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Germany feedback
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Tertiary study in Germany was a clear incentive for many students to be studying German. As a result, there were more Asians in our survey this year.
Germany feedback at a glance
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Total number of students: (female 71, male 61, unknown 22) 154
Average age in years: 24.9
Average length of programme in weeks: 16
Average number of students in class: 9
Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 24.4
% of students who found out about their course through an agent: 28
% of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 38
% of students who had been on another language programme: 36
% of students who would recommend their school: 98
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| Respondents by world region of origin |
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Top nationalities |
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1. W Europe 29%
2. Asia 27%
3. Latin America 19%
4. C & E Europe 16%
5. Middle East 2%
5. Australasia 2%
7. North America 1%
7. Africa 1%
No reply 3%
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1. Brazilian 13%
1. Swiss 13%
3. Malaysian 10%
4. Russian 8%
5. Italian 5%
5. Japanese 5%
7. Chinese 4%
7. Spanish 4%
9. French 3%
Other 32%
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| In my class there are... |
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How easy is it to practise your language skills with native speakers? |
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1. The right number of students (64%)
2. Too many students who speak my language (18%)
3. Too many students from one other country (9%)
3. Too many students (9%)
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1. Quite easy (48%)
2. Quite hard (42%)
3. Very hard (6%)
4. Very easy (3%)
No reply (1%) |
| How did you find your programme? |
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Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
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1. I found it on the internet (38%)
2. Recommended by a friend/relative (28%)
2. Recommended by an agent (28%)
4. I saw it advertised (3%)
No reply 3% |
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Yes (38%)
No (60%)
Unknown (2%)
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Student reasons for school selection included:
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“Because I want to study at Köln University”
“The school had a good advert”
“It is cheaper here than in other regions”
“My agent told me the school was good”
“I wanted an intensive course”
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| Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study? |
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Country
Yes (84%)
No (12%)
Unknown (4%)
City/town
Yes (62%)
No (34%)
Unknown (4%)
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School
Yes (40%)
No (56%)
Unknown (4%)
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Student nationality
As in our previous Feedback survey of Germany (see LTM, June 2008, pages 20-21), Swiss and Brazilian students were the most numerous at German language schools, with Brazilian students increasing in proportion to share the top spot with Swiss students this year. However, one surprise entry into the nationality league table this year was Malaysian: in third positon this year (all Malaysian students were studying at one school). Russian and Italian students were also more prominent this year in fourth and joint-fifth position respectively; they too did not feature in the top 10 last year. Indian, Korean and Polish students slipped from the higher market shares of nationalities, while Japanese (joint-fifth), Spanish and French still figured. And Chinese students were also the joint-seventh largest nationality, boosting Asia’s overall market share from 21 per cent to 27 per cent. Western Europe’s share dipped slightly from 36 per cent to 29 per cent, only just ahead of Asia.
Student motivation
The average age of students was 24.9, with ages ranging from 19 to 59. Forty-five per cent of students described themselves as university or college students and 40 per cent of all the students studying German were intending to carry on their studies in Germany – the country has very competitive fees for tertiary study. This included 64 per cent of all Asians; all Malaysians and 86 per cent of all Chinese students. Half of all the Russian students were also planning on further academic study in the country. Eight per cent planned further study in their home country, and 43 per cent said current or future work was what motivated them to learn the language.
Student enrolment
The average length of stay was 16 weeks, up on the 11.8 figure recorded in our previous survey, which may be a nod to the longer academic preparation programmes needed for university-bound clients. Thirty-eight per cent of all students actually booked through an agency while 28 per cent chose their school because of an agency’s recommendation. This is up on last year, when just 26 per cent of language school clients had booked with an agency and 16 per cent used them to source their school in the first place. This year, the Internet was the primary source of information for students trying to choose a school; 38 per cent first found out about their school on the Internet. Of those booking with an agent, this group included 75 per cent of all Japanese and 50 per cent of Russians. In terms of transport used to get to Germany, 17 per cent used a low-cost carrier, a third of whom were Swiss. Sixty per cent opted for a normal carrier, 13 per cent car and eight per cent train (including French, Swiss and Russian students). Just over one-third of students had been on a language travel trip before.
Standard of the schools
Ninety-seven per cent of students thought their teachers were excellent or good. Eighty-five per cent of students said the same of their academic programme although accommodation and social provision was not rated so highly, with just 69 per cent and 68 per cent respectively sharing this opinion.
Living in Germany
Forty-six per cent of students found the cost of living to be higher than at home, which included 80 per cent of all Brazilians and two-thirds of Malaysians. An average given by students as a price spent per week was e344 (US$449).
Thank you to the following schools for participating in our survey: Friedländer Schule, Berlin; Carl Duisberg Centren, various; did deutsch-institut, various; Humboldt Institute, Konstanz; Tandem, Köln; BWS Germanlingua, Munich; Kastner Kolleg, Dresden; IH Freiburg, Freiburg; GLS Sprachenzentrum, Berlin; F+U Academy of Languages, Heidelberg.
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Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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