References

Private courses

German with Yvonne is a stimulating and enjoyable experience; each lesson is designed with you (her student) in mind. She makes note of errors or difficulties in each lesson and covers those topics, amongst others, in her next meeting with you, using a wide variety of teaching aids – for example, friendly, flowing conversation; flash cards; games; textbooks; newspaper or magazine articles; and she arranged a tandem learning partner for me soon after my arrival in Zürich. I also attended a conversation class at a language school for about 18 months, but Yvonne’s personal and personable service was much better value for money. Yvonne never fails to answer questions and, importantly, answers them correctly. I sat and passed the B1 German exam at the end of my third year; I scored 84% and my success is due in no small part to my inspirational teacher, who steered me from barely being able to count to 10 to being able to hold a meaningful conversation and to read articles in Tages Anzeiger.

Carol Brighton/Amsterdam

The style was informal but focused on my learning needs. The lessons were conducted exclusively in German which accelerated the learning and stretched my vocabulary and grammar ability. As well as using a text book, the lessons also used a variety of other media which made the lessons more interesting and interactive. Frequently, I was able to change the content when I wanted to practice a specific social situation. This flexible lesson plan maximized the benefits I gained from the lessons. Yvonne’s approach is both supportive but also challenging, resulting in quick results. I would have no hesitation in recommending her to others.

Desmond Curtin, Mondelez/Zurich

I can say that after 6 years living in German-speaking countries, Yvonne´s lessons gave me a step change in my ability to speak German. My vocabulary got richer but most importantly Yvonne helped me understand and then correct some “small, but fundamental mistakes” :-) As a result, I achieved a higher comfort with the language, which allowed me speak more and get better and better. What helped the most was that we clearly agreed what will be my focus; Yvonne tailored the lessons to train on my shortfalls e.g. usage of “als” comes immediately in mind…; we followed a well defined and structures system Tangram, while at the same time we spoke on the hot topics of the day: political, social, etc. Yvonne provoked me with controversial subjects and I started speaking more and more intuitively there, as the focus was on the debate and not much anymore on the Grammar.

Nikolay Betov, Mondelez/Bratislava

Mark Twain used to say: Eternity was created to learn German... so my deepest hope, when I started to learn German, was to live long enough and become able to speak it some day (in the beginning, the language might feel a little more complex that expected). He did not have the opportunity to meet Yvonne, otherwise he would have shifted his paradigm. With Yvonne learning German can be atractive, fun, enjoyable, captivating, amuzing, connecting and inspiring, playful and most of all, rewarding and successful. She is using a variety of methodologies of resources, combining in a very natural and efficient way various components of the language and transforming it into a lovely learning experience. Yvonne is very gifted in her teaching, she is full of love and joy. If you are looking for an unique learning experience, your perfect guide into this journey is Yvonne Herrmann.

Doina Bratu, Pfizer/Zurich

After several false starts with other teachers Yvonne swiftly tuned into my learning style and needs, and gave my German the best foundation it could ever get. Our lessons were fun, challenging and rewarding. Yvonne has motivated and inspired me, and set me confidently on my way...

Sally Pasfield, Swiss Re/Zurich

"I spent close to 2 years learning German with Yvonne and she was able to manage a very flexible and fun format which helped me to keep focused and motivated. The material she used to support our lessons is excellent and she made sure that I had more than enough tools to enhance my learning process. We engaged in a lot of conversation and was a great opportunity to receive feedback on my progress. Yvonne is able to adapt her style to different personalities and needs as I could witness with other colleagues who also had lessons with her. She manages a very friendly but at the same time assertive interaction style which supports the process and helps you keep on track. My lessons with Yvonne were more than learning a new language, she helped me to understand better and appreciate the history and cultural aspects of the German speaking countries. I am very motivated to continue with my journey to improve my German because of her lessons since they are effective and the results are there.

Juan Alfonso Garcia, BASF, Vice President, Admixture Systems North America

Was mir besonders an dem Unterricht bei Yvonne gefallen hat, war die Tatsache, dass sie immer sehr gut vorbereitet war, und dass der Unterricht auch sehr strukturiert war. Auf alle meine grammatikalischen Fragen habe ich eine Antwort bekommen und ich habe ihre Kompetenz als Dozentin für Deutsch als Fremdsprache für sehr hoch bewertet. Ich habe auch die Wahl der Bücher angesichts meiner Bedürfnisse als sehr angemessen empfunden. Ich habe am Schluss zwar keine Prüfung abgelegt, aber dieser Deutschkurs hat es mir ermöglicht und mich ermutigt, ein Masterstudium anzufangen, was dann absolut problemlos abgelaufen ist. Fazit: Ich war von Yvonne ganz begeistert!

Alessia Palazzi Engler, Dietikon

Lessons with Yvonne were tailor-made! She was enthusiastic to on new ideas to make German learning more fun, and more adapted to my way of learning; with music, poems, children books, podcasts etc. I was also delighted to find someone that could also satisfy my curiosity, for ex about the origin of the words, the link with other languages, the swiss german variations. I did not validate my level with any exam, but being able to have a conversation at lunch time with my 'buddy language partner' or with my german boss & colleagues is the best reward.The lessons were fun & effective, which made me like German. Yvonne is particularly kind and genuine, which made me enjoy very much our conversations, despite being always after a long stressful working day. This is one major difference to other teachers I had in the past.

Julien Kerob, Mondelez/Oslo

I took private lessons with Yvonne from February to June 2013 and met her five times a week. What I experienced had nothing to do with previous German courses that I have attended. This course was very organised and customised on my needs and skills. I enjoyed the fact that we spoke only German during the lessons and that helped a lot with my preparation for the B1 exam. I also enjoyed the fact that revisions and in-class assignments were made in a way that would catch my attention and help me remember things. Someone could easily understand that a lot of attention was given on the preparation of every lesson. All my questions were properly answered with examples were needed and they were fully understood. Each lesson was based on my level of knowledge and skills. Revisions were usual and extra attention on my weak points were given. I passed the B1 German exam and I was very satisfied with achieving that in a short period of time. I was fully prepared for it by going through some mock exams before the final examination.

Konstantinos Anagnostopoulos, Keramoti/Greece

I had private course with Yvonne for almost 2 years and it has been really a great experience of German learning. Yvonne is very responsible and strict, but at the same time very inspiring and always helpful to answer all the questions in the readily understood way. Instead of rigidly focusing on the text books only, Yvonne tailors the courses based on my actual progress and needs, which keeps me always motivated and eager to move forward. After 2 years efficient learning, I received my Goethe B1 certificate in June this year with considerably good grade. I’m really happy with the progress I made with German learning and very much thankful to Yvonne’s great guidance through the whole learning path.

Sarah Cheng, Dacuda/Shanghai

Group courses

As a working mother, I have no time for homework. Learning from the teacher, in the classroom, is critical. That is why I chose Yvonne over other teachers. She explains well, works on the person’s weak points, and makes the entire class fun. Every lesson is positive and empowering! In addition to group lessons, I had several personal sessions with Yvonne to prepare for B1 Goethe exam. It was extremely helpful – I passed with excellent scores! With almost no study time at home, it was really amazing. Yvonne has saved me hours of self-preparation time, which in my world is priceless.

Olya Hoza, German Language School/Egg

Yvonne ist ohne Zweifel die beste Sprachlehrerin, die ich je hatte! Ihre Fachkenntnis, ihr Enthusiasmus und ihre Geduld haben meinen Deutschkurs zum Höhepunkt der Woche gemacht.

Mats Madsen, RUAG Space/Zurich

Having done a speaking-focussed beginner course elsewhere, it was great to discover lessons with Yvonne as she helped fill in the grammar gaps and made speaking German so much easier. She is really personable and has great games for vocabulary training, repetition etc. The class time just flew by and I would recommend her to any one.

Jane Barnes, German Language School/Egg

Ich hatte die Chance mit Yvonne Deutsch zu lernen. Als ich jünger war, musste ich in der Schule Deutsch lernen und ich erinnere daran als schlechtes Souvenir. Aber mit Yvonne ist es anders. Wir haben gut gelernt, aber mit Spass. Sie hat uns die Motivation gegeben. Sie kann auch adaptieren, wenn wir zu viel Arbeit oder wir einen speziellen Wunsch oder Bedürfnis haben.

Amaya Gil, Itaú/Zurich

Mir hat besonders die Kursstruktur (ein bisschen Grammatik, Hoerverstehen und Dialoge) am Deutschunterricht mit Yvonne gefallen. Und auch wie Yvonne die Themen präsentiert hat! Sie konnte immer und sogleich meine Fragen beantworten, nie zu generell oder unklar. Der Unterricht war gut auf meine Bedürfnisse abgestimmt.

Francesco Leardini, FIFA TMS GmbH/Zurich

I enjoyed the focus on speaking and communicating in the German classes I had with Yvonne. She looked for topics that would interest us to both encourage and challenge us to speak. Furthermore, Yvonne was always able to answer all my questions and she tailored the lessons absolutely to my needs. In comparison to other German courses, classes were a lot more dynamic, with emphasis in training us to understand and speak, and with nice parts of German and Swiss culture in them! I did not think that we were only being trained to pass a test, but to be able to live in a German speaking country.

Vega Ibanez, Bank Julius Bär/Zurich

Arriving in Switzerland 2 years ago from the UK, I attended the A1 German course with Yvonne, starting completely from scratch. I can safely say that I am so pleased to have found Yvonne, the course has been amazing. I now understand the basic rules of the language and especially the grammar. This seemed so complicated to start with, but now makes sense and as a side line it has also helped me to understand English grammar. Yvonne followed the structure of the textbooks provided, but would often provide additional material around relevant topics and themes of everyday life, using videos, music, games and basic stories, this also helped to keep our curiosity fresh and interest high. Yvonne would find different ways of answering questions if the original way was not understood, with many different examples and the corresponding translation in English if required and where needed she would also provide the Swiss German variations. Yvonne’s classes were effective and highly enjoyable. They were always friendly and regardless of your level Yvonne is always open and helpful. The sense of improvement and understanding was for me the best push ever to try to learn more and put my German lessons into practice, but being able to have a conversation in everyday life, doctors, cafes etc. was the best reward and I would recommend Yvonne’s lessons to anyone.

Samantha Doyle, German Language School/Egg

I attended the A1 German course with Yvonne, starting almost from scratch with German. I can say that the course has been really helpful for me to understand the basic rules of the language and especially the grammar, which appeared so complicated to me at the beginning. Yvonne was able to explain the topics in a very clear manner and she always provided a summary of all the import rules and grammar structures to be kept in mind for the next lessons: this was very useful for me when I had to study at home or do a quick review of the grammar. She followed the textbooks but often she provided also additional material and homework, according to the student's needs and the specific topic. She was able to answer precisely all the questions we had about whatever topic by providing many examples and the corresponding translation in English as well, when required for a better understanding. It was apparent that her teaching approach is coming form a perfect knowledge of German and a long experience as a teacher in many different environments.

Stefano Desiderati, RUAG Space/Zurich

Arriving in Switzerland from the UK three years ago I was expecting my German to largely take care of itself. I soon discovered that I was wrong. It was not until Yvonne's tuition that I began making significant progress in my knowledge of the language, and making much more out of an expat life as a result. Her classes were tailored to my priorities and learning style, with each session meticulously prepared yet leaving room for improvisation if a topic of particular interest and relevance emerged unexpectedly in its course. Yvonne has the ability to answer the most obscure grammatical questions in a clear and concise way and put them in a broader context, but she also is an excellent conversationalist with an impressively broad range of interests. Consequently, her classes were both effective and highly enjoyable, and I would recommend them to you.

Daniel Pytlik, Bank Julius Bär/Zurich

The best thing about my German lessons was the freedom to make mistakes and to ask questions. I never felt intimidated or as if I'd asked a silly question. The lessons were very varied - in terms of subjects covered and skills taught - and it was clear that the teacher adapted what was planned depending on the needs and interests of her students. I learnt a lot without it feeling like hard work! The lessons had a real impact on my confidence and competence. I wish I could carry on with them...

Jenny Graves, German Language School/Egg

Yvonne bot uns/mir maßgeschneiderte Vorlesungen, deren Inhalten unserem/meinem Bedürfnisse regelmäßig angepasst waren. Die Sympathie und die Kompetenz der Lehrerin sind Faktoren, die den Lernprozess erheblich gefördert haben. Insbesondere fand ich es sehr wichtig, die Möglichkeit zu haben, sich über nicht oberflächliche Themen im Rahmen der Diskussionsübungen äußern zu können.

Michele Bernasconi, RUAG Space/Zurich

Semi-private courses

The lessons we took with Yvonne over two years were technically thorough yet conducted in an informal manner. Yvonne systematically covered all the basics and progressed to the next level of proficiency whilst still finding time to re-visit challenging or forgotten sections of the syllabus. Our particular tuition was tailored to specific needs and Yvonne also brought her own innovative style to bear, for example by tying in seasonal and local traditions with hands-on exercises. There was not a single occasion when Yvonne could not provide an answer and explanation - except perhaps when quizzing her on how to say 'sju sjuka sjömän sköttes av sju sköna sjuksköterskor' in Swedish!

Fam. Sundström, Wine & Wealth/Herrliberg

IB preparation courses

'I liked very much being able to speak normally in German conversationally between 2 people. All my questions were always answered. My German IB exams went very well and I got a good grade. All the lessons helped me very much'

David Brighton, York