Germinating great study-travel opportunities
Without getting into a host of tired cultural stereotypes, there are many reasons to love Germany. Many Brits clearly feel the same, as the country is our sixth favourite holiday destination (according to the ONS).
The Babel Fish team are particularly keen to get out there – Berlin, in particular, looks wirklich cool.
But aside from awesome food, folk and folklore, one of the less celebrated aspects of German society is its focus on worker welfare and continuing education.
A lot of people don’t know, but if you work in Germany, most states allow for a special 5-10 day “vacation” / “holiday” (in addition to your normal holiday allocation) for educational training.
This is ‘Bildungsurlaub’.
Bildungsurlaub translates literally as “education holiday”.
While it might sound to some like a holiday from education, it actually means something completely different: a Bildungsurlaub is a paid holiday used for further education, so perhaps a better translation is “education leave”.
The concept has existed since 1974, with every state in Germany having its own law for a Bildungsurlaub. This usually looks like 5-10 days of study-travel allowance for qualifying workers.
The type of training people can do during a Bildungsurlaub varies, but it is typically things like language courses.
And that’s where we come in!
Whilst Surf and Study as well as English with Arts and Culture are cornerstones of our English school, we’ve quietly been amassing some accreditations for key German states – meaning workers who qualify for this education leave and who work in these states, can attend Babel Fish for an intensive language course.
This accreditation work is on-going, but we are pleased to announce a new state giving our school their seal of approval this month: Niedersachsen.
Our state accreditations now include:
- Berlin
- Hamburg
- Hessen
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Niedersachsen
- Saarland
With flights from Newquay Airport to both Hanover and Dusseldorf, our school has never been more accessible for Bildungsurlaub courses. (Read more about our local airport’s connections in last week’s blog…)
And of course, we would argue there simply is no better place to learn English than on the stunning Cornish coast at at a truly idyllic school.
Take a look at our sample timetables, or click here to book your course.
