student visa / schools (for daughter and I)

[mistael_one]

Hey there I have been lurking around the forum reading up and thought I would post a few questions.

I am an American going to Vienna next month to stay with extended family members so I will not really have any food or housing expenses for a while. This is giving me the perfect opportunity to go to school to start learning German so I can get into an uni.

Here are some questions:

1. I have heard that I can apply for a student visa within Austria being an American. Is this true?

2. Where is a good cheap place to go to start learning German? I don't want to be paying "tourist" prices for German classes.

3. I sort of have a job during the day that will be under the table doing some construction stuff so is there any night classes for learning German?

4. My 6 year old daughter will be accompanying me so what schools should I start looking at? Do they have bilingual schools? My daughter does not speak German so this is a huge concern. Can she go to public school so I don't have to pay?

I think those are my main concerns for now. Anything else I should be thinking about/planning before I leave?

[Mischa]

4. Your daughter has good chances of being admitted to a bilingual school (because English native speaker) BUT she absolutely must speak German, so you should focus on that. They do not accept kids with only English. Also, if she plans to start school in September this year, it might be already too late because they already had the admissions tests. You should contact the bilingual schools asap to get information.

[Sunshine]

Hi there,

for german lessons please check the FAQ thread it has been discussed several times before
http://www.vienna-expats.net/ForumsPro/ ... =6576.html
there are also some topics on visa etc..


Also, regarding schools please check the VE parents section, this question has been asked before as well
http://www.vienna-expats.net/ForumsPro/ ... f=119.html

[Tom]

When I came over (from Portland) to study, I needed to get my visa BEFORE I came and did it through the Austrian Consulate in San Francisco (for west coasters), all by mail.

But maybe there is another option, since you only have a month to go, and sending your passport to them might leave you in a bad predicament.

I would call them and ask.

[CapnNismo]

You can apply for your student visa here. I did it back in 2007 when I first came over. You need to go over to the MA35 on Dresdner Straße. Real easy to find. But the American embassy website lists all the paperwork that you need. Probably best to do all your paperwork in the States for the university and everything.

As far as German courses go, if you get accepted to the university, they will send you to a German school. I applied through the Universität Wien (easier admissions, but I didnt know that at the time) and am registered as a guest student at the Technical University (real easy to do, too). But once you register at the university, they will give you a bill thing to pay at a bank for your German classes. Then you go to the German school they send you to after you have paid and register for classes there. Then after that you can get the student social insurance (costs €23.60 per month), but I have no idea if there is an age restriction, but I don't think so. More than likely you'll get send to the Österreich Orient Gesellschaft (ÖOG), that's where all the universities send their students. It's not a bad school if you get the right teacher (I can help you there). But they only have 3 classes a day: 8:30 to 11:30, 11:30 to 2:30, and 2:30 to 5:30. Those are your options. The first morning class is really hard to get into if you don't speak German because they typically reserve it for people who work or have children.

After you finished your German classes (2 semesters or 3, depends on how much you want to learn), you have to take a test. If you pass the test that assess your language skills, then you are allowed to register for classes at the university of your choice. It's a two part, written and oral, and it is not a walk in the park. For instance: when I took the test back in November, 60 people registered and took it, over about 40 failed. I was the only one with a 1 and most had 4s and only a handful of 3s. That was the written part.

If you want more detailed info on the university admissions process, PM me. I've run that gauntlet multiple times alone and with friends, so I know how the game works. It's not easy.

[carltong]

Hey there,

I'm currently working as an English teacher at a school in the 4th District ... English and German we use the 'Direct Method' where the Grammer is learnt through speaking.
So your thinking and speaking directly in the new language and building confidence as you go along... Seems to be extremely effective.

Feel free to check out our page, www.learn-quick.at
Currently we are offering a 20% discount on lessons, Intensive Summer Courses will be available aswell =)

We will be expecting quite a few young people over the Summer, We cater to a wide range of people American, Saudi, Asian, Polish etc. With our youngest student being 10yrs old through to the oldest who is 85.

Oh, If you want to see how the lessons are conducted check youtube, and look up the 'Callan Method' (that's the English one), but the German lessons are simlar in fashion, it's a good atmosphere and you meet new in people in Wien too.

The website is in the process of being updated, Any questions feel free to ask as we don't open till Monday.

Enjoy =)