Deutsche Fernschule

Original entry with minor updates in 2020

Deutsche Fernschule is both an advisory agency for Germans working abroad and concerned about their children's schooling, and a provider of various sorts of supplementary schooling services to these

There are at least three scenarios:

1. Deutsche Fernschulecan advise parents on the choice of a local school
2. Or the child supplements the foreign school with a German course from Deutsche Fernschule,
3. Or the child receives tuition in all subjects at home.

Deutsche Fernschule assures children the highest possible level of education and provide each child with the opportunity to retain its cultural roots and still have plenty of time and enthusiasm to explore and experience the foreign environment.

It has 40 years of experience and over 10,000 German pupils in 139 countries of the world.

Its site is http://www.deutsche-fernschule.de - this in German but the automatic translation is very good. See in particular the page on the history of the institution at https://www.deutsche-fernschule.de/fernschule/geschichte-deutsche-fernschule/

Level of education

It appears that Deutsche Fernschule offers just primary education and another agency offers secondary education.

The process

In an advisory telephone interview Deutsche Fernschule determines exactly what the parents' and children's needs are and which schooling situation is the most suitable for the family. On choosing a suitable local school parents will benefit from the experiences of previous participants of the German course. Close contact to such families over four decades makes it possible for Deutsche Fernschuleto draw on experiential reports on many schools worldwide.

With German tuition mentored by a teacher in Germany parents can be assured that your child will be up to the standards required by German schools. Therefore the child can return to a German school in Germany at any time.

With tuition in all subjects, also mentored by a teacher in Germany, parents are completely flexible as far as place, time and local culture are concerned.

All tuition occurs at home with a teaching assistant there, either a parent or an au pair. The one-to-one learning situation reduces teaching time to about four hours a day, e.g. from 8 o’clock to 12.

The rest of the day the child has time to interact with local children. Experience has shown that language and culture are thus learnt quickly.

With this concept it does not matter whether both parents work or just one, both situations are equally well catered for. Also it does not matter whether a parent assists the child in learning or e.g. an au pair takes over this role. Merely a native German speaker is required to assist the child locally. Pedagogical experience is not necessary.

Deutsche Fernschule can advise, no matter whether parents go abroad at short notice or with a long preparation stage. There are no application deadlines and there are no obligatory school holidays. Parents can start their children's education start 52 weeks of the year.

As a non-profit organisation the price segment lies well below those of other international schools even for tuition in all subjects.

There is a useful video of how distance education works at http://www.deutsche-fernschule.de/en/primary-school-to-go/ (in German).

The Deutsche Fernschule is regulated by the Central Agency for Schools Abroad

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