In 1997 – 20 years ago – the tutoring program was launched for two reasons:
Germany had become an increasingly popular study location for foreign students.
And most of them preferred to live in dorms because of the cheap
rents and the chance to meet other students.
I’ve been working as a tutor
for Hanover Student Services for 3.5 years now.
I enjoy helping foreign students with their daily issues:
opening a bank account, extending their visa
at the immigration office, or applying for health insurance.
We employ student workers as tutors.
They do a terrific job in the dorms, making sure that foreign
and native students get along well.
Commendable work and therefore well paid.
I’m not familiar with today’s tutoring program,
but back then it was a worthwhile cause – students helping students.
There were only 10 people in our team.
We hosted cooking events. We visited the opera.
We went on all kinds of excursions. We did city trips to Hameln and Celle.
We helped other foreign students to get their bearings.
My name is Bihan Zhuang, and I’m from China.
I’ve been studying in Hanover for 7 years now,
currently in the industrial engineering master’s degree program.
I’ve been working for Hanover Student Services for a year now,
mostly in the tutoring program.
We regularly conduct social surveys, also regarding the living conditions of foreign students.
In 1996, the first survey for foreign students showed that
they wanted to have more contact with native students.
Now I can pass on what I received when I first came here.
I can only recommend making use of this service, to commit yourself, and to profit from it.
I’ll keep doing it as long as I can.
It makes me really happy to see the project that started
off 20 years ago continue along the same lines.
And it’s always a true joy to witness how relations of foreign
and native students in the dorms improve thanks to our efforts.