Volunteering in Munich as an expat

Help making the world a better place while spicing up your resume by volunteering in Munich. Don't know where to start? We've got you covered!

Bas

3 minute read

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Updated on 23 Jun 2023

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Working

If you want to make the world a better place or looking for something to do in Munich then volunteering is the way to go! Let’s dive into rules, reasons and some of the various types of volunteering opportunities that are available to you, from fighting poverty, helping animals to supporting the arts.

There are many reasons why volunteering is great, especially when you’re new in the local community you’re helping. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the locals, improve your German and make some friends along the way. There're plenty of ways to volunteer and you can really find your way to help the world in the way you feel is best.

At the same time, volunteer work is still working. It’s a great contribution to your resume, even if you aren't getting paid to do it. The challenges and workloads are the same as those of a regular company after all.

Your language skills won’t be as much of a hurdle as you think, as Germans speak English pretty well and there are also positions tailored specifically to English speakers available.

Here are a number of platforms that will help you find volunteer work in Munich in no time!

• Linkedin
• Volunteermatch.org
• Federal volunteering service (in German)
• Govolunteer.com

Munich has a lot to offer, from its vibrant neighbourhoods to its magnificent city centre. Despite being a wealthy city, there're people and animals that could benefit greatly from your help.

Munich volunteer work that provides humanitarian aid

Here’s a list of charities that help those who need a little extra boost to provide for themselves and their families until they get back on their feet.

- Cleverackern (CleverFields): An organisation where local farmers and other food producers can pitch in to help people who need help putting food on the table.

- The Munich Table: A Munich-based food bank that helps over 20.000 people! They take volunteers from all walks of life to help with everything in the logistic and food distribution process.

- Revoneer: Various humanitarian volunteering projects tailored towards Engineers.

Munich volunteer work to help animals

• Animal Rescue Munich: One of the most important animal rescue centres in Munich, taking in not only pets, but also all the local wildlife.
• Munich Animal Shelter: The Munich animal shelter is full of animals who need food, care and affection while they wait for their new owner to bring them to their forever home!
• Animal Foodbank Munich: The animal food bank in Munich helps people feed their pets if they are unable to buy it themselves.

Munich volunteer work to support the arts

• Peace of Paper: An organisation that helps immigrants and refugees learn German through stamp-based art workshops.
• Art Cinema (Kino der Kunst): A festival and art exhibition showcasing works of artists applying innovation and highly aesthetic visual language in portraying the serious issues of our time.
• The Programming Foundation: While not strictly ‘art’, the Programming foundation aims to teach the next generation how to use and implement computer programming in their lives.

Many of the professional skills you might have in Marketing, Finance or Engineering are skills that are also required by these and similar organisations. So, you can also help charitable organisations with their online marketing, legal or financial issues or improve their website or internal systems.

This way you help others and gain more experience in your field. So, give yourself the opportunity to help others, make the world a better place and hone in your own skills.

If you’re in Germany on a temporary residence permit, allowing you to look for a job, you aren't allowed to work. The rules dictate that if you aren't allowed to work, you’re also not allowed to take part in volunteer work. The only clear exception to this's to have a specific volunteering visa.

If you’re in Germany, it’s legal for you to take up a part-time job. The limit for this is a max of 120 full work days or 240 half days per year. Also, there’s a tax-free threshold for this, but I digress. So, at the same time, if you stick to these limits, you are also allowed to spend this time on volunteer work as well.

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