Internship & placement

Lithuania flag Work Experience

According to the Lithuanian Law of Science and Studies, higher education institutions are responsible for the practical placements of their students. In general, student placements are a compulsory part of undergraduate programmes. The university or college cooperates with enterprises in order to help students acquire specific skills relevant to their future professions.

There is no central student placement database in Lithuania. Student placement opportunities are facilitated by career centres within each university and students can also arrange their own company placements through their personal contacts. Further information is provided at the following sites of employment agencies:

Student placement opportunities in Lithuania may be uploaded by companies to the Europe Internship portal at http://www.europe-internship.com. Lithuanian universities provide also student placements for foreign students under the Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme. There are also some opportunities for internships provided by the United Nations Development Programme in Lithuania. The assignments are different and may vary in length according to the availability and academic requirements as well as the needs of UNDP.

Internship and Placement Advice

Information on job opportunities can be obtained through the Lithuanian Labour Exchange, which offers temporary or seasonal vacancies, or various jobs websites:

For further information on employment in Lithuania, please see:

http://www.eures.ch/serveattachment/5b1e71e69e5711e1b0f595124fd63edf3edf/Lithuania.pdf

Database of internships: http://www.gerapraktika.lt/

Social security and European Health Insurance (Card)

All citizens who come from EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and have a European health insurance card (EHIC) or E111 proof of insurance are entitled to free public health care services in the event of an accident. This card does not cover the expenses of health care services provided by the private sector.

Visitors coming from countries outside of the EU may take out their health insurance either in their own country or in Lithuania. In the case of arrival in Lithuania without a visa, students have to take out health insurance for a minimum of 3 months, which can then be extended as part of a visa or temporary residence application process. When applying for a temporary residence permit (TRP), it is better to have Lithuanian health insurance, which costs about 400 Litai (€115) per annum.

Lithuania has a high number of GPs and everyone who needs state medical care has to make sure that their doctor is contracted by the Territorial Patient Funds (TPF) scheme. The TPF maintains a list of all state-registered doctors who are able to provide public health care. There are hospitals and clinics in all major towns and cities. Medicine is only prescribed by doctors or consultants and can be acquired from a hospital pharmacy or registered chemist.

Everyone with an employment contract must be covered by social security and make the required contributions, without exception.

For detailed information on social security, please see:

 Safety

In general, Lithuania is a relatively safe country. Although organized crime and public corruption exists, the majority of crimes reported to the Regional Security Office consist of economic crimes of opportunity, such as pick-pocketing, residential burglaries, theft from vehicles and theft of unattended items. Over half of all crimes are opportunisitic property-related residential thefts that are due to open windows, unlocked doors, and weak security measures. Vehicle break-ins are usually the result of valuables being left in plain sight. The majority of violent encounters occur between the hours of 10pm and 6am and involve individuals who were alone and/or overly-intoxicated. Homosexuals have experienced verbal and sometimes physical harassment.

Members of national minorities (Africans in particular) could face racism, although cases of racism are not common and are not tolerated by the authorities. However, people of other races should get accustomed to being carefully observed, in particular outside urban areas. Often this is due to curiosity, rather than bad intentions. In order to reduce the risk of problems developing, it is advisable to remain tolerant, calm and polite. Lithuanians are accustomed to their homogenous environment and might not have encountered people of other races very often.

http://www.studyinlithuania.lt/en/living_in_lithuania/usefuladvice/security

Lithuania has the lowest number of alcohol-related accidents in the EU. The police have a zero-tolerance approach to drinking and driving, and the penalties are very high.

Do I Need a Visa?

Lithuania is a Member State of the European Union (EU) and a member of the Schengen Area. EU citizens are entitled to stay in Lithuania for a maximum of 3 months within a 6 month period that begins from the day of their arrival in the country. EU citizens who want to stay for a period longer than three months, or who have already stayed in Lithuania for longer than three months, must register with the Migration Department and apply for a temporary residence permit of up to 5 years. Work permits are not required for EU citizens.

Lithuania has a number of reciprocal agreements with non-EU countries to enable visitors to enter without requiring a visa. It is advisable to check with the Migration Department or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for current advice on visas, permits and immigration requirements:

Upon arrival in Lithuania, EU students must:

  • Register in the Migration Office to receive a document proving their stay in Lithuania has been authorised. The name of this document in Lithuania is “Pažyma ES valstybės narės piliečiui jo teisei gyventi LR patvirtinti“. The necessary documents are a valid passport or ID card, an application form obtained from the Migration office, a European health insurance card, a certificate proving enrolment at a local university, bank documents showing proof of sufficient funds and payment for the processing fees. The Migration Office normally processes the registration and prepares certification documents within 5 business days.
  • A further declaration including proof of a Lithuanian address must then be submitted to the local Municipality Office (Seniūnija) within 7 working days of receipt of after the reception of the document from the Migration Office.

Students from outside of the EU must have a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) to study in Lithuania and applications can take up to 6 months to process. In order to speed up this process, a student may apply for a national visa which may be issued within 15 days. The international offices of the universities provide detailed information for TRP applications.

For more information on visas and work permits:

Internship and Placement Salary

Salaries are generally negotiated between the company and the employee and some companies offer unpaid internships. The average monthly salary in Lithuania is between €200 and €600 euros, although the minimum wage is approximately €290. All employment agreements must be made in compliance with the standard form of employment agreement and prepared in the Lithuanian language. However, an agreement may include a foreign language translation to ensure that both parties fully understand the terms of the agreement. Employment agreements in Lithuania may be agreed for an indefinite period of time or a fixed term, if the job is for a specific project.

Internship and Placement Accommodation

Accommodation in Lithuania is less expensive than in northern Europe, but more expensive than in many eastern countries. Higher education institutions provide accommodation in halls of residence to more than 80% of students. Finding a place to rent in the private sector is comparatively easy, but the costs of housing, utilities, local rates and residential taxes are higher in the capital and other large cities. The average expense for accommodation in Lithuania varies between 500 Litai (€170) and 1,000 Litai (€289). Local and national newspapers advertise flats or houses for rent under the section “Reklama” or “Skelbimai”. .

For further information, please see below:

Do you want to learn more about Lithuanian business culture?