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Thinking about moving to a permanent place of residence in Germany, it is useful to understand how the education system is structured in this country.
In Germany, children start studying at the age of 6. The last hour in kindergarten, if the child is not a native, he attends German lessons at a nearby school.
Primary school in Germany lasts 4 years.
Then, in the second half of the year, in the fourth grade, children are differentiated according to achievement. Ratings in Germany are the opposite of Russian ratings. The highest score is 1.
Thus, a child already at the age of 10 faces the dilemma of choosing a further life path, and it will help to learn more about the education of children in Germany here.
Depending on the grades earned in elementary school, 3 paths are possible:
The first way is entering the gymnasium (Gymnasium).
Gymnasium gives an opportunity to get the most comprehensive secondary education. They study there for 12 years and in addition to their native language, they must learn 2 or more foreign languages.
For the last two years, the student is determined with the choice of profession and purposefully prepares for the final exam in the required subjects.
After high school, you can enter the university. It is the shortest way to obtain higher education.
The second way is admission to a real school (Realschule). They have been studying at this school for 10 years. Professional specialization (Ausbildung) has been going on for the last 3 years. The school program in it differs from the curriculum in the gymnasium. If a student wants to transfer from a real school to a gymnasium, he will have to repeat the 10th grade there. The Realschule is good because it provides high-quality professional training, and the student begins to receive a salary from the first days of mastering the specialty.
After the real school, you can also go to a school called FOS. He will learn a certain specialty there and then enter the institute in the chosen direction. Training in it lasts 2 years for admission to a specialized institute or 3 years for admission to a university.
The third way is the Hauptschule, they study there for 9 years, and there go children who have not shown a special zeal for learning. After that, they receive only professional education.
Germany is often criticized for such an early selection of children for adulthood.
But, in principle, every student in the future, if he wishes, has the opportunity to transfer from one school to another with a certain amount of time.
For children who received their secondary education in other countries, there are colleges where their knowledge is "adjusted" to the requirements set forth in Germany for secondary education in order to enter a university (Hochschule).
Knowledge of the German language (level B2) is a prerequisite for admission to the college. If the child does not know German, then the first year in college he attends classes as a free student.
After graduating from college, his knowledge is equal to that of high school students, and he has the right to enter any higher education institution in Germany.
In conclusion, you should know that studying in Germany is free.
Small semester fees ranging from 100 to 500 euros can be charged at a higher education institution.
This money is used for the purchase of stationery and travel tickets for students.
