Marvin completed his federal voluntary year at the primary school of our Phorms Campus Hamburg. In the following interview, he gives us some enthusiastic insights into his everyday life as a Bufdi. You can read here how much this time has impacted Marvin's his future plans for his studies.
Read moreMarvin completed his federal voluntary year at the primary school of our Phorms Campus Hamburg. In the following interview, he gives us some enthusiastic insights into his everyday life as a Bufdi. You can read here how much this time has impacted Marvin's his future plans for his studies.
How did you hear about Phorms Education and why did you decide to do your Federal Volunteer Service at Phorms Primary School?
I was looking for volunteering options through the official website and discovered Phorms Education. The location and the educational bilingual concept were key factors in my decision.
Which expectations did have when you first started your voluntary service?
Having had a little vocational crisis, I realized that working with children was something I liked and enjoyed doing. However, before ultimately committing myself to it, I wanted to have a longer try-out period. The Federal Volunteer Service was the appropriate program for me. Plus, it allowed me to save up some money for my university studies.
Tell us a little about your everyday work! Which tasks did you usually have?
Oh, the daily routine was great fun! Even though we had made daily timetables (focusing on one particular class level for three months, - which I would strongly recommend to following volunteers as well), each day had its own challenges. Prior to beginning work, I would check to see whether I was assigned on the substitution schedule. Then I headed to the classroom. Often we started the day with Covid tests, which I was helping out with. During the lessons, I worked one-on-one with individual children or with small groups, or I would walk around the classroom during work periods and offer my help to the kids. Occassionly , I was also involved in other ways, depending on the teachers. Sometimes I also had the opportunity to instruct classes myself during a substitute lesson (of course, with the help of a Teaching Assistant).
We were also on hand to help organizing the school breaks. This is how we came up with the concept of a "scooter break": Every Wednesday and Thursday during lunch break, the kids were invited to ride their scooters along a track we had set, sometimes with an obstacle course. We were in charge of organization and supervision.
Worth mentioning are the after-school and vacation care programs. During these times, we were also able to play soccer, board games or all sorts of other games with the kids in an extremely relaxed setting.
I would arrive in the morning full of anticipation and leave in the afternoon - often playing another round of soccer beyond my working hours, so that my esteemed supervisor would have to kindly ask me to go home - with a smile.
In what way does the bilingual concept affect the daily routine on campus? How did it impact your work?
I did improve my sense for the language immensely, of course. Well, I had already watched and listened to videos, podcasts, etc. in English and thus I already had a solid knowledge of the language, but speaking English on a daily basis is obviously another step up. I got along quite well communicating with colleagues and students in English (even though I chose German when my counterpart was able to understand it). I would recommend having a pocket dictionary at hand for any vocabulary issues. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work as part of the bilingual concept.
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