You are looking for a year abroad, doing meaningful voluntary service in a secure environment?
You are interested in social work, especially in early childhood education, like playing, teaching and taking care of children up to preschool?
You are willing to contribute time and talent for the benefit of the little ones, and in return get a high quality learning opportunity in Germany
Then welcome onboard!
With the Federal program of Germany for voluntary service in the social sector, we offer you a lifetime experience and working opportunity in a PEDIA daycare facility located in Hamburg.
Who we are
"Our main idea of education is legal equality...and to respect their individual differences. That goes for every individual being, regarding sex, skin colour or sexual orientation."
PEDIA is a non-profit educational company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany’s second biggest city.
We are specialized in early childhood education, and have ten daycare facilities for toddlers up to preschoolers. We are an educational establishment with the ambition to offer children the best possible education and to meet their primary needs. It is our aim to enable children to grow up in a caring and intimate environment to give them an auspicious start in life. Our daycare facilities are places for learning and well-being. Children and adults live and learn peacefully together here. An atmosphere of trust and comfort is created by placing great value on manageable sized daycare facilities and making sure everybody, including children, parents, and educators know each other.
Our main idea of education is legal equality. This basically means to have reciprocally respectful relationships with each other, to take the children’s needs seriously, and to respect their individual differences.
Our intercultural daycare staff have professional backgrounds and six years’ experience in guiding young volunteers from all over the world.
What do we offer
- One year working experience in a daycare facility in Hamburg, Germany
- Working in an open minded and intercultural professional daycare staff team
- Pocket money, food, accommodation
- International and national travel, local transportation in Germany
- Health, liability and accident insurance
- 24 vacation days
- 25 seminar days about life and politics in Germany, structured reflection and input
- 100 units German course and language diploma
- Certificate of employment and qualified reference
- Pre-departure and post-return orientation
- Help in arranging flights
- Support by the third party organization AFS during the program
- Access to AFS online learning tool: Global Competence Certificate
- AFS certificate of intercultural training
How to apply
‧ Between 18 and 27 years of age upon arrival
‧ Have completed secondary school, vocational training,
hold a higher education degree,
or are otherwise personally suitable.
‧ currently living in Hong Kong, Taiwan or China
‧ Speak either German or English
‧ Motivation letter
Testimonials
Helder from Colombia
“If you are thinking about doing a volunteer work in Germany I believe this is the best option.”
Kago from South Africa
“I had a really great time volunteering at a kindergarten. It’s the best place to learn while you teach young minds.”
Fangfang from China
“我们在每一次的志愿者培训中都慢慢组成了一个温暖的大家庭…大家都在培训过程中向对方介绍自己的国家文化，也慢慢地感受到大家尽管来自世界各地，有着不同的文化背景，但是大家都不约而同地在这个团队中互相帮助。”
Cooperations
Since 2017, PEDIA cooperates with the AFS – a powerful partner with a widely spread global network. Starting with only one volunteer from Latin America, we welcome six committed young people per year in our PEDIA daycare facilities by now.
As an organization with over 100 years of experience in the field of international youth exchange, the AFS provides the framework and support for both PEDIA and the volunteer. The volunteer has access to the online learning tool “Global Competence Certificate” of the AFS, and during the program abroad the AFS gives certified seminars and workshops.
We are very glad to have found our expectations and goals in the statutes of the AFS. Both of us believe in education on an intercultural basis, including legal equality, living together respectfully, accepting diversity, is the key to a better world.
