At Hapag-Lloyd, we're one of the world's top five leading container liner shipping companies, connecting 139 countries through maritime excellence. Step into a modern shipping company and see what global trade looks like in action. Whether you join us as a working student, intern, or legal clerk, you’ll gain hands-on experience, learn from experienced colleagues, and contribute to innovation. From student roles and internships to thesis projects across our departments, you’ll build skills that matter – while helping us power global trade.
Start your journey with us and lay the foundation for what comes next.
Working Students
As a working student, you'll put theory into practice and gain real experience in a global shipping company. You'll work in a field that excites you up to 20 hours per week, involved in day-to-day activities and special projects while continuing your studies.
Here, every exploration is a chance to grow. We invest in your professional development because we believe your journey matters. This isn't just a job alongside your studies. It's a meaningful and valuable addition to your future.
Get to know our diverse departments and our international company through an internship. Apply your knowledge and the skills you've learned in your studies. Whether your internship is voluntary or required by your program, we prefer a period of at least 4 to 6 months. This gives you time to really understand our world and make a meaningful contribution.
You can complete an internship in all our operational areas of shipping and logistics. We also offer internships in IT, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Sales, Finance and Controlling, and Human Resources. Every exploration is a chance to grow, and every internship is your chance to belong to a community that values your learning and invests in your future.
After completing your first state examination, Hapag-Lloyd offers interested trainees the opportunity to fill your compulsory or elective station with us. You'll become familiar with the work of in-house counsel in an international organization and be actively involved in our legal day-to-day business.
You can support our legal team, which provides counsel for Hapag-Lloyd in all legally relevant processes. Areas include corporate law, commercial law, labour law, transportation law, merchant shipping law, and contract law. Or you can work in Corporate Insurance and Risk Management, responsible for insurance-related risk management across the company.
Areas of expertise include national and international transportation law, merchant shipping law, insurance law, and contract review from a liability and insurance perspective.
Every exploration is a chance to grow. Here, you'll build real expertise and belong to a team that values your development.
We offer you the chance to write your bachelor’s or master’s thesis about real-world challenges in the shipping industry. Together with the responsible department, you’ll define the topic in a close dialogue: we’ll review your proposed idea or suggest a relevant topic based on current business needs. At the same time, we’ll align on the key framework conditions – requirements, timeline, and available capacity.
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All universities
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FH Wedel
Program overview
As the program is only offered in Germany, fluency in German is required.
Information technology is a core success factor in global logistics, as real-time control of the transport chain determines competitiveness. Hapag-Lloyd has built a leading position through its IT systems and aims to expand it by attracting motivated young talent. The IT Scholarship (SIT) is aimed at computer science students in their 2nd or 3rd bachelor semester or at the beginning of their master’s, offering early practical experience in a global company.
What we offer
The SIT combines financial support and practical experience. Tuition or semester fees are covered from the entry semester, alongside a working student role of around ten hours per week with flexible scheduling and attractive pay. A fixed monthly payment is provided as an advance on agreed semester hours. Participants also have the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s or master’s thesis at Hapag-Lloyd within a six-month full-time phase and take part in targeted IT and logistics training. From the beginning, students are integrated into projects and gradually take on responsibility based on performance.
Application & Contact
Applications are open until July 31 each year, with the program starting in the winter semester or on October 1, potentially preceded by initial training. Applications must be submitted via the career portal or by email to Laura Sommer. Further details are available in the SIT flyer for other universities.
For inquiries, Frank Drevin (Talent Sourcing / Apprenticeship) can be contacted at +49 40 30012458 or frank.drevin@hlag.com. Applications are accepted exclusively via the career portal. The apprentice team is also available via WhatsApp or SMS at +49 174 7015580. Additional information for FH Wedel is provided separately, and current openings can be found under “Vacancies,” where applications are submitted online.
Overview
As the program is only offered in Germany, fluency in German is required. Information technology is a key success factor in global logistics, as real-time control of transport chains drives competitiveness. Hapag-Lloyd aims to further expand its leading position by attracting motivated computer science students from FH Wedel (2nd/3rd bachelor semester or early master) through the IT Scholarship (SIT), offering early exposure to a global business environment.
What We Offer & Experience
The SIT combines financial support with practical experience. Tuition fees are covered from the entry semester, complemented by a flexible working student role of around ten hours per week with attractive pay and a fixed monthly advance. Students can complete their thesis at Hapag-Lloyd and participate in targeted IT and logistics training.
Participants are integrated into real projects early, with increasing responsibility over time. Flexible scheduling allows alignment with studies, while semester breaks enable deeper project work. Tasks typically include development, data analysis, and collaboration in an international environment.
A current FH Wedel scholarship holder highlights the structured onboarding, flexibility, and exposure to real systems and global teams as key strengths of the program.
Application & Contact
Applications close on June 10 each year, and the program starts in the winter semester. Applications are submitted via FH Wedel, either by email or post to Gerit Kaleck, with further details available in the SIT flyer for FH Wedel. For inquiries, Gerit Kaleck can be reached at +49 41 03804822 or stipendienprogramme@fh-wedel.de, while Frank Drevin at Hapag-Lloyd is available at +49 40 30012458 or frank.drevin@hlag.com. Applications are handled via the career portal, and the apprentice team can additionally be contacted via WhatsApp or SMS at +49 174 7015580.
Ready to find your next step? Browse open roles across 139 countries. You'll find opportunities in business and logistics, technology, and maritime careers. Pick your region of choice and see where your journey could go.
Frequently asked questions:
Hapag-Lloyd is an internationally operating liner shipping company within the global shipping and logistics industry. Our company organizes the worldwide transport of goods and connects markets along international supply chains. Working at Hapag-Lloyd is closely linked to topics such as shipping, logistics, technology, supply chain management, and international trade.
In addition to its operational services, Hapag-Lloyd offers a wide range of career opportunities. A career at Hapag-Lloyd is aimed at people who want to work in an international environment. As an employer, Hapag-Lloyd stands for structured processes, clear responsibilities, and long-term employment opportunities. Anyone looking to work at Hapag-Lloyd will find jobs across various areas of shipping and logistics.
Hapag-Lloyd jobs cover a broad spectrum. Onshore, Hapag-Lloyd offers positions in operational roles, customer service, commercial functions, as well as IT, digitalization, and central corporate departments. These roles are closely connected to international shipping and logistics.
In addition, there are Hapag-Lloyd jobs at sea. These positions are aimed at professionals who want to work directly on container ships. Working at sea means being part of day-to-day shipping operations. Overall, Hapag-Lloyd offers jobs for a wide range of qualifications within shipping and along the supply chain.
Training and education at Hapag-Lloyd are a central part of the company’s HR strategy. Internships, dual study programs and working student opportunities are offered in different regions around the world to provide insights into the working world of shipping and logistics. Apprenticeships on land / onshore and at sea / offshore are only offered in Germany. The aim for these entry opportunities is to enable long-term entry into a career within the shipping industry.
To ensure a fair and structured selection process for all applicants, only applications for specific job postings will be processed. Unfortunately, we cannot process unsolicited applications. To avoid missing any suitable job opportunities on land, we recommend subscribing to our Job Newsletter via our official career portal, where you will also find all land-based vacancies. It provides regular updates on new onshore career opportunities at Hapag-Lloyd. For updates on jobs on board, please check the "Apply & Grow" section of each job description within our career paths on board regularly which indicates whether a position is open for application.
Applications for Hapag-Lloyd job openings on land are submitted via the official career portal. All onshore Hapag-Lloyd vacancies are centrally listed there. Applicants interested in these land-based roles can search specifically for jobs at Hapag-Lloyd by function or location, for example Hapag-Lloyd jobs in Hamburg. The application process is online and clearly structured. Application documents can be uploaded directly.
Applications for Hapag-Lloyd job openings on board can be found via our career paths on board here. The "Apply & Grow" section of each job description indicates whether the position is vacant. In that case, it can be submitted via E-Mail.
For more application information jobs on land and on board, please view the section Notes on Application.
The application process at Hapag-Lloyd is transparent and clearly structured. After receiving an application, the documents are reviewed from a professional perspective. Suitable candidates are invited to interviews, which may vary depending on the role and location. Depending on the position, you will then be invited to a second interview (usually in person).
During the further process, professional skills, motivation, and personal suitability are assessed. Applicants receive feedback throughout the process. The goal is a fair and comprehensible procedure for all Hapag-Lloyd jobs. The process may vary depending on whether the job is to be performed on land or on board. For more specific information, please review our Notes on Application.
Requirements vary depending on the specific Hapag-Lloyd role. In general, professional qualifications, reliability, personal fit, and the ability to work in a team are expected. Many jobs at Hapag-Lloyd are internationally oriented and require an interest in global contexts within shipping and logistics.
For positions in the maritime environment, additional profession-specific requirements apply. Overall, Hapag-Lloyd targets applicants who work in a structured manner and want to build a long-term career in the shipping industry.
Yes. Careers at Hapag-Lloyd are internationally oriented. There are Hapag-Lloyd jobs at various locations as well as roles in international teams. Hapag-Lloyd careers are also aimed at applicants seeking an international professional perspective.
International collaboration, global projects, and cross-location responsibilities are part of everyday work in many roles. This creates attractive opportunities for an international career in shipping.
Hapag-Lloyd supports the continuous development of its employees. This includes professional training, internal mobility, and the assumption of new responsibilities. Career development is designed with a long-term perspective.
Anyone looking to work at Hapag-Lloyd will find an employer that views development as an ongoing process. The combination of an international environment, stable structures, and a wide range of jobs in shipping creates long-term career opportunities.
Compared to our employer brand focusing on talents with the tagline "Your journey, our horizon", our brand line "Your cargo, our promise." informs customers and partners about Hapag-Lloyd's stronghold on quality leadership. Both are aligned through their complementary messaging structure - fostering the synergy between our Employer Brand and our Customer Brand and, thus, emphasizing Hapag-Lloyd's commitment to both our people and our customers.