UK person here! I want to learn German but I am just not sure on the best way to do it!
I am a physiotherapist over here, and have future ideas of moving to Switzerland but my current situation means that I can't just up and go... I plan to learn German, get in as many visits to Switzerland and Germany to put everything into practice in the meantime.
Does anyone have any resources that they found helpful? Even if when in the Uk before moving to Switzerland?
Thanks Spinal! I will look them up. I have spent hours looking on Amazon for books but the reviews are always so mixed. I want to get a good starting point ready to enrol into classes.
I've looked and struggled to find any running any time soon local to me. I do have to contact a few language schools round here to see if they have any starting over the next few months.
You might also look up the German, Swiss or Austrian clubs near where you live, and see if there's anyone (e.g. retired person) who speaks German and might like to teach you, or let you practice with them, even just in an occasional phonecall or mail. Perhaps for payment, perhaps in exchange of some practical help from you, or maybe just because of wanting to promote their culture.
I have looked, sadly there are none that offer German lessons. I have emailed a few places already in the hope that I have just missed the pages on their websites. I am not holding my breath though! So far, the only places I have found are a language school which has a website that makes no sense. When I look at their German courses, it only allows me to book on to Spanish courses (useful)... and the other is private tutors @ £25ph+.
Goethe Institut is basically a government institution of Germany promoting German language and culture around the world. They run German schools in most capital cities around the world... so if you are in London: absolutely. They also do the official language tests which are also accepted in Switzerland.
But honestly: You will need to check in your location what courses are available. German might be less popular than say French or Spanish in the UK, but every larger town will have some offerings... if you want to speed things up do I recommend online private lessons. You will find plenty of tutors online for less money than group courses in Switzerland.
OP, it seems you must be living somewhere remote, with no major city nearby. If looking for language schools doesn't work for you, then perhaps you could try looking up shops (even online shops) that sell foodstuffs from Germany, Switzerland or Austria, and write to ask them whether they know of anyone in your area.
It does seem very odd, though, that you can't find anything. YouTube has loads of videos, to get you started. Once you have the basics, and Nicos Weg is a nice little film starting with basic dialogue, and an excellent resource to practice, and improve your level. You can watch it with or without subtitles.
I’m doing group lessons online with Lingoda. Good price and you can fit lessons around your schedule. Students and teachers are from all over the world.
I have found Lingoda to be very helpful. I think it will be the right answer for you! They have classes from A1 - C2 and the prices are reasonable (they offer both private and group lessons - the latter is max. 5 students)
At the moment there is a 25% discount. There are a few payment plans but the group classes in particular work out to be very affordable (like GBP10 per 1 hour class I think). What I like most about it is that there are plenty of classes to choose from, any time of the day. If I happen to be free in a few hours' time, there is often a suitable class that I can book into instantly. And also very convenient for me who works shifts/irreg hours.
The downsides are: sometimes, the topics are hard to cover in 1 hour! and it depends on how your other group mates are doing. You definitely have to do some work on your own, but for me I find it to be a good 'introduction' to a particular topic before I do my more in-depth studying. They also provide handouts that you can download beforehand. I find that I benefit the most if I look through it just a little bit before the class, and study it more in-depth afterwards.
The other option you can look into is iTalki. But it is less structured than Lingoda, though you are completely free to try a few teachers and stick to one that you like.
I really find Duolingo and Lingoda a good combo. Duolingo is good for learning some grammar and reading, Lingoda is good for speaking and being corrected. Try and get the basics with Duolingo before having a Lingoda lesson.
Definitely look through the Lingoda lesson material before the lesson so you can have a head start in what’s going on. I also found a trick with Lingoda. Sometimes it looks like the class you want is not available when you want, but if when searching you put in the “exact” class, day and time that you want (Eg Tue @ 7pm-7pm) - it will appear, then a teacher will be assigned, then more students will sign up too.
Really sorry, I completely missed this yesterday! That is a great idea, I know there is a lot Europeans within the city, so I will do some digging and see if I can find someone!
I did look into the Goethe Institut last night after someone else also recommended them. They looked good! I will have to do some more research as there was so many bookings to choose from.
I have found a website that gives you a list of tutors who are available to do online class sessions, so I may go to them as a last resort if I find no other alternative. I would definitely pay for them regardless every now and then just to see how I am getting on, especially if I am not able to find a class where I would have a tutor anyway.
I am actually not, it is quite frustrating how little German language classes there are around here! I am originally from a big city... how I wish I was still there!
Thanks both! I will certainly look into Lingoda. I have heard of them before, or maybe discovered them via a Google search, but I never know which sites are good/bad/indifferent. So hearing two really good pieces of feedback gives me much more confidence. I will look in to them today.
I have been using Duolingo every evening after getting home from work for the past 4 days (or so) now and I am enjoying it and finding it helpful so far. Fingers crossed, coupled with the right place for tutoring, it will all go okay!