Want to know peoples experiences, impressions, ...
thinking of signing up for the intensive french beginner class
thanks
Looking for opinions and information on Migros
Hey, I've recently started the intensive German class in the Migros in Winterthur.
I'm finding it very enjoyable, plus it is exactly what I need for a reasonable price (compared to other schools).
Basically if you do really need to learn a language, I would say Migros is a good choice.
good luck
generalizing - Migros Klubschule - good value for money.
as with any language lessons - it depends a lot on the teacher you have rather than the school.
Suggest you take a test run which they do allow. The quality of teachers is variable in my experience (at least the German teachers at Klubschule Wengihof in Zürich).
I agree with sheewie (interesting name BTW??). I tried migros club schule twice in the first 2 yrs of being here. Can't say either were great experiences unfortunately.
Basically as the others previously mentioned, more down to the teacher (of any subject I would say) than the school. Bear it in mind when you do choose to go to a certain school and ask what the policy is if you aren't finding it "your thing". Suffice to say I pretty much gave up learning german after my 2 experiences...but hey! I'm a defeatist.
Good luck & DONT give up
if it's not for you change.
Thanks this is great advice!
I appreciate the time you took to give your insights.
as a trained language teacher, total immersion definitely the best way. i too attend beginners level german class here in luzern and find not having explanations in english tough, but more recently i have resorted to using the dictionary more than to have things spelled out for me and feel all the better for it. hard graff german and i feel for you but go on you can do it.
I did several intensive courses with Klubschule Migros (Rapperswil) when we first arrived here. I agree with a lot of what was said above about teachers, and found the first two courses quite helpful. I had a great teacher and was a total beginner, so basically I probably would have picked up something talking to a 3 year old.
However once I mastered a few basics I found that a lot of the students were less 'driven' than me, as they were only doing the course because they had to (Au-pairs, laungauge exchange students, etc). I think intially it is a great option, but once you progess a little and become more serious about learning the laungauge (because you have to) then it isn't such a great option.
A good introduction, but in the longer term you really do get what you pay for.
I had an intensive course in april. Firstly it was the best value as everything else was grossly more expensive. The lessons were structured and was never,never went out of that structure. Intensive courses are quite demanding and afterwhile i found myself behind as everyday a new subject is intriduced. For me I should have done something less intensive i guess, but if you are looking for fun and creativity while you are learning, good luck
I started off doing my A1 German in Aarau, then could't find an A2 in Aarau and did the A2 in Olten. I loved the class in Aarau and had a very good teacher but the class in Olten was terrible and the teacher incompetent. I then went back to the Aarau klubshule for B1 and loved it again. Very good value for money. Overall I would say it depends on the klubshule and the teacher. I would say the bigger schools is a bit more professional. Overall I'm happy with the schools. Was just unlucky with a bad teacher.
It's good place to socialize. You can brush shoulders with cooks, house wives, artists, pensioners, mail order brides....etc etc.
Have done a 3 month intensive course in Frauenfeld and am doing a night-school course in Arbon now. I have only had experiences with Migros courses and they would work for me if I did the homework.
I,d recomend them but I can compare them with nothing.
I have lived in a few different countries and have always made the effort to learn the local lingo. By far and away the best in this regard was in Leiden, The Netherlands where I learned Dutch. The school was affiliated to the local university though the courses were open to the public. I did 2 courses - Basic and Intermediate - and the lessons were 6 hours per week over 20 weeks. The pace was just right and there was homework. At the end of the courses I was able to function perfectly in Dutch - e.g. take meeting minutes, job interviews etc. This is the yardstick by which I measure all other language courses.
In CH I have used MKS and VHS (Volkshochschule) and I found the MKS to be the lower standard - the teacher was absolutely not enthusiastic and his technique was to just work through pages in the standard textbook. The VHS was far better - good pace and structure and enthusiastic teachers; plus the grammatical points were reinforced using word-games and role plays. My main regret was not having the time to complete all the homework due to my work; and it really does make a difference to ones progress if you do the homework.
For German at least, the main handicap in Switzerland is the language taught at schools is not spoken on a daily basis in the normal run of things - so opportunities to hear the language spoken by "the natives" are thin on the ground. Many Swiss find speaking High German difficult. I imagine I would have progressed a lot faster had I been learning German in Germany itself.
Cheers,
Nick
.... dansers, kickboxers, business people ...
the club in Neuchâtel is great fun and inexpensive !!
Bit absurd... as I did not notice that the French beginners course I signed up online will be taught in ‘German’ 😨 Have you Check ?
First, they would not allow me attending (kept sending me emails and calls ) without passing German B1 level 🤔 then suddenly, 1 day before, they pushed me to confirm my registration even I said am not comfortable learning French 101 in German...
They now say is too late to cancel anyway and I just have to pay full course fees whether I could learn French or not 🤣🤣
I was with Migros for a while and was very happy with an A1, semi intensive, small group. The tutor was really good and there was a decent level of competitiveness within the class to keep everyone motivated.
When A2 started, 4 new students joined who were way behind the rest of the class, some of my existing class mates also became unmotivated and we had to keep repeating the same things. It became incredibly frustrating and I eventually left.
I now use a private Skype tutor and would say that whilst Klubschule is cheap, it's a false economy:
A) A1 with Klubschule focuses on basic vocabulary and basic verb conjugation. It's drilling words to form basic sentences, a motivated person could do this without paying for school at all.
B) If all students are not on the same level, you are paying to learn at the pace of the slower section of the group. Great if you are unmotivated, but not so much if you want to learn.
C) You have no influence over class dynamics which can suddenly turn things upside down.
D) Working one on one with a tutor I was shocked by how little I understood about basic grammar, which is incredibly important in German. I invested time and money with Klubshule and yet I had no idea of the basics.
It's definitely better than doing nothing but there are better methods to learn.
I have attempted to learn languages with books, with online course, with apps etc, but i still find that a real teacher is the best way. You can deviate from the set material and ask questions and go back to stuff already covered just to be sure. I have also tried one on one teaching but i don't like that either. I like the classroom atmosphere, learning from the others and being motiavted by them.
You get a bunch of people bundled together in a class. Different ages, different views on life. They have different reasons for wanting to learn a new language. Some may have a spouse or partner from that country, some may be preparing to relocate for work, some may be preparing a vacation, others may just be seeking the intellectual challenge. Some just want to get away from stress at home. Others again are bored and don't know what else to do. And then you get together, work together, form camaraderie. Go for a beer after the lesson. I'm always fascinated by the way those things work out.
Hi OP,
out of 6 teachers I had at MKS one was not very enthusiastic to say the least, the other one was always not prepared as the due handover failed. The third one was a bit lost, lacking leadership skills. The forth one was good. The 5th one was great with an academic touch. And the 6th person excelled at all aspects.
Equally important are the attendees: some miss home so much that they kind of hate CH, others wail on how difficult is the language, some simply lack the prerequisites for a given course and drag the group behind, yet refusing to step out as a certificate of completion is required for employment etc. Others fool around as if it were a free primary class(and not a 750 CHF worth drill). Others will show up on time with homework done.
I guess I just described about any group of people, be it a school class, uni, office team.
The takeaways for you would be: attend a teaser lesson, watch out for the teacher and the group. If your group has not started yet - attend a lesson of the teacher who's going to lead the group you are interested in. Listen to your inner self - will you be comfortable learning with that given person?
Do complain. If you are not happy - get the issue looked at, escalate if necessary. A few emails and a quick chat served me a partial reimbursement for the inconvenience I had, while a Swiss classmate had swallowed the pill, never complained and left the course unsatisfied.
I wish you a great experience!
My husband and I took courses with Migros Klubschule. We were in different courses, because of our schedules. He really liked his teacher , and I disliked mine.
The teacher really makes a difference in learning, and the group of people you're with as well. The people in the class were lovely, but I agree with what others here have said about not being happy with the teacher.
I would suggest that you ask for a free ' Probelektion ' or trial lesson. That way you can see what the teacher and the group will be like, and if you will enjoy the class.
For beginner courses, large groups can be a lot of fun and take some of the pressure off you if you're shy. For advanced courses, I would choose a small group or private course so that the teacher has more time to focus on each individual student, but that's just my preference.
HTH
TheLaughingCow
I did my German B2 and C1 courses at Migros Klubschule and I find the cost/Quality Balance to be very good.
Classes can be quite big (14-17 People), but in my experience many People will stop coming after a couple of lessons and then it is easier to interact during the lesson.
Good luck