Range of services

Replacement

We place students from various Asian countries in German schools where they attend upper secondary school with the aim of obtaining the German higher education entrance qualification or an International Baccalaureate ® Diploma and then studying in Germany. This activity includes among other things:

• Preparation of information material on the target schools in the respective national languages
• Sending the students’ reports and certificates to the selected target schools
• Preparation of declarations of commitment
• Dispatch of school contracts and other registration documents for signing by pupils and parents
• Preparation of visa applications
• Creation of powers of attorney for the transfer of parental care
• Registration of health and liability insurance for students
• Organisation of the transfer from the airport to the educational institution
• Accompaniment during visits to authorities
• Application for recognition of foreign certificates by the competent district government

The target group for these placement services are adolescents from Vietnam, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Nepal, whose parents belong to the educational and career-oriented middle classes of these countries.

The most important reason for choosing Germany as a destination is the fact that Germany’s state universities enjoy high international prestige, but generally do not charge tuition fees. Although school and boarding fees are charged for the preparatory stay at a German private school, the bottom line is that Germany’s education system is a bargain.

Preparation

In our one-year DIP school preparation program, which we run together with the private school Carpe Diem, international students are optimally prepared for attending a regular school in terms of language, culture and study subjects.

The programme gives the participants a smooth start in the local education system; schools are spared the unnecessary extra work that international pupils who have not been sufficiently prepared entail.

In addition, the programme enables us to also place students whose knowledge of German is not yet sufficient for regular school attendance. No previous knowledge of the German language is required.
With their respective Prep Classes, our IB ® Diploma partner schools offer similar preparation courses for those international students whose knowledge of English is not yet quite sufficient to take part in regular classes. However, good previous knowledge of the English language is expected. How long the Prep Classes have to be attended depends on the individual learning progress of the students.

Support

In addition to the placement of international students, we also offer their continuous supervision during their stay. Essential care services include among other things:

• School supervision
• Regular monitoring of school performance and personal development at the school on behalf of the parents
• Cultural mediation for school and boarding-related problems
• Organization of accommodation and transfer in case of boarding school closure
• Organisation of holiday care – boarding schools often close during the holidays
• Support in the event of a voluntary change of school

Adolescents from Asian countries of origin tend, for cultural reasons, to keep any problems to themselves and prefer to suffer quietly rather than seek help or express criticism. In this context, our coordinators can play an important role as trusted people who are the first to learn about emerging problems and solve them before they come to a head. Experience has shown that such external supervision is extremely important for pupils and their parents alike, but there are hardly any other agencies that offer comparable services.