You're sitting in your university library, scrolling through internship listings in Berlin and Munich. Every position looks perfect, except for one glaring detail. Half show no salary information at all. The other half mention "competitive compensation" without any actual numbers. You click apply anyway, wondering if you'll spend three months working for experience alone, or if that €1,500 monthly rent will somehow pay itself.
Stop right there. That uncertainty? It's costing students thousands of euros, and here's what 73% of international students don't discover until they've already signed their contracts.
The Payment Reality Nobody Talks About
Here's the truth that career advisors won't tell you upfront: whether internships are paid in Germany depends on exactly three factors, and understanding them is worth more than any generic "yes or no" answer you'll find online.
The German internship market operates under the Mindestlohngesetz, the Minimum Wage Act introduced in 2015, which created distinct payment categories that determine if you'll earn €1,920 per month or absolutely nothing. The system isn't random. It's systematic. And once you crack the code, you'll never apply for the wrong internship again.
Since January 2025, Germany's statutory minimum wage stands at €12.82 per hour. For a full-time intern working 160 hours monthly, that translates to roughly €2,051 gross before taxes. But here's the uncomfortable truth: not every intern in Germany qualifies for that rate. The legislation carved out four specific exemptions, and understanding which category your internship falls into is the difference between getting paid and working for free.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
Recent salary data from November 2025 reveals a stark range in internship compensation across Germany. The median internship salary in Berlin sits at €1,818 per month, with actual payments spanning from €818 to €3,085 monthly. Nationally, intern salaries average €2,033 annually when calculated across all internship types, though this figure is misleadingly low because it includes unpaid mandatory positions.
But averages lie. What really determines your salary isn't industry prestige or company size alone—it's the legal classification of your position.
Full-time interns in non-mandatory positions lasting at least three months earn Germany's minimum wage of €12 per hour, which amounts to €1,920 per month at current 2024 rates. Compare that to neighboring European countries where unpaid internships remain the norm, and Germany's position as a top destination for paid internships becomes immediately clear. The question isn't whether Germany pays interns better than other countries—it objectively does. The question is whether your specific internship qualifies for payment.
Net salary expectations vary dramatically by company size, with interns at large corporations typically earning between €700 to €900 monthly after deductions, while small to medium enterprises pay approximately €300 to €500 per month. For mandatory internships required by university programs, around €500 per month represents a typical payment amount, though some sectors still offer no compensation for these positions.
The gap between paid and unpaid positions comes down to technicalities most students never research until it's too late.
The Three-Part Classification Test
Every internship in Germany falls into one of four legal categories, and each comes with radically different payment requirements. Missing this distinction is how students end up in unpaid positions when paid alternatives existed all along.
Pflichtpraktikum—The Mandatory Internship. These are internships required by educational regulations, vocational training ordinances, or university degree programs, and they are completely exempt from minimum wage requirements. If your study regulations mandate a specific internship duration for graduation, employers have zero legal obligation to pay you. Many still do—especially in competitive industries like engineering and finance—but it's voluntary generosity, not legal requirement.
Think about that. Your university forces you to complete an internship to graduate, but German law says companies don't need to compensate you for it. Since these mandatory positions aren't considered employment relationships but rather part of education, labor law protections don't apply. No minimum wage. No vacation entitlement. No continued sick pay. You're working, but you're not technically an employee.
Freiwillige Praktika—The Voluntary Internship. Here's where the three-month rule becomes critical. Voluntary internships that accompany vocational training or university education are exempt from minimum wage only if they last less than three months or if you previously completed an internship with the same employer. Cross that 90-day threshold, and companies must pay you minimum wage starting from day one—not just from month four onward.
For voluntary internships exceeding three months, interns become entitled to Germany's minimum wage, currently €12 per hour or €1,920 monthly for full-time positions. This is where the system gets interesting. Companies can't game the system by offering you three-month contracts repeatedly. The moment your voluntary internship extends beyond three months, retroactive payment obligations kick in.
Orientierungspraktikum—The Career Exploration Internship. Short voluntary internships up to three months designed to help individuals choose vocational training or university studies are exempt from minimum wage requirements. These typically happen during gap years or immediately after high school graduation. The exemption makes sense on paper—you're exploring options, not contributing substantial work—but it's also where exploitation happens most frequently.
Post-Graduation Positions. Any voluntary internship completed after finishing university or vocational education must receive minimum wage regardless of duration. No exceptions. No negotiations. If you've already graduated, you're entitled to full employee rights from day one, even for a two-week position.
But here's the part that matters most: distinguishing between these categories isn't always straightforward. Companies occasionally misclassify positions—sometimes deliberately, often through ignorance—and students accept unpaid roles that should legally be compensated.
The Sector-Specific Reality
Industry matters more than most career guides admit. Software engineering interns in Berlin command average salaries of €50,277 annually, or roughly €24 per hour—nearly double the statutory minimum wage. Meanwhile, research interns and positions in nonprofit sectors often hover closer to minimum wage floors.
Company size creates parallel universes of compensation. Startups—particularly in Berlin's tech scene—often stretch tight budgets by offering minimum wage exactly, while corporate internships at companies like McKinsey, Google, or Zalando regularly pay €1,500 to €2,500 monthly even for mandatory positions. The difference isn't generosity; it's competition for talent. Big firms need interns to become full-time hires, so they pay competitively regardless of legal obligations.
Location adds another variable. Student living expenses in Germany average roughly €1,226 per month, but that figure varies wildly between Munich (expensive), Berlin (moderate), and smaller cities like Leipzig (affordable). An internship paying €900 monthly in Munich barely covers rent and food. The same salary in Dresden funds a comfortable student lifestyle with money left for travel.
Here's what changes your negotiating position: knowing whether your internship legally requires payment before you apply. Students who understand these classifications walk into interviews with leverage. Those who don't end up accepting whatever employers offer—often less than legally required.
How to Ensure You Get Paid
First rule: verify your internship classification before signing anything. German law requires employers to provide written contractual conditions before internships begin, signed by the person or organization offering the position. That contract must specify whether the internship is mandatory (Pflichtpraktikum) or voluntary (Freiwilliges Praktikum), the exact duration, and the compensation structure.
Read that contract line by line. If it classifies your position as mandatory when your university simply recommends but doesn't require an internship, that's a red flag. Challenge it. If the position extends beyond three months but offers no salary, and it's not mandated by your degree program, you're looking at a potential minimum wage violation.
If you find yourself performing tasks unrelated to agreed-upon learning objectives or doing the same work as regular employees, you may legally qualify as a regular employee entitled to at least minimum wage—possibly even higher adequate remuneration. The law protects against companies disguising employment as unpaid educational experiences.
Document everything. Keep copies of your contract, job posting, email communications about responsibilities, and actual daily tasks. If you suspect underpayment, Germany's labor courts take minimum wage violations seriously, and enforcement has strengthened since 2015.
For international students specifically, visa regulations intersect with internship pay. Students from EU countries can complete mandatory internships in Germany as part of their studies, while non-EU international students enrolled at German universities are allowed to work 120 full days or 240 half days annually. Paid internships count toward those limits, but the income can substantially offset living costs.
Negotiate before accepting. Even for mandatory internships where payment isn't required, companies in competitive industries frequently offer stipends. Mentioning competing offers or your financial constraints often results in compensation—especially if you're a strong candidate. The worst they can say is no, which leaves you no worse off than accepting without asking.
The Edge Cases That Confuse Everyone
Let's tackle the elephant: mandatory internships required for university admission, not during studies. Recent court rulings confirmed that internships mandatory for admission to degree programs—like nursing internships required before starting medical school—are also exempt from minimum wage, even though they occur before enrollment. Students in these positions work six months without pay, then discover retrospectively they had no legal claim to compensation.
Extension scenarios create confusion too. If a voluntary orientation or accompanying internship initially scheduled for under three months gets extended beyond 90 days, minimum wage becomes payable from the first day of work, not just after crossing the threshold. Companies can't avoid payment by adding two-week extensions multiple times. The three-month clock starts ticking from your first day, and extensions trigger retroactive payment obligations.
Industry-specific collective bargaining agreements sometimes mandate wages above statutory minimums. The temporary employment sector, for instance, requires €14.53 per hour starting March 2025—substantially higher than the general minimum. When sector-specific agreements exist, they take precedence. Always research whether your industry has negotiated minimum rates exceeding national standards.
Social security contributions and taxes affect net take-home pay. Mandatory internships are exempt from social security contributions, meaning no deductions for pension or unemployment insurance, though compensation may still be taxable if it exceeds annual allowances. Voluntary paid internships after three months function as regular employment with full deductions. Factor in roughly 20-30% less in net pay versus gross salary when budgeting.
The Competitive Intelligence Advantage
Here's what separates informed candidates from everyone else: understanding that paid internships in Germany represent one of Europe's best-compensated early career opportunities. While UK students scramble for unpaid positions at prestigious firms and American interns compete for a handful of paid spots, Germany's legal framework ensures broad access to compensated experience.
The system isn't perfect. Loopholes exist. Some companies exploit mandatory internship exemptions by pressuring universities to make internships required rather than optional. Students sometimes accept below-minimum wages because they don't know their rights or fear retaliation. But compared to global standards, Germany's approach remains exceptionally student-friendly.
Smart internship seekers use this knowledge strategically. They target voluntary positions over mandatory ones when financially dependent on income. They negotiate durations just above three months to trigger minimum wage obligations. They research company-specific policies before applying—recognizing that culture matters as much as law. A startup might pay minimum wage exactly because it must. A corporation might offer €2,000 monthly because it wants to, even for mandatory positions.
Location strategy matters too. Berlin internships in tech might pay well above minimum wage due to competitive talent markets, but living costs consume much of that advantage. Smaller cities like Dresden or Hanover offer lower salaries but drastically cheaper rent and expenses, resulting in better net financial positions. Run your own numbers before assuming bigger cities always mean better opportunities.
Your internship classification determines everything: whether you'll spend three months living on savings or earning enough to travel across Europe on weekends. Whether you'll graduate with professional experience and €5,000 saved, or with debt from covering unpaid living expenses. The answer to "are internships paid in Germany" isn't yes or no—it's "it depends on exactly how you structure your search."
The Real Answer to Your Original Question
Are internships paid in Germany? For voluntary positions exceeding three months, or any internship after graduation, yes—legally and generously by European standards. For mandatory degree-required internships or voluntary positions under 90 days, no legal obligation exists, though many companies pay anyway.
The better question: Can you find paid internship opportunities in Germany regardless of your situation? Absolutely. The country offers one of the continent's most robust paid internship markets, strong legal protections against exploitation, and company cultures increasingly competing to attract student talent through compensation.
Your next move isn't applying blindly to every listing. It's auditing your specific situation against these legal categories, identifying which positions you qualify for compensation in, and strategically pursuing opportunities where both learning and payment align. That's the difference between spending your internship broke and building both experience and savings simultaneously.
Start with classification verification, prioritize paid-eligible positions, and negotiate from knowledge rather than desperation. The German internship system rewards students who understand its mechanics—and leaves money on the table for those who don't.