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

The teaching style of the center is incredibly engaging, with history lessons embedded in the language acquisition experience. Student excursions to Syrian shops, tours of Halle, and Arabic exposure beyond the classroom has improved my conversational abilities and introduced me to phrases and sentiments I would not otherwise learn. I was also able to participate in an Eid festival, where I helped with face painting and balloon art for the children. The music, food, dancing, and conversation was beautiful, and I was greeted warmly by every individual. Furthermore, teaching English introduced me to new friends, who have been so kind. Together, we learned from each other, improving their English and my Arabic in mutually beneficial lessons. Teaching has improved my organizational skills and encouraged me to research and collaborate with my students to produce tailored, creative lesson plans. From music, to baking, to medical assessments, my lessons have been incredibly rewarding to produce.

I have formed friendships that I believe will last a lifetime. Thank you to the Excellence Center, for the memories and adventures I will carry with me. From football, to my flatmates, to cliff jumping, it has pushed me out of my comfort zone, and built my confidence.

Internship in Germany Program

My experience this summer at the Excellence Center in Europe has easily been one of the best decisions I have made in my lifetime. During my time at the Excellence Center, I volunteered to teach English and had German courses throughout each week. My students for English included refugees from Syria and Ukraine. The Excellence Center’s German courses and objectives for the refugee community in Halle initially attracted me to this program, however the necessity to travel alone to a place where I knew nobody kept me from immediately making the decision to apply. Through my experience, I’ve found that this internship is one of the best ways to acclimatize yourself to travelling alone. This is because the center almost always places you in housing where other people live, which gave me the chance to immediately bond with the other participants and get to know an unfamiliar city in a unique way. Also, the center’s daily routine is very structured, and during the week you always have a place to go in the morning for breakfast, conversation, and bonding. After breakfast, I felt that I had so much freedom to do work, complete tasks for the center, and lesson plan for students. Lesson planning for students was a special experience because I was given the opportunity to get to know students on a deeper level, and then tailor lessons to what they would like to get out of English language learning.
There is a huge sense of community at the Excellence Center, and the bonds I have made with volunteers and students are ones that will last a lifetime. The Center’s director and main teachers do an amazing job at fostering this sense of community. First, learning German at the Center was always fun and interactive with learning strategies such as creative games and improv. It’s different from papers and lectures, and more aimed at connecting with each other through a foreign language. Also, the Center’s weekly football games and cookouts gave us all a chance to unwind from the week and have fun with each other.
The immediate welcome, sense of safety, and care I felt from the Excellence Center was an irreplaceable feeling. I consider the city of Halle a new home, and because of this and the amazing people I’ve met, I will always look for this feeling in my future travels.

I was only at the Excellence Centre Europe for a very short period, but the time I did spend there had a huge impact on me.

There is a lot of time and energy invested in making the volunteers feel welcome, included and part of one big family. Which, as a solo traveller for the past 3 months, was something I really valued. Rafat cooks breakfast each morning and everyone is invited to sit in the park and join in the meal. There were also weekly football (soccer!) games and other activities organised, which were so much fun and a great way to connect with people. Everyone is friendly and willing to help each other out. The timetable is very relaxed and your schedule is flexible, which means you have plenty of time for sightseeing, socialising and exploring the area if you choose to do so.

I did the learn German, teach English program. There are some teaching guidelines provided, but resources are limited, so be prepared to get creative with your lessons! I highly recommend bringing your own lap top. Don't stress though, overall, your teaching and learning obligations are not onerous. The language teachers at the centre are knowledgeable and I found my German lessons to be beneficial. I liked the fact that you were encouraged to speak German and when you slipped into English, you were redirected back. It wasn't that you weren't "allowed" to speak English (I resorted to English a lot, especially if there was something I didn't understand or needed clarification on), but it was more that using the language that you were learning and hearing spoken was a better, more immersive way to learn. The students I taught already possessed some English foundations and had good conversational skills. In our lessons we focussed more on fine tuning pronunciation and building greater confidence with speaking.

Overall, I do highly recommend this program! Was the perfect balance between work, study and holiday.

Cannot thank Rafat, Dusan, Ali, Muaz and all the other staff and volunteers enough! Was a very memorable experience and something that will look great on my CV :).

Pros:
- Fun, friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
- Felt like one big family.
- Many weekly activities and social outings organised through the centre that you can get involved with.
- Delicious, authentic breakfast provided. Good kitchen facilities.
- Great location, close to public transport and city centre.
- Immersive language lessons.
- Flexible schedule.
- Clean, colourful and inviting working spaces. Lots of indoor plants and natural light.
- They take a lot of photos, so your memories and time at the centre is well documented.

Cons:
- My host family lived far away from the centre and I had to rely heavily on public transport each day. I didn't mind the commute, but felt restricted in terms of socialising with the others. Many of the other volunteers stayed in the city and were able to move more freely.
- Rafat's cooking was too delcious, I ate my bodyweight in hommus.
- Ali is too attractive for his own good.
- Dusan is so much of a gentleman that he makes everyone else look bad.
- Muaz has better hair than me.
- I only got to spend 2 weeks with these beautiful people.

My time at the Excellence Center was truly rewarding. It expanded my perspectives, improved my German, and enhanced my cultural understanding. I am so thankful for the experience. I was lucky to work with three amazing students: two teenagers from Syria and one adult from Ukraine. I helped them learn English, and though they were at varying levels, I still helped them on their journey to proficiency. They shared with me their stories and aspirations, and I wish the best for them in all of their future endeavors. The flexibility afforded by all of the Center staff makes the experience quite enjoyable. People are free to travel and see the sights, and as long as good communication is maintained, one’s schedule remains relatively amenable.
My language skills also improved! With three hours of German instruction per week, I gained a better understanding of the language and culture. Plus, my German skills came in handy when communicating with my students and the surrounding Halle community. I will definitely return to school next semester with a stronger grasp of the language.
I also met so many people from around the world! Who knew all of our paths would cross in Halle? Beginning every morning with a shared breakfast was such a special time. Gathering together over a meal is a surefire way to build community and share stories with one another. It is a great opportunity to chat with friends and meet new faces. Additionally, the weekly Center soccer games bring friendly competition and lots of laughter to our community (albeit with a few bruises on the legs). The community outside of the center is great, too. I was lucky enough to get to know many friendly international students from the local University who had plenty of fun stories and great tips to share. I hope to remain in contact with all of the wonderful folks I met here, and I hope to visit Halle again in the future!

Volunteering at the Excellence Center has undoubtedly been one of the best experiences in my life. Not only was I able to start to learn German and help others learn English, but I grew in ways that I wasn't expecting. I learned so much about cross cultural communication, teaching skills, and a lot about the English language as well. Everyone at the center was wonderful. The director and staff were very welcoming. The other volunteers were incredibly dynamic. The students were very interested to learn.

I was volunteering during the off season (aka not the summer) so there where only a couple other volunteers at the time and each of us had a handful of students. I am sure that the peak-time of the summer is great, but I really enjoyed the small number of volunteers and students during late winter period. With relatively few people, it was easy to feel comfortable and to get to know everyone well.

Each day there was plenty of time to tutor others, lesson plan, get tutored and chat with others at the center. The pace of the experience was perfect. I appreciated the freedom that we had to develop lesson plans as we saw fit for each of the students. The director and Center's staff put a lot of trust in each of the volunteers ability to teach effectively while at the same time, they were always available to provide support, resources and advice on tutoring when needed.

I came to the Excellence Center in Halle for 5 weeks to teach English and learn Arabic. I was nervous beforehand but as soon as I arrived I felt welcomed and part of a community. I have immensely enjoyed both teaching and studying at the Excellence Center. It has been so much fun but also highly productive. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching each individual student and learning about their culture and language. I also loved working with my Arabic teacher Khloud who is so encouraging! The daily breakfasts help everyone bond and feel connected, as well as provide interesting and stimulating conversation. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested!

On my arrival in Germany on a Monday morning in early November I was warmly greeted by Rafat and the other volunteers at breakfast. This was my first time in Germany, and my first time travelling to Europe as an adult so I was understandably nervous upon arriving. Yet, the community spirit at the centre made me feel comfortable and welcome from day one.

Over the course of my stay, I enjoyed teaching English to 5 students coming from Syria, Ukraine and Germany, ranging from 9 years old to 85 years old, each with varying degrees of English. The lessons are held as personal one to one tutoring, so you have the freedom to design and tailor the lessons to each of the students' needs. I found this experience to be very rewarding, as it gives you the chance to build a constructive relationship with each individual.

At the same time I also took beginner A2 German lessons in the centre taught by Muaz alongside fellow acquaintance Caterina. Muaz is a great teacher, who really pushes you to speak your best every lesson. I found my German improved steadily over the course of my stay. I even held a few impromptu classes with Cat where I became the teacher :P The only negative was the scheduling of the lessons. Lessons were not scheduled in advance but rather, during the week whenever Muaz was available. Unfortunately this meant, I often didn't know if I was having a lesson or not until the day before, which became slightly frustrating. I found the same was true with scheduling my students as well. It is fair to say the centre at times can be a little disorganised, but it does not detract from the experience all too much.

For my accommodation, I shared a room with two other volunteers in a flat which belonged to one of the excellence centre staff. I did not mind the sharing experience, and it was fun to have roommates that I could bond with. However, I found the accommodation itself to be on the smaller side for four people. This was true of the kitchen which could only really support one person at a time, and also lacked both a microwave and a proper oven. It was also frustrating that we only had two sets of keys between the three of us, and had to frequently let each other in. However, your accommodation experience will likely differ from mine if you live with a host family.

Far and above the best part of my experience at the centre was getting to know the other volunteers. Each morning we would gather in the dining room to enjoy an Arabic breakfast with the other staff and volunteers. It's a great bonding experience and a fund blend of cultures. Even though, I came to the centre with a mind to learn German, I gained a new insight into Arabic culture and even picked up a few Arabic words along the way. Wallahi.

The centre attracts an amazing type of person, passionate about languages and eager to learn about other cultures. Everyone was so inviting, and together was organised some really fun European excursions, to Berlin, Dresden and even Paris. I will always remember enjoying a baguette by the Seine with James. The centre is also closely linked with the Erasmus Students Network in Halle, and through that social group we were invited to some really awesome parties.

Overall I had a really fun time at the centre and made some very unforgettable memories. I could not have wished for a better introduction to Europe.

After three months at the Excellence Center, I cannot recommend this experience enough to others who are interested in participating. Nurtured by the welcoming team that is always eager to help you, or by the beautiful architecture that surrounds you in the charming city of Halle, the Excellence Center is a special place. I will start by saying that I came to Germany with little no knowledge of German. My teacher, Muaz, helped me so much and was extremely patient as I stumbled through learning a new language. I confidently say that I have learned so much and I am very happy with the results!

I travelled to Germany three months post graduating high school in the United States. Upon arriving to Halle I found myself in a complete culture shock, and felt extremely overwhelmed by the language barrier and differences of the country. The team at the Excellence Center helped me feel welcomed and apart of the community right away. By giving me a tour of the city, helpful advice, and lots of delicious food, I felt at home within the first week. The center ensures that all volunteers are placed with host family’s that are kind and welcoming people. My host, Thomas, has taught me so much about authentic German life. Through weekly dinners and chats over coffee I have learned about the language, history, and culture of Germany. Furthermore, the center does a wonderful job of creating an instant feeling of community between the volunteers. I have come to make some lifelong friendships through the people I’ve met. I have also learned a lot about myself through the experience. I also love the connections I have made with the students from the local university. I have met a lot of international people, and I highly recommend participating in activities with the university if you volunteer here! Lastly and most importantly, the connections I have made with my students has been lovely! Getting to know their stories has really opened my eyes. Watching their English improve is extremely rewarding and exciting for both parties!

Overall, I can not emphasize enough how wonderful this experience has been for me. the Excellence Center has played a really impactful role in my life. Rafat and the team have created a great environment for both the volunteers and students. I highly recommend participating in this program for either all three months or even just a week. You won’t regret it!