FAQ German School Regensburg

Registration & Payment

Please send the completed online enrolment form as early as possible prior to the beginning of your German language course. We will usually confirm your enrolment within 24 hours. A deposit of 100 € for the course and 100 € for accommodation (Visa or Master Card or bank transfer, refundable only in case of non-availability) should be sent with your application or after receiving confirmation; the balance is to be paid not later than 2 weeks before the course begins.
Late applications are possible as long as there are places available, but should be confirmed by e-mail, WhatsApp or telephone.
In the event of non-availability of places your payments will be fully refunded.

Visa

Please enquire at a German embassy or consulate about visa regulations.
You will need to enrol in a German language course with at least 20 weekly lessons (15 hours).
We will send you a confirmation of enrolment in our German language school by e-mail (pdf) or via DHL (extra fees), if required.
The German authorities may ask you for proof of payment for a large part of your German language course. In the case your visa is refused we will refund your entire payments (less deposit), if you provide us with the document of your visa refusal.

Arrival & Departure

From Munich airport:

  • by direct train departing from inside the airport terminal, 75 minutes, 27 € (“Bayernticket Single”). Get your ticket online or at the ticket machine.
  • by shuttle “Airportliner“, to be booked online, about 44 € one way, discounts for 2 and more persons. They will take you directly to our German language school and residence or to your homestay address or hotel.

From Frankfurt airport: about 4 hours by train, prices vary

Use The DB Navigator app to get the best connections, times and prices. You can also use it to buy your ticket online.
Your destination: Regensburg Hbf

Arrival at Horizonte School and Residence

The school and residence are at 15 minutes walking distance from the station, a taxi costs about 10 €.
You should arrive at the school on Sunday evening between 5 pm and 7 pm. We’ll take you to your room in our on-site residence (in the same building).
In a short conversation we’ll find out more about your knowledge of German and tell you in which group to go on Monday morning.
In case you cannot make it between 5 and 7, it is absolutely necessary to let us know. We will provide you with an emergency phone number, so that you can get your room upon arrival just the same.

Early check-in before 5 pm or arrival on Saturday: may be possible but cannot be guaranteed.
If you want to stay longer than Saturday morning after the end of your course, please let us know in time – it may be possible.

Arrival at your homestay

We will provide you with the details of your homestay about 1 week prior to your arrival.
You are expected to arrive on Sunday evening, not earlier than 5 pm.
If there are any changes please contact your host family.

Horizonte staff and office hours

The school is open from Monday till Friday 8.30 am – 3 pm.
Our emergency contact +49 151 57627004 is availabe 24/7.

Our staff at the school, residence and during activities is always committed to make sure you have a pleasent stay. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to come talk to us. We speak the following languages:

  • Deutsch (preferably), English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Arabic (basic knowledge), Russian.
    If your mother tongue is a different one we will find someone to translate if necessary!

Lessons & Timetable

All German language courses at Horizonte take place in our premises in the middle of Regensburg’s historic city centre,
at Rote-Hahnen-Gasse 12 in Regensburg.

Standard Course: 9.00 – 12.30 (10.30 – 11.00 break)

Intensive Course & Intensive Couse+10: Standard course in the morning + afternoon lessons in mini-groups or individual lessons
(Individual tuition, Exam Preparation, Business German, Teacher Refresher Course, Translation Course etc.)
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 13.30 – 15.30, Friday from 13.30 to 15.00 (altogether 10 lessons) or upon special arrangement with the instructor.

Intensive Course+5: Standard course in the morning + afternoon lessons 3 x 75 minutes per week
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 13.30 – 14.45 or from 15.00 – 16.15 (altogether 5 lessons).

Please note: An Intensive Course with 10 afternoon lessons in a mini-group is automatically changed into an Intensive Course+5 if there is only one student of that level.

Individual Lessons: one-to-one lessons are to be arranged with us and the teacher.

There are usually no lessons on Wednesday afternoon so you can participate in our leisure programme.

Teachers at Horizonte

All our teachers are native German speakers. They are highly qualified (relevant university degree or comparable qualification), experienced in teaching German as a foreign language to adults and dedicated to make your time at Horizonte both enjoyable and successful. Their creative and state-of-the-art teaching methods are effective, diverse and fun.

We have 6 permanently employed teachers and several freelancers. Some of them have been with us for 10, 20 or even 30 years!

Students at Horizonte

Horizonte students come from all over the world and for different reasons. No matter if you need to brush up your German to graduate from highschool, if you are planning to study at a German university, if you need German for your job at home or are looking for a job in Germany or if you just do it for pleasure. There are no juniors in our German Language Courses.

Age range

Minimum age: 17
Maximum age: n/a (our record holder was 88 years old)
Average age throughout the year: 27
Average age in July/August: 24

Nationality mix 2019

We are happy to have an amazing nationality mix. Every year, we have about 500 participants from approximately 50 countries.

English speaking: 12%
Spanish speaking: 11%
Italian speaking: 11%
Czech Republic: 11%
Japanese: 8%
French speaking: 5%
Other: 42%

These numbers do not include closed groups and courses of special interest
(e.g. refresher courses for teachers of German).

What’s included in the course price

Our prices include everything related to your German language course at Horizonte. There are no (hidden) additional costs!

  • Enrollment fee & placement test
  • Text books and other material for your German language course
  • German language course
  • Leisure programme (except entrance and transportation fees)
  • Use of our library (books & movies)
  • Certificate of participation & any relevant confirmation you may need during your stay.

Books and DVDs

Course books and other materials used in your German class are included in the course price.
Dictionaries and grammar books are for sale only.
There are plenty of books and movies (in original German language) in our library that you can borrow for free.

Meals & Drinks

Thanks to our location in the city centre we are surrounded by many bars, restaurants and cafés. Lots of them offer unexpensive lunch from about 8 €.
A cup of coffee is about 2.50 €, a glass (0.4 – 0.5 l) of beer, juice, mineral water ca. 4 €, a small soft drink 3 €.
There is a great variety of any kind of restaurants offering local, national and international cuisine.
Please remember to always give a tip of 5-10%.
Most supermarkets are open until 8 pm from Monday to Saturday. The supermarket at the train station is open on Sundays, too.

The Horizonte residence is self-catering only. You have your own fridge and a kettle in your room and there are fully equipped shared kitchens where you can prepare your meals.

Public Transport/Bike rental

If you book a room in our residence in the middle of the city centre you don’t need to use the public bus system – you can walk to all the places of interest. The bus fare is about 20 € per week and 50 € per month (2020). You can check current prices for the RVV (Regensburger Verkehrsverbund) here.
Bikes can be rented at the railway station. For longer stays we recommend to buy a 2nd hand bike.

Climate & Weather

The climate in this part of Bavaria (on the river Danube, at 314 m sea level) is moderate, not too cold, not too warm. You can have rain at any time of the year. In winter (from November to March) you can expect snow with temperatures between -10 (and lower)and +10°C. In summer you can have all kinds of weather: hot days over 30°C (even for a period of several weeks), cloudy weather or rain – and sometimes everything within one week!

Laundry

There is a washing machine and a dryer in our residence (2 € per load). There are laundries in the city centre.
Your host family will offer to wash some of your clothes if you stay longer than 2 or 3 weeks.

Sports

Swimming: Westbad (15 min by bus, outdoor and indoor pools), RT-Bad (walking distance, only outdoor).
Cycling: In summer, you can go by bike to some nearby lakes which are ideal for swimming. You can also have a walk or use your bike along the river Danube or other rivers.
Other outdoor sports: Football (soccer), jogging, beach volleyball, frisbee meetings according to interest and weather. If you want to go hiking or skiing in the Alps during the weekend, it takes you  2 – 3 hours by car to interesting sites.
Gyms: There are various gyms, and possibilities for tennis and squash (but not in the city centre).

Mail

You can have your mail and parcels sent to our address. “Horizonte” must be part of the address!

[your name]
c/o HORIZONTE
Rote-Hahnen-Gasse 12
93047 Regensburg
Germany

Cultural particularities

You may have heard about a few German stereotypes. Some of them are true – for example that we appreciate punctuality and order (assured by all kinds of rules). During your stay in Germany you will discover many more particularities. Here are some useful ones to get started:

  • Garbage separation system: we separate paper/carton, metal/plastic, organic, glass and “the rest” for recycling.
  • Bottles and cans with returnable deposit („Pfand“): for certain bottles – both plastic and glass – you are charged an amount (0,08 – 0,25 €) that will be given back when returning the empty bottle.
  • We don’t bargain. Definitely not at supermarkets or shops. And no, not even at the farmers‘  market.
  • We tip: you are expected to give  the waiter/waitress a tip of 5-10% of the bill, depending on how happy you were with the service. This rule doesn’t apply to places with self service or if you buy anything “to go”.
  • Money: always carry some cash with you. It’s not always possible to pay with credit card or other non-cash payment methods.
  • On Sundays we rest: supermarkets and shops are closed on Sundays and on public holidays. Some bakeries are open in the morning. Restaurants and cafés are open.
  • Sparkling water: If you prefer still water you should look for “still” or “naturell” in the description while “medium” or “classic” are usually sparkling. Also, the quality of tap water throughout Germany is very good.
  • For more useful information, visit:

Complaints

All Horizonte employees always strive to ensure that the participants in our German courses are completely satisfied. This includes the lessons as well as the leisure program and possibly accommodation in the Horizonte dormitory or in our host families. If there is a problem:

  1. Please contact the responsible person directly and try to solve the problem
    1. Organisational matters: Office
    2. Lessons: teacher or classmates
    3. Leisure programme: supervisor
    4. Residence: other residents or janitor
    5. Host family: host parents
  2. If that doesn’t work, contact the office in person, by phone, or in writing. Our opening times are from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. This can also be done anonymously. To do this, put a letter in our mailbox at the front door (Rote-Hahnen-Gasse 12).
  3. We will try to solve the problem immediately.
  4. Written complaints are usually answered within one working day.
  5. Complaints received after departure of the participant cannot be considered.

Further questions

For further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us:
or call +49 941 57207.

We look forward to welcoming you to our German language school in beautiful Regensburg!

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