When Germany accepted a large number of refugees back in 2015, Marianne Manz sprang into action. She's a school teacher who has always loved teaching and languages, and thought to herself "we can do something here." Marianne pulled together a group of volunteers and started AG Reliwerk, a tiny local group of Germans who offer language courses.

In this interview, Marianne shared the joys and pains of teaching German to refugees, and what it's like when you have untrained teachers from 16 to 70 teaching refugees without regular internet access.

As a bonus, I also asked her if German is really so difficult to learn. A fascinating interview!

Go Further With Languages

1) You don't have to make this your full-time career

Marianne's interview shows that even a few hours a week can make a huge difference to the lives of other people, and give you so much joy.

2) Other skills really matter

In addition to their language skills, both of the women I interviewed stood out to me for their strengths in their field. Interpreting and teaching are skills in themselves and your new position will stretch them and help you grow in incredible ways.

3) Getting together with other is key

If you're reading these words right now, chances are that you're looking at a screen by yourself. Supporting others with your language takes you out of that state, and puts you deeply and intensively in touch with others. When you contribute to the world, you give to others but you also benefit in so many ways.

Check out the links for this episode to find inspiration of where to volunteer in the UK or USA.