A picturesque and historic port that’s dotted with canals, parks, waterfront and beautiful buildings, it is little surprise that Hamburg often tops polls of Germany’s most liveable cities. It is also awash with culture, with opera and ballet particularly popular activities, while a smattering of world class museums draw visitors from far and wide.
For those seeking to learn German, Hamburg offers a tantalising mix of cosmopolitan vibrancy and fascinating German culture that together are guaranteed to make your experience an enriching one. To help inspire you, we’ve selected three of the best language schools currently operating in Hamburg.
UNS offers a wide range of German language courses in the heart of Hamburg, each using materials and methods designed to perfect your language skills. The school’s intensive courses are particularly popular, with the levels and the examinations are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Other courses include exam preparation courses, evening courses and individual tuition and small groups for beginners and advanced students. There are also complementary courses suitable as a supplement to intensive and evening courses and designed to help with your grammar, reading, writing, spelling and hearing. A placement test will help you determine your current German level in order to choose the right course for you. Office staff speak German, English, Arabic, Italian and Portuguese.
Sprachkontakte Hamburg
www.german-course.de
Located in the centre of Hamburg, Sprachkontakte is run by a team of highly motivated teachers with many years of experience in teaching German as a foreign language. Lessons are held in modern, well equipped classrooms, and courses range from A1 for beginners all the way through to C2 for students who are already almost at the level of a native speaker. Classes are kept to a maximum of 12 students to ensure everyone receives a high level of attention and lessons include 4 hours of 45 minutes per day and are held in monolingual German. The focus of lessons is on conversation, with grammar developed in context. All students receive a certificate at the end of the course, serving as proof of participation. The school organises regular lectures and events, and during summer courses they also arrange trips to nearby cities. Students needing accommodation can seek the help of the school, who will find you a placement in a single room of a shared apartment, or with a local family.
Tandem Hamburg International Language School
www.tandem-hamburg.de
Founded in 1985 and situated in Hamburg’s city centre, Tandem Hamburg provides a relaxed learning environment, with lessons taught in light, well-equipped classrooms, and with an emphasis on communicative and activity-based teaching methods. An authorised examination centre for the TestDaF, the European Language Certificates (telc Deutsch A1, B1 and B2) and the WiDaF, the school offers a wide range of German language courses of differing lengths and intensity. Classes are kept to small groups of six or seven students, with each furnished with a carefully selected class book and other complementary learning materials. All teachers have an academic training background, are native German speakers and have broad teaching experience. As a way of encouraging students to practice their German outside of the classroom, as well as promote cultural learning, the school also organises language exchanges by partnering students from different parts of the world together.