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

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!

I am so glad and thankful for having had the opportunity of this wonderful experience at the Europe Excellence Center. Although I visited the Center in Halle for a short term, not only did I have very much fun and empathy with my language students in English and in German, the whole atmosphere at the academy was warm and welcoming, I felt the kindness and open-minded mentality of everyone there from the beginning on.

The staff was always absolutely helpful and nice, their disposition of sharing time and personal experiences with the volunteers was marvelous! For the reason of my international background (I was born in Colombia and my family of origin is german), this possibility of communicating and interacting with people from different cultures and mentalities was a very rewarding experience, not only because of the opportunity of learning from others, but also - for me the most important fact of all - it enriches you personally at a very deep. spiritual level, in which giving and receiving flows in a very spontaneous, natural way.

I fully recommend the programs offered at the Europe Excellence Center, as well as its staff and teachers, not only for younger people, but also for those of us who are more aged in time but always young by heart, because of all the fun and learning you will experience at the Centerl! I therefore express my deepest gratitude to each and everyone there whom I had the opportunity of knowing and interacting with!!

First Days

When I first arrived in Halle in early October 2022, I had taken a bit of a leap of faith. While I had experience traveling abroad, this was my first time doing so alone; in a new place for three months. I knew what to expect to an extent. I had an address to reach, program dates and details, and a basic understanding of how to purchase train tickets. After more than 30 hours of international transit and trying to speak German with my sleep deprived, over caffeinated brain, I found myself in the apartment I would come to call home. Although the physical journey had ended, my real journey had only just begun.

Any and all anxieties I had before arriving in Halle were resolved incredibly quickly. My roommates, fellow Excellence Center folks, were incredibly welcoming and helped me settle in with little difficulty. I still remember my first evening after landing, chatting and having tea, and gradually feeling more and more at ease. I slept like a rock that night, and in the morning I had the first of many communal breakfasts at the Excellence Center. The entire environment at the Center was (and still is) incredibly warm and welcoming, and I knew I had made a good decision in choosing to come.

Branching Out

After my first few days, I began to settle in. I established a routine, met with my first students, and began to feel at ease with the major change. I took one of my first weekends to explore the cities of Leipzig and Berlin, just by booking train tickets and spending hours walking in the foreign cities. I saw famous tourist sights and tried authentic and classic German foods. It was amazing to just immerse myself in a culture and environment so different from my hometown in the United States.

I didn’t stop at neighboring cities, however. I’d always wanted to see Sweden, and within a couple of weeks I made plans to visit Stockholm. Before that, however, I experienced more of Halle. My new friends and I explored the Salle, ate döner and schnitzel, and went to a disco club in the dungeon of a castle from the middle ages. I started to get the hang of teaching, and felt like I was finding my place. By the time my plane took off towards Stockholm, I almost felt as though I’d lived in Halle for years.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm was another significant change. I found out upon arrival that although Sweden is in the European Union, they are not in the EuroZone, and thus the currency is the Swedish Krona. To make things even more difficult, I had not called my bank to tell them that I would be traveling, and I was worried my debit card would be frozen. Eventually, I managed to buy a train ticket from the airport to the city center, and arrived at my first ever youth hostel after midnight, long after the reception desk had closed. I still feel bad for the hostel owner, who I had to call three times to figure everything out. I was incredibly grateful that my phone had cell service, it wasn’t until a few weeks later that I really understood how much of a privilege reliable internet can be.

After the first night, I took the day to explore Stockholm, much like Leipzig and Berlin, but not before meeting and chatting with a friendly Slovenian man whose name I never got. During my long walk, I saw a sign for a boat tour with an included brunch, and I was sure to book a spot for the next outing. I walked along the water, in parks, past a few churches, and through downtown. I went to a bar near my hostel for dinner, and was served some of the best grilled salmon I’ve ever had. On the boat tour the following day, I enjoyed more amazing food and was helped by an incredible server who’s name I also never got. He was incredibly kind and paid me the same attention as everyone else, even though I had come alone. After the brunch, I was able to go on deck and take lots of photos of the beautiful archipelago. Though I had to rush to get to the airport right after, it was an incredible experience and I will save those photos forever.

Parties in Prague

Coming back to Halle, I spent some more time appreciating what was here. I took the next weekend to chill out and not travel, but soon I was hungry for more. I booked a train ticket to Prague, at the recommendation of my father, and soon I found myself in another hostel. This time, however, my debit card was frozen as soon as I entered the Czech Republic, and the SIM card for my cell phone ran out of credit. It definitely didn’t help that the Wi-Fi on the train did not work whatsoever. By the time I got to my Hostel, I was stressed, confused, and pretty overwhelmed. I needed cell service to call my bank to unfreeze my debit card and pay for my hostel, and I needed my debit card to recharge my SIM card and regain cell service. Not to mention the fact that my previous attempt to recharge my SIM card had burned €20 to no avail and I wasn’t sure why. To make matters worse, my bank’s servers took the opportunity to crash, and I wasn’t able to access any online banking information.

The amazing staff at my hostel were super understanding. They gave me a free drink and allowed me to go to my room under a handshake agreement that I would pay for the room in the morning. Two hours later, everything finally fell into place and I was able to breathe again after the stressful day. At this point I was ready to call it a night, but my roommates at the hostel struck up a conversation and the next thing I knew we were having a blast at the rooftop bar. Everyone was again super friendly, and I really wish I had thought to exchange social media information with them. Five of us, myself included, later decided to hit the town, and I spent the night having an amazing time in one of Prague’s famous nightclubs. We got back around 3 or 4 AM, and at this point I could have slept for years. I stuck with them for the rest of the trip, and we went out for breakfast the next morning. We did some sightseeing and of course I took a million pictures, and we spent our second night on the rooftop bar again. Unfortunately the next day was checkout, and we had to say goodbye. I spent some more time seeing Prague on my own, and my train pulled out that night.

Settling in, in Brussels?

After Prague, I spent a few weeks in Halle without traveling far. My friends from the Center and I hung out a lot, and good times were had by all. I gained a few students, and it felt more like I was living in Germany, not just visiting. The Halle Christmas market had also opened, and it was great to experience such a famous and classic event. Being from Colorado, I started to miss the sun a little (with only about 7 hours of daylight daily, including lots of snow and rain), but overall things were still great.

Most recently, however, I took another trip. I took a flight to Brussels, which was delayed so much that I spent more time on the tarmac in Berlin than in the air, but getting there was great. My hostel was amazing and the Christmas lights were beautiful. I spent my days exploring on foot as usual, all over Brussels, and nights were spent watching football (soccer, for my fellow Americans) in the hostel bar. I was able to practice my limited skills in French and Dutch, and had a few fun interactions with strangers. I mistimed my bus to the airport, and ended up spending 6 hours in the concourse, but I made it to Berlin in one piece.

Cold Station, Warm Hearts

It was at this point that I realized the DeutscheBahn had yet to reopen the ICE line from Berlin to Leipzig, even after 3 days, and I found myself stranded in Berlin South Station at midnight. There were no trains until 4:30, no buses until even later, and it was over 170 km by taxi, which would have cost me almost €400. I ended up taking the S-Bahn to Berlin Central, and then just waiting around for almost four hours. I never realized how cold train stations are, and I also found out that they get slightly warmer when you get to lower platforms. I found the one restaurant that was still open, and so was able to eat, but other than that there was a lot of time sitting and walking around. However, I was actually incredibly grateful for the experience by the end.

You see, because I was so cold, I was looking for any source of heat. I found one of those standing heaters, which had a few people gathered around. There was an older man telling stories in either Russian or Ukrainian, and people were laughing and joking. I tentatively joined the circle, and began to warm up, in terms of heat as well as socially. Eventually, I became part of the conversation (through English and German), and I ended up making two good friends. I chatted and joked with these people until the early morning, and I actually had the same train as one of them, so I was able to talk to her for even longer. We all traded WhatsApp numbers, and the good times have continued up to now. Had the DeutscheBahn not closed the ICE line, I would never have met these amazing people, which is a great example of how blessings can come in all forms. The next day was tough, having arrived home at 7 AM without sleep, but I am still incredibly grateful for the strange circumstances that brought us together.

Sad Goodbyes

And that brings us to today. I only have about 11 days left at the Center, a fact that makes me very sad. I don’t think I will do much traveling as I want to spend as much time as possible with the folks at the Center. This entire experience has been absolutely amazing and I could fill a book with the things I’ve learned (it was hard enough to fit all this into only these few pages). Everyone I’ve met has been incredible, and these are friends I will have for a very long time. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, and I’m so glad to have taken a small leap of faith and landed where I have. I hope to be able to return at some point in the future, either as a volunteer or just to visit. But at the same time, I of course also look forward to seeing colorful Colorado again.

I have wanted to participate in this program for a really long time, but just never had the time to take off. I am so happy that I did. I met so many amazing people here and this was an amazing opportunity for me. Rafat and Radwan were amazing and welcomed me like family.
The students here can learn to speak English, but also German which enables them to acclimate better here in Germany and gives them opportunities they never would have had. It is amazing to see such a program here helping people and seeing them smile and be so grateful for the service. My German teacher Moaz was amazing as well. I learned quite a bit in my short three weeks here due to his patience with me as I was learning and quizzing techniques. I would recommend Moaz to teach anyone due to his kind spirit.

I enrolled in a 4 week program the Excellence Center in Halle. I volunteered to teach English and learn German and I enjoyed my experience. I had the chance to meet so many people with different backgrounds, including refugees, German natives, and American volunteers, and listen to their stories and perspectives. The Excellence Center creates a very relaxed and friendly environment which is great for first-time tutors. If you want to improve your German language skills, this program is great for that since you have a lot of free-time to practice while exploring Halle and the rest of Germany.