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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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