Man up... And talk to your boss. Tormenting yourself about a job you are obviously not made for seems not the optimal thing to do. Maybe your boss still has something else to do for you during the downtime. You will never know if you dont talk to the man.

It means they need someone for external projects. No more, no less. Don't overthink this.

@MaskedMan it is okay if you can live with consequences of what you said.

@bobo2000 i think you will find this article really helpful: monster.co.uk/career-advice/article/…

Can't see why it would be bad to be honest. It's a deal between you and your current employer, and noone else has the right to know the details.

@dllhell there's a difference between knowing a <reason> and immediately seeing a connection between it and the problem itself. Nothing to get annoyed about - sometimes people just need to be told the connection (or be reminded about it).

@dllhell So just say that as an answer to your customers question. Something along the lines: "I understand your concern, but we can't resolve this issue because of <reasons>."

In Germany it is legally possible to decrease someone's salary. BUT only in two cases - a) your area of responsibilities changes. b) if the financial condition of the company is bad (but only if no other measures can be taken). (some) Companies however do some shady stuff that can force you into 'freewillingly' signing the decrease. Seeing the job market condition for developers in Germany, noone in their right mind would want to do that though.

@A.Danzi - don't underestimate your internship, while you may not learn much, you are gaining experience (even if just on paper), which will help you in future job hunt. Other than that, get a specialist to look over your CV and motivational letter. Even if you have to pay for something like this, it can be really worth it.