🏢 About the local organisation
Die Schule Marienau ist von über 80 Hektar Wald, Wiesen-, Hof- und Gebäudeflächen. Baulich aus einem ehemaligen Gutshof entstanden, bilden heute zahlreiche Gebäuden mit moderner Architektur eine stimmige Einheit. Der Campus zentriert sich um das Haupthaus und den Teich und strahlt zugleich Großzügigkeit und Geborgenheit aus. Die verschiedenen Funktionen – Wohnen, Schule, Internatsräume, Werkstätten, Speisesaal und Wirtschaftsräume – sind bewusst eng miteinander verzahnt.
Die Marienauer Schulgemeinschaft verbindet alle Menschen, die hier arbeiten, lernen und leben. Sie gibt dem Einzelnen Geborgenheit und Kompetenz im Miteinander. Die Schule wird von insgesamt ca. 220 Schüler*innen besucht, die sich in Tages- und Internatsschüler*innen aufteilen, viele von ihnen stammen aus dem europäischen und außereuropäischen Ausland.
Die familiären Wohnbereiche in den unterschiedlich gestalteten Internatshäusern bieten den rund 140 Internatsschüler*innen ein Zuhause. Die Hausgemeinschaften im Internat umfassen durchschnittlich zehn Schüler*innen, die in altersgleichen Gruppen und einem altersgemischten Wohnbereich zusammenleben.
Die Mitarbeiter*innen, die einen Wohnbereich betreuen, leben fest in Marienau, oftmals gemeinsam mit ihren Familien, und sind als Lehrkräfte oder pädagogische Mitarbeiter*innen in Marienau tätig.
Die Hauseltern stehen als Ansprechpartner*innen jederzeit für die Kinder und Jugendlichen und deren Eltern zur Verfügung und sorgen für einen sicheren Rahmen – vom morgendlichen Wecken bis zum Gutenachtsagen. Dieses „Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl“ ist gerade für die jüngeren Schülerinnen und Schüler sehr wichtig. Ältere werden mehr und mehr zur Selbstständigkeit erzogen und bekommen in gewissem Rahmen Verantwortung übertragen, z.B. als „Cornett“. Die Cornetts sind ältere Schülerinnen und Schüler, die in den einzelnen Wohnbereichen die Rolle des großen Bruders oder der großen Schwester übernehmen – eine Rolle, die hohes Ansehen genießt und auf die wir unsere Schüler vorbereiten.
Über den regulären Unterricht hinaus können sich die Schülerinnen und Schüler in den zahlreichen Arbeitsgemeinschaften frei entfalten und sind sportlich, handwerklich und künstlerisch aktiv.
- - -
Please briefly present your organisation, including information on its aims, target groups, regular activities and other relevant aspects.
The Marienau school is surrounded by more than 80 hectares of forest, meadows and court-yards. Originating from a former manor house, today numerous buildings with modern ar-chitecture form a harmonious unit. The campus is centred around the main house and the pond and reflects generosity and security at the same time. The various functions - living, school, boarding school, workshops, dining room and economic rooms - are deliberately closely intertwined.
The school community of Marienau connects all people who work, learn and live here. In this way, a feeling of security and social skills are given to everybody.
Around 220 pupils visit the Marienau school, a mixture of day-students and boarding school pupils, many oft hem with various international backgrounds. The different living areas crea-te a home for around 140 boarding pupils. On average 10 of them live in one group, some of them of the same age, some of them in heterogenous age groups. The staff members who are responsible for these living groups also live in Marienau, many of them together with their families, and are employed as teachers or pedagogical co-workers.
Each living group has house parents who are at any time available for the children and youth and their parents. They arrange a fix and secure frame for them – from waking them up in the morning until saying good night in the evening. This feeling of belonging together, similar to a family, is especially important for the younger pupils. The older ones are being taught independence and responsibility, for example in their role as „Cornett“. These are older pupuils who fulfill the role as older brother or older sister.
Apart from the regular lessons, the pupils have the chance to take part in various activitites in the area of sports, handcraft or arts.
💼 What the programme involves
Around 220 pupils visit the Marienau school, a mixture of day-students and boarding school pupils, many oft hem with various international backgrounds. The majority of the staff members also live in Marienau, many of them together with their families, and are employed as teachers or pedagogical co-workers. Apart from the regular lessons, the pupils have the chance to take part in various activitites in the area of sports, handcraft or arts. Volunteers will support the school's educational staff.
Concrete tasks can include:
- support in boarding school supervision
- assistance in the preparation of homework
- support the implementation of offers/courses in the leisure area of the boarding school
- support the organisation of leisure activities on boarding school weekends
- assistance in looking after foreign students, also during short holidays
- student transport
- preparation/planning/accompanying of excursions and school trips
- student kiosk
- student newspaper
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers are accommodated in a shared apartment in the school dormitory. Volunteers get a single room, the kitchen and the bathroom are shared. Volunteers can take part in the canteen's meals during working hours. During the 26 days of holiday, the meal allowance is paid in cash. In addition, food money is paid for 8 days per month (weekends). Volunteers will get a monthly ticket for the local public transport all around Germany ("Deutschlandticket") and can go by bus to the next train station in Lüneburg.
🎒 Leisure activities
The volunteers will receive at least one German language course and additionally the online language course via the online course system. The volunteers get the possibility to take part in the meetings of the team and will also have meetings only with the tutor on a regular basis. Moreover, there are events and excursions in which the volunteers can take part. They will also take part in two obligatory trainings, organized by the German National Agency, and additionally in one workshop, organized by the coordinating organization VIA e.V.
⚠️ Requirements
The Participant profile: The candidates should fulfill the following requirements:
- volunteers should be at least 20 years old due to the age of the students
- volunteers should be sporty and communicative
- English and/or German language skills are required, French or Spanish skills welcome
- an international driving licence as well as driving experience are very important
- holiday time is to be taken during school holidays
Deadline: 30/04/2026 20:00
ℹ️ Additional information
The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (
https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?
- Training before and after the project
- Health insurance during your project
- round-trip travel reimbursement
- accommodation and food
- pocket money
- language course
- Return Week-end
- Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport
Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (
https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.