Hi,

I'm moving to Hamburg soon and want to learn German. There are an awful lot of schools, so I was wondering if anyone could save me a little time and tell me which are the cheapest? I'd like to go to classes every day. Are there any schools that offer classes for two or three hours per day instead of four?

Thanks very much
Amalia

After 4 months at the Goethe Institute, my wife took lessons here: http://www.colon.de/
Was really happy with them and was a lot cheaper.

Prices 2008 Intensive Courses Price per month: Price per week:
Intensive Course 5x5, 8.50am - 13.00pm 420 Euro 135 Euro
Intensive Course 5x5, 13.30pm - 17.45pm 375 Euro 106 Euro
Combined Course 5x6, 8.00am - 13.00pm 1150 Euro 325 Euro
Combined Course 5x6, 13.30pm - 18.45pm 1100 Euro 300 Euro
Intensive Course 5x2, 9.45am - 11.15am 225 Euro 72 Euro

I'm also a happy student of the Colon Language School. It's not the cheapest, but it is cheaper than the Goethe Institute. The Volkshochschule is the absolute cheapest, but the quality isn't nearly the same as at Colon. When you get to Hamburg, Colon lets you try a class out for free and if you like the class, then you can sign up for it. If the class is too difficult or too easy or you want to try a different set of teachers, they're happy to give you another trial certificate. I love the school, the teachers and the friends I've made there. Everyone who works in reception is also friendly. I have nothing but nice things to say about Colon. They're also in gorgeous part of town on the Colonnaden by the Alster.

I know there is an inexpensive school that teaches 2-3 hour days in or near Eidelstehdt. I don't know the name but I have a friend who went there and was very happy. I'll try to find out some information for you.

If you are moving to Germany and are from an EU country, you will probably be eligible for an Intergrationskurs which means you can get lessons for 1 euro per hour. At the moment there is a maximum of 600 hours at this price, followed by various tests. You will find other info on this on this site if you search.

A lot of shools offer this course, although the majority seem to have classes of approx 25-30 people.

A couple of us on here have participated in this at Steinweg Schule in Grossneumarkt, class size is between 6-12 students and is highly recommended.

Is this correct? I was informed that it was only people who were not from the EU who are offered this discount and it was also dependent on marriage and visa requirements -was my information wrong? I am from England, and would love to know how to get support for paying fees. Do you have the contact details so I can find out whether I am legible for this too?

Cheers!

Hamburg - Integration courses for immigrants ...

Just moved to Hamburg and my German is rustier than their fleet at Scapa Flow. Does anyone know of language schools or courses in the city that offer "Deutsch als Fremdsprache" on the cheap?

Cheers,
Stuart

Topics merged by admin

Colon is good.
You could also advertise ? Wochenblatt ? to find a partner
who would swop German conversation for English conversation.
The problem the Germans have is finding an English native speaker
to practice with - you can use this to your advantage.
Vocabulary is something you can learn yourself - don't be shy about
carrying a dictionary around.
Don't worry too much about the grammar - you'll still get served in a shop
if you say "ein" when it should be "einer" - and "durr" does nicely for
"die" "das" "der".

ha ha... the grammar part is the best part though... ;-)
My vocabulary isn't so bad but I have no confidence when it comes to the grammar...