Do an internship in Sweden
When you think of Sweden, terms like moose, Volvo and IKEA spring to mind. But the Scandinavian country is much more than a moose farm and furniture supplier. Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1995. Since then, at the latest, Swedish universities and companies have also been of interest to young people from Germany to do a degree or an internship.
Completed internships and semesters abroad look good in a letter of application for a job offer. They are also valuable as a purely personal experience.
Do an internship in Sweden (paid or unpaid)
Doing internships was not common in Sweden for a long time. The legislature has actually forbidden it not to pay employment or to pay in a reduced form.
- After a rethink, more and more Swedish companies are now offering the opportunity to do an internship. Nevertheless, the offer is in with the possibilities Germany not comparable. Basically, you can do it in two different ways.
- A first way is paid internships. You must pay tax on all of your related income. You know this in a similar way from a temporary salaried job, where you work up to the maximum Internship duration of six months for an internship pay a flat tax of 25 percent have to.
- There are no taxes for an unpaid internship. In such a case, you should get your employer to pay for your travel to and from Sweden. The same applies, of course, to accommodation and meals.
- After birth, every Swede receives a personal identification number that is used in everyday life, similar to the tax number in Germany. You will only receive this special personal number in Sweden if you have applied for a residence permit. This number is the prerequisite for opening a bank account, a rental agreement or a telephone connection. Regular work is not permitted without this personal number.
- As an intern, you will not receive this official number. It is only awarded from a stay of one year and one day. To open an account, it is sometimes issued by study institutions (does not entitle you to work).
- If you have a bank account at SEB Bank in Germany, you can use their Swedish ATMs free of charge. Otherwise, each cash withdrawal costs 4 to 5 euros.
Internships are intended to provide an initial insight into the world of work and a particular profession ...
Internship positions - information on how to find and apply
If you are interested in an internship or would like to complete a semester at a Swedish university, you can contact various offices for information.
- This includes the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce (DSHK). On the website you will find important general information that will be useful for studying or working in Sweden. The Chamber of Commerce itself also provides internships (5 to 10).
- Also with the Swedish Embassy in Germany or their web portal Swedenabroad.com you can find out more as a job seeker.
- If you have some knowledge of the Swedish language, you can use the Swedish Employment Service (AMS) Arbetsformedlingen.se for your search.
- You can submit your application English compose. References are very beneficial. Enclose certificates in English translation (copy). Stick to the usual forms for application documents. You do not need to enclose a photo.
- In modern Sweden you can communicate well with English. Nevertheless, you should seriously undertake to learn Swedish. You can register for free courses at the Folkuniversite (available in every major city). Self-study with a language CD is also recommended.
Current internship offers, not only for Sweden, can be found at Praktikum.info and at the yellow pages Gulasidorna.se. You will also find what you are looking for at the Swedish branches of well-known job exchanges (Manpower, Jobpilot, Stepstone).