Executive courses in Germany

Florian Meierhofer from BWS Germanlingua in Berlin and Munich points out that this sector of the language teaching market has always been an important one for German language schools. “To do business in Germany, with Germans or within a German company is one of the main reasons why someone wants to learn German,” he says. “Economically, Germany is very important in Europe and more and more also in the whole world, which makes German also very important in the language market.”

While Germany as a country occupies an important place in the world of business, certain cities naturally attract business people, Martin Spitta from Eloquia in Frankfurt explains. “Frankfurt is the financial heart of Germany. With approximately 400 banks, there is a strong demand for high quality tailored courses [here],” he says.

Many schools have become increasingly specialised in executive needs and design specialised courses according to the demands of relevant companies. Meierhofer believes that “time is more and more a big issue for companies”. He continues, “It is too expensive for the companies to put executives in regular group classes, as the companies lose too much working time. Even if executive courses are more expensive for the companies, the quicker learning effect pays off.”

While most schools exhibit a flexible approach when it comes to course content, some are working to develop the delivery of courses in order to meet demand. “We are open to any new courses,” says Rainauld Laurer from DaF Deutschkurse fur Auslandische in Munich. “This depends on the needs of our students. Maybe [we will introduce] more blended learning in the future. Maybe an integration of cultural or entertainment aspects [in the programme].”

With time usually a top priority for executive clients, most schools provide intensive or one-to-one business course options. Carl Duisberg Centrum, which has centres in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Munich and Radolfzell, has two types of executive courses for “middle and high rank executives”, according to Hans-Georg Albers. The first is a crash course combining a group language course in the morning with either five or 10 lessons of individual tuition in the afternoon, while the second provides 40 hours of intensive one-to-one tuition with one or two teachers per week. “Both these course types are very successful and have been booked in several Carl Duisberg centres,” relates Albers.

Almir Krupic from did deutsch-institut in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich says that business executives from around the world are attracted to their training courses “on account of our high reputation”. The school has links with national and international companies in all three cities, which means that students can undergo internship placements and forge real business links while learning the language. However, a new development at the school is the amalgamation of intensive language training with relaxation activities. “We are currently working on the development of a combination of executive [training] plus spa and recovery,” says Krupic.