Intercultural Training for Students (in English)

Who? International and German students

Why? If we know more about our surroundings, we can study more happily and successfully. This is important for international students in Germany, but also for Germans who want to go abroad. Welcome Buddies benefit by gaining a better understanding of what might be particularly challenging for their mentees, enabling them to help them more effectively – and perhaps communicate with them more effectively too! This helps not only with their studies, but also with life in a new country – or with intercultural interactions back home – in general.

What? Cultural differences in higher education, university culture and everyday life; reasons for (inter)cultural misunderstandings; possible solutions and tips. Among other things, the following topics will be discussed:

• What exactly is culture? How does it influnce our actions and communication?
• Direct/indirect communication
• How do I express criticism?
• Personal initiative: what are the university’s responsibilities, and what are the students’ responsibilities?
• Interaction between lecturers and students
• Rules and agreements
• Culture shock and homesickness

We will explore these topics using various methods (case studies, discussions, interactive tasks, short role-plays) and develop strategies together.

We would also be happy to discuss your experiences so far and any questions you may have, and to come up with solutions to any problems you might be facing.

Please register beforehand

Your registration helps the trainer to prepare the session and your participation certificate. 

Therefore, we ask you to register beforehand, but registration is not mandatory.

Please complete the registration by 28 October 2026 at vs@scope-training.de.

About the trainer

Viola Stoehr is an intercultural trainer who specialises in workshops for students, designed to provide preparation for studying in Germany or abroad. She has personal experience of studying and teaching abroad. Through her previous work as a mentor for international students and as coordinator of a project aimed at improving the study environment for international students at a large university, she is familiar with the challenges faced by international students. Through her company s.copeExternal link, she has been offering her Intercultural Training programmes at more than 30 educational institutions since 2005, including the University of Jena.

• A German training will be offered on 30 October 2026.