Learning to drive in Berlin

Moved to Berlin (first time living in Germany) a year ago and now studying for my German Fuehrerschein. I have one year to complete the Theory part and once I pass that test I can start with the driving lessons. I had an African (don't ask, long story) driving licence which they accepted here and was able to drive for 6 months no problem. After 6 months I was told to go to school; I was not tested or anything when they decided this. I realise that driving here is serious business but why let me do it for half a year and then declare me "stupid"?

I have all the materials in English (thik book, Q&A and CDRom) but sometimes I really want to tear my hair out ... specially with the badly German-English translations. Some stuff just makes no sense at all. My husband says I just have to memorise all the Q&As ... I don't have to understand it all. Arghhhhhh! There are hundreds of possible questions and all those equations for reaction distance, breaking distance and whatnot ... eeek!

Wish me luck ... and when I finally get back on the road, watch out Berliners!

I want to learn to drive too.. My Wife told me that in Frankfurt there are areas that are made up to simulate roads and driving conditions. Like empty roads in the ball park where you can practice driving. But there are non in berlin!

If i find any i will let you know.

How is everything going anyways?

Hello!

I went for the theoretical test about a week ago and passed it 100%. Lucky for me, out of 900 possible questions, they gave me 30 I knew very well. The English test is done on the computer and the "pretend" test you have to do in preparation for the real thing, is in itself more complicated!

Relieved that's out of the way! Started driving lessons this week and we just drive around Berlin at the moment. My teacher's English is a little hard to understand and often, I have no idea what she's on about. Still, I am doing this in order to learn how to pass the test ... over the years have picked up some very bad habits and need to unlearn them. The other drivers around me have been very considerate and give me lots of space :-) My teacher says, I must learn how to drive like a German! Think I will take a tapemeasure with me for the next lesson ... to make sure I do not parallel park more than 30 cm from the curb!

There may be areas in Berlin where they take novice drivers and I could ask my teacher about this next time. Would make sense to teach someone how to make the car move before dumping them in this crazy traffic!

could you let me know any english speaking teacher in berlin? or schools..

and whats the price like?

I think I know one near where a live but I will need to check...

At least the lessions can be in english and the writen exam I think but the practical test will always be in German.

But I heard that you can have a translator (friend) maybe... I'll ask kneissl...

What district are you in

Did she let on what this entails? Like using blinkers only to indicate that the steering wheel is at full-lock, leaving rear fog lights on in all weather (except fog), speed limits are merely recommendations and so on?

Im in mitte at the moment..

so somewhere around here would be good as im seem to be working until 7 30 every night at the moment.

#4 I use Fahrschule am Fennpfuhl - they have two schools and the one I go to is on Annenstr. 48-49 close to the Heinrich Heine U-bahn station in Mitte. My original teacher (Mrs Schmidt - spouse of owner) handed me over to a Turkish lady (Zehra Karacay) who is very young but really nice! Her English is also much better. Price wise it's been expensive ... have lost track of the exact amount but the fact that I failed my first practical test means I've had to continue with lessons until the next test in December! Arghhhh ... I can give you a breakdown if you want but will need some time to find receipts etc.

The driving test was all in German but my instructor was sitting in the front passenger seat and I was able to ask her to confirm instructions from examiner who sat in the back. She was the one who slammed the breaks on and set off the alarm when I decided to jump a amber to red light even though I really thought I would make it through in time. I did not want to fail for "undue hesitation" so went for it!

#6 I am only taking lessons to pass the test because nobody I know drives quite like that!!! There is an order to everything you do ... want to turn left at the next junction, look in rear view mirror, look in left wing mirror, shoulder look, indicate if all clear, change lane if necessary and while doing this another shoulder look,etc etc ... sometimes I feel like one of those car dogs with my head bobbing all the time! Everything is by the book, no exceptions but once you pass the test ... weeeeee!

Hey Wee, howzit?

thanks for all your help-.. do u have a telephone number for them?

Google is your friend. Fahrschule am Fennpfuhl. Just click on "So finden Sie uns" for all the details.

Edit: First sentence modified out of consideration for wj's sensibilities.

Ever heard of not being so rude?!?!?!?

Hi Fonz!

The contact details are:

Fahrschule am Fennpfuhl

Berlin Lichtenberg
Weisenseer Weg 98
10369 Berlin
Tel : 030 972 2131

Berlin-Mitte
Annensrasse 48-49
10179 Berlin
Tel : 030 233 3381

Call then between 12:00 and 18:00 as nobody there in the mornings.

Mrs Susanne Schmidt and Mrs Zehra Karacay can be found at either place depending on what they are doing. You can get all the materials you need for the theory test from them too (I highly recommend getting the CD rom as well since English test is done on PC at Dekra). I did not attend classes, just went for the test when I was ready and booked driving lessons once I passed.

Good luck!

thankyou!

very much appreciated.. maybe youll see me soon driving into lampost and the rest.. (or maybe it will be hard to ditinguish me from the rest!)

OK, I will keep an eye out for you ... I'll be the one cruising through all the red lights and stopping at the green ones!

Has anyone had any recent experiences with learning to drive in Berlin? Can you recommend a good driving school with classes in English

Hello smurf!

Here are some links with info on how to go about getting a German driving licence in Berlin. I highly recommend the school I went to in Mitte - see further up this thread (it won over others for having an agency close to my home) but it turned out to be good! They do teach theory in English but only 1:1 as the classes are in German. This might be necessary if you have never driven before but it is ok to study by yourself if you already hold a (foreign) licence.

You want to obtain a German driving license?
A bit out of date but worth reading!
Focus : Life in Germany

If I come across any other English language sites I will post them here. If you have any other questions I will try to answer them! Good luck!