Arrival and departure day for One-to-One tuition will usually take place on a Sunday, so that you can get to know your host family and start your programme well-rested on Monday morning. You make your travel arrangements yourself: either your parents bring you to the host family by car, or you arrive by plane or by train at your destination. Should you travel by train, please note that your host family will pick you up at the train station nearest to their home.

Your host family is happy to welcome you at almost any time. However, times of arrival and departure should be reasonable. If, due to your flight for example, you should arrive or depart very early (before 10.00 AM) / very late (after 07.30 PM), we have to charge an additional fee.

Should you travel by plane, we recommend that you book our transfer service to/from the host family as early as possible. That way you will be picked up on time and won’t have to worry about anything. Please note that your host family will pick you up at the airport which is closest to their home. We cannot guarantee pick-up, if you arrive at a different airport than the one closest to your host family’s home town. In such cases, we have to charge an additional transfer fee.

Example: If your host family lives in Erlangen, the nearest airport will be Nuremberg (NUE).

If, due to your age, you have booked a UM service (UM = Unaccompanied Minor) with your airline, you also have to book our UM service accordingly – in addition to our general transfer service. This is necessary as handling unaccompanied minors at the airport is more complicated and time-consuming.

„Classic“- und „Professional“

If you take part in the “Classic” or “Professional” programme, you will choose how to spend your afternoons and what activities to do yourself. You will spend the evenings with the host family. They will integrate you in their everyday life. You might cook together with the family or play a typical board game.

„Premium“

In this programme you receive full time supervision from a German-speaking supervisor. Your Teamer will agree with you on which activities to do and accompany you there. He will give you all the information you need and take into consideration your interests and the opportunities offered by the location. Your Teamer is always happy to talk with you, no matter if you have something on your mind, have a question or just want to chat.

Furthermore, we have a 24-hour emergency hotline every day which we will react to immediately should there be a bigger problem.

Your German language course will take place in the morning with 2 to 5 lessons per day for 5 days per week, depending on the course you booked. At the beginning of the course you will take a placement test which will give your teacher insight in the level of your language proficiency.

Furthermore, you will set your own goals for your language course, writing them down in a questionnaire. Together with the results from your placement test this document will serve the teacher as the foundation for the following lessons. After all, your One-to-One teacher is only there for you! This means that lessons are completely different from what you are used to from your school at home. Moreover, break times will always extend your lesson, meaning that after having attended 10 lessons, over 10 hours may have gone by, depending on how many breaks you needed.

Learning to use the language actively is the primary aim of the lessons. Our teachers create their own motivating, cultural and original lesson plans. They can be about a whole range of topics that are taken from “real life”. You are encouraged to just talk and not be afraid of your mistakes. Seize this opportunity as speaking the language freely will boost your learning success and motivate you to continue mastering the language in the future.

Our teachers are native speakers. That means that they do not only speak the language fluently, but they have an ingrained understanding of their native culture. They also have experience in imparting their language to students from foreign countries.

We teach from levels A0 (beginner without previous knowledge) to C2 (Proficiency) in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). We have different lesson material for every level, and the certificate that you receive at the end of your stay will indicate at what level and for how many hours you were taught.

If your home country is not a member of the Schengen Area, you have to apply for a Visa before you travel to Germany to begin your programme. Students which cannot provide a valid visa to ASTUR before travelling to Germany cannot attend our programme. Kindly be informed that you are responsible yourself for your visa application and any renewal, which might have to be taken care of during your stay in Germany.

Before the beginning of your stay you will receive a detailed information pack from us with everything you need to know about arrival, what you should pack and the activity programme.
Your host family can give you access to their Wi-Fi. However, ultimately it is their decision to grant or deny you access.

It is most likely that your regular health insurance will not cover all treatment costs incurred in Germany. We, therefore, generally recommend purchasing foreign health insurance as well as accident and liability insurance. We offer a complete pack, including all necessary insurances, at a small fee for your convenience.

If you do not book your insurance through ASTUR, we will need to see proof of your existing insurance before your arrival. If you need a visa to enter Germany, the visa application process will require you to show proof of existing insurances for the duration of your stay. It’s best to discuss those issues with your agency or with us directly. We’re always happy to help.

In the case that your travel arrangements deviate from the standard arrival and departure on Sundays, such as arriving earlier or departing later for example, then you can extend your stay with your host family on a daily basis. Depending on which trip you chose, one of the following offers will apply: For “Classic” and “Professional” trips, full-board accommodation is provided. For “Premium” trips, full-board accommodation with free time supervision is provided.