my daughter wants sto go to Germany to learn the language, is this a smart idea?

Question

if she were to go to Germany where would be a good place to stay for about 3 months? Are there families that allow students to stay with them?

Answer 1

When I was a child and teenager we used to have guest students from all over the world. The students had lessons in the morning and some activity program in the afternoon. In the morning, during lunch break and after the afternoon sessions the students stayed with my family. Also during the weekend. Once a week they did some small travel to visit locations, theme parks etc.

It was a great experience for us as a family and for the students. Their german usually improved dramatically since they were forced to speak German all day long. At the beginning the school visited our family frequently and asked the students if everything was all right, if s student had an issue with a guest family, he usually went to another family (later on they went to my family, because we never had any problem with the students and vice versa).

We still are in contact with some of the students and families (after 20 years). In my opinion from both sides it is one of the greatest experiences to make.

We were in contact with Euro-Sprachschule (now eso) in Aschaffenburg
http://www.eso.de/
I do not know if they still run that program, but if you mail them in Englisch they will be able to answer back. [e-mail]
I do not know if they have a English website.

Answer 2

She should probably try and set it up through an American university. Most of them have some type of exchange program.

She would probably have a good time. She would learn quite a bit, and not just the language but also about the world in general. Germany is very safe and centrally located in Europe so she could travel and see many other countries while there (here). Getting out and seeing other parts of the world is always enlightening.

That said, unless you actually want to live in Germany or study German literature or history, there is not much sense it trying to learn German. It is a difficult language that takes years to master. And today Germans start studying English in about the fourth grade so the younger ones generally speak English better than any German she will probably be able to learn. You can tell that by the posts you'll see here on Yahoo Answers; sometimes the Germans write posts in English better than some Americans.

So to answer your question: yes it is generally a smart idea but because she will learn lots of things, the least of which will probably be the language.

Answer 3

Like any parent, you are worried. And you have a right to.

I agree with everything that has been written so far, yet...

Depending upon how old your daughter is, it might be better if she were to stay on her own in a student dorm.

Don't get me wrong, in 99% of all cases the students have a wonderful experience with a very nice family. But there are also some who don't.

When I was 21, I organised a stay with a family in Palestine to study Arabic. I did this all on my own, no agency, no help. I arranged the language course over the internet, booked the flight tickets, made contacts. The good thing about this was that I was independent and self-assured enough that I would just simply move into the general student dorm of the university if the stay with the family did not work out. The classes where conducted through the uni too.

Luckily, the stay with the family did work out, they were the nicest people possible. Yet it could have gone wrong too.

My advice: Have a back-up plan. Either in money so that she can stay in a hotel/hostel on her own or so that mom/dad can come to her rescue. Once you got that covered: LET HER GO! It will be the time of her life.

P.S. Don't forget to buy international health insurance which includes emergency return flights to your home country.

Answer 4

Good Idea, but how old is she and has she studied German aleady for a year or two? It is a very exact and difficult language to learn, but a fun one once you can speak it!
The exchange programs where she would live with a family would be your best bet. They screen the families and take care of a lot of details for you. The health insurance is a good idea and that is one of the things an exchange program can help you with. Your daughter should be able find to this info with help from a school language teacher and the ever popular InterNet.
Now, if she wants to come over to Dear Old Germany because of a boy named Hans Peter that she met in a chat room, well have a talk with her and make her wait til she can pay for the trip herself.
Anyway living in Germany for 3 months to learn the language is a Good Idea. I wish her good luck and not too much worry for Mom!
P.S. To 'F W', I think you need to check Germany out a bit more on your next visit. Things have changed since Adenauer was Chancellor.

Answer 5

I think it's a wonderful idea. It's much easier to learn a foreign language if you are surrounded by the language on a day-to-day basis. For example, living in Germany where most of the TV programs, newspapers, radio, etc. she will encounter every day are in German, will help her learn German and speak German better.

I would not recommend this to someone who has not taken any language classes previously or has just started learning the language. It can be very frustrating for someone with very little knowledge of the language to try and make their way in a strange country.

However, if she's taken two or more years of German, she should be well suited for the learning experience. You may want to see whether there are any language exchange programs offered through an agency. Those are usually best because they match students up with pre-screened host families, offer language classes, and hold day trips and the like. She will still get a lot of opportunity to explore things on her own, but she will also have a chance to go on guided tours that are in English and connect with other English-speaking students from her exchange trip.

Answer 6

There are many programs that would provide your daughter with a safe place to stay, and many families that open up their homes. She could get a job teaching English in Germany to help pay her way and it would also help her learn German (the students will love teaching it to her). I know that immersion in the country will do wonders for learning the language. I have a friend who has visited three different countries for extended time and learned the language so quickly. She is now in Poland, and is fairly fluent after only a couple months! Best of luck to your daughter.

Answer 7

Yes, it's a good idea. The best way to learn a foreign language is to stay in that country. But, 3 months are probably even too short.

When she's back home, your daughter also can read German papers/websites online, writing with German e-mail pen-pals or listen to German radio & TV stations online, i.e. http://www.surfmusik.de is a very good website for radio stations from all over Germany (and from the rest of the world).

Good luck to your daughter...And greetings from Germany! :-))

Answer 8

I did that myself. It was a great idea. I learned a lot, not only the language, but about their culture and how to interact with very different people. For me it was one of the greatest experiences in my life and I can not thank my parents enough for allowing me to do it.
I went to a small town, but important since there's a good university in there, called Munster. There's a school, Kapito, which I attended and in my opinion it was very good, students from all countires go there. The tuition is accesible and there are some ''packages'' that will include living expenses of one of this 3 kinds: a dorm shared with students, a family or an apartment for one.

I hope the information is useful and I hope you can understand me, since english is not my mother language....

google ''Kapito Spraschule''

Also, I need to say that the city is beautiful and very very safe, I was 19 (4 years ago), and all by myself, but people are friendly.

Answer 9

Excellent idea.
My friend, this is the best way of learning a language. Berlin is a very exciting city, there is lots to see and the majority of Germans know English (excluding the older generation) If not Berlin, then she should definately try a nice place in the South. Bavaria is beeeeaaaaauuuutifuuuuul. Trust me, you can't go wrong down there. And the people are much, much friendlier in the South than the Berliners. (Germans are some of the unfriendliest in all of Europe...excluding me of course;-)...kidding)
No, no, the younger generation are very open and interested in Americans. Tell her not to mind the rude remarks by bus drivers or the bad customer service in supermarkets. We are all used to this kind of stuff, and tell her not to take it personally, they
are just grumpy people sometimes. Though Germans are very honest, they let you know if they either like you/or not like you. But Bavarians are very nice people, I enjoyed them.
And yes, there are families who allow students to stay with them.
Good luck

Answer 10

I actually went to Germany and stayed with a family through my school. I definitely think it's a smart idea. You can learn so much over there.