I'm currently taking basic German at Klubschule Migros and although I don't like the course very much (not intensive enough, classes are a waste of time, not often enough) I will continue it until the beginning of January. After that point I'm seriously considering taking private German lessons and am starting to research local German tutors in Zurich. I know that I could end up paying out the butt for a private tutor but I know I'm capable of learning a lot more than I am now and I want to get up to speed quickly. I'm looking for an experienced tutor who is strict but has a strong teaching background. Any recommendations?

This info is posted on another thread somewhere... have a look under the search option. My teacher was a joy:

http://www.scwsprachkurse.ch/

From the program section:

So did you have a senior teacher or a junior teacher. And what is really the difference? Also, does + CHF 50 mean that for 50 more CHF you get two lessons per week (total) in your home?

(Oh, and I did search for private+german and turned up this thread, which contained some good advice but not many recommendations for private tutors. Actually, I may end up opting for a small group class instead of private lessons if people think they're effective enough?)

Also, lots of private tutors and schools are listed on XpatXchange (via the aforementioned thread)

Hi,

I'm not sure on the difference but assume the senior teachers are more experienced (?) Ask!

The CHF50 extra covers the travel and time costs of the teacher who'll come to your home/office (this price covers the costs of above mentioned but not the teaching time of two lessons).

I'd say try the free lesson in a group first (if this option still exists). Group learning suits most better than solitary work. Should your needs change then have the private coaching later

Good Luck

Any other suggestions? I'm rather underwhelmed with the (typically more robust) response here. Surely there are others who have taken private German courses...

It might be that most people take group classes, I haven't met anyone who took private classes myself. I think people like the lower cost, with added benefit of having other classmates to practice with.

Okay, small group classes are welcome too! (Or do we need to start a new thread for that?) I'm keeping my options open.

Hi Joshua

Have you checked out the XpatXchange.ch website? there are people advertising private german tuition on this site. I am currently having private lessons but i'm not sure of the company name (its through my husbands work) but i'll try and find the name for you and let you know

Nicky

Consider yourself to now have officially met one I wouldn't do it any other way, and believe that it will be cheaper in the long term, if someone can afford it in the short term.

I have, but wasn't able to easily find the German courses/lessons. If you could point me to a specific page that would be great. And yes, please do let me know which company you're using. Thanks!

Hi Joshua, here's the link, its in the Education section

How right you are to observe that group teaching, whatever the topic basically is a waste of time. I think you either should hire a <i>German<\i> studying in ZH (Germany is 30 km away), or some local student that would give you the tricks of the local dialect. Germans really do a better job than Swiss when it comes to teaching Goethe's language

A couple of months I got a Hugo four cassette tape pack complete with book from the library back home in England, determined to get to grips with the basics of the language. After a couple of weeks one of the girl in the office found me an old walkman she let me borrow.
I've kept on renewing and renewing the set but still have not listened to any of the tapes
I will get around to it when things are less hectic.....I keep telling myself.
But private tutoring for a small group sounds good. I wouldn't mind putting myself up to be a part of such a group, but the level I am talking about would be very, very basic.~(and only avaiilable tuesday to thursday evenings ) I can't even get the sounds right let alone put them in the right order. I'm astonished at how easy people can pick up the difference between my pronounciation of "dich" ,complete with inadvertent k, and they way they are telling me to pronounce it in that kind of self producing throatstripper way!

I am looking for private lessons too but may just end up paying the crazy prices at either

www.bellingua.ch

or

www.berlitz.com

we are probably at different levels but if u were interesting in forming a pair PM me

I taught my husband (I am German - he is Aussie) and I found that the best way for him to really pick up some useful terms, was (as sad as it may sound) to watch TV - shows like "TV Total" with Stefan Raab (he talks very fast though). (Pro 7 German TV)
Also watch the news (German that is) - the newsreaders speak very good German, are very articulate and enunciate.
Re. teach yourself books: waste of money, I have yet to meet someone who has actually learned a language from a teach-yourself-XXX-in-3-weeks book. (I have 2 myself for Spanish and Japanese... )

Also, try renting DVDs of German movies (Run Lola Run or Goodbye Lenin) and turn on the subtitles (English or German, depending on how good your understanding is).

My husband is pretty fluent I would say (speaking at least - spelling not so much) - though the Swiss German still throws him...

After further consideration of the costs, a small group evening course might be better for me as well. I explored both sites you mentioned and would probably either do this course at Bellingua (G2 level) or this course at Berlitz. The price difference appears to be a few hundred CHF so quality is more important at this point. Does anyone have a preference between the two schools?

I'm not quite sure who you were agreeing with there, since you didn't do any quoting, but maybe it was me - in that case - thanks!

Just a word of warning - I'd be careful about just picking any person who has German as a mother tongue - speaking German and knowing how to teach German are two very different things. By having someone who knows how to teach, progress will be much more rapid (and therefore a money saving in the long run).

A good example of what I'm talking about - download the cheatsheet I did (look for it in this section) and show it to a native and wait for the look of utter confusion to set in. Anyone who has taught German or learned it as a second language will figure it out immediately. Another test for a native - "Please tell me why sometimes I say der, sometimes den and sometimes dem?" or "How is the genitive different to the dative?" The results will speak for themselves

BY the way - same goes for English speakers - I wouldn't trust half the natives to be able to explain anything about the English language to someone else!

Joshua, I would highly recommend you do a trial lesson at each school before you sign your money away. Both my husband & I attented lessons at Berlitz, he really liked the style of teaching & learned a lot whereas I didn't like it at all and it was a waste of my money. You need to find somewhere that suits you and your style of learning.

hmmmmmm... I would say that if you'd ask any graduate from a Gymnasium that he should be able to tell you EXACTLY what the difference is (hence, any university student would know since you have to have Abitur to go to uni)

though I agree that most English speakers seem to struggle ... but that might be because the difference is less obvious - think about it, in German the article and the adjective of an object change depending on whether they are object or subject of a sentence.

and another reason why I would beg to differ: my mother-in-law actually went to classes to learn German. She asked the teacher why it was "GutEN Morgen" and not "Gut Morgen" ... the teacher couldn't tell her ... I could... well... so much to that point, hey...

Ok, let's make it easier for the English speakers then - "what's the difference between an adjective and an adverb?" Get my point?

That's very sad. I didn't say that all people standing in front of a class are qualified teachers. In fact this just underscores my earlier point - don't just ask for a native, ask for someone with teaching qualifications. Unfortunately in your mother-in-law's case the person standing in front of the class wasn't a German teacher! All the more reasons to ask about qualifications and experience.