FELLOWSHIPS ABROAD

Overview

Thank you for your interest in getting involved with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a competitive scholarship funded by the U.S. and German governments. Each year, 75 German participants are personally selected by representatives of the German Bundestag (parliament), and placed throughout the United States for a program consisting of study, work, and living in an American home. The CBYX program offers you the opportunity to support intercultural exchange and host German exchange participants in a variety of ways.

Be a Host Family

CBYX is an exciting opportunity for participants and host families alike! We have many different kinds of host families: individuals, couples, families with children, grandparents, etc.

A host should be interested in having a young German in their home for a year and want the opportunity to learn and share with their participant. Participants should be integrated into daily life and take on the responsibilities of a young adult family member — e.g., responsible for own transportation, some meals, etc.

Hosts should expect participants to help out in the household and participate in family activities and celebrations. Find out more by emailing Beth Uding.

Be a Host Company

CBYX is a great opportunity for American companies to internationalize their workplace by hosting a German intern for six months. CBYX participants have completed vocational and professional training in Germany, which includes a rigorous two- to three-year apprenticeship in their professional field.

Once they arrive in the U.S., CBYX participants enroll in career-oriented classes at a local college to gain a more comprehensive view of the educational system, as well as further their knowledge of their professional field.

Career fields represented on the program are extremely diverse, ranging from business and banking to many technical and vocational fields, such as electronics and forestry. We would be glad to connect you with qualified German participants seeking fulltime, paid work in your area.

All German participants hold a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa (International Visitor category), issued by the U.S. Department of State. This visa allows them to work within the framework of the program. Participants are in possession of all documents authorizing legal employment in the U.S. Host companies are provided with information on taxes and withholdings, participant insurance (provided by the CBYX program), and other employment-related topics.

Learn more and become a host company: contact Beth Uding or call her at (212) 497-3512.

Be a Host College

Colleges throughout the U.S. can benefit by hosting CBYX German participants on their campus. CBYX participants are between 18-23 years old, and have been personally selected by a German Member of Parliament from a highly competitive applicant pool. All participants speak English, have already completed a professional apprenticeship in their career field in Germany, and are great promoters of opportunities to study and work abroad for your Americans students.

If you are interested in becoming a host college, please see the program year calendar and overview of the costs covered by the CBYX program. For more information about hosting opportunities at your college, please contact Beth Uding.

>>Apply to become a CBYX Host College

Current U.S. Host Colleges

We would like to thank the following colleges and communities hosting Congress-Bundestag participants from Germany in 2010-2011s.