Be a volunteer in Germany!

If you are looking for:
adventures,
opportunities for self-development,
if you want to:
deepen your self-knowledge,
to meet people,
to gain new experiences,
if you are looking for new aims and choices in your life,
if you are persistent, curious, brave, or if you wish to be…

Now the opportunity is here for you: BE A VOLUNTEER IN GERMANY!

We are offering a one year volunteering program in between the 1st of February 2023 – 31st of January 2024.

WE ARE INVITING YOU FOR…

We are inviting you for a foreign volunteering experience at a German institution. The volunteering work experience takes place within the social working sector, where you’ll have the opportunity to access trainings, to learn and gain amazing new experiences.

You’ll start your experience with spending the first four weeks in Trier, where you will access an intensive German language program and introductory workshop organised by SoFia Institute.

After your training month, at the end of February you’ll start your 11 months long volunteering experiences at The Lebenshilfe Trier Centre.

Your role will be to support the Lebenshilfe Trier Centre’s programs and activities for their service users with complex needs. For instance, you’ll be supporting the service users with their daily living tasks, such as cooking, group discussions or participation in games. Besides, you’ll have the opportunity to bring in your own ideas for activities, games or programs.

During your volunteering year, you’ll have opportunities to learn the language and get familiar with different cultural backgrounds, as there will be many other volunteers from many different countries. We offer an amazing opportunity for you to meet foreign people, to gain new experiences and self-knowledge in a completely new environment. During your volunteering year you’ll have the opportunity to participate in different seminars where you can get familiar with different learning styles or methods.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Young adults aged in between 18–27, with a high school diploma.

  • If you feel openness and acceptance towards people who may have physical and/or complex disabilities.
    If you can imagine yourself working with people who may have complex needs.
  • If you can work independently.
  • If you feel you can show respect towards the service users` complex needs.
  • If you are open towards other cultures.
  • If you feel inquisitive and a hunger to learn, and if you wish to try out yourself in new situations.
  • If you feel happy to learn a foreign language (German).
  • If you would like to live in Germany for a year.
  • If you feel happy to get on board with the volunteering work with The Lebenshilfe Trier Centre’s disabled service users.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

  • The Institution will pay your travel expenses (your departure to Germany and back to your country, travel costs in Germany for organised trips and programs);
  • Provision of accommodation;
  • Provision of pocket money;
  • Language course expenses (during the first month’s intensive course, and will provide support for further individual studies);
  • Expenses for workshop and seminar of attendance;
  • Comprehensive insurance (health, travel etc.);
  • 24–30 days off during the one year service (except seminars and workshops);
  • Provision of a mentor, who will help with contact keeping/paperwork/official documents, will give you guidance and support;
  • Two certificates at the end of the volunteering year: one of your competencies, skills and another one which certifies your working experience.

Our volunteers are contracted with both organisations (the sender institution and the recipient institution), this means that your stay in Germany and your volunteer status is official and legal.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please, send the following documents to gyongyver.fekete@caritas-ab.ro:

  • Your CV either in German or in English;
  • Your motivational letter written in the same language;
  • Some photos about you to introduce yourself.

Please, include into your motivational letter the reason(s) you want to become a volunteer in Germany, how do you imagine your one-year volunteering experience, what are your wishes and goals regarding your work/tasks, what is in your mind regarding this opportunity.

Please, include a summary of any previous volunteering experiences, the benefits and highlights of your experiences.

Application deadline: the 24th of October, 2022.

The applicants will be invited for a discussion in person, in between the 25th – 31st of October.

Our decision will be made until the 4th of November at latest regarding the chosen volunteer who will be sent by Caritas to Germany (to SoFia at Trier) for 2023/2024.

The successful candidate will start his/her local training from November 2022 until January 2023.

The departure to Germany will be on the 31st of January, 2023.

ADDITIONAL AND USEFUL INFORMATION:

The recipient institution and volunteering program’s website (SoFia).

The Lebenshilfe Trier Centre’s website.

The sender institution’s (Caritas Alba Iulia) website.

The volunteering program`s website of the sender institution (Young Caritas).

Anna’s report about her one-year volunteering experience in Germany from 2021/2022.

Translated by: Fazakas Teréz