Frequently Asked Questions – Dutch Summer School

When should you NOT book our course?

We don’t have the goal of selling as many courses as possible. We really want to have the right mix of students, people who are motivated and like our concept. Only that way, we can create together the unique atmosphere of living and studying together, and go for the best learning results.

For this reason, we advise when you should NOT book our courses.

Don’t book our courses if you don’t master English at B1 level

We use English as the instruction language on the lower levels -> from level 1 to 3 (0 to A2+). Many studies have proven that using an instruction language to explain things is more efficient than full immersion (where the teacher only speaks in Dutch). That doesn’t mean that the teacher only speaks in English, but during instruction she/he will. We strongly believe in this approach. Only on the higher levels 4, 5, R (A2/B1/B2) the teacher speaks only in Dutch.

Secondly, English is the organisation’s language (letters, announcements will be made in English, because we always have beginner groups and we want everybody to understand everything).

Don’t just send someone to our course…

Important remark for employers, parents, spouses and other sponsors…

Most of our students book and pay for this course themselves. The student has found us on the internet… perhaps is using our online materials (learndutch.org) and then decides to do an investment. This is the best possible motivation.

If you are an employer who wants to send an employee, or you are a parent and want to send your child… then please be sure that your employee or child have 100% motivation to learn the language and to do that in our way.

Our whole method is based on the inner motivation of the student to learn Dutch. This is not a strict school system, where students are punished when not doing the homework, or where they need to pass an exam in the end. Our students should have the true desire to learn this language (not because someone else wants this and pays for the course!).

We consider this one of our strongest points. Both students and teachers who had classes at other language schools, confirm that the overall level of motivation of the students is exceptionally high at our program, which boosts the group result.

This is programme for adults, not for children!

We are frequently contacted by parents who want to send their children. Please note: this is a programme for adults, not for children!

There is no supervision.

Those who are under 18 and want to participate, are expected to behave like adults… that means: that one should be able to travel independently, and as our accommodation is based on self catering, one should be able to prepare his/her own meals. Apart from that – our way of teaching is not like a children’s school system. As explained above, it is based on the inner motivation to learn the language: doing homework because you want to learn the language, not because the teacher tells you to do so.

It’s not a relaxing holiday!

Even though we are located in nature and the language campus is part of a holiday park and part of the class is in the open air, this is not a leisure activity! Our programmes are very intensive. Apart from the 3,5 hours/day in class, count on approximately 4 hours of homework. Of course you can spend the rest of the time as you want. But we’re not the type of language school as in Spain or Malta, where leisure activities and parties are as important as the classes itself. The people who book our courses have as a primary goal to learn as much Dutch as possible in a short time.

Don’t book this course if you don’t like to do homework

Our students visit us to learn the language. Our students want results. A very important factor to get results is self study. Count on 3-4 hours per day.

We work with the flipped-classroom principle. That means that each student prepares for the next lesson with our online materials. This way, we can focus on applying the acquired knowledge in class. That makes the lessons more efficient and interactive. It has no sense to come to class without having done the homework.

Don’t book this course if you plan to work at the same time

It is not recommended to work part-time during this course.

Our course is intensive and it requires your full attention. Count on 3-4 hours of homework additional to the hours in class. In the free hours… some rest is also important.

Of course, if it’s just answering mails for 30 minutes/day then it is not a problem.

The majority of our students are higher educated

We don’t have a strict requirement that everybody should have higher education. But people, who spend their holidays learning a language, are usually higher educated. Our students are doctors, programmers, managers, entrepreneurs etc. Our courses have a challenging pace and are designed for higher educated people.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t participate at our courses if you didn’t finish university… If you are lower educated, or you are extremely slow in learning languages… count on spending more time on your homework and a decent preparation prior to the course (with the help of our e-learning package) will definitely help.

If you come for 2 sessions or more, you might think about re-doing a level if the pace is too high, before going to the next level.

We don’t provide assistance in getting a visa

Most nationalities do not need a visa to come to the Netherlands.

If your nationality requires a visa to travel to the Netherlands, please make sure you’re able to arrange a visa. We do not provide visa support, so that means that you need a company or a private person who are able to provide a visa invitation letter and who can guarantee your stay and financial means.

You can’t book this course with a DUO-loan.

The Dutch governments provides loans to learn Dutch (for example to refugees). Our school does not work with DUO-loans. There are many language schools operating on this specific niche already. And we like to do our own thing… We want to focus on higher educated people who want to learn Dutch fast, and we like a mix of all nationalities. We don’t have the capacity to deal with related bureaucratic procedures, as we prefer to spend all our time on creating new and interesting learning materials.

Psychological strength…

Our courses are very intensive. You meet a lot of new people. During 2 weeks or more you intensively study together, live together and spend time together outside the classes. That may require a lot of energy, also psychologically. We sometimes see that for some people it can be a little overwhelming. And for some people it can be even too much… What one person experiences as a very relaxing language holiday, can cause stress to someone else… It is very difficult for us to tell when you should and should not book a course, but think twice if you have suffered from depressions or psychological disorders…

TIP: be fresh at the start of the course, if possible avoid a jetlag at the start of the course… if you travel from far, consider arriving a bit earlier… and don’t plan that busy work week right before the course (if you can). And the better you are prepared with our online materials… the smoother your start will be. That will give you a good feeling at the beginning of your course.

RESUMING

You don’t find a reason above NOT to book our course? Well, then probably this course is made for you!

It’s important to sign up for the right level and determine your level when you book your course.

You can read the level descriptions here.

  • Doing one of the level tests when signing up is mandatory.
  • If you want to sign up for a different level than indicated in the test result: an oral intake is mandatory.

Because our groups are usually full, it is important to realise that changing levels less than 4 weeks prior to the start of the course is not possible.

For the best possible advice, we recommend to do both tests and the oral intake:
STEP 1. Do the multiple choice level test
STEP 2. Do the extra level test
STEP 3. Call us for an oral intake / advise after you did the tests (+31648074618)

There is no specific deadline for application. As long as we have availability, you can book the course.

Attention: some Summer courses may reach full booking quite early. If you can come only on a specific date or want want a specific type of accommodation, it is recommended not to wait too long to book your course.

Please also note that the pricing can change: for the best price, sign up with the eary-bird discount.

We publish:
– the course dates for the next Summer School (July/August) on dutchsummerschool.nl
– the course dates for the next Winter School (October/November/January/February/March/April) on dutchwinterschool.nl
– the course dates for the virtual classrooms (year-round) on www.learndutch.org/learn-dutch-virtual-classroom/

WHEN:
You will get a payment link when your course is confirmed (usually within 24 hours after making the application).

The payment terms:
– within 2 weeks if the reservation is made more than 2 months prior to commencement
– within 1 week if the reservation is made between 2 weeks and 2 months prior to commencement
– within 2 days if the reservation is made less than 2 weeks prior to commencement

HOW:
You can pay per bank transfer, per credit card or with iDEAL.

The group size in class: maximum 14 participants, average 10-12 participants.

Usually there are 4-6 groups at the same time (40-60 particpants).

Our Summer and Winter Schools attract in total usually 500 students/year; approximately 10 course periods of 40-60 students.

We have students of all ages:
– 25% of our participants is below 25
– 40% between 25-40
– 35% is above 40

The minimum age for participation is 18 years. We are willing to accept students above 16, in case the parents write a special letter declaring that the student behaves like an adult, is independent, able to travel and cook by him/herself, or if the parent travels together with the student.

From everywhere!

Western-Europe: 30%
Eastern-Europe: 15%
Asia: 15%
Middle & South America: 15%
North-America: 15%
Africa: 5%
Middle East: 3%
Australia & New Zealand: 2%

Yes, of course!

About 10% of our students has the Dutch nationality, but never learned to speak it. Typically children from a transnational marriage, with 1 of the parents being Dutch; who always lived outside the Netherlands.

It’s just 2 hours from the Amsterdam Airport and you reach it by train (railway station Beilen). From the railway station it’s approximately 10km to the holiday park.

You can reach the holiday park using the Hub Taxi for (approximately 3-3,50 euros). The Hub Taxi is a subsidised taxi service, funded by the Drenthe province. Order it at least 1 hour before your ride, by phone +31-883394850.

Learn more here.

Count on approximately 3-4 hours of homework per day.

For a good result, it is extremely important that you review the lesson of today, before you enter the classroom tomorrow.

Please note: you can use the #dutchgrammar videos to prepare for the course. A good preparation can boost your results. And you can work a bit ahead prior to the course in order to reduce the self study load during the course.

No, meals are not included. In all our residences, there is a shared kitchen that you can use to prepare meals.

Nearby grocery stores:
– 10-15 minutes by bike / 25-30 minutes walk*

* In 2023, most likely a small shop will  be opened at the holiday park in Drenthe

No, sorry. We are a language school, not a travel agency.

Most nationalities won’t require a visa to travel to the Netherlands for a short stay (less than 3 months).

NO VISA FOR SHORT STAY:
That counts for: EU countries, US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, most non-EU European countries and more.

SHORT STAY VISA REQUIRED:
Countries that do require a visa: most Asian and African countries and former CIS countries (like Russia, Kazakhstan etc).

If you don’t know: please check the Dutch Migration Service.

SCHENGEN VISA
If you already have a Schengen visa, issued by another country for the same period, you don’t need to apply for a Dutch visa.

No, unfortunately we don’t provide visa support letters and we don’t provide assistance in obtaining a visa.

You can register for the programme if you already have a right to stay in the Netherlands, based on:
– a (temporary) residence permit
– if you have a nationality that does not require a visa for stays up to 90 days
– if you have or are able to arrange yourself a valid visa for a the Netherlands / a different Schengen country

More information here: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/travel/visas-for-the-netherlands

We recommend to check official government websites for the latest information on travel bans regarding with respect to the  pandemic. Don’t book a course if you’re not sure you can travel to the Netherlands.

Yes, at our language campus there is free wifi access.

The Netherlands is approximately equally expensive as any other Western European country. How much money you spend additionally will depend on yourself. You can make it as cheap and as expensive as you want.

In cheap grocery stores (like the German discounters Aldi and Lidl), you really don’t pay much for decent quality food. Some students are surpised to see a whole bread priced at 2 euros, bottles of soda for 2 euros or wine bottles for 5 euros. Good to know that even in the village next to our resort in Drenthe, there is a Lidl grocery store.

If you go to a bar, you will pay between 3,00 and 4,00 for a drink. The cheapest restaurants (even in Amsterdam) provide tourist meals or pizza’s for about 15 euros. But if you want quality dining, you may spend 30-40 euro on a meal in a restaurant.

Tickets for museums usually rate at 10-15 euros. Public transport: travelling within the city 1-3 euros per ride. Train tickets: 50 km approximately: 10 euros (one-way), cross the Netherlands: 30 euros (one-way).

Yes, the time next to the classes you can spend as you want. As long as you don’t forget to do your homework (which takes approximately 3-4 hours)!

If we organise additional activities, participation is not obligatory.

Yes, we issue a certificate, when 80% of the lessons are attended.

What is the value of the certificate:
It will proove your participation. You can show your employer, put it on the wall or on your resume. You can use it as an indication when taking a language course elsewhere.

What it is not:
Our certificate will not exempt you from any exam of the Dutch government. Such as the ‘inburgeringsexamen’ (civic integration exam) or the ‘basis examen inburgering buitenland’ (Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad). In the Netherlands, only the government can issue certificates that have legal value, and language schools can only help you to prepare for that.

It’s not possible to arrive earlier or stay longer in the room.

The cleaning company is busy until 15:00 at the date of arrival and from 10:30 at the date of your departure.

We run a Summer School  (in July/August) and a Winter School (in January/February).

In 2022/2023: we have added extra courses in March / April / May / October / November.

We also offer year-round classes online (virtual classrooms), more information here: https://www.learndutch.org/learn-dutch-virtual-classroom/

We offer partial refunds:

– refund 100 euros – if someone writes a blog during the stay: contact the course coordinator if you are interested
– doing a translation assignment (subtitling our elearning videos) – work/refund to be discussed

In all other situations: we do not negotiate our pricing.

Yes, you can. An intensive Dutch language course like ours, is a very good way to prepare.

An important note:
Our courses are focussed on acquiring Dutch language knowledge, with the goal to use it. Developing conversation skills is important. Not all students do our course with the purpose to pass an exam. Therefore, our courses are not specifically aimed at learning how to pass the exam (such as training exam questions) and covering certain additional topics (like KNS). However, that is something you can learn and practice by yourself.

No, it is not possible to book a course without accommodation. This is a core part of our program.

There are several reasons for this:

First, the added value of our program goes beyond lessons alone. The time outside the classroom is what truly sets it apart from a typical language school. Participants live and study together, practice Dutch with each other, work on homework together, and take part in social activities in the evenings. All of this contributes to the overall learning experience. When people feel comfortable living together, it also has a positive effect on the atmosphere in the classroom.

Another important factor is focus. Everyone in the program has made learning the language a priority. Being away from home allows participants to fully concentrate, without the distractions of work or daily responsibilities. It is essential that the whole group shares this focus. If one or two participants stay at home, continue working, or remain involved in their regular routines, this can negatively affect the group as a whole.

There are also legal considerations. We run the course at a holiday park, and we are only allowed to do so if participants stay on-site. This is a requirement not only of the holiday park, but also of the municipality. Our program is classified as “educational tourism,” which means participants must officially be away from home and pay tourist tax.

Finally, the program is too intensive to combine with commuting. In the past, we have allowed some flexibility for participants who traveled daily, but this proved to be too demanding. Spending one to two hours in the car each day, while also managing regular responsibilities at home, makes it difficult to keep up with the intensity of the course.

Good to know:
The requirement to book accommodation does not mean you have to stay every night. It is perfectly fine to check in later, check out earlier, or leave the holiday park during your stay.

Please note:
On our website, it is possible to book a “lessons-only” package. This option is specifically intended for participants who have already arranged accommodation. For example, if you come with your partner and have booked a “double room for couples”, the second person can choose the “lessons-only” package. This option is also available if you have booked a private holiday house instead of shared accommodation. And you can also choose this option if the bill needs to be split (for example if your company is paying for the course and you are paying for the accommodation).

Yes, you can.

Most suitable for this purpose is Drenthe: here you can rent a holiday house for yourself and your family. There are different options available: 2-4 bedrooms, 4-8 people. Some of the houses allow to bring pets. Send us an e-mail to find out the options.

You can also book the option ‘double room with private bathroom – to bring a partner’.

It’s also possible to rent a house. This might be an option if you plan to travel as a family and/or want to take family or friends who don’t participate in the course.

If you’re interested, please ask us for a quote and indicate:
– the period
– how many people

The minimum age is 18 years.

However, if someone is just below that age, participation can be discussed. Under certain conditions we do allow:
– students below 18 years old travelling with a parent (or other adult who is responsible)
OR
– students who are above 16 years old, in case the parents write a special letter declaring that the student behaves like an adult, is independent, able to travel and cook by him/herself

Other conditions:
– good command of English
– familiar with learning foreign languages

Important:
Our course is adult education: based on the idea that the student has an inner motivation to learn Dutch. We do not force people to attend classes, or to do the homework. We just expect that. This is not a summer camp under full supervision. We have no resources to provide extra attention to youngsters, to correct behaviour or to take responsibility for what they do outside the classroom.

If you are a parent, and thinking about sending your child(ren), feel free to contact us for advice.

No, unfortunately, we don’t work with DUO-loans.

Timetable of the lessons

Please find the timetable here.

We offer our courses in 2 formats:
– weekend+week+weekend (9 days in a row)
– two weeks

Weekend+week+weekend:
– arrival Friday (check-in: after 15:00), departure Monday (check-out before 10:00).
– welcome event: arrival Friday

Two weeks:
– arrival Monday (check-in: after 15:00), departure Friday (check-out before 10:00).
– welcome event: arrival Monday

We prefer to work directly with students. Direct contact is important for logistics reasons and level assessment. We aim at having the best possible prices. That means a low margin: not sufficient to pay agent commissions, that are usual in the market.