Attending School in Germany (short term)

ASTUR offers the “School Homestay” programme in 3 versions:

School Attendence

ASTUR will place you in a school where you will take part in regular lessons. This means that you are assigned to a class suitable for your age and your previous performance at school where you will follow the general timetable. Naturally like all other students you must complete homework tasks during your time at school in Germany.
On your first day of school you will go to your German school either together with your host family or with one of their children or your host family has shown and explained the way to you beforehand. There, you must register at the office and the teachers will help you settle in to your class and meet your new classmates. Depending on Bundesland and the type of school it is sometimes also necessary to fill out relevant forms. These forms can be filled out at home with the help of your host family.
With the School Homestay programme the school will allocate you a class suitable for your age. In this class you will take part in the normal school timetable. In the School Homestay programme you don’t have to sit class tests or exams. This means, you are not obliged to do so but can perhaps speak to your German teacher and complete tests anyway. Please note that at the end of your stay you will not receive any grades or official report from the school.

Arrival and Accommodation in a Hostfamily

The arrival and departure day for the School Homestay programme is always on Sunday. You will get to know your host family before tuition starts on Monday. You will make your travel arrangements on your own: your parents will bring you to the host family by car, or you will come by plane or by train to your destination.
If you arrive or depart by train, you will be picked up by the host family at the nearest train station.
If you arrive or depart by plane, we recommend you to sign up for a transfer to/from the host family as early as possible upon booking. You will then be picked up punctually and won’t need to worry about anything.
Depending on your age, if you have booked a UM service (UM = Unaccompanied Minor) with your airline, you should also book the UM service for an extra fee additional to the transfer to the camp as early as possible with us, as airport checks and procedures are long and complicated.

Free Time & Supervision

ASTUR offers the “School Homestay” programme in 3 versions:

Free Time and Supervision

The Academic Trimester, Academic Semester and Academic Year programmes do not include organised free time supervision. You can take charge of your afterschool free time activities and orientate yourself in relation to the hobbies of your classmates and host family. In school you can avail of the extracurricular activities on offer and after school, with the help of your host family you can, for example, register for a sports team and their many offers. Here you can get to know lots more people above and beyond your host family.
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.

Language Plus

Your German language course takes place in the afternoon after school and is divided up during 5 working days. Every week you receive 15 language lessons. At the beginning you will have a grading test in order that your teacher can ascertain your knowledge of the language.
Together with the “learning intentions“ questionnaire, the grading test forms the basis on which lessons are uniquely tailored, as with one-to-one lessons the teacher is exclusively there for you! Naturally this means that lessons are completely different to those you will have experienced in school. Ultimately the teacher only has one student which means breaks are to be taken as and when you need them. It is possible that, for example, the 15 language periods last 15 or more hours as breaks are not included in the lesson time.
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” in the form of discussions, role plays, interviews and other active elements. You will simply be able to speak and you should seize this opportunity as speaking the language will aid your learning success and motivate you to take further steps with the language in the future. Your vocabulary and knowledge of grammar will also automatically expand and improve – not just through rote learning, but also through speaking and listening.
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 communicating their language to students from other countries.
We teach in accordance to your level of knowledge. 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.
Tip: Of course you can also book the “Language Plus” programme, for example, for one or two weeks at the beginning of your stay and then subsequently continue in the regular “Classic” or “Premium” programmes. As such you’ll have the best possible start to using the German language.

Procedures and programme itinerary may be subject to change!
Prices valid until 31.12.2018.

Included Services

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.
In the family you can get access to Wi-Fi, but ultimately this is the responsibility of your host family.

Please note, that your regular health insurance generally will not cover you for all treatment costs incurred in Germany. We, therefore, generally recommend purchasing foreign health insurance as well as accident and liability insurance. You can purchase these insurances without hassle through us as a complete package for the duration of your stay.
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 you will be required to show proof that you have purchased a respective insurance in order to apply for the visa. It’s best to talk to 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, for example, if you will arrive a day earlier or depart a day later, then you can extend your stay with your host family on a daily basis. Depending on which trip you chose you will avail of one of the following offers: For “Classic” and “Professional” trips, full-board accommodation is provided. And for “Premium” trips, full-board accommodation with free time supervision is provided“.

Downloads

Please see the website of the Federal Foreign Office for additional information on Germany’s visa policy.