Augsburg, founded by the Romans, is one of the oldest cities in Germany and the third largest city in Bavaria. This is a very traditional area of Germany and is a land of fairytales that really appeals to younger students. The landscape is one of charming towns and villages nestled between forests and mountains. Augsburg is itself an incredibly picturesque city, particularly the Altstadt (Old Town) and, at its heart, the magnificent 17th Century Rathaus (Town Hall), with its onion-shaped domes.
Augsburg is a fantastic setting for a young students’ course in Germany as it offers all the cultural attractions of a city, but on a much smaller scale than its neighbour, Munich. This is a safe city, allowing students to feel at ease during their course, and the locals will be happy for students to practice speaking German with them!
Our school in Augsburg is located in the city centre, close to St Anne’s Church, one of the most beautiful churches in Augsburg. The school is housed in a lovely Art Nouveau building and facilities include 8 spacious classrooms, as well as a cafeteria.
Your course will consist of 20 German lessons per week, each lesson lasting 45 minutes. Your lessons will take place over 4 days each week, as you will usually have a full-day excursion on the Wednesday. Your lessons will take part in the mornings, followed by afternoon activities and all will be conducted in German from the outset. This total immersion in the language really is the best way to learn and will allow you to make the maximum progress possible. This course is suitable for students with at least an ‘intermediate’ level of German and so you will all take a level test on arrival at the school.
Your teachers will tailor the lessons to the requirements and level of your group and will, of course, be fully qualified to teach German as a foreign language. Importantly, all teachers will be native German speakers. At the end of your course you will be given a certificate of attendance which will confirm the level reached at the end of your course.
Host family accommodation is provided for the duration of your course. You will share your room with another student on the course and, where possible, the school do their best to mix nationalities to encourage you to try to use German as your common language. Your host family will be very well known to the school, who visit them regularly to ensure that the accommodation is safe and suitable for young students. Of course, one of the assessment criteria for host families is that they are friendly and welcoming, as part of the experience of staying with a host family is practising your German with them, as well as gaining a unique insight into German culture!
Host family accommodation could be located up to half an hour from the school by public transport, but a local bus pass will be provided. Your hosts will make sure that you know the best way to the school and you will normally travel with your roommate. You will be provided with all your meals.
You will have afternoon/evening activities four times per week, usually on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Examples of typical activities include sports such as basketball or soccer, or things like boat trips, which will help you to explore the local area. You will have a full-day excursion, usually scheduled on Wednesdays, and typically excursions are to places of interest nearby, like the Bavarian castles, Munich or Nuremburg. Your weekends will be free, as no lessons or activities are scheduled for the weekend. Normally students spend this time with their family, although you will also be allowed to meet with friends and have some unsupervised free time, subject to the school’s going out permission (detailed in the ‘supervision’ section).
This is a programme that has been specially designed for teenagers and so includes a high level of supervision. You will be fully supervised when you are in lessons, on activities and excursions and when you are in your accommodation. You will need to make your own way to and from the school, but you will normally travel with your roommate. With parental permission you are permitted to go out unsupervised after activities and at the weekends, but in this case you must respect the school’s curfew. If you are aged 13-16 years the curfew is 22:00 (10 PM). If you are aged 16-18 years the curfew is 0:00 (midnight). In the interest of safety and also due to German legal restrictions, the school takes these curfew times very seriously, with no exceptions.
If you arrive into Augsburg Train Station you will be met by your host family. Alternatively, if you fly into Munich Airport we can arrange an airport transfer (for an additional charge).