TELC Exam Preparation

I had two weeks in the intensive German course at Sprachcaffe Frankfurt. It was a fantastic experience - the class sizes were good (between 8-10 students), most people were at similar levels, the teaching was generally of a very high standard. We had one teacher (Thomas) who was excellent but our teacher for the shorter afternoon lesson was not as good. The location of the school was great, easy to find and close to shops but out of the middle of the CBD which was good. I stayed offsite so cannot comment on the accommodation but a few of my classmates stayed on site and said it was fine.

At first I was dissapointed because the first day program was cancelled. Maybe it’s just our bad timing, but there were not too many people in the program when I was there. I didn’t stay at the hostel, so it was quite difficult for me to show up on the programs. But everyone was really nice and the programs that actually happened were good. At the lessons I learnt a lot and I had really good teachers (mainly Paola). The lunch was always super delicious! Overall it was a great experience but I would be happier with better organisation.

I had an excellent single room for the first week. I agreed to change rooms for my second week after seeing the room that was supposed to be for two people in the second. It was so small that while it did have two beds and two wardrobes, it only had one table for study! The storage area for food in the kitchen was well organized but I do not think that two hot plates, a microwave, kettle and I can't remember if there was a toaster is enough for everyone to cook. It did not encourage me to do so, I lived on largely on bread and salad for my fortnight.



I didn't notice any social activities while I was there except the ones I organized for myself.

The accommodation was kept very clean.

School super well located, near the river and the center.
Rooms ok, coffee to drink for free :) : small kitchen available.
Good teachers and nice environment.
Possibility to sleep in the same building (small rooms).

The location of the school is great and has the adequate facilities to teach. The system is weird, they follow a book and you can start a course at any given point in that book. So if you are a beginner A2 it might happen that you start at the end of the A2 book so you will not understand much of what is going on. It has to be said that the book (at least the A1) is very good and they don´t force you to buy it.

Teachers are a mixed bag, I had 2, one was great and the other was not. Overall the style is to keep moving while explaining the most necessary aspects in a rather fast way and complement with a lot of exercises. It is not a bad system. They also force you to speak a lot, which is great.

The intensive part of the course is arguably the weakest part. The dynamic is up to the teacher and it can include extra exercises and a lot of speaking. Some days where great and other you wonder if it was worth it. It is not bad, but it might be overpriced, even considering that the school is not expensive for the market standards.

The housing facilities are good, with the challenges that imply living with 10-12 strangers. They provide a weekly cleaning service which keeps everything in order. The kitchen is barebones with no oven and a tiny stove. The internet is HORRENDOUS, if you happen to stay in a room in the periphery you will barely get any signal. The rooms are tiny, I would not recommend to share them or at least not if you are aiming for an extended period. Overall good facilities but overpriced for what you get.

I reached my set goal and the school was great, made also new friends there

The school was excellent located, right in the heart of the city, extremely close to the Main river. The classroom you were put in depended on how many students were in the same class as you. As staying for 4 weeks I think I moved from classroom to classroom, but they were never too crowded. The teachers showed kindness and helpfulness. They made the experience more pleasant and they helped me improve my German skills a lot. Each one of them taught me something new, whether we are talking about vocabulary, grammar or even cultural and political matters. I opted for the intensive course (6 lessons per day, each lesson was 45 minutes). After 1h and a half , we would get half an hour break. If you don't opt for eating there, there are a lot of bakeries or supermarkets from where you were able to get food or drinks. The classes started at 9 and ended at 14;30 in my case, for the normal course was only until 12;30, so in both cases you have the afternoon and evening to see the city or study. In the morning courses you would do more grammar and vocabulary, while in the intensive one they focus more on your speaking and helping you be able to make conversations in German. I didn't opt for housing because I wanted to stay alone, but I had a lot of friends who did and i got to see theirs. There was the option to stay in the school, which is easier in the morning for waking up and getting to class in time. The rooms there are in general for one or two people, as requested, but you would have to share the bathroom and shower, which were located in the hallway. Another option was to stay in the hostel , which was 5 minutes away by foot from the school. I haven't seen the rooms there but , as I've heard, there you would have to share the room with 2,3 maybe 4 people. And the last option was to stay with a host family. The families are friendly, helpful , buy and cook you good food and are ready to help you improve your German (this is again what i have heard from the friends who stay there). I think the only disadvantage of staying with host family would be that you live a bit far away from the school, but the location may vary I think. Last but not least, the activities organised by the school were interesting and worth it. There were activities in the afternoon and in the evening as well.
This experience was not only about studying German but also to find out how to take care of myself, to spend my money wisely.
I made a lot of friends and created a lot of memories which i will cherish forever and I would always come back.

The morning class was good, I had a homogeneous group, and the teacher was very active, he spoke clearly and explained everything well. However, the second week we were 8 instead of 6 and our classroom was too small.

In the afternoon, the class was less homogeneous, and the level was harder, the teacher was not very dynamic. The first week I was only with teenagers, which didn't help for the discussions. The second week was better, the teacher tried to explain more and I had more interesting colleagues.

The location is ok, close to the city centre. I did not participate to any extra activity, and I did have a housing.

The teacher designed the course content to be easy to understand
The geographical location is near the city of Frankfurt. The equipment meets the basic needs and the teacher teaches carefully. The teacher's teaching method will not be too fast, and it will not be too tired for beginners.

Teacher was thorough and committed to total immersion, which is what I sought. Classrooms pretty basic. Materials complete.

The class I was in was difficult for me as we were not doing much learning of the concepts but were doing mostly worksheets, which was also a problem because almost every class the teacher spent 15-20 minutes running to copy shops since the printer was broken. The teachers I had were very kind and spoke all in German, which helped me learn more. The location of the Sprachcaffe was easily accessible and very close to town which was a huge plus. The residence was also close by with about a 7-minute walk which was really nice. Every day after school there was a program that was available to us. The activities themselves were fun but everyone only spoke english which was not the language I came to learn.

The school was really good. All the staff was really helpful. The teachers were prepared and tried to make the classes more interesting by talking about the news and our interests.

My roommate didn't speak English, so we had to talk in Deutsch. I got there without saying anything in Deutsch, but I was able to learn with the classes, so my roommate and I could talk and get to know each other.

The others students from all over the country were also very helpful.

Since the time I arrived in Frankfurt, I can describe my personal experience as very good. I was transferred from the airport and was brought to school on time. There was a clean room for me, and during my first day I already knew many people from different countries. The teachers were very professional and committed to the students’ learning. The school was very well located, as it was near supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants, and the bus and metro. I liked the learning method and the materials used. The housing was very organized and had specific rules to improve living there, as well as the relationships we had with one another.

I therefore liked everything about this experience. I don’t have a complaint, but rather just a suggestion about the Wi-Fi. In my opinion the Wi-Fi should be available free for the Sprachcaffe students.

The location, and facilities were clean and good. I loved my teacher and I know he did his best given the circumstances. I found the management to be very unprofessional and disorganized. I found this a very stressful experience in more than one way. I was really upset with the amount of class time I missed because of people not doing their jobs. I paid money for class time which is supposed to be for the students learning, but unfortunately in the two weeks I took classes there were multiple times where the classes were interrupted, and one time there was an emergency and my teacher had to leave. I understand that things happen but to not be compensated for the class time paid for and missed is not right.

When I wrote the school inquiring about courses, I was very specific that I needed exam preparation, and I was not given that. I feel like I have been ripped off of my money and would not recommend someone who is serious about learning German to come here, which is a shame because the staff were very friendly, and I do believe they were trying their best, but when the management and system is unorganized, that affects all of the other employees.

The location is really nice, and you can move only with transports. The location and the teacher are cool.

I think you having a beginner course every two weeks is good.
But I don't like that old students and new students join the same class.
Because we are not at the same level to the old students it is too easy and to the new students it is too difficult.
And the woman's toilet is lacking.