ESC @ Freie Schule Jahnishausen: Elementary School

About the project

The project "Freies Lernen Jahnishausen" (Free Learning Jahnishausen) started in 2022, where members of the nearby community revived the old village school of Jahnishausen with a new primary school based on a our special learning concept: There is little frontal teaching, instead students work together on their learning. The school currently has around 20 pupils and follows a very inclusive approach, so that we can respond to the needs of the pupils. We follow an individualised approach to learning that includes students from grade 1 to 4 in the same classroom. We also spend a lot of time on outdoor activities and are very open to your ideas.

Two minutes walk from the school is an old knight's estate which houses our community (Lebenstraumgemeinschaft Jahnishausen) where the volunteer will live. Our community is part of the GEN network (Global Ecovillage Network) and we are very committed to an environmentally sustainable way of life. At the moment, we have more than 60 residents (including 12 children). It is a very rural area, but there is a lot going on in our community: we cook together every day, have music events, play games, etc., so there is always something to do. You should be open to our way of life, you can take part in our plenaries and become part of our community, but it depends on you how much you want to participate. It is a 20-minute bike ride to the nearest town, Riesa, from where you can take a train to Leipzig or Dresden, which takes 50 minutes.

Tasks

You will mainly be involved in the school, supporting the students in their learning process. You will also help with the after-school care, which is mainly organised by the parents of the students. Depending on your skills and what you want to learn, we will look for suitable tasks. As the renovation of the school is an ongoing process, there might also be tasks where you can support.

During the school holidays, you will be involved in the maintenance of our community. We also have a Community Supported Agriculture that you can help with, so there is plenty to do, and we will try to find tasks that suit your interests and there is plenty of space in Jahnishausen to realize your ideas.

Conditions (short overview)

• The weekly project time is 35 hours.
• The volunteer has two holidays per month, which can be collected to take a longer time off. You will have to take one part of your holidays during the school holidays
• There is a basic language course to support the volunteers at the beginning. The ESC is a non-formal education program and therefore no professional German course is provided, but the goal is to learn the language during the project time and outside in the free time.
• Costs for food, travel and insurances are covered, and the volunteer gets additionally 210€ pocket money per month; VISA costs are covered if needed (Because of the long waiting times, we unfortunately can’t accept applications from countries that require visa at the moment.)
• The volunteer has to visit two seminars organised by Jugend für Europa (national agency of Germany). In addition, there will be realized several project days towards topics of Europe / mobility in Europe for all ESC volunteers.
• The volunteer has two mentors, who supports with regular feedback talks (one at the school and one in the community)
• The volunteer lives in a single-bed room in a flat share with other residents of the community. In the shared apartment, residents must take care of the cleaning of the flat.

Selection Criteria

• aged between 18-26 years
• interest in working with children
• some organizational skills, open-mindedness, own ideas
• able to communicate in english (speaking german is not a requirement, but it’s great if you already know a bit of german)
• willing to live in a community in a rural area of Saxony

Selection Process

Please complete the online questionnaire by clicking on the link/button below. We will collect all applications by the deadline. Afterwards, we will review all applications that are completed and submitted on time. We will then interview suitable candidates (we don't mean the most perfect candidates, but candidates for whom volunteering could be an important opportunity). The pre-selected candidates will be forwarded to responsibles of the project who will make the final decision. You will be informed of your acceptance or rejection as soon as possible. This whole process can sometimes take a while, so thank you for your patience!

Application deadline: 18.05.2025

Apply Here!