Pupils, trainees and vocational entrants from Germany

In a time of proceeding global interconnectedness the acquisition of intercultural competences in the modern working environment becomes more and more important. Stays and vocational practical trainings abroad provide young people the opportunity to get to know the everyday life of the host country from a first-hand perspective. Additionally they acquire intercultural competences by orientating themselves in new working environments with different mentalities.

To pupils, trainees, vocational entrants and young professionals, who are interested in a stay, professional practical training abroad or just want to improve and broaden their foreign languages skills there are many information offers and facilities of support.

The internet portal Ways to abroad (in German) addresses itself to pupils, trainees, students, vocational entrants and all other groups of young people who are looking for general information on possibilities to organise a stay abroad:

the EURODESK internet portal provides information to young people on stays abroad, for instance during school vacation or after school graduation,

the website Rausvonzuhaus released by IJAB addresses itself to pupils and school graduates. It compiles current information on stays abroad - from programmes and students' exchange organisations to facilities of support,

the Worldwide Learning internet portal released by the Inwent GmbH provides information on exchange- and scholarship programmes that address themselves to trainees, vocational entrants and young employees who want to gain practical vocational experience abroad, to acquire further vocational skills and to develop their intercultural competence,

the websites school and high-school graduates, trainees, jobs and internships released by the ZAV provide programme offers to school graduates and young vocational entrants who want to do a professional practical training or further vocational training abroad.

The Information and Consulting Office on vocational Qualification Abroad (IBS) on the premises of Capacity Building International, Germany (all websites in German) provides information about job-seeking abroad and job advertisments' markets. The information provided addresses itself to:

pupils

apprentices and students

post-graduates and young employed persons

The internet portal of the Centre for the Placement of Professionals Abroad (ZAV; websites in German) provides basic and country-specific information on working abroad. The focus of information is on the employment markets of the EU Member States as well as on several non-European countries providing the preconditions of employment law and law of residence required for a regular employment of German qualified employees. The country-specific websites compile basic information on approval of educational certificates, employment and contract law, social insurance, application and job seeking etc. in the respective host country.

Moreover the portal provides information on job facilities in the field of development cooperation as well as on vocational education, studies and internships within Europe. The offer of information addresses itself to:

school leavers and high-school graduates

trainees

persons seeking a job or internship

students

employees

EURES is the job mobility portal run by the European Commission. The portal addresses itself to jobseekers and employers alike as well as to any citizen wishing to benefit from the principle of the free movement of persons within the European Economic Area (EWR).

Jobseekers will find information on:

job opportunities and job seeking

living and working conditions

vocational education and advanced vocational training opportunities

My EURES provides job seekers and employers alike with a number of ways to employ the services of the EURES Job Mobility Portal according to personal needs.

The exchange- and support programmes launched by German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) enable young vocational entrants during or after their vocational education or university studies, to gain practical vocational experience by means of a practical training in an institution or enterprise abroad. Thus participants will have the chance to get an insight into foreign working environments and cultures from a first hand perspective. The programmes address themselves to different target groups (websites in German):

programmes for trainees

programmes for students

programmes for graduates

programmes for employed persons

For a survey of the programme offer organised by world regions please consult the internet portal Worldwide Learning (in German) released by GIZ:

Africa

Asian/Pacific area

Europe

Latin America

North America

The brochure Weiterbildung ohne Grenzen (in German) published annually includes about 170 programmes for continued vocational education offered by 70 organizations.

With their programme "weltwärts mit der GIZ" (in German) GIZ affords the possibility to young people to work in one partner country. With this programm young people can learn from each other and with eachother.

The programme is specific for people of the age 18 until 23. It affords intercultural, technical and individual experiences in the area of development assistance.

"weltwärts"-service can be passed in the following countries:

Asia: Jordan, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Philippine, Tajikistan, Thailand, Vietnam

Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru

East and South Africa: Ethopia, Botsuana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mosambik, Namibia, Sambia, South Africa, Uganda

West and Central Africa: Benin, Kamerun, Ghana, Ruanda, Togo

ASA addresses itself to 21 to 30 year-old students and vocational entrants with a special interest in development policy and development cooperation issues. The programme schedule combines seminars with a three month working stay in Africa, Asia, Latin America or Southeast Europe. Students of all subjects as well as employed persons without academic degree are qualified for application (website in English, French, and Spanish).

Praxisphase im Ausland ('Practical Training Abroad') addresses itself to students of the German academies of cooperative education (BA) and the Dual Academy of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg (DHBW). Students with medium- and small-sized enterprises as co-instructors in the field of practical vocational training are enabled to do a vocational practical training at an enterprise abroad in order to acquire further intercultural competences for the globalised working market. Duration of support: 8 weeks to 6 months.

Praxiserfahrung weltweit ('Practical Experience worldwide') addresses itself to students and bachelor graduates of the economic sciences and applied technologies at advanced technical colleges in Germany. By doing a practical vocational training abroad scholarship holders will acquire vocational and intercultural competences and improve their skills in foreign languages. The programme also serves as a preparatory practical training for the work in an interdependent globalised economy.

The Sequa GmbH, a non-profit development corporation of the most important German trade organisations (DIHK, ZDH, BDA and BDI), awards mobility-grants for practical vocational training in European countries to trainees of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or the German Chamber of Crafts (ZDH):

SINDBAD enables trainees of all professional directions to gain a first-hand insight into the industrial and business environment of a selected European host country (including Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Turkey) during a 3 to 12 week practical vocational training,

TRANSDUAL addresses itself to trainees of commercial vocations and supports study visits for practical and theoretical vocational training to London, Paris or Madrid with a duration of 3, 12, 15 or 24 weeks. Participants will get the opportunity, to get insight into the British, French or Spanish industrial and business environment and to improve their foreign language skills.

The CrossCulture-Programme of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) addresses itself to young participants from the Islamic world and Germany. It provides young employees, vocational entrants and persons engaged in voluntary work for non-governmental organizations and the media the opportunity to develop their professional and international capacities.

The Exchange Program for Young German and French Journalists launched by the Robert Bosch Foundation addresses itself likewise to young journalists in their vocational training and entrants of the journalist's profession. Participants are offered the possibility to do a 2 to 3 week journalistic practical training at a news' media editorial staff in their neighbour's country.

The German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation supports contact and cooperation between youth and young adults in all areas of German-Israeli relations, in particular between specialists and professionals who could in the future assume responsibility for maintaining and developing bilateral relations.

The German-Japanese Exchange Programme for Young Employees seeks to give young employees and trainees aged between 18 and 30 years the opportunity to visit the other country.

Foreign Trade Chambers offer placement of internships or work experience abroad (mostly for a fee, website in German).

For more information see: www.ahk.de

The Programme Voluntary Vocational Practical Training (website in German) run by the German-Czech Coordination Centre Tandem addresses itself to 16 to 26 year-old trainees, students of vocational schools and vocational entrants of both countries, willing to do a voluntary vocational training in the respective neighbouring country during their apprenticeship or afterwards. Objective of the 3 to 12 weeks vocational practical training is to broaden the participants' personal and vocational experience.

See also: Basic Information

The placement bourse announces offering of placements worldwide. For further information see: praktikums-boerse.de (website in German).

Both the organisations DEFTA (Deutsch-französische Vereinigung für Teilnehmer an Arbeitsaufenthalten, German-French association for attendants of working stays) and AFASP (Association franco-allemande pour les stagiaires professionnels) offer a German-French internship exchange site: www.afasp.net/willkommen.html (in German and French)

The DFJW (Office franco-allemande pour la jeunesse) provides information on holiday jobs and internships (website in German and French).

For further information see: www.dfjw.org

is the internet portal of workcamp-organisations in Germany that have joined together in the Trägerkonferenz der Internationalen Jugendgemeinschafts- und Jugendsozialdienste (website in German). Nearly 20 member organisations are providers of international workcamps and to some extent of middle- or long-term voluntary services (following websites are mainly in German):

Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste e.V.

Internationale Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste e.V.

Norddeutsche Jugend im Internationalen Gemeinschaftsdienst e.V.

Youth Action for Peace Deutschland - Christlicher Friedensdienst e.V.

Internationaler Bauorden e.V.

Nothelfergemeinschaft der Freunde e.V.

pro international e.V.

Friedenskreis Halle e.V.

Ökumenische Jugenddienste

Service Civil International e.V.

IBG Internationale Begegnung in Gemeinschaftsdiensten e.V.

Kolping Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste (JGD)

Offene Häuser e.V.

Vereinigung Junger Freiwilliger e.V.

The voluntary service programme weltwärts ('into the world') provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) addresses itself to 18 to 28 year-old people willing to spend 6 up to 24 months abroad to do a voluntary service in a developing country. Participants will be carefully brought up to their tasks and attended by their placement organisation during the whole duration of their voluntary service.

For further information on application requirements, placement organisations, fields of activity, developing countries participating in the programme etc. please consult: www.weltwaerts.de (in German)

Going to Belarus and Ukraine with ‘weltärts’ (website in German) is a scholarship programme run by the German-Russian-Exchange organisation in line with the ‘weltwärts’ voluntary service programme for young people. The Programme addresses itself to 18 to 28 year-old people willing to gain practical experience in NGO’s work or who have already been involved with NGO’s work. The scholarship amongst others covers travel expenses to the place of location as well as board and lodging costs during the voluntary service. The voluntary service will be accompanied by a seminar programme.

Minimum requirements for application are basic knowledge of the Russian language and a general interest in and openness for the host NGO’s work.

The internet portal FSJ-ADiA Volunteers (in German) addresses itself to 16 to 27 year-old people willing to do a voluntary gap year, an alternative civilian service or another voluntary service abroad. The internet portal amongst others provides a list of information centers specialised in voluntary services and a place board for voluntary services abroad

A „Working Holiday”-Visa is a travel visa which has got 12months of validity and includes a work permit for the host country issuing the visa. The visa especially addresses 18 to 30 year-old young people willing to get an insight in the culture and everyday life of another country while doing a holiday job. Backbone of the programme are bilateral Visa agreements between the Federal Republic of Germany and Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

For further information on the duration of the application procedure, the documents to be presented, fees etc. please consult the websites of the agencies abroad of the above mentioned countries in Germany.

IBG e.V. places 18 to 30 year-old young people, volunteers above the age of 30 and families to workcamps and middle- and long-term voluntary services (websites in German) abroad. Main target group are pupils, students and trainees who want to get to know about everyday life and the people of their host country and improve their foreign language skills. Moreover living together in an international group forms an integral part of the workcamp experience. Fields of work feasible as a workcamp-project comprise the protection of the environment and nature, projects of social work, renovation activities, child care, assistance at archaeological excavations, working with the disabled, artisanry and crafts projects.

The Association of International Youth Work (vij) is a professional association in the field of the German welfare and social work that places au pairs to host families in Germany and abroad and vice versa. The vij internet portal provides information on:

Au pair in Germany

Au pair abroad

Au pair in Paris

The vij keeps au pair information offices in most of the German Federal States which place au pairs from abroad to German host families.

Au pairs from Germany can apply at the vij branch office in Paris or at one of the au pair information centres in Russia or the Ukraine.

For first information on au pair stays abroad see also: information on host countries

The German internet portal Aupair-Vergleich.de (websites in German) provides general information on planning, preparing and realising an au pair stay:

information on different kinds of au pair, rights and rules as an au pair, problems with and changing the host family

choosing a host country and information on several host countries

organising and applying for a placement as an au pair

A list of some qualified au pair placement organisations supplements the extended search function.

Aupair Index is an international register of au pair placement agencies providing several search functions.

The International Au Pair Association (IAPA) is the global trade association for qualified au pair agencies and companies. IAPA provides an independent body to which au pairs and host families alike may apply for information and address their concerns. Member organisations have committed themselves to abide by IAPA's Codes of Conduct (minimal standards) for the placement of au pairs.