Apply Creatively, Learn in Many Ways: The Telekom Internship Program

Social media, video content, public relations, and corporate strategy: The Deutsche Telekom internship program offers young professionals hands-on insights into corporate communications at Deutsche Telekom AG.

Develop social media campaigns, produce videos, gain insights and actively help shape the communications work of an international corporation: Deutsche Telekom’s internship program offers career starters the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in various areas of corporate communications. Depending on your personal profile, interests, and the current needs within corporate communications, you can focus on different areas.

Getting Started in Corporate Communications at a Major Corporation

Deutsche Telekom offers a trainee program in the Corporate Communications department. For the current intake, the program focuses on “Social Media” and “Audiovisual Corporate Communications & Content Creation.” Regardless of their focus area, trainees gain insights into various aspects of corporate communications and collaborate on a range of topics and projects. Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies, is headquartered in Bonn, and operates in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The duration of the program depends on the degree: Graduates with a bachelor’s degree complete the internship over 24 months, while candidates with a master’s degree complete the program in 18 months. Jessica Lehmann, Head of Talent Management at DTAG’s Corporate Communications, recommends applying immediately after earning a bachelor’s degree, as a longer internship period offers more room for development. The training is supplemented by internal and external professional development courses, shadowing opportunities in other business units, and support from mentors and buddies.

Between Social Media, the Camera, and Corporate Strategy

The trainees’ day-to-day work is varied. Depending on their area of assignment, trainees become points of contact for media representatives, draft press releases, develop communication campaigns, manage social media channels, create content for various platforms, or contribute to video and media productions. In doing so, they take on both creative and organizational tasks.

According to Telekom, the program’s responsibilities include developing storylines, content planning, community management, and the production of video formats. At the same time, interns gain experience in traditional corporate communications tasks—including research, editorial writing, organizing interviews and press events, and collaborating with various teams within the company.

A project-oriented approach is particularly important here. Since Telekom’s corporate communications department is organized around rotating projects, interns regularly collaborate with different teams and gain insights into the company’s various communication strategies.

In addition, those in charge prioritize the interns’ personal strengths and interests when assigning tasks. As a result, individual training paths can differ significantly from one another. According to Jessica Lehmann, this flexibility creates favorable conditions for personal development within the communications industry.

Creativity as a Key Component of the Application

The internship program is primarily aimed at graduates in the fields of media, communication, journalism, marketing, or related fields of study. Practical experience gained through internships, personal media projects, or initial work in the communications field is an advantage.

Telekom places particular emphasis on creativity and initiative. Applicants should present their motivation and skills in as personalized a manner as possible. A portfolio with samples of their work can help demonstrate practical knowledge. According to program officials, only a small number of trainees are accepted each year. This is intended to ensure individualized support throughout the program. There are generally no fixed application deadlines; instead, an individual start date is determined jointly.

Opportunities and Challenges

The Telekom internship program is primarily designed as a training and qualification program. Participants have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with various areas of corporate communications, implement their own projects, and gain practical professional experience.

At the same time, Telekom openly states that while permanent employment after completing the internship is possible, it cannot be guaranteed. Due to fixed staffing quotas, only a limited number of positions are available. The focus is therefore on providing practical experience and preparing participants for various career paths both within and outside the company.

Like most large corporations, Telekom is actively working to further develop digital ways of working. Artificial intelligence is already being used in various work processes and is playing an increasingly important role in creative and organizational tasks. This gives trainees insights into current developments and working methods in the communications industry.

A Hands-On Start for Those Interested in Communications

The internship program is designed for graduates who are looking to launch their careers in corporate communications and want to explore various communication disciplines. The combination of creative work, strategic communication, and rotating teams provides a comprehensive insight into the communications landscape of a large corporation.

A key feature of the internship is the individualized structure of the training period. Depending on the intern’s interests, strengths, and available opportunities within Corporate Communications, their tasks and experiences can vary significantly.

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Joanna Chatzichristidou

Joanna Chatzichristidou, born in Cologne in 2004, loves telling stories in all their forms of expression – whether with language, images or sound. So it’s no wonder that she wants to become a journalist and later work in film production. In her free time, she reads, writes her own texts, does sport or is out in nature with her two dogs. She has a special connection to southern Europe: as the daughter of a Spaniard and a Greek, she regularly spends time with her family by the sea.

Jule Kikillus

Jule Kikillus, born in 2003 in Germanay’s Rhein-Sieg district, has a strong passion for photography and video production. From an early age, she began filming and editing her own videos, constantly experimenting with new ideas and techniques. She is especially fascinated by the creative possibilities of visual media. She gained her first insights into corporate communications during an internship at Deutsche Telekom. There, she learned how creative content is developed and strategically used. Her goal is to create media content herself in the future and pursue a career in corporate communications.

Lilli Klein

Lilli Klein, born in 2004 in the Rhein-Sieg district, is constantly on the move – whether playing sport, discovering new hobbies or behind the camera. Her enthusiasm for photography developed early on: curious about new perspectives, she experimented with different devices and image styles. She tries to capture experiences in such a way that they tell stories. In the future, she sees herself working in video production or corporate communications – wherever stories are told.