How to find an internship through university staff?

[Phylosopher]

Hello everyone,I would like your advice on the matter of internships... Usually every year, no matter the situation, I apply for internships/training for the summer... Sometimes I succeed in finding one and sometimes I fail. It became a habit to always search for internships (Hopefully a good habit)

I used to study in my home country where research is "non-existing", that's why I was always seeking internships abroad. But now I am doing my masters degree in Germany, where the university is research "heavy"! It is my first semester, I basically know no one. Also, during this pandemic, all the courses are made online leaving no room for human-human interaction and therefore I find it hard to stand out among my fellow students during class; it might seem silly, but it is hard to convince someone to think about giving a student an internship if he does not even remember his face or his name, let alone impressed him.

I tried to apply abroad for internships, but most of these internships were canceled due to the pandemic and some of my applications were simply rejected. Therefore, my only way to get an internship/training or something similar would be directly by the staff which I barely know.

What would you suggest for me to do?

 

[jedishrfu]

Contact your closest profs and ask them to ask around. They should know you well enough to help. An intern is like getting a talented worker for cheap and if you have the talent there will be someone interested in hiring you on an internship.

 

[Joshy]

I'm from the US, but before I went to the UK I asked one of my mentors, a professor at the university, if they knew anyone or any programs. They told me of someone they spoke to just once at a IEEE conference while they traveling, and so I sent an e-mail to that person telling them how I stumbled upon their name. They confessed they couldn't remember my mentor, but we briefly met when I arrived and they learned I had acceptable skills for what they were working on. They offered me something and it was a great experience.

A few people have told me about DAAD in Germany.