What is the Alumniportal Deutschland?

The Alumniportal Deutschland is a non-commercial website initiated by six German organisations from the field of international cooperation, and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It offers Germany-alumni who have returned to their home countries the opportunity to secure and expand their expertise and to use it for their further personal and professional development.

For who was the Alumniportal Deutschland developed?

The term “alumni” refers to former students, trainees or employees of an institution or organisation (universities, foundations etc.) or those who were funded by such an institution or organisation.
This website is aimed at “Germany-alumni”, people world-wide who have worked, studied or completed a course of advanced training in Germany. It also welcomes those whose studies in another country were funded by a German organisation.
Thus, the Alumniportal Deutschland is a service for all alumni, regardless of which universities they studied at or which organisations funded their course.
Furthermore, there is a special registration option for companies, organisations, associations and universities who wish to establish or maintain contact with Germany-alumni.

What does the Alumniportal Deutschland have to offer?

The APD's key feature is its community, where each alumnus can create a personal profile and get in contact with other alumni world-wide, as well as with organisations, companies, associations and universities.  
The portal also offers a great range of services: current alumni-news and special topics, search functions for events worldwide, advance training and jobs, information on existing alumni-networks, exercises to improve alumni’s German language skills, and much more.
Organisations and companies can post jobs on the Alumniportal and find eligible candidates for vacancies. They can research contact persons and experts, advertise events and trace their alumni abroad.

Why should I register on the Alumniportal Deutschland?

The benefits of a community augment in proportion with the amount of data which its users make available to the others. At the same time, data protection is given the highest priority. This is why you can only use some parts of the Alumniportal Deutschland’s features without registration. Although many contents are freely accessible, details, contact-information and special services will remain hidden to a user who has not yet registered. Access to the community is only possible after registration.
Are any costs incurred when using the Alumniportal Deutschland?
No, the user will incur no fees whatsoever by using the Alumniportal Deutschland

How can I register on the Alumniportal Deutschland?

Click on “Register now” on the Alumniportal Deutschland's homepage. This will lead you to a page where you can choose between different modes of registration. We strongly recommend that you register in the Premium version (see below). Once you have filled out all the necessary fields and have submitted your registration, you will receive a confirmation email in your private account. Only by clicking on the link in this email will you complete your registration. You are now able to fully use the Alumniportal Deutschland.

What is Basic and what is Premium Membership?

Basic registration is very quick – you only have to fill in a very few fields – but it will only grant you limited rights of usage. Only Premium registration will give you free access to the entire portal. You can gain Premium status at any time by clicking on “Edit profile” and filling out all the fields of your profile which are marked necessary for Premium membership. Both forms of registration are free of charge.

How can I get in contact with others on the Alumniportal Deutschland?

First of all, you have to register. This will give you access to the community. Logging in with your user name and password will bring you to your personal start page within the community. A useful tip: only when you have filled in your profile, including a photograph, and have made the data available to others will you become an interesting contact for other users!
Now you have a wealth of possibilities: enter a name, country or key word into the “Search” field to find interesting contacts or information. The button “Site members” enables you to search for specific contacts. Click on “Add contact” to send a contact request to a user. The topical groups offer an opportunity to contact others, to exchange and discuss ideas.

Can I find a job on the Alumniportal Deutschland?

Yes, the category “Jobs and careers”, features an international job exchange which you can access by clicking on the button marked “Find a job”. You can see the detailed job descriptions even if you are not registered. You will not, however, be able to contact employers and communicate your interest without registering on the site. You also have the option to publish an applicant's profile and to be contacted by potential employers.

Is my data safe?

Yes, the data entered on registration or afterwards remains under your control. You can determine which registered users should have access to which information. Search engines and unregistered users do not have access to pages containing personal data. You will find further information on this issue under Data protection law.

Who initiated the Alumniportal Deutschland?

Alumniportal Deutschland is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, and carried out by six co-operating partners (InWEnt, DAAD, Goethe-Institute, AGEF, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, CIM). Other organisations assist this cooperative as strategic partners.

My question wasn't answered here. Where can I find more answers?

If you are registered, you can ask further questions and read answers in the community. Visit the group called APD-FAQ.