Lingua Franca

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals

Douglas Guy

For Salem State students and recent graduates looking for a year-long professional experience abroad, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) presents a remarkable opportunity to live, study and intern in Germany, the most dynamic economy and influential power in the European Union.

CBYX is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 24 who have clear career goals, a demonstrated interest in contemporary Germany and the willingness to serve as a person-to-person ambassador for the United States. Applicants do not have to speak any German whatsoever, although language skills are preferred. The CBYX fellowship is awarded each year to 75 American and 75 German young professionals, and is funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress through the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). This fellowship provides an essentially free year of study and internship work experience in Germany, including free round-trip airfare, 8 weeks of intensive language instruction, a semester of university-level professional study in one’s field, followed by a paid second semester internship. Free housing is provided in a home-stay, shared apartment or dormitory setting.

Applicants from any and all disciplines are encouraged to apply, from business, IT, teaching and international relations majors to cooks and agricultural students. The program is not so much academically competitive as it is an attempt to send a diverse group of enthusiastic, accomplished, motivated young Americans to live, learn and work in Germany for a full year, expand their personal and professional skill sets and return fluent in German. Students are not allowed to return to the U.S. before the year is up — they have to be ready to invest a full year’s effort to the experience, but the reward sets the stage for a life-long international career. Students can find information and online application materials for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals at www.cbyx.info.