Why did I choose to go to school in England? [Back to Top]
It just happened really. Initially I just wanted to spend one term in
order to improve my English. But then I quickly found out that England
had two major advantages for me. #1:
I might have a chance to go to university after 1 year (A total of 12
years is normal in England and I had done 11 in Germany where it takes
13 years to reach university level) and #2:
I only had to do subjects I actually liked doing.
I ended up staying a second year as my school offered me a partial scholarship
as they thought I was good enough to join one of the top universities.
What you need to know about the school systems? [Back to Top]
Obviously there are differences between the two systems, from a social and an academic point of view.
Academic Point of View:
In England one specializes much earlier, at the age of about 12, when
choosing GCSE. This I find a bit early. The broader education of Germany
has done me no harm. I do agree however, that taking this broad approach
all the way up to the Abitur works against young people in Germany.
Being able to choose a set of subject and concentrating on them greatly
benefited me personally as I could leave behind things like Latin and
the sudden success caused me to actually like school - for the first time
in my life. My marks developed accordingly. It has to be said though that
this system does not benefit all equally. It gave me an advantage, because
I knew what I wanted to do and my talents are clearly mathematical, i.e.
very focused. Students, which have equal skills across the board, will
see themselves forced to choose a set of subjects. As universities do
require certain A-Levels for some courses, this choice will invluence
the route these pupils will have to stick to till graduation and the extra
time the German system allows before making your choices would have been
appreciated.
Social Point of View:
If you do go to school abroad, it is very likely, that you will be boarding.
As most schools in Germany are day schools, that was the biggest difference.
Everything else led from that. The being dependent on other students at
school as there was no way out, it being impossible to avoid people you
did not like and therefore having to sort things out, being allowed out
only once a week for an afternoon but making some of the best friends…
In my humble opinion, boarding school is something everyone experiences
differently. The sad thing is that it normally ends in extremes. You either
have a good time (of course you don't always know that at the time) or
you get picked on by everyone and will go through hell. All I can say
really is, that it's down to you! I was not "mister popular"
at home and to be honest after 1 year at St. Bede's, I had changed so
much (for the better) that I would not have wanted to be my own friend
back then. I think my secret was that I was very committed to making it
work, always had a smile on my face and was lucky enough to meet some
people, that were very well suited to be my friends :)
Anyway, I personally made some of my best friends at school, many more
than at uni. Of course I had to get through a few rough patches as well,
but hey, that's good for the character, right?
Recognition of English Certificates in
Germany:
It's probably best if you retrieve this information form the relevant
sources. A list of the appropriate bodies can be found at the British
Council or from the "Oberschulaemtern", e.g. Baden-Württemberg:
Anerkennungstelle im Oberschulamt Stuttgart, Breitscheidstr. 48, 70176
Stuttgart, Tel: +49 711 66700.
How to choose a school? [Back to Top]
Relatively easy! Not surprising really as they want you money… ;) Firstly get yourself one of these books:
- "Which School?" by Derek Bingham, John Catt Educational (2002: ISBN 0901577634)
- "The Good Schools Guide", Lucas Publications; (2002: ISBN 0953265927).
There are a few things to consider.
- Firstly the price. This varies widely and often more expensive only means you will be stuck with more snobs and spoilt kids. By the way, many of these schools are charities so applying for a scholarship after half a year or a year might work if you are good at sport or academically.
- What I really liked about St. Bede's was, that they had a department for English as a foreign language. This made it easy to pick up the necessary qualifications like FCE, CAE and Proficiency.
- Also worth special attention is computing facilities as email will become a very important communication tool and the internet will be very useful as information from the home country is readily at hand. A library can also prove very useful, especially if the school is in the countryside.
- You will find that some schools do not limit the number of foreign students. This will normally have the effect that the school has a high percentage of Germans, Greek, Asian and Russian students. On one hand it of course limits the amount of English you speak, if there are many of your countrymen/women present. But if you make the appropriate effort to make English friends, then this can prove to be an advantage. Why? From the beginning you will have only little problems understanding teachers and tutors but it will be hard to socialize as you are just not fast enough in understanding and making your own remarks. Having some people to speak normally too sometimes will help avoid frustration. The problem is that this causes some 60% to speak English only in class.
How to apply to a school? [Back to Top]
This varies from school to school. Most of them have some kind of application form. Normally it is possible to have a look at the school during the "Open Days". These I consider useless though. It's hardly worth a flight to be shown around selected parts of the school by prefects, whom have been told what to tell you. I have heard of cases where parents were told, that some buildings were for storage only and soon to be pulled down, and half a year later their little daughter had to live in the drafty little sheds.
Making the move easier... [Back to Top]
Not too much to say here really. It depends on the school whether you have to bring bed stuff or not. You will probably find yourself driving at least once at the beginning and once at the end of the stay. For the holiday the school will normally provide sufficient storage space to leave your things (at your own risk). Traveling there and back is likely to be cheapest by plane. Depending where you live, it will be worth having a look at Easyjet, Ryanair and Buzz. Take into account however that Stansted and Luton Airport are much less approchable and will cost about £10 more to reach.
While you are there... [Back to Top]
Well, there is not much to say. Work hard and play hard. Treat people right, remember you have to live with them 24-7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Be careful only to speak English, if there is anyone about, not able to speak your language. It will be greatly appreciated and you will be less lonely. Know the rules and break them, but not too much or you might find yourself flying home earlier than you thought. Have Fun!!!.
What came from it all? [Back to Top]
Well thing one is, that I have done much better at school than I would have done in Germany. This is mainly due to the change in attitude caused by the move. I was lucky and hit the right moment, I guess. Secondly, I am now fluent in English and my CV should give me a clear advantage over people, that stayed at home. Also I made a few very good friends, who are conveniently spread all over Europe, making cheap summer holidays possible. :) On the other hand this can make it very hard to meet up with any of them. The bottom line is that I immensely enjoyed my stay, both academically and socially.
My work: some of the Information Technology projects: [Back to Top]
Most of these files are pdf.
- To download, right click on the links and select Save As....
- To view, get Adobe Acrobat Reader for free here.
Stationary: Using MS Access. Documentation and Userguide.
Reward Card System: Using MS Word. Documentation and Userguide.
What about the Bundeswehr? [Back to Top]
One thing is for sure: if you were younger than 17 when you left the country and you unregistered in Germany, they can not do anything except if you reregister to early. I tried to use a stipulation allowing you to delay your service if you would have to give up something you have invested a significant amount of time or money into. Sadly enough they knew that it is no problem taking a gap-year and did not accept that excuse. If you have not yet received the "Einladung zur Musterung" (first communication you will receive), then you can tell your parents not to accept it (otherwise they are legally required to pass it on to you). If you then stay abroad until you are 28 or 34 or something, they can not do anything to you. This is called "unerlaubter Aufenthalt im Ausland" (unauthorized stay abroad) and they will not start looking for you. The fine if caught in Germany is ~€150 and you will not have a "previous conviction". The risk is, that if they catch you somewhere they can make you join the forces instantly, even if you are in the middle of the 3rd year of your studies. So as I did not hate my time after all, and I think I did learn a few lessons, my advice is to avoid it if possible but not to risk the "unerlaubter Aufenthalt im Ausland"-option.
The contens of this page is for information purposes only. No information
on this page is legaly binding for its author or anyone else. The author
will try to keep it up to date. Please report any brocken links to webmaster@guhl.co.uk.
©2002. Last updated: August 2002