Regina Coeli
Where…read moredo I start? This is the language school of language schools! This is an intense course designed for usable language and is assessed on the CEF language scale. This place is locally known as "de nonnen van Vught" but there is only one left and at 87, she wasn't teaching (me at least).
The teachers give you a Skype interview to check your level and understand your needs before enrolling you and everything is structured and well done including homework/prework if needed. All my colleagues and recruiters told me "you must go to the nuns to learn Dutch, it's the best!" My small company doesn't have access to these group lessons either but this place isn't cheap and I feel privileged to have been sent from work. It was necessary though as most of my work and meetings are in Dutch.
I was learning Dutch and stayed for 1 week. They recommend 2 weeks to get you to A2 level. I was staying at de Ruwenburg (1 of 2 recommended hotels) where a taxi bus picked us up at 7:55am and picked us up most days at 9pm to return to the hotel. It's a long day! Lessons start at 8:20 and finish mostly at 6:30pm but you have dinner at the school which is a chance to practise your language also with at least two checked language "taaltafel" sessions where you are encouraged and checked on conversation. The day includes private tuition (3 multimedia, 3 lessons) and the mentor setting the theme for the day, grammar, communication then a group themed/structured conversation. For example I asked to be spoken to only in Dutch unless really struggling and for extra work.
I made good friends with people as exhausted as me but my results were also good. People were mostly learning Dutch, English for business and a few French, Spanish or Italian. We were all exhausted by the Wednesday (most also not sleeping so well) and joking about the fact they have a restkamer and massage chairs on site and that the restaurant staff said all students find Wednesday a hard day that's why it's shorter!
Some feedback from students that were there more than one week said they felt the first week was the biggest improvement week but that is to be expected.
Saying that, first day back at work, I am speaking a little Dutch and my colleagues seem impressed. I find Dutch not an easy language to speak (no rolled r's here and please don't ask me to say "Beterschap") but this school and the consistent teaching; rather than dialect from colleagues telling me to say the same way 4 different ways, has given me the confidence and tools to speak Dutch quickly and correctly to ABN standard. As a manager of a completely Dutch team, this was very important for me and I was shy to speak Dutch in a "vergadering" before this. My result is in the post...
Veel succes met de TaalCursus!
