Coordination office KoBy
What does KoBy do?
KoBy is the coordination office for practical semesters at Bavarian universities.
It was set up by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and is based at Coburg University of Applied Sciences(International Office).
KoBy...
- answers basic questions about the organization and implementation of practical semesters in Bavaria
- processes applications for consent for interns from non-EU countries in accordance with Section 15 No. 4 of the Employment Ordinance
German students doing an internship abroad are placed and supervised by Study and Work International and the Bavarian University Centers (e.g. BayCHINA, BayHOST, BayLAT).
Clarification of fundamental issues
is the contact person for fundamental questions:
Prof. Dr. Michael Steber
It provides information on questions regarding the implementation of the practical semester, promotes the further development of the program, informs third parties (e.g. companies and the public), maintains and promotes supra-regional contacts and the exchange of experience at state level.
Legal basis for the practical semester:
Acceptance of foreign interns in Bavaria
KoBy takes care of the agreement with the Federal Employment Agency for interns from non-EU countries.
You can find out which conditions apply and which internships require approval in §15 of the Ordinance on the Employment of Foreign Nationals, No. 4 (BeschV) .
New regulation
What is new is that the BA must now also give its consent for internships for third-country nationals who can enter the country without a visa for up to 90 days (e.g. Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova).
The reason for the change is that consent is required according to the wording of the Employment Ordinance and the main purpose of this is to protect interns from unfair pay.
Procedure
- Student sends certificate of enrollment (copy) and passport copy to the applying university
- College/university submits all required documents to KoBy, see required documents
- KoBy checks the application for agreement with the BA and submits it to the International Placement Services of the Federal Employment Agency
- ZAV issues a confirmation of the agreement and sends an original to KoBy
- KoBy sends a copy to the employer, keeps a copy in its files and sends the original (for the student) and two copies (for the foreigners authority and for the university) to the university
- University hands over the original to the student, sends a copy to the responsible immigration office and keeps a copy in its files
- Student can start the internship
Documents required for the application to KoBy
Processing time: 9 weeks
Attention change!
As you know, students must be enrolled for the entire planned internship period.
If the internship lasts longer than six months, it cannot necessarily be assumed that students will enrol for the next semester.
For this reason, consents will be issued for a maximum of six months with immediate effect.
Of course, an application for an extension can be made for a maximum of a further six months.
The new application must also be accompanied by a current certificate of enrollment.
- ZAV form (application for consent)
- Application form Internship for further education purposes
Please note: It must be a full-time job (weekly working hours must not exceed 40 hours)
(the internship position does not have to submit the annexes listed in the checklist) - Certificate of enrollment
- Declaration on the certificate of enrollment
- For compulsory internships:
Extract from the SPO showing that the internship is compulsory
(the beginning of the SPO and the relevant passage is sufficient).
The excerpt must be submitted in either English or German. - Confirmation from the university that the internship is recognized as a mandatory internship
- Internship plan
The relation to the field of study must be clear from the description of the activity and a difference to auxiliary activities must be recognizable. - If the internship is not subject to a minimum wage, the intern must receive at least
the maximum amount of funding according to the BAföG in the form of remuneration, a scholarship, a proven guarantee(declaration of commitment) or proven own funds. - Photocopy of the student’s passport
- Application for graduates
- The degree must not have been obtained more than 18 months ago.
- Proof: Copy of the degree certificate/diploma or written confirmation from the university that the final examination has been passed.
All documents can be submitted in advance by e-mail.
The original application form for internships for further education purposes must be submitted later.
Please note: In principle, all internships lasting more than 3 months are subject to the minimum wage requirement.
Exceptions are (cf. § 22 MiLoG)
- Mandatory internships (Section 22 (1) No. 3 MiLoG)
- Voluntary internships that do not last longer than 3 months and are carried out as an orientation or (university) training internship (§ 22 Para. 1 No. 2 + 3 MiLoG)
There are no exceptions for graduates.
The statutory minimum wage has been 12.41 euros gross per hour since January 1, 2024 and will rise to 12.82 euros one year later.
The employee must be in full-time employment.
If the weekly working time is less than 40 hours, it must be explicitly stated that the number of hours corresponds to full-time employment.
Scholarships, declarations of commitment from third parties, etc. cannot be counted as wage replacement.
