I spent six wonderful and productive weeks in Lindau and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone with an interest in Germany and its culture.  

Having done A-level German then having spoken no German at all for six years I reached a high standard of understanding and communication thanks to the dialoge course.

I was in a class which was at first a challenging standard but I managed to cope through a hard first few days and quickly became more confident and hopefully more accurate within discussions. Grammar was covered where essential but I found tutors extremely flexible and we often ended up in fierce debates over wide-ranging and fascinating themes. A range of source material and formats were good for variety - films, music, poems - and there was also emphasis on us as students to present exposis and therefore to start themes and group conversations. The teachers were absolutely brilliant and offer so much of themselves that they soon become really close friends.

The programme for freetime activities was excellent and contributes so much to the lively atmosphere within the school. Trips to other cities, mountain hikes and local places of interest helped me get out and about and see more of Germany than I would otherwise have done. Barbecue parties and cinema nights were great ways to socialise and helped everybody to bond quickly. The friendships and hencegeneral social life was so enjoyable. My personal favourite of the freetime schedule was 5- a side football (also volleyball and I even got everyone playing touch rugby!). Football is of course the international language and therefore it was great to have such competitive multinational matches!

The accomodation which the school provides is firstclass. I stayed in the school apartment block on the island (two minutes walk to the school). The rooms were big, comfortable and modern. I know they also arrange accomodation in guest families seemed also to work very well. I found living with other students very pleasant and I promise we always spoke German together. Lindau as a town, particularly the ?Insel„, is small therefore everything is accessible. I hired a bike which was useful for getting to the swimming pool or football pitch but was hardly needed apart from that.

I spent the summer in Lindau and it was totally beautiful. Swimming in the Bodensee on hot days and eating ice-creams - what a life.

I had such a great time in Lindau. It is so important that the whole experience is enjoyable as that fuels the motivation to learn the language. In this respect I am delighted to give dialoge a glowing report and encourage anyone to visit Lindau. It has given me a real spur to persue my German and confidence in achieving my goal of an European-based career.

I am sure I will come back one day.

Richard Weaver, UK, student for business administration

Write to: xyzweaver(at)hotmail.com

Hallo! Ich heiße Claire und ich komme aus England.

If you want a warm welcome, friendly town and exceptional teaching, Dialoge Sprachinstitut, Lindau, is the place for you. With its beautiful surroundings and easy access to Austria and Switzerland, Lindau is a great place to live and study. I have had a very rewarding three months here and would recommend this experience highly.

Email me with any questions you might have about being a student in Lindau.

cvhope25(at)hotmail.com

At the end of my long career as an aircraft engineering officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF), I was entitled to a resettlement course to aid my transition to civilian life. I decided that, at age 57, I did not want a second career and preferred to do a course that would contribute towards my leisure-time. I had a basic knowledge of colloquial German gained during my RAF postings to Germany and I also had many German friends - most of whom seize on visits by my wife and me as an opportunity to practice their English!

I chose the Dialoge Sprachinstitut because of its picturesque lakeside location on Lindau Island and easy access from there to the Bavarian Alps, Austria, Switzerland and Munich. The school is set in a charming early-20th century building which is part of the Lindau railway station complex and only 200 metres from Lindau harbour.  The school is staffed by well qualified, very experienced and particularly dedicated teachers who form an enthusiastic and most effective team. The classrooms are spacious and light and the teaching material is up-to-date, relevant and interesting. Many topics form the bases for discussion which are often lively and always structured to develop one's command of the German language.  Individual progress is monitored closely by the teachers and measured by weekly tests. Where appropriate, students are moved between classes to meet their abilities and requirements.

The school has a suite of computers with Internet connections and these are available to students for a very modest one-off charge. There is also a range of sport and leisure activities run during the week and, at weekends, there are bus trips to various interesting locations.  I went on a few of the trips and thoroughly enjoyed them, and I found that I was practising my German with fellow students, of many nationalities, in a relaxed atmosphere. The other students were generally much younger than me but were all interesting intelligent people, many being university graduates or undergraduates. The school has student accommodation used mainly by young single students; I elected to live with a very nice host family arranged by the school.

I thoroughly enjoyed my course at Dialoge and my command of the German language improved very significantly. My wife, a very competent German speaker, is also a long-standing teacher of English as a foreign language and deputy Director of Studies at a foremost English language school in Cambridge. At her request, she spent a day at the Dialoge Spracinstitut for professional reasons and she was particularly impressed with all aspects of the school, especially the teaching staff.

I most highly recommend the Dialoge Sprachinstitut to native English speakers considering German language courses, at any level.

John Abra MBE

John.e.Abra(at)btinternet.com