Due to the fact that to get a job or citizenship in Germany you must pass a German language test (the TestDaF), there are a plethora of German language course options in Germany. I only took one in Berlin, for four weeks. Here are three different Sprachschule:

Prolog Sprachschule

This is where I went. I didn’t know anyone that went there and had no reason to choose it except they had a nice website and were very helpful over email. A lot of the success of a language class depends on the teacher. At Prolog, each class gets two teachers that alternate weeks. I had one good teacher, and one outstanding teacher (Jakob). The class was very diverse: ten people from ten different countries, ranging in age from sixteen to forty. I was there for four hours every day. There’s a break in the middle where you can buy croissants and pizzas from a woman who brings them in. They can arrange housing for you as well, but I didn’t take that route.

All in all, it was a great school. The books are included in the price of the course, the staff is all very helpful. They have lots of cultural outings (all free) including museums, sporting events, shopping. They have a weekly Stammtisch where everyone meets at a bar. And they show German movies once a week as well.

The course costs 450 euros for four weeks. But you can take a course for just one week if you want. New classes start every week.

Goethe-Institut Berlin

This is the standard place to go. They have schools worldwide and administer the TestDaF. It is more expensive: 995 euros for a four week course.

Hartnackschule

This is where Tim Ferris went and based on his recommendation, I tried to go there. But they wanted me to take a placement test before the first class and I wasn’t arriving until the weekend before the first class. Despite telling them that I knew no German and they should place me in the A1 class, they wouldn’t budge on this and thus wouldn’t let me sign up.

The price is really low: around 200 euros for a four week course.