The Excellence Center in Europe in Halle (Saale), Germany
Description: The Excellence Center (EC) is a language school and community center serving refugees and migrants of Arab backgrounds as well as other groups displaced in Africa and Europe. EC's main goal is to build bridges, further understanding, dispel misconceptions, and create constructive dialogues between the Arabic, German, and international community in Halle (Saale). Internship participants teach conversational English in exchange for learning German or Arabic. They also take on various other roles, helping construct, implement, and lead the Center's community outreach programs and other educational events. To learn more about all aspects of the internship, click here.
Time frame: Flexible. To be eligible for funding through Dartmouth, you must commit to 8-10 weeks of stay.
Location: Halle (Saale), Germany.
Financing: While this internship is unpaid and carries a program cost, it is eligible for Dartmouth funding through the Dickey Center's Build Your Own Internship portal. Please make sure to indicate, on the budget, that the EC program fee covers housing with an Arabic/German speaking host (depending on their chosen language of study) as well as daily breakfasts. Applicants will increase their chances of success by:
- Applying for the terms other than Summer;
- Meeting with the Dickey Center's student assistants to review the application well in advance of the deadline;
- Soliciting faculty recommendation letters with a notice of no fewer than 3-4-weeks.
The Dickey Center's funding is not guaranteed, and only one person per internship may receive funding per term. Please visit the Build Your Own Internship page if you have questions and check the Center for Professional Development for other possible funding options.
German Language: Students at all levels of German or Arabic may apply. Successful past applicants included intermediate and advanced German learners
Application and Deadlines: EC's accepts applications on a rolling basis; applicants work independently to contact EC, arrange the internship, and request a supervisor statement that is required for the Dickey Center's application.
The Dickey Center's deadline is the fourth Wednesday of each term for internships starting in the following term. Every viable proposal will answer these three questions:
- Why is this opportunity essential to you?
- Why are you the right person for it?
- Why it important to do this internship now, at this point in your studies?
German Studies Faculty Mentor: Yuliya Komska
Read this Q&A with the internship's alumni, Grace McGinley and Aidan Pretti.