German classes - do on arrival, or wait a while?

Hi people,

As I should be in Munich in Sept, I'm starting to look at doing some German classes. I've had a look at the posts on recommended schools (very helpful - thanks!), but have been thinking about whether doing a (semi-)intensive course straight away is a good idea or not. I lived in France for a year, and I remember that dealing with everything in a foreign language was extremely tiring - I spent the first few months completely flaking out as soon as I got home (and my French is considerably better than my German!). What would people recommend?

Do I do a language course on arrival, to get up to speed, and live with the knackeredness?
Or do I try to survive the first few months without lessons, get myself settled in new home and job etc, and THEN go for the language classes?

It would be useful to get some advice, cos if I do do classes straight away, I reckon I'll need to book myself on a course now, while there are still places.

Thanks
Freckle

I can't think of one good reason for you to wait on taking language classes.

I would recommend waiting until you are at least a bit settled. Even though you have been to "foreign" soil before, those are a lot of changes and happenings to absorb all at once. I would suggest getting settled into your new house, starting your new job and getting a bit famiiar with your surroundings and then tackle a language course. Depending on the area you will be moving to, you can get around fairly easy as a great number of Germans can speak at least a little English. I moved here in March and won't start my language classes until September. Granted my husband is German so he is able to handle difficult situations - but I can do rather well on my own without him.

Just my advice but you know yourself and your limitations so go with your gut!

Good luck!

The sooner you start your language classes, the more likely you are to actually learn and use the language. The longer you wait, the more you'll realise that you can get by in English and the lower your motivation will be to learn.

Start ASAP and DON'T spend your time in the English speaking bars or going to TT stuff exclusively or even in a majority of your spare time.

I'd also recommend to start ASAP for the reasons above. Additionally, you may find yourself picking up German words/phrases here and there.. which will then make it harder for you to sit through the lessons and possibly more boring for you if it's a repetition of what you know (depending, of course, on how much you manage to pick up). Another reason would be because learning a language is not just about words; it's also about learning HOW that culture thinks, which would help you settle in faster.

Well, I am going to assume that the aove replies are from people who came to Germany as young single individuals. If that is your case then yes, start ASAP as it can help you get settled. My case was different as I had just gotten married, just had a baby and gave up my career so there were too many changes going on for me - PERSONAL ISSUES - to start with immediate language courses. Besides, my husband is German so he is my safety net. Also, have learned other languages, I knew that I would be fine with waiting although one thing I did not bank on was that the language classes are "immersion" and they don't teach the traditional way in which I have learned other languages. Again, you know yourself and everyone's ability and experience is different. Do what you feel comfortable with. Either way you will gain a command of the language and do just fine.

By the way, when I say "get by", that's what I mean. You can get by in Munich without German, but you'll have a much richer experience, probably few general frustrations and generally a better life if you learn German. UrbanAngel points out another good reason to learn the language, that the culture learning will go along with it.

Hausefrau, I don't think anyone is knocking you for your choice, but I do think that the sooner you start, the better it is. No matter your circumstances.

Showem - I didn't think anyone was knocking me. I knew what would work for me. Besides, I have a shit load of bilingual children's books for my daughter which have come in very handy for helping me along. I just wanted to point out that my circumstances were different from the rest of the posted replies. Getting yourself acclimated to a new environment/culture can be difficult so anything you can do to make the transition easier is a huge benefit. Especially when it involves learning the native tongue!

I am going to assume that you are a man . . . so therefore you wouldn't understand what it means to have a baby . . . No knocking there and not meant to be rude but my circumstances did not have room for immediate German courses. This is my first child and my family support and everything that was familiar to me was gone so I needed to get my bearings. Again, that worked for me and I am okay with it but I also realize that decision won't work for everyone. I just wanted to give my perspective on the posed question.

One. I'm not a man. Two. Why wouldn't a man understand what it's like to have a baby? Not meaning the giving birth part but having a baby around the house part. Three. I just did have a baby AND moved AND gave up my career, so I do have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. So not trying to be rude either, honestly, but I still say the sooner the better, although I would allow someone with a baby under 6 months a break, although I would recommend getting a private tutor at home.

I would also recommend that you start as soon as possible. If you can, try to have at least conversational German before coming over. When we moved to Munich I could understand some German but didn't speak any. Maybe I was particularly unlucky, but practically from day one I had all sorts of people (taxi driver, shop assistant, doctor's receptionist, you name it) telling me reproachfully: "This is Germany, you must speak German!" I found it really, really annoying, and every time it happened I felt like screaming "Give me a chance to learn it, I've only just arrived!" So, do yourself a favour and start learning NOW!

I agree. This happened to me when I moved to Italy some years ago - I was too busy with my work to take classes, then discovered I could "get by" since the Italians all wanted to practice their English on me. The result was bad habits and bad grammar. I vowed not to do the same with my German.

I reckon you should start some kind of language course immediately upon arrival. It will help you meet other foreigners who are coming to grips with the language too, give you a place to ask basic linguistic questions that come up while you settle in, and start you on the right path in learning the language. Learning the language is the key to settling in here, and the sooner you start the better.

There's no necessity in overdoing it with lessons every evening of the week though. You are right, you will be knackered and have tons of other stuff to do. Its hard to recommend the right balance as it all depends on how much money and free time you will have. If you could afford it, an intensive course would be fantastic for a week or so. Then just have a regular weekly lesson. In reality though, you will probably be focussing on other things at the beginning. Anything more than twice a week would be too much. Or even just one hour a week with a private tutor is a start, if you are not able to make it to a class.

September is a great time to start, as most lessons get going that month.

Okay Showem - the attitude is coming from where??? ONE - While I apologize that I insulted your gender I did say that I was making an "assumption" which meant that I could have been wrong. As most of the replies that I have received on things have been from men . . . I made the same assumption and . . . apparently, I was wrong - so as a good American, I will apologize for my mistake. TWO - I never said that a man wouldn't understand what it was to have a baby around the house and that is not what I was referring to. GIVING BIRTH and dealing with some of the issues that come afterwards - which men DON'T deal with. Again, I guess I should have been more clear in my statement - you know spell it out and all . . . THREE - Congratulations on your baby! While you may "know what you are talking about" since you have had a baby [AND] gave up your career you made a choice about when (and how) to learn German based on YOUR personal experience(s)/decision and that is fine. AGAIN - that is what I did and only offered my perspective (or did I lose that right when I came here . . . ???) Lastly . . . I appreciate you "allowing" me to hold off on taking classes since my daughter was less than 6 months when I moved here! Although my "private tutor" has been my husband and it works for us but I will let him know that you approve of our decision.

I thought it was babies that threw toys out of the pram?

What I'd recommend as soon as you get the confidence is to go to a adult education stuff (Volkshochschule) or join a local club or group
so you are exposed to the language and can practice and make new aquainatnces and friends.

Hausefrau, I really wasn't trying to give you attitude. I just listed it in point form because it's a simple way of listing. Honestly, I'm not trying to wind you up or to try and put down your decisions. I just want you to understand that I know the issues and still would recommend the way I did. But to each their own. Freckle was asking for suggestions, that's why I said it. Really, don't get uptight about me, because again, that wasn't my intention and my apologies if that's what happened. (In fact in general, don't get uptight about anyone online is good advice for everyone to follow, but that's another issue).

@Hausfrau - nobody is attacking you or your personal choice, there's no need to get upset. Its perfectly valid and keep up the good work!

Showem is giving advice to the original poster, and her personal opinion from the perspective of someone who does have a young baby and just moved country. It happens to be a different opinion to yours, but thats not a reflection on you or your choice. Its just another opinion.

Regardless of what you intended, your choice of phrasing could be interpreted in many ways, including being patronising to men. That's not what you meant, but that's why it was picked up on. Again, this isn't said as an insult or with attitude, just to give another perspective. Remember, we all may speak English but many of us come from vastly different cultures - don't take the words literally or too serioulsy, particularly on this website!

The faster you learn German, the sooner you'll feel as though you're living here as opposed to being on some sort of extended assignment. Further, the more you learn, the more opportunities you'll have to learn more. Both of those are hard to dispute. Sort out what's important to you and prioritize accordingly.

When I first got here, I spent a heavy amount of time trying to settle into my job as I didn't have loads of choice about how to spend my time. Sure they provided German lessons, but they weren't paying me to speak German. If I had had the option, I would have insisted on a month of intensive classes before I arrived, so that I could at least sort myself out in shops and restaurants.

There are only so many minutes in the day. Knowing German is (shock!) very useful in Germany. Decide whether or not you're benefiting from how you spend those minutes.

Hi people,
Thanks for all your opinions - it's giving me food for thought. Hope Hausefrau and Showem haven't actually strangled eachother yet!
I'll have a look and see whether there are classes that might suit me and try to book myself in if I can. I'm getting the feeling that my suspicions about intensive classes might be right - a bit too much all at once - so I'll look for something a bit more gentle and ongoing. If there's nothing really suitable, I have been trying to get myself to a sensible starting level of German by doing GCSE this year during evening classes, so I'm confident I can get by in Germish for a while if I need to. Thanks for the advice everyone!
Freckle

Nonsense. If I could have, I would have loved to have been able to do an intensive course. Getting it in bits and pieces once you're over here will lengthen the time it takes you to learn. I finally got the chance to spend a week in Berlin for an intensive course last year and loved it. I learned more there in a week than I could have in two months. More importantly, my confidence in speaking increased appreciably.

A good reason to wait is the initial rush of very-important-things-to-do when you arrive in a foreign place - like visiting as many biergartens as possible, finding accommodation & essential services, settling in in general. These take a lot of time, and however intensive your language classes are they probably won't help you much for a month or two and will drain your time and energy. Learning German is certainly worth it, and will definitely enrich your time here, but it is a decade long task and you can afford to spend a few months settling in and asking German speaking friends/colleagues to help where needed. If you find you have free time and energy you can always pick a grammar book up and start reading about the marvels that lie ahead...

I too started taking intensive courses right after moving here and it was the best decision I could have made. Learn as much as you can up front while you are still motivated...it will make your life here so much easier and richer, as others have said.

I am convinced that I get much better customer service now from people because they are happy that a native English speaker took the time to learn their language.

Showem and Dreamer,

I was not (nor am I now) upset. I just said what I needed to say. Period. As I said in the first post (and repeatedly thereafter) different strokes for different folks. What I did worked for me but may not work for someone else. I get that and it's fine. I am new to this site so I have not had the benefit of back and forth banter for years as some of you have. It actually would have never been an issue for further discussion except that Showem seemed to think I was under the impression I was being "attacked" or "knocked" for my statements - which was not the case. I just happen to think that everyone has different experiences and not everyone is ready to jump into an intensive language course when they first enter a country. Some are. So I gave my opinion as I thought that is what the whole purpose of "chatting" and responding to questions was about . . . right?

As for my comments coming across as "patronizing to men" . . . for any man (who gives a damn about this banter) who may have been offended, please know this . . . I love you all!

great stuff, glad to see we're all happy

I would at least wait until you have got your bearings before starting classes, wait a few weeks. The trick I found most useful before learning the language was to speak to the locals in French first. They are much more likely to talk to you in English then, than if you start in English.