How to get an Internship in the US or Canada without being enrolled to university?

Question

I will graduate from university in 1-2 months in Computer Science (focus on Computer Architecture, CPU Design) in Germany. Actually, my plan is to do a PhD but I want to take a break for half a year to a year. I thought this would be a good opportunity to do an internship abroad (preferably in North America) and then come back to Germany.

However, I had to realise that you have to be enrolled at university for almost all internships abroad. Unfortunately, I didn't know that. I don't know what to do next. Now I have problems finding an internship, especially outside of Germany.

So the idea came to me to just apply for a full-time job and then quit after 6-12 months.

I think it makes no sense to apply for positions that require you to be enrolled at university. I was advised by friends to just re-enrol in Germany for any subject and then look for an internship.

What would you advise me to do?

Answer 1

I think it makes no sense to apply for positions that require you to be enrolled at university.

The idea of an unpaid internship in the United States has essentially disappeared. The interns were overworked, but didn't always receive the learning benefits. So now the interns have to either be paid, or receive college credit.

Most internships in the United states are geared to the summer break, though there are exceptions.

So the idea came to me to just apply for a full-time job and then quit after 6-12 months.

One issue that you will have is that you will need a work visa in the US to accept that paid job. Some (most?) companies will not be willing to do the visa paperwork for a recent graduate. Even if they will do it, it might not happen quick enough for your timeline.

I was advised by friends to just re-enrol in Germany for any subject and then look for an internship.

If you go for an internship that requires you to be student, the company should require a letter from your school that states that you will be receiving college credit. That letter will also spell out any requirements the school has regarding documenting your hours and tasks, before they will give you credit. Both my kids has to provide a letter before they could stat their internship.

So enrolling in a random class might not be good enough.

Answer 2

For all practical purposes in the software world in North America "internship" means a placement organized through a university. Companies recruit their interns through universities, and it will be very hard to get into such a programme without being attached to one.

On the other hand, companies are always recruiting full time junior developers, meaning those who have recently graduated from a comp-sci degree. That's you. Apply to any companies you like who have openings for entry-level developers, or even those who have general openings for developers. At this stage don't tell them about your plans for doing a PhD. You can tell them at an interview of they ask about long term plans.

Unfortunately the fact that you are from abroad will make things more complicated, as the company will need to apply for a visa for you. This means they will be more reluctant to employ you since it means more work for them, and also that there will be a delay while any visa is processed. You should have started applications like this several months ago. Things will be a lot simpler if you apply in a country where you have permission to work, which (assuming you are a German citizen) includes any country in the EU. You can get almost the same level of cultural experience without the visa hassles.