Voluntary Social Year in Physical Chemistry and Chemistry Education (NanoBioLab)

Information about the Voluntary Social Year

Between A-levels and studies ...

You don't know exactly what's next for you after you graduate from high school and are thinking about studying or don't want to start studying straight away?
Then do a 'Voluntary Social Year' at Saarland University! 
Do you enjoy science, especially chemistry, and are interested in working with students?
Then do a 'Voluntary Social Year' in the working group of 'Physical Chemistry and Chemistry Education/NanoBioLab'!

The target group for the allocation of the FSJ places are mainly high school graduates. This gives you the chance to get to know the university before you start your studies. As part of the working group, you can experience the university from a different perspective and look behind the scenes. You also have the opportunity to take a look at everyday university life and attend lectures.

The NanoBioLab is a school laboratory and belongs to the Saarland school laboratory network SaarLab. On Tuesdays and Thursdays you will supervise school classes together with teachers and students of chemistry. The goal of the school lab is to awaken the interest of students in science and especially in chemistry. As an FSJ you will be responsible for the preparation and post-processing of the NanoBioLab experiments, the maintenance of the experimental set-up and much more.  In addition, you can support the student teachers in their experiments during the lectures and assist colleagues of the PC/DC.

 

General info about the FSJ:

  • The FSJ is preferably given to high school graduates (under 26 years). Full-time compulsory education must be fulfilled.
  • The FSJ usually lasts 12 months, but can be shortened (e.g. due to the start of a university course) or extended to 18 months.
  • There is a monthly allowance, as well as entitlement to child benefit and social security coverage.
  • At the end of the FSJ, you will receive a work certificate and a certificate of participation and completion.
  • Various seminar days and weeks await you throughout the year (organized by the sponsor of the FSJ).

Your sponsor is the Competence Center for Voluntary Services, where you can also find more information about the FSJ:  https://paritaet-freiwilligendienste.de/fsj/

Further information about the Voluntary Social Year can be found at: https://www.uni-saarland.de/page/karriere/einstiegsmoeglichkeiten/fsj-praktikum/fsj-physikalische-chemie.html

We are looking forward to your application! You can send your application by mail or by post to the following addresses. Please indicate "Physical chemistry (student lab "NanoBioLab")" in your application.

 

Postal address:
Universität des Saarlandes
Dezernat P - Personal
Standort Meerwiesertalweg
Postfach 15 11 50
66041 Saarbrücken
 

Contact:
Lisa Jung
Tel.: 0681 302-4402
E-Mail: fsj(at)univw.uni-saarland.de

Experience Report Voluntary Social Year 2023/2024

My name is Sina, I am 20 years old and completed my voluntary social year in chemistry education in 2023/2024. I knew early on that I wanted to study something related to science after school, especially something to do with chemistry. So my voluntary social year was the perfect opportunity to gain lots of impressions and experience in this field before starting my studies.

One of my many tasks was preparing and following up on experiments for school classes, which gave me a lot of experience in working independently, especially in the laboratory. This has definitely made me more confident in handling chemicals and laboratory equipment.

I also gained a good insight into university life and was able to attend many events. Not only did I get to sit in on lectures myself, but I also helped out with teaching courses on didactics. It was always exciting to see the students' experiments, and I had the opportunity to learn a lot of new things about chemistry.

Overall, I have developed a lot personally this year, learned a lot, and gained a lot of experience. I also met a lot of nice people during this time and was able to become part of a great team that was a lot of fun to work with. I am really grateful for the wonderful time I had and can definitely recommend the FSJ!

Experience Report Voluntary Social Year 2024/2025

My name is Lea, I am 19 years old and completed my voluntary social year in the Physical Chemistry and Chemistry Didactics Working Group in 2024/2025. For me, this year was a stopover between high school graduation and university, as I already knew that I wanted to do something with chemistry later on and preferably study pharmacy.

Through my FSJ, I was not only able to deepen my enthusiasm for chemical topics, but also gain insight into various fields of work and meet many new people. A large part of my work took place in the NanoBioLab. There, I mainly prepared experiments that groups of students were allowed to carry out during lab visits. This work not only gave me a lot of laboratory experience, but also broadened my understanding of topics covered in school.

In addition, my FSJ gave me an insight into lectures and courses, which will certainly benefit me in the future. Participating in external events was also a great experience for me, enriching both my professional and personal development.

I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people during this time and they made my everyday work much easier and more enjoyable. Overall, I gained laboratory experience, chemical and work experience, and experienced tremendous personal growth this year.

My conclusion: If you are interested in chemistry and would like to get a taste of working life (at least to some extent) before you start your studies or training, this is the place for you!