| If you want to take
a short-cut to Diana's type of fairytale this could be the way.
Step 1: Cancel that trip to Tenerife.
Step 2: Arrange a two-week break in Vienna. But do it the cheap way
and learn German at the same time.
For instance, there's the ActiLingua language academy to the south
of the city centre, about 15 minutes from Stephansplatz.
For £440 (637 Euros) per person ActiLingua provides two weeks
of tuition and accommodation. Costs drop to £399 (577 Euros)
per person if you share a room.
There are standard courses with three hours of lessons per day and
intensive with four and a half. All levels are catered for from absolute
beginners to business German to advanced help for teachers of German.
This particular academy was founded in 1988 and teaches 1,500 students
of all ages each year. Class sizes range from one (individual tuition)
to 11 or 12.
The bulk of ActiLingua students are in their late teens or early 20s
and the gender ratio seems about 2 to 1 in favour of the girls. But
there are more mature students. One class this month contained an
American man in his 70s and another a 59-year-old orchestral conductor. |
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A written 'exam'
taken well in advance allows ActiLingua's experts to decide which
band of ability to place each individual.
Incidentally, English, as a rule, is never used in class though exceptions
are made for beginners.
There's an emphasis on culture, too, with a programme of social events
arranged each week, either free (learn how to waltz or make WienerSchnitzels)
or low-cost (trip to the Vienna Woods).
The teachers are highly motivated, mostly university trained and full
of personality. They are also extremely helpful, kind and full of
fun.
At a time when languages seem to be dying in the UK more English-speakers
are enrolling at ActiLingua than ever before and as many as 30 per
cent of the students come from the United States and Britain and the
Commonwealth. Over 40 countries from as far apart as Japan, Norway
and Colombia are represented.
Two week courses are crash courses and costs are significantly cheaper
over longer terms.
Roland Ernst, the director of ActiLingua, points out that the academy
has a world-wide reputation for teaching standard German and its certificates
are widely recognised and can be taken up to University level if necessary.
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