Sprachbörse German language school

I feel absolutely compelled to share my awful experience with this school. I booked an intensive course online through their website, after many emails with the Direktorin of the school. In my emails I explained that I was interested in an advanced course, that I have already passed the ZMP and TestDaF with flying colors, and that I was interested in a course with a very high level. I was assured that they have such a course.

Fast forward four weeks. I arrive in Munich and go to the school. It´s situated in a suite in a building on Rotkreuzplatz. It does not even take up one whole floor. Size isn´t everything, so I wasn´t alarmed. But then I found out that the school has FOUR courses. Two beginners´ levels, one intermediate, and one that they call "advanced". I was in this "advanced course" for a total of sixteen hours. I can tell you that my poor nerves suffered more damage during these sixteen hours than they tolerate in a year.

This class had such an awful mix of levels that absolutely nobody benefitted from it. Impressive, since there were only 8 participants. Some people asked the most elementary questions. Others were completely unable to form a sentence with more than five words. The teacher, however, still tried to teach from an advanced-level textbook. It just didn´t work. Everybody was either lost or bored. I think I learned less in these sixteen hours in the school than I could have learned in 30 minutes at home with a book.

I complained three times and cried twice before I got my money back (well, half of my money... more on that later). The school refused to split up the class. When I complained that the levels were too mixed for anyone to learn anything useful, the Direktorin asked me if I was a Christian (Christin), and told me that I need to "learn to be tolerant of others". I complained that this was not the class that I was promised. Doch, claimed the Direktorin. They teach using a book for the Oberstufe (never mind that 60% of the participants still have problems telling the difference between "bin" and "ist" and "habe" and "hatte". And "wäre" or "hätte"? Don´t even go there).

I paid upfront for 9 weeks. I got my money for the last 5 weeks back, even though I quit the class after a week. Apparently when you ask for a refund, even if you haven´t attended one class, they keep the first four weeks no matter what. In my case I attended for four days, and that was four days too many.

Don´t let this happen to you.

1. Don´t pay up front.
2. Ask for a "Probestunde" so that you can gauge for yourself if the course is right for you.
3. Don´t think that just because the class sizes are small that they will be homogenous.
4. Don´t assume that just because they use the right book for your level the COURSE will be on your level.
5. Ask for a "Probestunde". Reputable schools will let you do it.

I am now in a different language institute (I did a Probestunde first), and am very happy with it. This school (the name is withheld so that my post does not sound like a commercial) has 10 levels. Much, much better. The participants in my class have pretty much the same level, so no questions ever waste anyone´s time. Everyone has similar problems, so the teacher´s answers to their questions are also helpful for you. The way a class should be.

So buyer beware. Ask for a Probestunde.

Didi

Sorry to hear of your bad experience, but about getting a refund: Read the small print of what you're signing before giving money away for services you haven't already had.

I hate when people add "helpful" advice" like this.

The women wasn't living here. Sounds like she asked all the right questions. What else was she supposed to do.

All the language schools I attended require you pay for the course upfront.

The languge school was clearly trying to save money by sticking a bunch of different levels together to save on teachers.

The school had a responsibility to make sure that the students were in appropriate classes. They took advantage of her.

If you'd already taken the ZMP, why didn't you just take more courses with Goethe Institut? They have 3 higher level classes than that.. ZOP, kleines deutsches Sprachdiplom and grosses deutsches Sprachdiplom..

Maybe because it's flipping expensive?

Re: Goethe Institut. The KDS and GDS courses are only offered twice a year, unfortunately not in June, July, or August. These courses are evening or afternoon courses, not intensive courses. So they don´t work for me.

And Goethe does not have a monopoly on the Oberstufe. This level is hard to find, yes. You may have to call all the language schools listed under "Sprachenschulen" in the phone book to find one in a format that suits you. But they exist.

Something that I really didn´t expect during my phone quest last week is that many schools referred me to their competitors if they themselves did not have an Oberstufe. Apparently the "elusive Oberstufe" is a problem they´re used to. Just the schools that I called were more honest than the Sprachboerse in that they admitted to not actually having an Oberstufe instead of calling an "everyone higher than GII or GIII" course Oberstufe.

Those searching for an Oberstufe, don´t give up. During my phone spree I found 6 different courses in different formats (intensive, evening, afternoon, etc.), so they exist. And don´t take the phone person´s word, demand a Probestunde. I did at my current school, and they happily agreed.

Na ja. I hope this thread helps somebody.

Didi

Didi, if you didn't get what the course promised, you have a right to a full refund. Unfortunately you'll have trouble getting it since you stayed on for four weeks rather than leaving after the first week or two. Still, if it was 9 weeks and you were only there four, they owe you some more dough.

If the amount is over €200, tell them to refund it all or you'll have your lawyer contact them and they'll pay the money and his fees. If they refuse, see a lawyer. It would help a lot if you have the name of anyone else who atetnded the course so you have back-up to your story. Your risk is the €200 it will cost to talk to the lawyer, your chances are good for getting 5/9 of the money back and if you have the name of someone else who was there and dissatisfied who can back up your story, pretty good for getting it all back.

woof.

From what I read, Didi stayed 4 days, not 4 weeks. They took 4 weeks of money though and she got back 5 weeks.

You're right, showem. Full refund, possibly Entschädigungsgeld if Dii's costs were increased by coming to Germany only in order to attend a class which was clearly not that which was advertised.

woof.

I´d happily sue, but this is the enrollment form:

http://www.sprachboerse.de/german-courses/..._enrolment.html

Even if you enroll, pay up front, and then your sister has a baby and you have to stay in the US, you owe them 4 weeks´s payment if you cancel WITHIN two weeks BEFORE your course is supposed to start. I guess in normal schools this is understandable, as you are taking somebody´s place. With this school, however, it´s hard to imagine that I am taking anyone´s place at all.

Didi

I don't think it has anything to do with taking someone else's place, but rather that the school needs a reliable income to meet its expenses. Cancellations are often a problem with language courses. The school needs to know the number of participants - it can't afford to pay the teacher and supply a room if the attendance is too low. Probably if the school had stuck to the required level for the course, it would never have taken off in the first place due to lack of participation. You can't run a course for one person! I'm not excusing the school, just trying to explain things. In these cases I sometimes offer the good students extra tasks and get them to prepare little presentations to the group, and supplement the cousebook with easier stuff for the slow students, but teachers are not exactly well-paid, so I can understand if the teacher just came in with the book provided.