Short Term Volunteer Projects in Germany

After 3 months volunteering at the Excellence Center in Halle (Saale), Germany, I can walk away confidently thinking it was worth it. During my stay in Halle I met such a diverse range of people; other volunteers, students, locals in Halle, and my very own English students. After spending 3 months in a place you are bound to make connections to it. For example, I made friends outside of the Center's immediate field and regularly went out to biergartens - a staple of anybody's life who decides to travel through Germany. Further, students invited me to family gatherings, cookouts, cultural events, and their homes. I'll never forget my students providing me with what are now some of my most precious memories. There is a real sense of adventure with this program, and I encourage all those applying knowing that you will need to be flexible and openminded. But if you don't mind a dynamic, at times slightly chaotic environment, and are looking for a great way to gain teaching experience, meet new people, and make a difference, I recommend this program. I am walking away with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that my service has helped the Arabic community here in Halle (Saale), Germany.

I just completed a two-week program volunteering at the Excellence Center in Halle (Saale), Germany. This is a good program for anyone who is searching for an opportunity to experience learning and speaking German or Arabic. In this program, you teach about 2-3 classes a day, along with having language classes for either German or Arabic. You will also get the ability to speak the language, this area has speakers of both languages and many of the locals speak to the volunteers in these languages. The staff is very friendly too.

The Excellence Center in Halle is an great affordable volunteering opportunity for anyone interested in travelling and gaining teaching experience. Located in the center of the city, the EC allows volunteers to explore the East German city of Halle. English is spoken around the center, but there are many chances to learn and practice German.
The EC has great connections to the Arabic community in Halle. The city is about 250,000 people, but has a large Syrian community (probably around 5% of the city), after many refugees fled due to the war. Many Syrians need both English and German language skills in order to open up job prospects and integrate into Germany, and the Center helps them a lot in this regard.
Personally, I started volunteering in the EC as a resident of Halle in order to gain experience as a Language Teacher, which helped me in finding further work in other language schools and gain confidence as a teacher. However, I remain connected with the Center because of the great atmosphere at the place and because I was able to get paid work through the Center after I finished.

The Center is located in the city center, basically, which makes it really easy to get there - either by train or by foot. All the people at the Excellence Center, both the volunteers and the staff/teachers, are very friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere is very nice and you get used to the place really fast. The relationship between teacher and student (both you and your student/students and you and your German/Arabic teacher) are great.
The students are very ambitious too. you get to know them pretty fast which makes it easier for you to prepare your stuff based on that. It’s about being creative yourself!

Regarding the city: Halle is a very beautiful and historical city with so much history and has a lot of interesting and high decorated buildings. Besides, it has many beautiful and huge parks which I will recommend you to experience yourself.

This experience is probably one of the best and memorable things that I’ve ever experienced in life!

I had a wonderful time in Halle! As a tutor/educator in France who considers becoming a full-time language teacher, my experience at the EC has brought me more confidence in teaching English, which is not my mother tongue even though I have achieved complete fluency. I have gained skills in getting students to speak a language they do not master yet, and sometimes are afraid to speak. Making sure that they're not paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes, valuing what they already know, while gently helping them improve their grammar and vocabulary, was a rewarding job. It was great talking with migrants, about their sometimes difficult life stories, but seeing that many of them thrive in Germany, thanks to the help provided by the center. As for my experience with learning German, which I had not studied in 12 years, my teacher at the center has brought me the confidence and motivation to dive back in it. Muaz, a young man from Syria, is a fantastic teacher: he will not harass you with grammar and make you realize that you can communicate in German, albeit with a few mistakes. My two weeks at the center were like a kickstarter for learning this challenging language again. I'll conclude by saying that Halle is a very cute city, human-sized, with some lovely architecture and a pedestrian-friendly center. And since many local people do not speak English, you can expect to practice German there!

With all honesty, and yet genuinely speaking, this experience was the best action I have ever done throughout my life, from my personal perspective, anyone who has that eager of being a better human being, indeed this wouldn't be achieved if you don't propose help to the less fortunate humankind ! Teaching English in the Excellence center to the Syrien refugees was the best option to me to broaden my horizons more about other people's culture, besides this helps me to evaluate my potentialities, hence by the constructive criticism I feel at the end of this fruitful experience ,I have utterly changed to the better !

The Excellence Center was an amazing place for me personally and I had some of the best weeks in my life there. At first, I was nervous and afraid that I was too young to do anything there however as soon as I arrived I realized that all my previous assumptions and worries were false and I fit in very well with all of the staff and other volunteers being very kind to me and even inviting me to hang out and explore the city which I especially enjoyed. I was also given a lot of time to assist teaching in classes and even got a chance to do a class individually, which I am thankful for because I learned a lot from it. My host family was very nice and helpful and assisted me however I needed which was always nice to have and made my time here a lot less stressful. The Arabic classes I took were challenging for me but I enjoyed them and always walked away feeling that I had learned something which was a nice feeling. Covid rules made traveling around a bit more stressful than usual but eventually, I got used to them and it was not that bad in hindsight. I really recommend this program to anyone who wants to experience Arabic culture or wants to learn German or Arabic. Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would love to eventually return to the Excellence Center!

If there is one word that would describe my time at the Excellence Center, it would be Family. From the moment I arrived to the moment I left and even during the organization process I felt like I was part of this bigger family that I didn’t know I had. The Manager Rafat welcomed me with open arms and treated me as a Habibi from the moment we met. Here at the Excellence Center there is such a welcoming feeling because of all the decor but also the people that walk through its doors, and although this was still in the middle of a pandemic, I can only imagine what it would be like when it's filled with people.

I was lucky enough to get to experience not only the school but also the city of Halle which seems to hide many secrets around every turn. My favorite activity was walking through the city and along the Salle and experiencing the wonderful Spring sun which drew out the locals as it did me. My accommodation was also nice as I got to stay with a former student of the Excellence Center which treated me with the utmost kindness, and was even raising kittens which I also got to play and cuddle with.

Overall I can only recommend this experience to anyone who likes to be with people and wants to experience something new. Rafat is one of a few people who wear their Heart on their sleeves and it shows from the way he deals with the volunteers, employees and students to involve them in this great big family. I really wish him and the Excellence Center all the best for the future and look forward to coming back and teaching again. حظا سعيدا في المستقبل