German Fluency Breakthrough
German Fluency Breakthrough, my 3-month in-depth group programme geared towards busy professionals such as yourself, is all about breaking through that barrier that has been in your way for far too long and finally start speaking German with ease. Learn how to build on your existing German to become more confident and fluent-speaking without worrying about embarrassing yourself.
If you want to speak like a native overnight, you might have the wrong idea, but it’s a complete myth that you can’t make German your everyday language and feel good about it. You just need more opportunity to practise speaking.
Does this sound like you?
- You avoid speaking German for fear of sounding incompetent and unprofessional.
- You can’t converse easily and naturally in everyday life and feel you’re not your authentic self.
- You feel exhausted when you speak German as you’re constantly trying to find the right words.
- You understand a lot of what people say but you feel stuck when you need to respond.
- You feel embarrassed when you can’t follow the discussion and need to ask for clarification.
- You can’t progress in your career as the natural next step would require German.
- You speak English because trying to express yourself adequately in German would take too long.
- You worry about your language skills a lot of the time and about the fact that you don’t fit in properly.
I think I know why you still find speaking German harder than you’d like it to be …
I’ve been a German teacher in Switzerland for almost 15 years now and I’ve often seen high-achieving and motivated professionals like you feel frustrated about their German skills.
I’m guessing you’ve come to Switzerland to be with your partner or because you had an interesting job offer – or both.
You know that in the long-term, you can only make a success of your life in Switzerland if you speak German, which is why you’ve already done quite a few German courses and, if you’re not too hard on yourself, you might even admit that you have got to a decent level.
You’ve learnt all the grammar, you can read German well and also understand a lot of spoken German – as long as people don’t speak Swiss German.
However, as soon as you try and speak German, you often get a response in English – or worse still – in Swiss German. The former is probably because people want to be helpful, the latter because your German sounds really good, but let’s not dwell on the why.
Let’s look at how you can change this so you feel less frustrated about the fact that interactions in German don’t always go the way you’d like them to.
If we’re perfectly frank, the fact that Swiss German is the spoken language in this country does not help learners of German at all. You’re not exposed to spoken High German as you go through everyday life and you have no opportunity to practise what you’ve learnt and as a result you still feel stuck when it comes to speaking German.
So what exactly does the German Fluency Breakthrough look like?
Here’s what you get inside the programme:
Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Module 5
Module 6
Module 7
Module 8
Module 9
Module 10
Module 11
Module 12
Here’s what we’re going to do:
Step 1: The key to a rewarding outcome is thorough preparation. With my help, you’re going to remind yourself of the vocabulary you need to navigate real-life situations in Switzerland successfully. We’re also going to build on this and give you some super useful phrases and helpful strategies to master communication at all levels, from chats with neighbours to meetings with the CEO.
Needless to say, there’ll be plenty of support from me along the way. We’ll all stay connected even when we don’t see each other and you can always check in with me or the other members of our small group if you need help or want to get something off your chest.
Surrounding yourself with people who have the same goals as you is the best way to make progress and achieve things you may not even consider achievable right now.
And here’s how the programme works:
- The programme runs for three months and there are 12 modules of pre-recorded material on an online platform, consisting of professional videos recorded by me, workbooks, pdfs and other useful resources. This gives you lots of flexibility as you can go through each module when it best suits you. You won’t just be consuming content, you’ll also be preparing your own individual contribution to the live sessions so you get the most out of them.
- Each week, we’ll be looking at one topic from different real-life situations that you encounter in Switzerland and practise speaking with different scenarios from both a work or social environment. The content of the programme is designed so you can easily fit into a busy work schedule.
- For the first three weeks each of month, we’ll have two weekly 60-minute live sessions with no more than 6 participants to practice fluency. In the fourth week of each month, you will be completing a milestone task.
- Three big milestones are part of the programme, where I’ll set you a challenge to complete with your Language Buddy, such as recording a podcast, preparing a presentation or reading a newspaper article and I will give you individual feedback on this.
- Your Language Buddy is someone in exactly the same situation as you who also lives locally. Meeting up in person will give you that extra speaking practice that you need to get you on the path to fluency. In addition to that, you can hold each other accountable and support each other throughout the programme – and maybe even afterwards!
- In addition to the group sessions, you will also have one 30-minute 1:1 session with me each month where you get personalised support on topics relevant to your own specific needs as well as some mindset coaching to get you in the right frame of mind for continued success.
- Throughout the programme, you will be part of a lively online community where we can offer support and hold each other accountable. In the group chat, you can ask questions any time and keep in touch with me and the other participants. I will personally respond to you as soon as I can if you need any help. This is also the place where you and your Language Buddy can message each other or have a video call when you’re not meeting up in person.
What’s included?
- Lifetime access to the high-quality materials on the course platform
- 18 x 60-minute group coaching sessions
- 3 x 30-minute 1:1 coaching sessions
- Opportunity for extra practice with a Language Buddy in addition to live sessions
- Networking opportunities with the other participants
- Support from me any time you need it
- Personalised feedback on your milestone tasks
- An in-person meetup at the end of the programme
You’ve probably got questions, right?
How much time will I need each week?
What level of German do I need?
How big will the group be?
Will everyone have the same level of German?
Will this programme really be what I need?
Will it really make a difference?
This is what my clients think:
More about me:
My name is Sandra and I am a teacher and coach for German as a foreign language. Originally from Germany, I have been living in Switzerland for more almost 15 years now and can therefore specifically support international professionals who have decided to move to Switzerland for work.
With my academic background in translation and interpreting as well as my teaching diploma in foreign language teaching to adults, I am ideally qualified to teach German as a foreign language.
I have more than 20 years of teaching experience in both private language schools as well as state schools in Germany, the UK and Switzerland. I have worked with adults from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and developed a tried and tested teaching method. Since 2021 I have been a self-employed language coach and look forward to supporting you on your journey!
