Short Term Volunteer Projects In Germany (1-13 Weeks)

My 3 weeks at the Excellence Centre in Europe have been wonderful: it has allowed me to greatly improve my German, to widen my knowledge of refugee issues, and to meet great people from around the world.

The centre provided 3-4 1.5 hour German lessons for me and a small group of other students per week, which were consistently engaging, entertaining and educational. Despite coming from differing knowledge backgrounds and levels, we could all grow and bounce off each other, encouraged to stretch ourselves to new areas but without the pressure that comes from large classes. Furthermore, most lessons revolved around speaking practice which, although scary, was what I needed most - during my time here I have become far more comfortable and confident with using conversational German, furthered more through other volunteers sometimes joking and chatting in German in an inclusive way, meaning it was a true immersion into German and Germany which is exactly what I wanted.

My other main activity at the centre was teaching English; this is not an activity I had experience in. Despite initially feeling quite unsure as I was thrown into lessons without any guidance from the centre really, I quickly learnt how to lead a lesson, and as most are 1:1 tutoring, it is easy to tailor it to a student's needs. Teaching English definitely helped me to develop as a person, and it is something I intend to undertake again in future breaks from school, which is certainly galvanized by the eagerness and kindness of every single pupil I taught.

The atmosphere at the centre itself was by far the best part of my time here - being surrounded by the most friendly and outgoing people, from a range of backgrounds and experiences, undoubtedly made it the extremely fulfilling experience it has been. From the moment I arrived, everyone was inclusive, inviting me to social events outside of the centre and to explore Halle with them. Although the fact that schedules are mainly self-designed can lead to everyone coming and going during the day, the opportunity to all gather at breakfast every day (which was very delicious, and entirely vegetarian which was great for me!!) and joke and chat, really meant I began the day feeling uplifted. Despite a lack of events organised outside of teaching initially, in the second half of my stay this definitely picked up, and the hike we went on was a great opportunity to see more of Germany.

Halle itself is not necessarily the most thrilling city in Germany, but it provided everything I needed from it and I took the opportunity of having weekends off to see more of Germany, which Halle is well placed to facilitate. Halle does have some beautiful green spaces (some of which I annoyingly only discovered in my last couple days!), with the Peißnitz park being close enough to the centre that after work I often went with my friends to sit and chat, or even once to row down the river - incredibly entertaining. However, minus the art museum, there is not much to fill weekends with, so instead I visited Leipzig and Dresden for day trips and Berlin for a weekend with other volunteers from the centre - only an hour away!! The only issue I particularly had with Halle was that I was staying in Neustadt which was a 20 minute tram ride away - the tram system is very good and links the whole city but it did make it difficult to be flexible about meeting up with friends and there is an extra cost for transport which others staying in altstadt didn't experience. Yet, as I had another volunteer as a roommate, I was not alone in this, and I became very close with her which was lovely. The host family I was with were also very nice, and although mainly keeping themselves to themselves, they provided an extremely joyous atmosphere to arrive home to and it was a perfectly satisfactory base to stay in during my time in Halle.

Overall, my time at the Excellence Centre is an experience I will cherish - my only regret is not staying for longer. I greatly hope to stay in contact with the friends I have met here, and continue my learning of German to hopefully return to live here soon!

My time at the Excellence Center was an all around good experience. The atmosphere created by the other interns and volunteers as well as the staff is friendly and welcoming, which made the transition to a new country smooth. Ali specifically played a key role in this transition and integration as he gave me a tour of the city once I arrived, introduced me and the other interns to local students, and helped me find my way to the center and my accommodation. Additionally, he was my Arabic teacher and helped me progress immensely from completely no background. The lessons were well paced and bounced off of me well, making it feel personalized and motivating rather than overwhelming (which Arabic can easily feel like). I was given some materials to support the lessons which will be advantageous to keep in the future. Though we reached the advertised 30 hours (for a 2 month internship), I do wish the lessons had started earlier on in my time here and been more frequent and shorter per session. Overall my favorite part of this internship was learning Arabic which was mostly because of Ali!

My accommodation was also a warm and welcoming atmosphere where the host family wanted me to feel comfortable and at home. However, there is great variety in the type of accommodation interns/volunteers receive and little support for navigating the transportation system, especially when you’ve newly arrived. Some interns are quite far while others are close and don’t need to account for transportation costs, which is covered by the intern. Rafat did a good job of being available to address accommodation concerns if issues did arise; however, there was no information given to me ahead of time about where/with whom I would be staying or what I could expect to receive from them (ie, meals, whether I would have an in room roommate, etc).

The experience at the Excellence center as an intern is very relaxed and gives the opportunity for self initiated exploration, such as of the state of migration/integration in Halle and the actual city of Halle. Because of the flexibility afforded in the set up of the internship program, I found that there was less structure and organization than I anticipated or would have preferred. I enjoyed being able to teach the same students English for the entirety of my internship but I found that this combined with my Arabic lessons didn’t take up as much time as I expected. The case study and presentation on refugee affairs aspects of the program were a lot more limited than I expected and my main wish is that this part of the internship was more intentional and expansive. I was able to learn a lot about the integration experience from speaking with the (predominantly) Syrian migrant population at the center as well as the Refugee tour, however. Everyone was so open and lovely - I learned just by being around the interns and students of Halle, as well as having the time and flexibility to travel and explore Germany/nearby cities.

What an amazing experience! From the moment I walked through the door at The Excellence Center, I felt welcome! The atmosphere is friendly, helpful and super comfortable. Rafat and his staff do everything they can to ensure one has a good experience. Everyone is so laid-back and easy to talk to, which, in my opinion, promotes the overall feeling of warmth and kindness one feels there. I will always remember this experience with fondness and am so happy I chose to volunteer. I also had so many chances to practice my German and gained much through my own language lessons.

My name is Anna and I´m an English teacher from Russia. I volunteered at the Center for 2 weeks and I really enjoyed the time I spent there. What I loved the most is that Center not only gives you the opportunity to meet new people and study languages, but also provides you with plenty of extra activities!

We had parties, football games, city tours and many other things to do. All the volunteers also made a presentation about teaching methods and I it was really interesting to exchange experience and discuss things together. So, I really enjoyed everything! The only thing which makes me upset is the fact that the 2 weeks are over and I need to go home.

The other important aspect I would like to note is that the Center treats people like people and Rafat with his team help everyone as much as they can. I was happy to be the part of the team and I hope I helped some people too.

Having found the Excellence Center from just a Google search and a couple of review sites, I was excited but admittedly nervous when I showed up for my one-month stay in Halle. But the experiences and relationships that I cultivated in the following weeks were so impactful that I decided to extend my stay.

The teaching aspect of the program offers a chance to meaningfully help others while engaging with different cultures. Though I had no experience teaching ESL before coming to the center, the center’s staff did not train me to follow a rigid curriculum. Rather, they provided me with some initial resources and then encouraged me to develop my own unique teaching style. This type of freedom enabled a more creative and comfortable classroom environment for both me and my students.

This same teaching philosophy carried over into the German lessons I took with Muaz, who helped me to develop a more conversational vocabulary. His lessons kept me on my toes, ranging from interpreting music videos to going on excursions into the city.

Above all, my favorite part of my stay has been the people I have met and the sense of community that surrounds the center. Between other volunteers, local university students, and the long-term employees of the center (especially Ali), I felt incredibly welcomed and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I can’t recommend this program enough for someone who wants a unique experience abroad where you can teach, learn, and connect with people of all backgrounds.

Although only spending two weeks at the Excellence Center, my experience has been amazing. Before arrival I was a bit nervous, but as soon as I arrived, my fears disappeared and I felt really welcomed. The center is a brilliant place to learn German! My one-on-one German lessons were fun and varied, and my teacher Muaz has some great language-learning methods, so I learnt a lot in a short time. Teaching English and helping refugees learn is also an experience I will never forget. I had never taught English before, but the center is very supportive and all of the students are really friendly so I quickly felt comfortable. Hearing the stories of people, meeting people from around the world and learning about their different cultures, has really been a unique and eye-opening experience.

Halle is also a great place to stay if you want to learn more German and see more of Germany. Many of the people here usually only want to speak in German, so it forces you to use your language and helps you build confidence. In terms of the location, it is also quite easy to hop on a train or bus and see a lot of the country. In just 2 weeks I have been to Berlin, Leipzig and Wernigerode. In Halle, there are also quite a few museums, cafes, pubs and bars, so there is always something to do here.

Most importantly, the people at the center are all so friendly and welcoming - making me feel at home straight away. I have met some great people and made some great friends. My only regret is that I did not stay longer! If you are undecided on whether to volunteer at the center or not, just do it! I promise you will not regret it.

I can’t emphasise enough how glad I am that I decided to come to the Excellence Center. It was a step out of my comfort zone, but definitely worth the experience. I stayed in Halle for 4 weeks, teaching English and studying Arabic, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most interesting, fulfilling, and educational experiences of my life.

The atmosphere at the Center is really relaxed and friendly, with the lovely staff making an effort to ensure that your entire experience in Halle is enjoyable, as well as looking out for your well being and helping out if you have problems. They don’t feel like your employees, teachers or colleagues, but like your friends. We all made and ate breakfast together every morning. In my last week at the Center it was the beginning of Ramadan, and I was invited to eat Iftar with the other volunteers and staff.

Halle probably isn’t the first city you’d think of visiting if you came to Germany, but there’s lots of friendly people here and it’s easy to visit bigger cities like Leipzig and Berlin on the train for a day trip. I found that the lack of tourists and English speakers made it a great place to practise speaking German, which is something you don’t get in most major German cities. It also has a large Arabic speaking community, so I ended up hearing lots of Arabic being spoken: at the Center, around the city, and when spending time with people I met at the Center, who often had Arabic as a first language. This was super useful for immersion and for practising what I’d learnt in classes.

This immersion continued where I was living, as I stayed with a Syrian host family, who spoke the same dialect of Arabic which I was studying. They were also really lovely and I enjoyed talking to them. I don’t know if this is the case with all the host families, but I wasn’t offered food every evening, and often organised my own, which was fine, but is something that future volunteers might want to make sure they’re aware of.

I taught 7 students English, mostly in one-to-one classes, and they ranged a lot in age and English ability. There’s no set course, so I decided with the students what to teach them and for how many hours per week. The students were all from countries other than Germany, and many were refugees, so it was really interesting talking to them about their experiences, and differences between their home countries, Germany and the UK. I think I probably learnt as much from them as they learnt from me. I also had one-to-one Arabic lessons with Muaz, who is both a brilliant teacher and a really friendly guy. We had traditional classroom-style lessons, but would also go into town to visit Arabic shops and restaurants, which was a good way of practising spoken Arabic in a real-life context.

I spent lots of my free time with the other volunteers at the Center, as well as with other local young people from Halle, who I met through Center staff and students. We went out in Halle in the evenings, and also visited other cities in the area on the weekends. I met so many different people, from different countries and with different life stories to me, and formed friendships which I’m sure will continue into the future.

Coming to the Excellence Center is not just studying at a language school, but a cultural and social experience, which you don’t come across often in your life. I really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend the program for anyone who wants to do something useful with their English skills, learn about new languages and cultures, meet some great people, or just do something a bit different for a few weeks. I can’t thank the Excellence Center enough for the great experiences I’ve had over the last month!

I spent 2 weeks at the excellence center, and enjoyed every single moment of it. Volunteering in the excellence center was a great opportunity to reach out of my comfort zone, and experience various cultures, with the kindest and funniest people around me. Also, teaching English in a foreign country was a huge challenge for me, as English is not my mother tongue, and as I speak neither German nor Arabic, but I am so glad that I made the decision to challenge myself in the excellence center 2 months ago. I was very nervous before I started volunteering at the excellence center, but once I started, I was so glad to get to know the people in the excellence center, my students, and the other volunteers. We had various backgrounds, thoughts, and cultures, and I would never have an experience like the days I spent in the excellence center in Japan. I would like to thank all the people that I spent time with at the excellence center in Europe. I had a fruitful and wonderful time. Thank you!