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Made to Last – German Foundations Recent years saw a continuous rise in the creation of privately run foundations in Germany. In 2015 alone, 583 foundations have been created. As it is, the Bundesrepublik is home to a large amount of this kind of organizations, even though some of the
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Germany is Reacting to Growing Population In 2016, Germany welcomed 2.136.954 immigrants and said good bye to 997.552 emigrants (https://de.statista.com/themen/46/einwanderung/). That left a net influx of 1.139.403 people mostly from other cultures (some were Germans returning to their roots) To guarantee a successful integration of all new citizens, the BAMF
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Summertime in Germany The first modern suggestion of “summertime” came from a humorous observation by Ben Franklin. Franklin’s insight was sparked by Paris’s latitude being about 1,100 kilometers north of the latitude of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Franklin’s home town. According to The Economist, “. . . , he [Franklin] woke
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Are you a Vereinsmeier? Wanderlust, Fernweh, Fahrvergnügen – there are many words in the German language that one can’t translate into English. Many of them also describe some basic German virtues. One you might not know yet is “Vereinsmeierei.” It represents the German specialty to organize themselves in voluntary associations
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When it comes to celebrities speaking foreign languages, German isn’t one of the ones that might immediately cross your mind. We can watch videos of famous stars speaking Japanese, or rapid-fire Spanish/French/Italian with an interviewer and be impressed by their command of the language, but German-speakers tend to fly
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We’re in the 164th year of this superb museum’s glorious history and, if you want to immerse yourself in German culture, regardless of the particular cultural or regional strain in which you’re most interested, e.g., Prussian, Bavarian, Austrian, Swiss, etc., this museum will provide you with the best examples and
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The 19th and 20th century saw a spike in the development of the so-called constructed languages. Especially “Auxiliary Languages” were created, as the different colonial powers aimed to erect empires and the western conquerors felt the need to turn their respective language into a “lingua franca”, particularly among their colonial
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Ask any German under 40 about Löwenzahn and chances are they’ll start humming a jolly tune. That tune is the well-known theme to German public channel ZDF’s longest-running kids’ TV show, Löwenzahn. The show started in 1981 and accompanied generations of Germans as they discovered the world. Its presenter, “Erklär-Bär”
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The Dresden State Art Collections, officially the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, comprises 14 distinct museums owned and maintained by the Free State of Saxony and headquartered in its capital, Dresden, which is also Saxony’s second largest and best-known city. This article will give a historical overview of all 14 associated museums,
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Everybody is talking about immigration, refugees, whether they are allowed to stay or even who is allowed and who not. But what’s next? What happens if somebody comes to Germany and gets his permission to stay? Besides the urge of a flat and work, there is one crucial aspect: Learning
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To add to the already stressful situation of losing your passport, you may not know what to do when you lose it in another country. Admittedly, there is some variance based on what your country of origin is, and where you may have lost your documents (or had it stolen),
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Germany is known for its automobile-loving culture. From prestige cars like Porsche to the everyman’s Volkswagen, the Germans have claimed their place in any car lover’s heart. If you’re ready for a spin, make sure you know the following facts to stay safe and legal. Can You Drive in Germany?
Google Reviews
Google Rating
4.9
4.9
Ruzanna Harutyunyan
17:13 14 Jan 17
Michael has helped me immensely during my journey of learning. He very quickly identified the weaknesses I have and figured a way to solve them. His approach is tailored to the individual needs of the student, rather than a generic plan on how to stuff the head with information. He helped me organize the information that I already had from various sources, but was unable to put it into practical use.
He gave me the confidence to start speaking the language. With his help, now I like the process of learning. And that is the most important achievement I had!
Sai Kiran
22:03 21 Apr 17
I had the opportunity to work with him over a year ago. Though we were not able to continue working due to my unpredictable job and travel, I found his method and training methodology extremely logical and intuitive. Though smartergerman services are relatively expensive than others in the market, the quality is many times more than worth it. Mr. Michael Schmitz has over 20 years experience in language teaching and summons all his expertise for the student's benefit. Highly Recommended.
Tammy Furey
16:03 20 Feb 17
6 years ago, I thought it would be a jolly good plan to move, from the UK, to Switzerland with a young child. Without a word of German. With a husband who didn’t have a word of German. I really didn’t realise the reality of learning a foreign language in a land that doesn’t actually speak high German.
So after 5 years of struggling with the local language schools and banging my head against the wall, I finally decided that I was going to get serious about language learning. I made it clear: this was make or break. I put my work on hold, purely to focus on German learning.
Michael was a life saver. This is something to understand about working with Michael: you are not simply employing a German Teacher - you are employing a coach. Michael had to undo years of anxiety at failing to actually learn the language, years of misunderstandings, frustrations and generally beating myself up. So much was in the way of being able to look at the German language with a clear head and not in sheer panic!!!
So after telling myself for years that I could never, ever get to B1 standard, I got 84.5% on the exam!!! And here is the crucial thing: Michael has changed my way of learning languages for life. I now have a system in which I can continue to learn German, not as a rush to the next exam (although goals are good!), but as a life long learning process which I enjoy. Yes….actually enjoy learning German - who would have thought that was possible?!!……
Simon K
18:24 26 Jan 17
I found Michael & smarterGerman in September 2016 upon realizing I need to start working on my German fluency to be eligible for a couple of International Business Master's degrees I am considering. My main reasons for having decided to work with Michael were a combination of the flexible scheduling (as I'm in my last year of undergrad) and that he had successfully taught numerous students from zero to B1 in a short period of time. Full disclosure, I've had limited German studies in the past at lower levels (university course in 2011, Goethe A2.3 in spring 2014) while struggling along the way, but no active learning during the past two plus years. Having met roughly a dozen times between the end of September and my exam date in December, I'm happy to say that I passed my B1 Goethe Exam with an overall average of 80.25%! Keep in mind, I had to dedicate time around my lessons to the homework and exam preparations, but it was still the most efficient time I've spent learning German. Given my experience, I can highly recommend working with Michael to all who are serious about achieving results quickly.
John Gillam
17:59 20 Mar 17
I began learning with Michael at the beginning of July 2016 and at the time I had only sat my A2 exam a few months earlier and so my goal was to reach B1 with Michael by October. After a short chat with Michael, he upgraded my goal to B2, which was to be achieved in the same time frame. I didn't believe that it was possible when we first began our work together but after only 11 45 minute long sessions, and one hour per week conversation training with another teacher, I sat and passed my B2 exam - including a 100% pass mark in the oral section. I couldn't have done it without Michael's confidence, motivational skills, and ability to root out mistakes and explain things clearly using my mother tongue. His methods (learning cycle) really are fool proof if you follow them. Aim high and Michael will help you reach your goal as long as you're ready to work with it. Best value for money yet!
Nick Doan
22:15 27 May 17
Michael was very generous with his time and expertise when I approached him. He was quick to offer help and provided immediate, valuable insight.
Laura Avivar
15:38 04 Jun 17
The method that Michael uses for teaching is really the one! I studied German before but never so successful as this one. I really recommend him.
