German Course for Teachers (A1–A2)

Name: German Language Course for Teachers in Bremen: Beginners (A1–A2)
Price: 400 EUR

Why this is Erasmus+ eligible

Structured, multi-day programme (5 days) with a pre-defined schedule and learning outcomes — not a passive lecture format.

Built around interaction: participants engage directly with the trainer and with peers from other countries throughout the course.

Transnational by design — open to participants travelling from outside the host country, a core requirement of Erasmus+ mobility funding.

The Erasmus+ Programme Guide states that “The lack of language competences is one of the main barriers to participation in European education, training and youth programmes” (Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, Part A – Important features of the Erasmus+ Programme, Multilingualism, p. 12), and lists among the objectives of Key Action 1 mobility in school education “supporting professional development of teachers, school leaders and other school staff” and “building capacity of schools to engage in cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and carry out high quality mobility projects” (Part B – Key Action 1, Mobility for pupils and staff in school education, Objectives of the action, p. 103). This week gives teachers and education staff a first working German, learned in Germany: the language of a partner school, of a job-shadowing visit, and of the German-speaking families many schools already have. Participants use it every day in real situations in Bremen and finish the week with a self-assessment in the Council of Europe's wording.

Overview

Maybe your school has a partner in Germany or Austria, or families who speak German at home. Maybe you simply want to start. This week starts from zero and takes place in Germany, so the German you learn in the morning is the German you use in the afternoon.

Monday — first words: greetings, numbers, signs and announcements, and a first walk through the city.
Tuesday — talking with people: introducing yourself, ordering in a café or bakery, asking the way.
Wednesday — German for school: classroom words, a short email and a note to a colleague.
Thursday — helping someone understand: passing on a simple message, reading a timetable and guiding your group.
Friday — you try Tuesday’s and Thursday’s tasks again, and write about your German in the European framework’s words.

You go home with a written self-assessment of your German, a small set of phrases you have really used, and a plan for how to go on. You do not need any German to start. The trainer teaches in German and explains in English when you need it.

Description

Learning a language in the country where it is spoken is different. In a classroom, “Ein Brötchen, bitte” is a sentence in a book. In Bremen, it is breakfast.

The week is built on the Council of Europe’s language framework (the CEFR, updated in 2020), which describes what you can do with a language, even at the very first level, called Pre-A1. So the week is organised by what you do with German — understanding, talking with people, writing, and passing on a message — not by grammar chapters.

Each morning you learn in a small group with your trainer. From Monday to Thursday, each afternoon you take the morning’s German into the city for one short, real task: reading signs and announcements, ordering at a bakery, asking for the way, reading a timetable and leading your group to the right stop. The trainer stays close by. Mistakes are part of the task.

The trainer teaches in German and explains in English when needed, so you need basic English, but no German at all. One week will not make you fluent. It gives you a real start, the confidence of having used German in Germany, and a clear picture of your level.

Methodology

Morning in class, afternoon in the city

from Monday to Thursday, every afternoon has one short task in Bremen that uses the morning's German in a real situation, with the trainer there.

German first, English when needed

the trainer speaks German and switches to English to explain, so nobody is lost on the first day.

What you can do, not what you know

the Council of Europe's “can do” descriptions from Pre-A1 to A2 show where you are, on Monday and again on Friday.

Small groups, no one left out

speaking happens in pairs and threes, and nobody has to speak in front of everyone.

Mixed levels are normal

the task stays the same for everyone; what changes is how much German you use to do it.

What you'll take home

Understand simple signs, announcements and instructions in German, and use a strategy for the part you did not catch.

Introduce yourself, order, ask for the way and ask someone to repeat or speak slowly.

Use basic classroom German and write a short email or note to a German-speaking colleague.

Pass on a simple message in German, for example a time or a meeting place, so that someone else can use it.

A self-assessment of your German in the Council of Europe's wording, and a plan for how to continue.

Daily programme

Icebreaker: “Ich heiße … und ich komme aus …” — participants introduce themselves in their first German sentence, and learn one word from each other's language in return
The map for the week: the Council of Europe framework (CEFR) and its levels from Pre-A1 to A2, read together with the trainer in English; each participant marks where they stand today, on one sheet, kept for Friday
First words: greetings, numbers, days, times, and the German letters and sounds that are different from English
Reading the city: signs, shop doors, opening hours and announcements — what you can understand without knowing the words
City task: a first walk through the old town with the trainer, collecting ten words from signs and announcements
Output: your first self-assessment sheet and your ten words from the street

Warm-up: “Wer bin ich?” — each participant wears a card with a job and finds out what it is by asking yes/no questions in German from a short list on the board (“Bist du Lehrer?”, “Arbeitest du in einer Schule?”)
Introducing yourself: name, country, job, school — and asking others the same (in the framework: Conversation and Information exchange, Pre-A1 to A2)
In the café and the bakery: ordering, asking the price, saying “Noch einmal, bitte” and “Langsamer, bitte”
Asking the way: left, right, straight on, the tram stop
City task: in pairs, in one street or square near the market, order something at a café or bakery — or just ask the price — and ask one person for the way; the trainer stays within sight. Back in the room, your partner writes one line on the partner-notes sheet: what you managed and where you asked for help
Output: your personal phrase set for talking — including the phrases for when you do not understand

Classroom German: the words for things, actions and instructions in a school — “Macht bitte eure Bücher auf”, “Wer ist heute nicht da?” — the German you will hear on a job-shadowing visit or a partner-school exchange
Writing (Notes, messages and forms; Correspondence): a short email to a German-speaking colleague and a note for a noticeboard, written from a model and corrected with a partner
Talking about your school: a few sentences about your school, your subject and your students
City task: reading a short text in the city — a poster, a menu or a notice — and writing down what it says in simple words
Output: a short email and a note in German, checked and corrected

Passing on a message: a time, a place, a small change of plan — understood in German and passed on so another person can act on it (the framework calls this mediation, and it starts at the very first level)
Numbers and times in real life: timetables, opening hours, prices
City task: the whole group travels together by tram; each small group reads the timetable and plans and leads one stage of the trip. Back in the room, your partner notes on the same sheet how you passed on the plan
Output: a message you passed on correctly, and the route your group planned

Opening session — the second try: Tuesday's talking task and Thursday's message task done again in the classroom, in small groups; a partner notes what went well on the same sheet as on Tuesday and Thursday, using the same “can do” descriptions
Monday's sheet beside Friday's: what changed, what did not, and what an honest A1 or A2 looks like
Your plan: how to continue learning German at home — how often, with what kind of free material, and with whom
Output: your self-assessment in the framework's wording and your plan
Course evaluation and feedback
Certificate ceremony

Please note: sessions run from 09:30 to 15:00, Monday to Friday, with a break for lunch. Timings can shift a little to suit the venue and the group. If you'd like a specific topic covered, let us know when you apply — the confirmed day-by-day schedule is sent to registered participants ahead of the course.

Certificate: we issue the Certificate of Attendance to everyone who's present for at least 80% of the course — tracked with the daily sign-in sheet (see Certificate & assessment).

Equipment: a few of our courses ask participants to bring a laptop — check the day-by-day programme above, or ask us if you're not sure.

Need a formal invoice or proforma for your school's records? Ask us — we issue official invoices with the participant's name and course details.

Materials & tools

Your own free copy of the Companion volume, downloaded from the Council of Europe on Day 1, with a one-page map of the levels and scales used this week

A school German word list, built in class

City task cards for Monday to Thursday

The self-assessment sheet, filled in on Monday and rewritten on Friday

Your phrase set, email and note — written by you during the week

Certificate & assessment

This is a Certificate of Attendance, not an exam-based qualification — recognition comes from completing the structured programme, not from passing a test. The real, lasting value is in the competencies listed above under What you'll take home.

Erasmus Mobility Academy

Certificate of Attendance

German Language Course for Teachers in Bremen: Beginners (A1–A2) · 5 days · 25 hrs

+ Europass Mobility document

Type your name above — clearly marked "SAMPLE" in the PDF, not an official document.

The real certificate is signed by your trainer and EMA's authorised signatory. Your own signature isn't on this document — it's captured separately, on the Europass Mobility document.

Need to verify a real certificate? Check it online using the serial number and participant's full name, or contact us directly — [email protected], OID E10304561.

Attendance

Tracked using a sign-in sheet with one signature per participant per day (paper or digital). This record is used to issue your Certificate of Attendance and Europass Mobility document. View sign-in sheet (PDF)

Output

Every participant leaves with a completed Dissemination & School Impact Plan — a step-by-step template for applying the course back at your school (see below).

Feedback

An end-of-course evaluation form is sent to every participant after the course ends — a chance to reflect on what you've learned and how you'll apply it, and it helps us keep improving the course for future participants.

Your paperwork

Keep your travel tickets, boarding passes and (if you used green travel) any related receipts — your school or National Agency may ask for these for their own Erasmus+ reporting.

How to prepare

You do not need any German. Basic English helps, because the trainer explains in English when needed.

Comfortable shoes are useful: Monday to Thursday afternoons include a short walk in the city.

City tasks are free or cost a few euros at most — a coffee, a tram ticket. Nobody has to buy anything: asking the price is enough. In bad weather, tasks are shortened or moved indoors; tell us in advance about any mobility needs.

A phone is enough to download the Companion volume. Nothing needs to be installed and no account has to be created.

Practical information

Registration & documents

Not sure how registering works or what paperwork is involved? See our full Registration & Documents guide — from applying to your Certificate of Attendance, in one place.

Invitation letter

Need a formal invitation letter for your school or embassy? Request one — we send it within 2 business days. See a sample (PDF).

Learning Agreement

Prepared by our staff and sent to you and your school once your registration form is submitted — see what it looks like. See a sample (PDF).

Billing & invoicing

We issue official invoices/proformas with the participant's name and course details — ask us. Payment is due in full by bank transfer before the course start date. See a sample (PDF).

Airport transfer

Guidance on getting from the nearest airport to the venue is included in your welcome information.

Accommodation

We can recommend partner hotels close to the venue in the host city — ask us when you apply.

For your school / proposal

School impact

After completing this course, the participating staff member can transfer outcomes directly to their school: a short briefing for colleagues sharing the key takeaways, applying relevant tools or strategies from the programme in their own role, and inclusion of the course materials in the school's professional development resources — turning one person's mobility into a wider institutional gain that supports the school's Erasmus+ objectives. Use the Dissemination & School Impact Plan below to fill in your own — it saves as you go and can generate a one-page summary for your coordinator too.

Prefer a blank, course-independent version of this template? Get it here →

After the course

Participants will receive their Certificate of Attendance and the co-signed Europass Mobility document.

Participants will complete a general course evaluation and event survey.

Participants will receive course materials, videos, photos, and PDF documents in both digital and print formats.

Follow-up support: self-evaluation materials are provided. Depending on the group, an email group may be set up so that participants can keep exchanging ideas.

Frequently asked

This course is an eligible training activity under Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (School Education Mobility) — the course fee, travel and subsistence fall within the eligible cost categories. Whether it is covered depends on your own project's approved grant agreement and your National Agency's rules; we provide all the invoices, attendance records and certificates your National Agency requires for reporting.

None. This course starts from zero, at the level the Council of Europe calls Pre-A1. The trainer teaches in German and explains in English when needed, so basic English helps. If you already speak some German, our German Language Course for Teachers in Bremen: Intermediate (B1–B2) may suit you better.

Absolutely — group bookings of 3+ from one school or organisation receive priority placement, and we can schedule a dedicated session for a group from one school or organisation. This course runs with a maximum of 12 participants, so that is the size of a full private group.

This course runs only in Bremen — the daily programme is built around that city, so it is not offered in our other centres.

Tuition, all course materials, your Certificate of Attendance, and the co-signed Europass Mobility document. Flights, accommodation and travel insurance are booked separately — we send a vetted hotel list.

You can move to any later session free of charge. Cancellations made 30+ days before the start date receive a full refund; a reduced refund applies closer to the date — see our full Cancellation & Refund Policy for the exact schedule.

The Erasmus+ Programme Guide states that “The lack of language competences is one of the main barriers to participation in European education, training and youth programmes” (Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, Part A – Important features of the Erasmus+ Programme, Multilingualism, p. 12), and lists among the objectives of Key Action 1 mobility in school education “supporting professional development of teachers, school leaders and other school staff” and “building capacity of schools to engage in cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and carry out high quality mobility projects” (Part B – Key Action 1, Mobility for pupils and staff in school education, Objectives of the action, p. 103). This week gives teachers and education staff a first working German, learned in Germany: the language of a partner school, of a job-shadowing visit, and of the German-speaking families many schools already have. Participants use it every day in real situations in Bremen and finish the week with a self-assessment in the Council of Europe's wording. Frame it in your own project's terms — your National Agency's current call will confirm exactly how it applies.

Because the German you learn in the morning is the German you use in the afternoon, from Monday to Thursday — in a café, on a tram, in the street. Bremen is our centre in Germany, and the course is built around daily tasks in the city.

If you have no German or very little, choose this course. If you can already talk about everyday topics in simple German and want to follow discussions, read and write with more confidence, choose German Language Course for Teachers in Bremen: Intermediate (B1–B2).

German Language Course for Teachers in Bremen: Beginners (A1–A2)