Internship in Halle, Germany (Refugees & Migrants)

I spent about 5 weeks in Halle, teaching English and learning German at the Excellence Center. Overall, I had a great time there! I had little experience in teaching, but other volunteers and stuff in the center helped me out. The German lesson was also very effective to my view. I started as a complete beginner and got a lot of things through the lesson. I would choose the intermediate or even advanced lesson next time to learn more. The transportation system is Germany was pretty good as well, and I was able to travel around. Last but Least, the Center is very at-home like and you will meet good people there!

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!

I spent a month interning at the Excellence Center in Halle during July 2023. During this time I studied Arabic, taught English, and had the chance to get to know several people/families who came to Germany as refugees. My time at the Excellence Center was a positive experience, in which I had the chance to both learn from my peers and help others as an English teacher. The workload was extremely manageable, as it is a flexible environment where you can plan lessons on your own both in terms of time and location. For example, I don’t work well with many classes in a row and prefer to have my lessons spread out, therefore I planned in 1-2 classes a day in the afternoons including during the weekends in a café near my house, which is what suited me best. In contrast, another of the volunteers prefers to have intense days: he scheduled all of his classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, meaning that the other days he can either study, plan lessons, or go on trips around the area. As well as this, the Excellence Center is a welcoming atmosphere, and works to create activities to make the volunteers and interns get to know each other. We have breakfast together four days a week, and Rafat regularly makes brunches and lunches with traditional Palestinian dishes for special occasions, most often when we have goodbyes for volunteers. The Center also organizes city tours and trips outside of Halle, and supports any new trip ideas they might have. This was especially interesting as the group of volunteers was quite international, meaning that through these activities we got to know each other and our different cultures and experiences better. My only comment for the Center would be the nature of the communication. Several times it felt like information was communicated last-minute, and only when asked. I was only told about my accommodation a few weeks before starting, and was only told where I was supposed to go upon arrival two hours before getting to Halle, after I asked. Though I was told to bring basic necessities such as bedsheets, I wasn’t told that there wouldn't be Wi-Fi in my accommodation, which led me to spending extra money to get data roaming, using café Wi-Fi, or having to ask to use my housemates’ Wi-Fi hotspots when they were home. This hassle would’ve been prevented by making sure every accommodation had Wi-Fi, or by communicating in advance that I needed to buy a German SIM. During the internship itself it also felt like events were communicated last-minute, either the day before or the day of the activity, and the dates and times of events do change quite a bit. To be fair, the flexibility of the work means that I could simply reschedule things, but organization and communication still is an area where the Center can improve. However in general, I did feel very supported throughout the whole internship, because there were many people I could go to for any issues. There are student coordinators who help a lot, for example checking you into your accommodation, organizing tours around the city, and acting as points of reference for any issues you may have. For instance the second week I was here, my housemate had locked herself in her bedroom and couldn’t get out as the key wasn’t working. I called Ali (the volunteer team leader) and Lord (the coordinator) for help: Ali gave me information regarding locksmiths in Germany but couldn’t help as he had a meeting, and Lord helped me by calling the 24-hour locksmith who only spoke German, and checked in throughout the afternoon to know how things were going. It all worked out in the end, and we couldn’t have done it without their knowledge and help. Similarly Rafat, the director, is a caring and generous person, who makes an effort to get to know everyone and makes sure they feel comfortable and safe. For example I got ill the first week of my internship, and he showed me where the pharmacy was, loaned me cash as my card stopped working, told me to go home and get rest, and texted me a few times to ask how I was feeling. He also reassured me that if I wasn’t getting better, he could help me get checked-out by a doctor. Rafat consistently checked in with me throughout the month, asking how I was settling in and if there were any issues that he could help with. When my boyfriend came to visit me, Rafat was extremely welcoming and supportive, and invited him to both breakfast at the Center and a home-cooked meal. All in all, interning at the Center was a growing and fulfilling experience, where I had the chance to know caring and interesting people, while learning about different cultures and experiences. I highly recommend it!