They didn't have to pay him.

Still very poorly handled. Should've gone something like:

1. "Hey, that's awesome that you found that, thanks!"

2. "For very good reasons (a), (b) and (c) we can't actually pay you, that really sucks :("

3. "But hey we like your style, so how about we fly you over for an internship when you've finished school / investigate if Germany has different rules / look at scholorship options and a great reference / [one of a million other things you could do to help a kid out"