Hi! Welcome to the BEE mentorship program, in which Hungarian and international students support other international students in the English language study programs of the Budapest Business University, at the Faculty of International Management and Business.
The need for the program emerged in 2016/17, when the first Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) students arrived in the Faculty of Finance and Accounting for a full study program. The program itself is not only open to SH students, but also incoming and outgoing Erasmus students, and Hungarian students attending English language study programs (with or without mobility). Freshmen and incoming students have the opportunity of becoming mentees, with the more experienced second- and third-year experienced students as mentors.
In many cases, foreign students come from very distant countries, even from other continents, and often this is the first time for them to be away from home. It is a difficult experience to be away from home for the first time even if you move to Budapest from the countryside; students need to take care of themselves on their own, solve problems alone, and their parents and friends are no longer there to help them out. The unknown culture of the university brings challenges that students need to adapt to and at the beginning, this new situation could be very challenging. In the case of foreign students, all the new and unfamiliar habits of the culture, as well as the new language of the country, are just some of the challenges they face.
By joining the mentorship program, students do not need to face these challenges alone. The most important aim of our international mentor program is to help international students with socialization and integration into everyday life in Hungary and the university. For example, mentors contact the mentees before arrival and start to organize the most important things they need to sort out when they arrive. The mentor may also meet the mentee upon arrival at the airport and can help them in finding their way around the university, including the accommodation and administration offices. Mentors accompany mentees, if needed, throughout the whole semester, they offer social and professional programs, and give support e.g., in the exam period or when an emergency appears.
You can read more about the divisions here:
Our community started to develop due to the growing number of students participating in the English language programs. The movement turned into an official program with its organizational form in 2020, one year after its sister program, the Hungarian mentor program started.
BEE mentors are ‘guiding angels’ with the help of the newcomers at the university. It is a volunteering service from students for students. Motivations for joining the programme vary and with this info pack we would like to make your decision a bit easier about whether to apply to become a BEE mentor, as well as help you through the application process and manage your semester workload.
All second- and third-year students from the English language programs could apply to become a mentor, who either:
The application process consists of two parts:
When you are chosen as a mentor, the work starts within your own division, guided by the division leader. Division leaders are experienced mentors with at least a half year of experience as BEE mentors, leadership skills, and long-term commitment to the program. If you are considering becoming a division leader, please contact the head of the program for further details.
The application period is open from 10 May to 10 June (for the Autumn semester) and from 10 December to 10 January (for the spring semester).
By joining this program as a mentor, you will be welcomed by a friendly, international team. You will closely communicate with fellow students as well as the international coordinators which will improve your network and help you find meaningful friendships. We believe that being a mentor can greatly contribute to your personal and professional development.
As part of the program, you will work in a multicultural environment, as part of a goal-oriented team. You will gain important skills such as teamwork, presentation, communication, leadership, organization, problem-solving, and work ethic. As the working language is English, you could also develop your communication in English. You can also take part for free in the professional and entertainment programs organized for the mentees.
By fulfilling the requirements, you will receive an official certificate from the Head of the International Mentoring Program that you completed the volunteering activity in the semester. Students use this certificate to certify their activity for several purposes, such as applying for a job or scholarship, etc. This activity will also give you extra points when you apply for an Erasmus program. Plus, you may choose to get a 20.000 HUF scholarship or 3 credits as a reward for your volunteering activity.
SH students:
Budapest Business University distinguishes Bee Mentors among all Stipendium Hungaricum students when sending their scholarship-holder reviews to Tempus. Plus, you will receive an official certificate from the Head of the International Mentoring Program. You must be a mentee for at least a semester before applying to be a mentor. If you fulfill the requirements, you could gain a small monetary reward of a scholarship or 3-semester credits at the Volunteering facultative course.
Erasmus students:
Hungarian students who are planning an Erasmus abroad could gain extra points in the application process with their confirmed experience in the mentoring program. Plus, you will receive an official certificate from the Head of the International Mentoring Program. If you fulfill the requirements, you could gain a small monetary reward of a scholarship or 3-semester credits at the Volunteering facultative course. Plus, you will not be that surprised when arriving in a highly multinational environment in the near future.
Those who completed an Erasmus semester abroad could also apply. It often happens that a student misses the multicultural environment or wants to give back something to society. This is your place and you are warmly welcome!
Incoming Erasmus students usually stay for one semester only, so they cannot apply as a mentor. But, those who stay at least for 2 semesters, could apply as a mentor.
The most important task of our international mentors is to help foreign students with socialization and integration into everyday life in Hungary and the university.
In many cases, our foreign students come from very distant countries, even from other continents, and often this is the first time for them to be away from home. It is a very good start in the relationship between the mentor and the mentee if the mentor meets the mentee at the airport.
It is a difficult experience for every student from the countryside to be away from home for the first time; they need to take care of themselves on their own, and solve problems alone, for their parents are no longer there to help them out. In the case of foreign students, all the unknown and strange habits of the new culture and the foreign and strange language are all added to that.
Therefore, these students need help getting along in the necessities of everyday life. They need to be shown shopping opportunities, even some of the available foods, marketplaces, traffic in the city, and what is where in Budapest. If needed, they might have to be accompanied to the doctor, a pharmacy, or the authorities. You may have to help them find accommodation and do their nitty-gritty jobs with the landlord, transfer money, etc.
The first weeks at the university mean a great challenge for every first-year student, foreign or otherwise because they are just learning to navigate the systems of the university, compounded by the complexity of the Neptun system, all the administration, and all the new tasks. Here you also need to help your mentees, who, additionally, have a language barrier.
So, the first few weeks will require a bigger time commitment and labour input from many of the mentors. Later there will be fewer tasks; it will mostly mean being available in case of problems, or questions. It is important, though, to check in with mentees before test weeks and exam periods, and it is crucial to help them with course registration.
Moreover, mentors organize several recreational and professional programs, where mentees can meet other students and business leaders also to broaden their professional network and get to know Budapest and the country. The participation fee is covered for active mentors as well.
"It feels great to be a part of this team where each of us has the same goals: helping our fellow students feel at home in a completely new culture and making their lives easier. I believe that our work is crucial to creating a safe and friendly environment for the mentees and to making their time at our university an enjoyable experience. "
"Supporting people has always been important to me. With this mentor program I’m not only helping others, but I’m also able to create lifelong relationships from all around the world, which is an amazing opportunity. I know, I’m facing my best moments at the university because of this program."
"Hi! I'm Adri, a second-year student of International Business Economics. Before I started my university studies, I was learning Chinese at a Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School. In short, I love to organize and plan, and this doesn't only apply to traveling. I am also a lover of languages and books. "
By joining this program as a mentor, you will be welcomed by a friendly, international team. You will closely communicate with fellow students as well as the international coordinators which will improve your network and help you find meaningful friendships. We believe that being a mentor can greatly contribute to your personal and professional development.
At the end of the program, each mentor will receive a certificate of appreciation signed by the University's Dean along with your chosen reward, which could be a monetary allowance or 3-semester credits.
To complete the program, mentors must fulfill all the tasks given by their chosen division. These tasks are shown on the website under the "Divisions" section.
The minimum requirements for a student to apply as a Mentor are; being a student at BBU-Faculty of International Management and Business in the second or third trimester, being part of the mentee’s community attending at least 2 of the events organized by the Bee Mentors, being open to new challenges, and committing themselves 6-8 hours weekly if needed.
Minimum working hours per semester: 45 hours. The workload is not constant, as it depends on the division the mentor joins. Approximately 6-8 hours weekly if needed. If a student is not able to fulfill these hours, then he/she will not be entitled to receive the certificate of appreciation from the University or any of the rewards associated with it.
Each division has a student leader. The application is open every semester for experienced mentors who are not in their last semester. One mentor leader must perform the minimum working time of 8-10 hours per week.
After you have applied as a mentor (see the form below), participated in the orientation talk and your chosen division is confirmed, you will start working with other mentors, your division leader, the program's senior mentors, and the head of the program. Additionally, we are closely working with the Mobility Office and the Student Services Office.
As part of the program, you will work in a multicultural environment, as part of a goal-oriented team. You will gain important skills such as teamwork, presentation, communication, leadership, organization, problem-solving, and work ethic. As the working language is English, you could also develop your communication in English.
Budapest Business University distinguishes Bee Mentors among all Stipendium Hungaricum students when sending their scholarship-holder reviews to Tempus. Plus, you will receive an official certificate from the Head of the International Mentoring Program. You must be a mentee for at least a semester before applying to be a mentor. If you fulfill the requirements, you could gain a small monetary reward of a scholarship or 3-semester credits at the Volunteering facultative course.
Hungarian students who are planning an Erasmus abroad could gain extra points in the application process with their confirmed experience in the mentoring program. Plus, you will receive an official certificate from the Head of the International Mentoring Program. If you fulfil the requirements, you could gain a small monetary reward of a scholarship or 3 semester credits at the Volunteering facultative course. Plus, you will not be that surprised when arriving in a highly multinational environment in the near future.
Those who completed an Erasmus semester abroad could also apply. It often happens that a student misses the multicultural environment or wants to give back something to society. This is your place, and you are warmly welcome!
Incoming Erasmus students usually stay for one semester only, so they cannot apply as a mentor. But, those who stay at least for 2 semesters, could apply as a mentor.
You will have to invest a considerable amount of time during the semester. However, we guarantee your studies will not be affected, and the experience will be worthwhile.
No. While it is not mandatory to have mentoring or work experience, we prefer applicants with previous extracurricular or voluntary activities. Stipendium Hungaricum students are preferred to fulfill a semester as a mentee before applying as a mentor.