INSIGHT, IIT-BOMBAY PRESENTS : THE INTERNSHIPS LIVE BLOG

Formalities first. I am doing my intern at Forschungzentrum, Karlsruhe (lit: Research Center, Karlsruhe). It is more like a Summer Project, and I have received funding for this from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).

The Details, and some Fundae:

DAAD is an organisation that funds students who wish to study/intern in Germany. For interns at Undergraduate level, DAAD has a WISE program which funds students from Engg colleges who will be interning in German Institutes for a period of 2-3 months.

DAAD does NOT help students get internships in Germany; it only funds them. So, looking for an internship is your job, and it’s best if you start around August itself.

• The last date for submission was 30th November last year.
• The DAAD application form needs to be sent along with many documents (all in triplicate) which include letter of invitation from the German host and Bonafide certificates from IIT, details of the project that is going to be done and lots of other stuff. Each of these documents entails quite some red tape, so it is best if you start working on getting all of them ready well before the deadline. Plus, remember that Oct-Nov time is Diwali, and hence vacations, time, so take that in account too. The moment you get the thumbs up from your German mentor, send him the Form that needs to be filled by him so that he gets sufficient time to get the stuff completed while you secure the other document.
• Last year, the deadline was extended by a fortnight, but don’t rely on something similar happening this year too.
• The funding (as of 2009) includes € 600 to cover travel costs, and € 650 per month.
• You also need to submit your CV and a letter of motivation along with the form, and 2nd year students should start drafting their CVs too, if they haven’t already done so.
• There isn’t a fixed number of students who are awarded the scholarship. It depends purely on merit, but generally, most IITians get it.
• I suggest those who do not have a passport should apply for one immediately. The procedure can take up to 2 months or more and it’s best that you don’t have to deal with that when the Deadline is hanging close.