Completes an internship abroad in the most liberal city in the USA, which impresses above all with the individual character of the districts and is surrounded by the beautiful landscape of San Francisco. The multicultural flair of the Californian metropolis is expressed in a wide variety of areas: the architecture ranges from Victorian houses to modern skyscrapers, while the cultural diversity of the residents is reflected in the international restaurants. According to ejiaxing, San Francisco is one of the major cities in North America.
Sights such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous Fisherman’s Wharf or the historic cable cars attract visitors from all over the world.
So San Francisco is an ideal city to do an internship under the California sun.
In 5 steps to an internship abroad in San Francisco
With more than 30 years of experience in arranging tailor-made internships for international students, our American partner organization the Academic Internship Council (AIC) is an expert in the field.
In the past few years, AIC has established collaborations with many different companies and organizations in San Francisco in order to be able to offer you a suitable internship in your desired area.
If you would like to do an AIC-mediated internship abroad in Boston, simply follow our 5 steps to apply:
Step 1: Get information and advice
First of all, please inform yourself about the prerequisites for participation, the program fees as well as the dates and deadlines for the internship program in San Francisco. If you also want to complete your dream internship in one of the industries that are particularly suitable for San Francisco, nothing stands in the way of your application.
Then contact our advisory team – we will inform you which documents you need to submit for the application. We are also happy to advise you at any time by phone, email or personally in our Frankfurt office on all your concerns about internships abroad.
Step 2: Submit your application
In the next step, please send us your application documents in English (cover letter, résumé, performance overview) by email. We will check them thoroughly and give you feedback by email or phone. We will forward your application to the AIC team in San Francisco as soon as your documents are complete and in order.
Step 3: Discuss interests and wishes with the AIC
Shortly afterwards you will be contacted for the first time by your personal contacts at the AIC in San Francisco via email. For the individual internship placement, you now fill out a detailed online questionnaire and, if necessary, upload additional application documents to the AIC database so that your contact in San Francisco can get an exact picture of your qualifications and career aspirations.
As part of a comprehensive preliminary talk, which takes place via Skype, you will find out your individual strengths, interests and professional goals in order to find a suitable internship in San Francisco.
Step 4: Complete application training
Before the actual interview, you will receive professional application training from the Academic Internship Council in order to prepare you perfectly.
Here you can find out how a “typical” interview with a US employer works and what is particularly important. In this way you can prepare yourself for important questions and expressions and be sure to leave an optimal impression on your potential internship company.
Step 5: Complete an interview and get an internship
As soon as the Academic Internship Council has found a suitable internship for you, the next step is to make an appointment for the interview, which you can also do via Skype.
If the interview is positive, you have to decide whether you want to accept the internship. Otherwise there is the possibility that the AIC will look for another internship for you.
After you have decided on an internship, you can apply for your J1 visa for the internship abroad in San Francsico with the support of the Academic Internship Council .
Of course, we are also available to answer any questions you may have – both before and during the application process.
Participation requirements
In order to apply for the internship program of the Academic Internship Council, you must meet the following requirements:
- Good knowledge of English:This is checked by the Academic Internship Council as part of the preliminary interview, so that formal language certificates do not have to be provided.
- Completion of at least one year of study at a university or technical college: Unfortunately, we cannot place high school graduates without study experience for project-related internships, as initial academic experience in the relevant subject area must be available.
If you already have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and it was not more than a year ago, you can apply for the internship program.
Particularly suitable industries
San Francisco is the financial, economic and cultural center of California. Numerous IT companies, publishing houses as well as TV and radio stations have their offices there. The Silicon Valley south of the city is also the technology hub of the USA. Tourism and healthcare are also important industries in the region.
Based on its extensive experience, the Academic Internship Council has created a list of industries and types of companies that are particularly suitable for an internship in San Francisco:
- Film & television
- Health care, education
- IT (software development, system administration)
- Journalism (print, publishing, radio)
- Art & culture (galleries, museums, cultural institutions)
- marketing and advertisement
- human Resource
- Politics, NGOs
- Accounting
- Law (civil law, corporate law, criminal law)
- Social work (non-profit organizations, research)
- Technology sector, engineering
- advertising
If you already have a clear idea of where you would like to do your internship, you can even propose your own company to the Academic Internship Council and they will try to accommodate you there.
In order to get a realistic assessment of your chances of an internship in your desired area, an essential part of the internship placement is the preliminary talk with your personal contact at the Academic Internship Council.
Dates and application deadlines
In San Francisco you can choose between internship periods of different lengths in spring and autumn or an eight-week summer internship.
| Period | Arrivals | Program start | Duration |
| Summer 2018 | July 01, 2018 | 07/02/2018 | 8 weeks |
| Fall 2018 | September 01, 2018 | 02.09.2018 | 3-5 months |
| Spring 2019 | March 01, 2019 | 02.03.2019 | 3-5 months |
You should submit your application to us at least four months before your desired program start. This gives the Academic Internship Council enough time to find the right internship position for you and you also have time to take care of the visa for the USA.
Program fees
The amount of the fees to be paid depends on whether you take care of your own accommodation or whether you commission the Academic Internship Council to do this.
| Internship program | fees |
| Fixed price (regardless of the duration) | US $ 3,838 |
| Internship program + accommodation | fees |
| 8-week summer internship | US $ 7,390 |
| 3 months | US $ 8,966 |
| 4 months | US $ 10,942 |
| 5 months | US $ 12,718 |
The rooms are furnished and you will be provided with kitchen utensils, a laundry facility and Internet access. The accommodations are centrally located in San Francisco and have easy access to public transport.
Included services
The program fees include the following:
- Placement of a tailor-made internship in your dream industry through the Academic Internship Council
- Active support during the entire planning and application phase
- Review of the written application
- Professional application training via webinars
- Assistance in applying for a visa
- Orientation program, workshops & diverse leisure program in San Francisco
- Assistance with all concerns on site
- Evaluation of the internship supervisor
Financing options
If you completed the internship in San Francisco as part of your studies as a compulsory internship, you can for financing among others BAföG apply. As a beneficiary, you will receive a subsidy for health insurance and travel and living expenses.
Special scholarship programs for internships abroad are also open to you.
Please note that your internship in San Francisco is usually unpaid as it is seen as part of your professional qualification. If you do a longer internship, it may happen in individual cases that you are paid smaller (travel cost) allowances, but this is not the rule.
