Professional
Internship
Program

Professional Internship applicants must:

• Hold a passport from Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania

• Be enrolled full-time in the final year of a minimum three-year degree program at an accredited post-secondary university OR

• Be enrolled on a full-time basis at an accredited postgraduate university (for example a master’s or Ph.D. program) OR

• Have graduated from one of the degree programs above within six months of the application deadline

• Demonstrate written and oral English language proficiency sufficient to excel in a U.S. professional environment

• Agree to return to your home country for a minimum of two years immediately upon completing the Internship

• Not have any immediate family members that are BAFF employees or BAFF Directors or Advisors

The Professional Internship Program is a competitive and prestigious scholarship for the next generation of civic leaders. The Program helps to find career-related professionally focused internships in the United States of America in business, education, social work, architecture, human rights, journalism and many other fields. The scholarship is meant for talented people who want to gain valuable professional experience overseas, enhance the resume and deepen their knowledge of different culture.

Applicants will be selected based on, but not limited to, the following criteria:

• Alignment between professional objectives and the BAFF mission

• Potential to contribute to home country and professional field

• Demonstrated leadership and self-motivation

• Relevant professional experience

• Willingness to serve as a cultural ambassador

BAFF works with you individually. Once accepted, you work in partnership with a U.S. professional to secure an internship in your field. Build your résumé, experience a new culture, and broaden your perspective on how to conduct business in the U.S. The BAFF Professional Internship Program allows you to create your own career-defining success through hands-on learning in a U.S. business or NGO.

BAFF Professional Interns participate in a week-long domestic enrichment trip. Designed to enhance your U.S. experience, enrichment trips feature activities such as innovation or intercultural communication skills training, meetings with influential entrepreneurs and business leaders, local history and food tours, meaningful volunteering, and teambuilding fun. The week’s focus is on developing strong ties among Interns, the building block of a strong BAFF alumni network.

Enrichment trips are scheduled in the Fall and Spring. In general, Interns arriving in the U.S. between April and July participate in the Fall; Interns arriving later participate the following Spring. While every effort is made to make the travel dates and itinerary available at the earliest date possible, the actual trip dates may not be finalized until about a month before the event.

Recent enrichment trips have convened BAFF Interns in New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charleston.

A Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence (Residency) Requirement is a requirement of participation in the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation Professional Internship program.

Upon completion of the BAFF/CIEE Professional Internship, you are required to return immediately to, and reside in, your country of permanent residency for a minimum of two years and are not permitted to stay or attempt to stay in the U.S. or any other foreign country, including to work, pursue work, or study.

Short-term visits, up to a maximum of 14 days, to foreign countries for the primary purpose of tourism or short-term business are allowed. Visits longer than 14 days must be reported to your BAFF local representative prior to the start of the visit. In any calendar year, the total length of visits to foreign countries for either purpose may not exceed 90 days.

The residency requirement constitutes a moral obligation that relates to the foundational aim of BAFF to promote Baltic economic development through investment in the career development of young professionals. The Residency Requirement is at the heart of the success of the BAFF Professional Internship program. Please carefully read and consider the full description included in the Participant Declaration that you are required to sign in order to be eligible to apply.