#Is transfer from American public schools to German public schools possible?

20 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

fiery igloo
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Ich spreche ein bisschen deutsch, nicht zu viel doch. Ich habe eine wichtiger frage.

My step-father is going into the US Military and may be deployed to a base in Germany. Germany has been our choice of pick of location for awhile if we cannot get a base where near we live. Though, if we do get Germany, I would much rather go to a German public school than the US base school.

Is it even possible to transfer from a US Public School to a German Public School? How would that process work? I am currently a freshman in American high school.

I am fully willing to take on the difficulties that come with language struggles, I hope to at minimum be mid-B1 by the time I go to Germany.

topaz breach
# fiery igloo Ich spreche ein bisschen deutsch, nicht zu viel doch. Ich habe eine wichtiger fr...

When I went from my home country I was just put in the class that I was supposed to go to normally.

In my experience, I do not recommend going to a German school with non fluent german. Everything is in german, and its geared for people who speak fluent german, not those who are learning it. You won't be able to follow what they teach and most likely will have to repeat whatever year you join in, when I was there there were 2 of us who didn't speak German fluently and the teachers said its best if we repeat the year. There was another girl who came without fluent german and she also repeated the year that she joined in.

Generally, unless there's a separate class for those without german as a second language. There won't be any special provisions for you. You will write tests written in the same level of german as everyone else, the teachers won't simplify their language, etc.

fiery igloo
topaz breach
worldly tiger
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Apart from the language barrier, once you get that out of the way, you should also pay mind to the differences in lesson content. Some classes will be a breeze for you likely (like English), some will probably be similar to whatever you encountered in the U.S. so they should be manageable (I imagine something like P.E. or art class). But some will be completely different and new. Classes like history or German. In history, the focus will be on European and German history a lot, and even though there's some stuff about the U.S. and the colonies as well, it's not the main point by far. In German class, prepare to have to read and interpret a lot of German literature, depending on the class and school you join.

On the topic of schools, you should be aware that Germany has not one, but multiple different school types after elementary school that also somewhat depend on which state you're in, since education is mostly handled by the states. Whichever school type you attend will influence the difficulty of lesson content, the subjects taught, the year in which you graduate and the paths that are open to you afterwards. That's what the mention of Gesamtschule/Gymnasium is about. In my state, when I went to school, there were 4 such options: Hauptschule (until class 9 or 10) mainly geared towards simpler vocations and trades, Realschule (until class 10) for more complex vocations and trades, Gymnasium (until class 12 or 13) for university/academic paths and Gesamtschule which was a sort of fusion where paths from multiple school types could be taken. This is a simplification of course, and a few things have changed since then. But if you complete Hauptschule or Realschule, you need some additional education to be able to go to university, if that is what you want.

violet thicket
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Is there any chance, that the base where your father will be sent can support you with information like what schools are around that base. Or maybe you know where you will be sent with your father and ask a bit more specific.
In my opinion it's probably not the worst option to repeat a year while having learned German.

fiery igloo
worldly tiger
# fiery igloo Unfortunately the shitty US system doesn’t give us any information about where w...

I don't know if this helps, but on the German Wikipedia, there's a list of US and NATO bases in Germany. Even if you don't know where you're going to end up, this already narrows it down to 5 states - which is already some improvement over having to consider all 16 states as possibilities. The ones that remain are North-Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg, all of them in the west or south of Germany.

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A few of those bases have their own Wikipedia articles.

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The German Wikipedia article goes into more detail. According to this, there are 5 main base regions of the US forces in Germany: 2 in Rhineland-Palatinate, 2 in Bavaria, and 1 in Baden-Wurttemberg. This makles it seem likely you might be able to limit your research to these three states.

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The article also explains which region is responsible for which type of operations. So if you know which your father's area of expertise is, you might have another clue to narrow it down further (you don't have to tell us, of course). According to the wikipedia article, there are:

  1. Ansbach region (which is in northern Bavaria): "12th combat aviation brigade with apache AH-64 battle helicopters"
  2. United states army garrison Bavaria: "troop exercise grounds Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels", "rose barracks in Vilseck with the 2nd cavalry regiment", "military community Garmisch"
  3. United states army garrison Rhineland-Palatinate: "logistical center of the US forces in Europe", "regional medical center", "one of the largest sites for US battle troops outside of the US"
  4. Ramstein air base (which is in southern Rhineland-Palatinate): "central hub for US operations in Europe an the middle east", "important relay station for the piloting of remotely controlled battle drones"
  5. United states army garrison Stuttgart (which in central Baden-Wurttemberg): "seat of over-regional headquarters", "tank barracks Böblingen with the headquarters of the US marines for Europe and Africa", "command center for US military operations in Africa"
fiery igloo
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This is very useful

feral mural
# fiery igloo Ich spreche ein bisschen deutsch, nicht zu viel doch. Ich habe eine wichtiger fr...

Just out of curiosity, why would you prefer a German school to the DoDEA school?

Also, how long are you guys planning to stay in that location? Do you want to do the German Abitur or get a US diploma? From what I’ve heard, it’s definitely possible to transfer, as long as it’s before you reach the Oberstufe (11th-13th grade).

I actually think it could be a great idea to attend a German school, especially early in high school. From my experience, unless you actively try to integrate yourself in German culture, you’ll be very separate from it on the base. I was born in Germany and lived there twice as a child, my parents were stationed at two air bases, and yet I knew practically no German until a couple years ago when I actively decided to learn it. I would say make the most of it—starting now in a Gymnasium will be very difficult, but you’ll learn a lot from it. Not only the language, but also the culture. I’m currently attending a Gymnasium in Bavaria and I find it very interesting how they teach subjects like history, geography, and religion. It’ll give you a completely new perspective.

Another note: your performance in the Gymnasium doesn’t really matter until you reach the Oberstufe, as long as you pass all your classes. In the U.S., how you perform dictates what classes/level of classes you can take in the coming years. In German schools, pretty much everyone takes the same courses. I guess you could see this as good or bad.

Definitely have a plan for graduation. If you’re planning to go back to US high school after 1-2 years, make sure you talk with someone (i.e. guidance counselor) about fulfilling your graduation requirements if you don’t want to repeat a year or take extra classes.

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I can’t say much about school types other than Gymnasium

fiery igloo
# feral mural Just out of curiosity, why would you prefer a German school to the DoDEA school?...

I have a couple of reasons, but the main one has to do with the fact I would be leaving my entire previous life, social life, and opportunities to go to Germany. If I’m going to do that, I’m not satisfied with anything but the full German experience.

There’s a challenge that comes with the language barrier that is very interesting to me, I’ve always had it very easy in school since I learn quicker than most, and I’ve grown up with the mentality to challenge my capabilities. So the personal need to prove that I can do it does play a role.

On top of this, going to a German school for high school would greatly help for higher education and integration, if I wish. Since my stepfather’s contract lasts 6 years, the rest of my high school years would be spent in Germany. Being forced to learn in a different language than your mothertongue helps multitudes in learning the language, which I think is essential if I want to integrate in the future.

feral mural
# fiery igloo I have a couple of reasons, but the main one has to do with the fact I would be ...

100%, go for it. I’m still a bit salty with my parents that they didn’t encourage/force me to integrate myself into German culture when I was younger. IMO the German school system does a much better job in some things, i.e. teaching foreign languages and a more well-rounded account of history & politics, giving students opportunities to learn independence, etc.

And you’re right, if you plan to go to uni in Germany, an Abitur would make it a lot easier, thought it’s definitely not impossible with a US diploma. The things that would smooth this transition (AP classes, dual enrollment courses) could be much harder to access in a DoDEA school, though. American colleges tend to be less strict about stuff like that in their application processes, and you’re a US citizen regardless, so no trouble the other way around.

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Depending on Bundesland/school you could be looking at 13 years of school instead of 12, if that matters to you