Comments about TREFF PUNKT

- what students wrote about us -

In addition to his first comments Nick answered another enquiry about TREFFPUNKT courses giving details about the school, leisure activities and accommodation options.

Find a copy of the original e-mail correspondence below.

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April 2003

Betreff: Learning German in Germany Treffpunkt / Goethe Institut

Hi Hugh!

This is Nick writing from my private Email address.

OK, lets start at the beginning. As far as I know, only the Goethe Institut actually examines the ZD examination, however many other schools will prepare you for the exam.

Treffpunkt is perfectly honest about this (See their FAQs page)

If the exam itself is your main objective, the Goethe Institut may (and I can only say "may" because I don't know anyone who has taken the exams course with the GI) be your best option if you want to take your course in a class, as I am sure they are big enough to run special classes for the course. However the alternative at Treffpunkt (a general German course in the morning with added afternoon classes aimed specifically at the exam) is probably just as good. I haven't taken any German exams so I can't comment personally, though I have met people who took the course and (of course) passed the exams. You have to decide that yourself.

Hence we come to my first rule of Language Schools...
decide any details that are crucial for you then...

1. Write and ask the language schools if AND HOW they can meet your requirements. Make sure that they can and will offer the service you require in the month when you wish to come!

For example, when selecting a Spanish school in Spain last year, I was particularly concerned about my host family.... I wrote to the school, describing how I know that some people only take students for money in England, and that I would like to stay with a family but only if the family is really interested in having students and likes talking with them - otherwise I would rather stay in a flat. I described myself a bit (Happy with children and animals etc)... and ended up with a good host family (and an excellent school, though the leisure programme is a bit of a disaster - maybe I should have asked more about their policy when only a couple of students decide to take part in an activity! (They cancel it at short notice there - this doesn't happen at Treffpunkt).

Usually when booking a language course I have started searching between six and three months in advance and have corresponded four or five times with the "winning" language school before making my mind up.

Many more tips that I have sent to other people have been gathered together by Treffpunkt and placed on a subsidiary site at www.sprachreise-tipps.de ... naturally they have also added some Treffpunkt advertising, but the tips are good.

(It is also quite possible that the Goethe Institute doesn't run a special course for ZD in the month you want). Get your requirements agreed to in writing. I know from personal experience that the people at Treffpunkt are honest... I also know from personal experience that many other schools are not)

I haven't read my Treffpunkt testimonial for some time, but I certainly didn't want to be negative about the Goethe Institut - the teaching was better than any I have had in any of the Italian language schools I have attended, but the class WAS large. What I wanted to say, however, was that my experience (and that of other students who I meet because I now live in Bamberg and often meet students) is that Treffpunkt was even better if your key aim is to learn German.

The classes are small, the teachers dynamic, many also teach in the Deutsch als Fremdsprache department of the University - there is always an excellent leisure programme which is especially important in winter when there are fewer students to mix with and the weather can be less than clement! Indeed, I would say that the key advantage of Treffpunkt over all the other schools I have attended, is the amount of opportunity that you have to meet and speak German outside the course. You will also meet many of the ex-students like me that now live in Bamberg at the school's weekly visit to the pub, and perhaps organize a weekend trip with us somewhere (Which may, unfortunately mean speaking a bit of English as I get lazy).

You can find information on the programme every week at www.learn-german.com/freizeit-ausfluege/treffpunkt-freizeitprogramm.pdf

I really should write a full guide one day based on my experience (a total of 12 courses in four languages at 6 language schools, each with their advantages and disadvantages. If I had to state a preference I would give equal top place to Treffpunkt (German) and Lacunza IH (Spanish).

I am copying this mail to Treffpunkt for their information (and so that they can correct any errors I may have made).

A final word... If you come to Treffpunkt, you won't be disappointed. I had a mail from someone who went to the Goethe Institut in Munich because he didn't want to come to Bamberg and had decided that it had been an error (classes too big, and an impersonal
atmosphere) - but to be fair the Goethe teachers are generally very good.

Lots of students return here to take a second or third course (I meet them at the weekly "Stammtisch".

If you have any other niggling doubts about Treffpunkt or any other language school please don't hesitate to ask. I really mean this!

Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: xxx
Sent: Wed 16/04/2003 04:51
To: Lusty, Nicholas
Cc:
Subject: Saw your testimonial on Treffpunkt site

Hi There,
OK, hopefully the junkmail filters haven't flagged this, but I saw you're email address in the Treffpunkt website testimonial section. I have to say, a daring strategy, and so far, the only website from a language school to do so.

I'm writing because I'm considering a language course in Germany. So far, it's either the Goethe Institute or TreffPunkt. Well, it certainly won't be Rothenburg based on the quote I read.
I was wondering if you could share any experiences both with Goethe and with Treffpunkt, and any dirt you have on others to either check out or avoid like the plague. Any stuff I should look for in language schools? I've already decided that if they don't hold the Zertificat Deutsch exams, they probably should be skipped.

Well, I hope you don't mind this totally unsolicited email. And any feed back would be most welcome.

Kind Regards
xxx
Ottawa, Canada