance: during your studies, a paid voluntary internship is treated much like a working-student job: if you work no more than 20 hours a week during the semester, you only pay pension insurance. Full-time voluntary internships during the semester break follow the same logic.
• Work limit for non-EU students: voluntary internships count toward your 140 full or 280 half days per year — even when they are unpaid.

Side by side

“Mandatory or voluntary” listings

Many companies accept both. Then your situation decides: if your regulations require an internship and you use this one to fulfil it, it's a Pflichtpraktikum. If not, it's voluntary. On InternsValley these listings are labelled Mandatory or voluntary, and they appear on both the mandatory internships page and in general search.

Why do some companies only take mandatory interns? Because voluntary internships longer than three months must pay the minimum wage. If a posting says "nur Pflichtpraktikum" or "only mandatory internships", a voluntary application is unlikely to succeed.

How to check before you apply

1. Read your regulations. Look up your Prüfungsordnung or Praktikumsordnung, or ask your faculty's internship office: is an internship required, how long must it be, and what must it cover?
2. Read the posting. German postings usually say Pflichtpraktikum or freiwilliges Praktikum explicitly. On InternsValley we show the exact quote on every listing.
3. Say it in your application. Mention whether it is a mandatory internship, plus the dates and the number of weeks your university requires.
4. Get it in writing. Before you sign, the employer must give you the main terms in writing (Nachweisgesetz): learning goals, duration, daily working hours, pay and holidays.

Browse mandatory internships, or read about the minimum wage for interns and the work rules for non-EU students.