Dear Colleagues,
Here at Southampton we've had some problems with year abroad work placements due to new minimum wage legislation in Germany. I'm writing to ask whether any of you have had similar experiences and/or are able to offer advice.
Since the beginning of 2015, employers in Germany have been required to pay the minimum wage to interns on placements lasting more than three months. However, work placements that are a compulsory part of a degree programme are exempt from this requirement. As a result of this exemption, one of our students has been offered a work placement on the condition that she obtain an official declaration from us that the internship is a compulsory part of her degree programme. Our initial reaction was to refuse on the grounds that, while the year abroad is compulsory, an internship is not (as students also have the options of studying at a university or teaching for the British Council). On the other hand, we don't want our students to miss out on opportunities and we are now wondering if we have been too strict in our interpretation of the term 'Pflichtpraktikum', and whether in fact a work placement that forms part of an obligatory year abroad could be regarded as compulsory.
I would be very grateful to hear if any colleagues at other universities have had similar experiences, and if any solutions to this issue have been found.
Best wishes
Katy
Katy Heady
Teaching Fellow in German
Residence Abroad Coordinator for Germany and Austria
Modern Languages
Avenue Campus SO17 1BJ
University of Southampton
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 02380 592200
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