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

To begin, I have had a wonderful time here in Halle. I initially was just looking for something to do during my winter break at university, but what I found in my two weeks here at the center was nothing short of an exceptional experience.

From the moment I got off the train, two volunteers were there to meet me and help me back to my host family. The next night, I went out to dinner with the other volunteers and students at the local university and was amazed at how instantly people were welcoming and kind. Honestly, the community fostered here at the center cannot be understated. Some of my favorite memories from my time here are just hanging out with the other volunteers at the center or going out to dinner.

As for my lessons, I had students as young as seven and as old as 80 - and each one was a formative experience for me as a teacher! Even though I was only here a short while, I felt I had built a real bond with my students. My highlight as a teacher was probably saying goodbye to one of my students after our last lesson together; she got me a gift and gave me a hug goodbye! I was so touched that in only two weeks it seemed we had mutually left an impression on one another.

In regards to my language learning, I took German courses here at the center. My lessons with Muaz were truly amazing. I think one of my weakest spots when it comes to language is getting out of my shell or not feeling nervous about making stupid mistakes and simply going for it. Muaz created such an open environment in our lessons that I felt I could truly say whatever and push myself to create more complex sentences and such.

In close, the mission and work here at the Excellence Center is commendable, and Rafat's dedication to and vision behind the center is unmatched! I would highly recommend a visit here at the Excellence Center and will fondly look back on my time here.

My experience at the Excellence Centre in Europe

As I write this, I’ve been staying at the Excellence Centre for three months, teaching English and studying both Arabic and German. I’ve got nothing but praise for every aspect of the Centre, the staff, their mission, the learning experience, and the accommodation.

At the Centre I stayed in a shared house with two other volunteers and a member of the Centre staff. The accommodation was excellent for a shared room, and the people were welcoming. On the living experience at the Centre, the place has a real community atmosphere; the Centre feels like one big family, especially when we’re all enjoying breakfast together in the mornings!

The quality of language tuition at the Centre is also very high. I studied German for the first part of my experience, and then switched to studying Arabic, both of which were taught by the fantastic Muaz Albaid. He’s a brilliant teacher, with a knack for explaining the most difficult linguistic and cultural concepts in a way that makes them seem as simple as can be, as well as being great value to have around. Through his tuition, I’ve improved my skills in both languages faster than in any other learning situation I’ve had before. The other teachers at the centre are also excellent, for example Ali Moshmosh, also very talented and highly multilingual. The lessons are very professional and of a comparable standard to what I’ve experienced as a university student. The small class sizes also improve the experience, with lessons tailor-made for your level and language goals.

Rafat is the life and soul of the centre, as well as the driving force behind its mission, with an infectious passion for his work, shared by every other member of staff - ultimately, the reason the Centre exists - to have a positive effect on the refugee community in Halle (Saale) by making language learning more readily available to those who don’t necessarily fit into the mould of the German system. This is a task at which he is succeeding beyond all expectations. I was really gratified to see that I and the other volunteers were having a visibly positive effect on our students, and it was great to see them develop over the time that I was teaching them.

As a volunteer, you have complete control over your schedule and how you teach your lessons, which are generally one-to-one, while also being supported by the vast experience of the Centre’s staff and the resources of the organisation - this really makes the experience as beneficial as possible for both students and teachers. Personally, I had the opportunity to form relationships with my students over my time at the Centre, and I’m quite sad to say goodbye to them.

In conclusion, I would recommend the Centre to anyone who wants to make a real positive impact here in Halle (Saale), anyone who wants to improve their language skills in German or Arabic under professional, high-quality tuition from people who really care about their mission, or simply anyone who would like to enjoy the community atmosphere and see the good work that Rafat and the others are doing here.

I had an incredible experience during my two weeks of volunteering at the excellence centre in Halle. The team all have such interesting backgrounds and their journeys to get here and the work they now do are both eye opening and inspiring. I can honestly say that the work they are doing is contributing to making the world a much better place.

Rafat, Muaz, and Ali are all incredible people. The excellence centre always has good vibes with them around, and the place runs seamlessly under their guidance. The shared breakfast each morning is always tasty and provides a great social environment. They are always organizing social meet ups for the volunteers outside of the centre as well.

The English teaching lessons for refugees are run in an organized, yet relaxed manner. Rafat ensures that volunteers are paired well with students and trusts us to teach in a way that we feel suits us and the students. He is also always close by to answer whatever questions we may have, and to help out with whatever else we may need.

The German lessons were organized and run very well. Muaz is a great teacher – very engaging, and always patient! 2 weeks was certainly not enough to gain an extensive knowledge of German, but I left with a much better vocabulary and understanding of the language thanks to Muaz.

I’m a teacher from Australia who is looking to semi-retire in a few years from now. I was able to take 3 months leave without pay from my college to mix some travel with volunteer work, doing what I love.

My two week program at the Excellence Centre has been exactly what I’d hoped for: the opportunity to meet and work with people from other parts of the world, who have either temporarily or permanently settled in Halle (Salle).

The team at the Excellence Centre is a great mix of people, working under the guidance of Rafat. Our shared breakfast every morning is warm and welcoming. Rafat’s cooking is delicious and completely different from what I’d usually have at home. The team of volunteers develop friendships over breakfast and discuss their day ahead. Plans are made for evenings and weekends.

Halle (Salle) is a beautiful city. I had planned to travel to Berlin for my weekends, but decided against it as there is so much to do, both here and in nearby Leipzig. The public transport system is efficient and many places of interest are within walking distance. There’s a lot of local and international cuisine to try and Halle has many coffee shops.

I have had the pleasure of working with a number of students: some teens on summer break; some young ones about to commence their university studies; and some young professionals seeking to develop their careers with yet another language. All had a high level of English already. These students were from various places: Syria, Palestine and Ukraine.

Sometimes my small groups met at the Centre and worked together there. Sometimes we visited our favourite cafes, to drink coffee and have conversations in less formal settings. Adult students know what they want to work on, so sessions can be student led. Most wanted English conversations but some also wanted to conference their essays and CVs. Interactive grammar activities from free online quiz websites were fun and lively. Students’ errors make for handy teachable moments. The Centre has wifi so we could use very short films for discussion. Students quickly began bringing their own YouTube clips for class

I chose Arabic as the language in which to receive some instruction as part of my program. It seemed to me to be a more useful language for my Australian context. I’m an absolute beginner. Ali was an excellent teacher. (Sh’kran, Ali) I now know a few greetings and useful phrases to use. I also learned a lot about the Arabic alphabet and culture.

I’d recommend the Excellence Centre to anyone who wants to spend time learning and teaching languages in less familiar surrounds. I’m sad to be finishing. I’ve really enjoyed my two weeks here. It’s been a very positive experience.

Thank you Rafat and your special team!

To begin my review, I would like to talk about my arrival to the center. When I first arrived, I was confused, they were very helpful in making sure I could find the center. My accommodation was very nice and clean. My first day volunteering, I was very nervous, but the other volunteers were extremely kind and welcoming, it wasn’t very hard to fit in with everyone. The breakfast was different from what I was used to, but it was delicious, and you could tell that they put in a lot of work preparing it. The excellence center provides a great amount of freedom to the volunteers, personal and in the classroom. The personal freedom that I was allowed, gave me the opportunity to explore Halle. I thought about the classroom freedom that I was given, and it made me feel uneasy because I have never taught and some structure would have been nice, however this gave me the chance to become a more confident person. Doing the work myself will help me prepare for when I move into a teaching position after I complete my time volunteering. When it comes to acquiring students, I will say that the process was a bit unorganized. I wouldn’t say that it was the fault of the center but rather how the volunteers handled transferring students. However, I do wish that there was a better way of scheduling classes. For example, there could be a board somewhere in the room and we make our schedules based on the available time slots. That way no one is looking for a place to teach when the classrooms are occupied. I did like when we played sports and the special goodbyes we did to fellow volunteers, I just wished we played more sports before we started the day. I found that exercising before sitting down and doing work made me more focused and in a better mood. Overall, I found this 2-week experience to be very fun and rewarding. There were more positives than negatives and I would definitely recommend this program to others.

This was an excellent opportunity at an excellent centre to engage with Ukrainian and Syrian refugees. My lessons ranged from proofreading and job interview assistance to A1 lessons. Everyone in the programme was kind and helpful.

I spent two weeks at the Excellence Center and it was a wonderful experience. I wish I had stayed here for longer!
I took part in the Teach English and Study German programme, which was a great way of improving my German while simultaneously developing new skills as a teacher. Working closely with my Syrian and Ukrainian students allowed me to learn a lot about new cultures and the experiences of refugees in Europe. It was very rewarding to help students of all levels to converse in English, and to see their great improvement after only two weeks of working with them was very impressive. The majority of my students were enthusiastic and willing to learn from me, and we had a lot of fun in the lessons doing different English language exercises and games. I enjoyed creating lesson plans and learning how best to teach each specific student. We had a lot of freedom to format the lessons in whatever way we wanted. I also worked with one student online, who wrote some articles for me to read and correct, which were really interesting to read. Teaching English at the Center taught me to view language from a different perspective, and made me notice the nuances of English in a way which I have never previously experienced.
I chose the non-intensive German course, so I had a total of six German lessons with Muaz. He is possibly the best German teacher I have ever had. I really enjoyed these lessons, which helped to drastically improve my German. He gave us a lot of fun exercises and activities to do in class, which created a very comfortable and welcoming atmosphere where I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes while speaking German. These lessons were extremely beneficial and I learned a lot about different German dialects and slang words which I had not previously known about. Our lessons were also informative on wider topics such as the history and culture of Germany as we discussed current events and topical issues.
One of things I really enjoyed about coming to the Excellence Center was having the opportunity to get to know the city of Halle (Saale). The city is perfect to spend a few weeks in; the town centre is walkable with lots of interesting architecture, and there a lot of nice cafes, restaurants and bars. It also has a great public transport system which is very reliable. Here I lived with a Syrian host family, who provided me with a nice bedroom in their apartment.
My favourite thing about this programme was the ethos at the Center. From the day I arrived I felt welcomed and accepted by everyone. My other volunteers and staff at the Center truly began to feel like family, and I am sad to have to say goodbye to them! Having breakfast at the Center every morning was always a highlight of my day, as it allowed us to catch up and chat with everyone (while eating some really delicious food!). Rafat has been extremely accommodating and is always ready to help if you have any issues. I am also very grateful to Ali for introducing me to his circle of friends and other Erasmus students, who were all very kind people. I feel privileged to have met such interesting and bright people from around the world, with which I was able to create deep connections within such a short period of time!
Overall, I had an amazing experience at the Excellence Center and I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in languages to come here. I really enjoyed studying German here, and I would definitely consider coming back (possibly to study Arabic!). I will never forget the unique experience I had here and all of the wonderful people I have met.

My time at the Excellence Center was full of new experiences that I will be able to carry with me for years. I would recommend the center for anyone looking to study German or Arabic, and to those who are interested in teaching English. Four weeks wasn’t enough and I hope I will have the opportunity to participate in the center’s programs again in the future.

My coworkers acted as a network of people who could both help me prepare for lessons and who I could socialize with after work. It was really amazing being able to meet so many bright people from around the world and to learn from their experiences. Our shared love of foreign language and culture brought us together, and I was lucky to have countless conversations about shared interests with them. The shared experience of teaching also brought us together and made it easy to get to know the other volunteers. In the evenings, I enjoyed eating dinner and exploring Halle almost every night with my friends, as well as making weekend trips to Dresden and Thale. I was especially thankful to Ali and Lord who were very inclusive of us in their social circles in Halle. Thanks to them, I was able to meet some Halle locals and practice more German. They were also willing to answer any questions we had about the program or the area. Last, I appreciated having breakfast everyday together at the center. I’m going to miss the food!

The experience of teaching English to refugees was fulfilling and I learned a lot from the experience. As volunteer teachers are completely in control of their classes, I was able to decide on my own what content to teach. I liked this because it allowed me to practice planning my own lessons. Getting to know my students and hearing their stories was one of the best things that came out of the experience for me. The only thing I wish I could change was the number of classrooms in the center, as it can be difficult to teach lessons in the common area when there are no free classrooms. Also, expect to find your own teaching materials online (ask your coworkers if they have any good resources!).

Learning German was also a great experience with our teacher Muaz. Although I’ve studied German for years, Muaz is one of the best teachers (if not the best) I’ve learned from. He really has a knack for teaching and I enjoyed our one-on-one lessons. Whether you are in one-on-one or group lessons depends on your level and the level of the other participants at the time. I had one week of one-on-one (including a field trip) and two weeks of small group lessons (3-4 students).

My accommodation, organized by the center, was a room with a German-Syrian family and was very comfortable. I wasn’t sure what to expect until I arrived, but I was pleased. I had to share the room with another volunteer for the first week, but after that I had it all to myself which was nice. Overall, I definitely recommend the Excellence Center, and if you have any questions about the program, don’t hesitate to contact the staff. Rafat will do everything he can to make sure your stay in Halle is comfortable.