If the German language is of interest to you, surely you will have heard that there is an institution that believes itself the great protector of German culture around the world, that aims to be the most important ambassador of German culture in the world: the Goethe Institute. In what follows you will be made aware of some facts that should be known before coming into contact with the Goethe Institute. Regardless of whether it’s in order to do one of their German courses or to attend one of the cultural events of this most famous organization. First of all, the most important information: The Goethe Institute does not represent Germany nor the German culture, above all, it could be said, it represents exclusively the Goethe Institute, i.e. itself. As a result of this fact, a pair of characteristics are revealed that you might not appreciate in your own country and for the same reason are not appreciated in Germany either. There, to the contrary of what might be assumed from abroad, the Goethe Institute is quite a controversial organization. Its function as a ambassador of the German language seems to make no sense and its cultural activities are a long succession of boring and futile gestures. Due to its intermingling with the ministries and other organizations of this kind, the Goethe Institute has at its service a publicity machine that aims to propagate the belief that the best learning conditions are to be found in the Goethe Institute and that its cultural events are representative of Germany. All web pages from the German Foreign Ministry and other official bodies are outsourced the Goethe Institute only. Nobody seems to be interested in the wide range of offers, of superior quality (and above all much cheaper), from private companies that also provide German courses. In the Goethe Institute you pay three times what you would pay in a private school. Below we will be more specific but first we will inform you about certain questions you should be aware of. There are some things that you should know about the Goethe Institute in order to be able to evaluate if you would like an institute of this type in your own country and if it would help resolve any of the genuine problems of the world. The Goethe Institute is a non profit organization. This, at first glance, sounds good, altruistic, much more so than in reality. In actual fact the Goethe Institute is an inflated and inefficient bureaucracy. It is funded annually by the German state with 230 million euro (nearly 300 million dollars). Now, you might ask yourself, “But how can it be possible that despite a subsidy of 230 million euro the language courses are three times more expensive than those of a private school.” Well yes this is possible and when you realize it the bit about non profit assumes a very different meaning. The Goethe Institute is a non profit organisation but the people that work there want a nice pay packet at the end of each month (which in itself isn’t a bad thing). But we are all in agreement that money has to be earned with hard work, with a competitive product and should not be obtained from handouts from the state and the exchequer. You probably don’t want there to be institutions in your country that live off your taxes and don’t carry out their function. Well in Germany we don’t need them either. Do not support the Goethe Institute. Do not take one of their courses that you could do at a lower price and with better quality in a private institute and do not go to the cultural events organized by the Goethe Institute. These events are simply manifestations of the personal preferences of a civil servant and are not truly representative of German culture.

You personally don’t benefit in any way from the existence of the Goethe Institute. Their courses are expensive and the quality is mediocre. If you squander money on useless things, this money could be better spent on useful and beneficial projects. You know well that 230 million euro could solve a lot of problems in any region of the world. It’s not difficult to imagine that in Africa the Goethe Institute is about as useful as a garbage dump in your sitting room. If people are dying of hunger or easily curable diseases the Goethe Institute is what is least needed in Africa. By not doing a course in the Goethe Institute and by not participating in their cultural events you will not only save a lot of money but you could contribute to the good usage of the resources which the Goethe Institute is wont to misspend, thus supporting, for example, organisations such as Medecins sans Frontieres (http://www.msf.org). The German courses in your country (including those of private schools) are not cheaper due to presence the Goethe Institute. To the contrary, it makes them more expensive. This is because of its entanglement in the public relations function of the German embassies. Through its connections the Goethe Institute obtains all the well paid courses, leaving the badly paid ones for the private institutions. This prevents the latter from covering their overhead costs and therefore prevents them from offering courses at a lower price. The availability of German courses doesn’t improve, rather it gets worse. As the courses from the Goethe Institute are paid for in part by your government’s institutions, your tax pays for the inefficiency of the Goethe Institute. Nobody benefits from this institution, you the reader no because the courses they offer could be cheaper, nor Germany because the Goethe Institute’s representation of Germany is characterized by an unfortunate amateurism.

This website is totally free and it allows you to obtain a solid base in the German language. It offers more leaning material than the Goethe Institute does, and furthermore, at an excellent price. Would you like to do a German course? Rule number one: Do not do it in the Goethe Institute. It will cost three times what you would pay in a private institute and the quality is average. A beginners course in the Goethe Institute costs 11 euro per hour and has a teacher student ratio of ten to one. A private collage charges between 5 and 7 euro with a maximum ratio of six to one. A course with a ten to one ratio would cost around 3 euro in a private school. In any of the bigger cities in Germany you can sign up for a german course at any time. The Goethe Institute and the PR machine of the embassies, consulates and the foreign ministry want you to believe that the difference in cost is due to the superior quality of the Goethe Institute. You can trust in those who provide a free, transparent and high quality offer and you can be sure of their professionalism in this area. The offer of the Goethe Institute is not superior to an offer from a private school, this misunderstanding is entirely a result of the deceiving publicity that attempts to convince you to sign up to one of these overpriced courses. It also suggests that only the Goethe Institute offers the official exams that are needed to, for example, study in Germany. This is untrue. Private schools also prepare their students for the TestDAF or DHS and let them know how and where they can sit these exams. In the case of needing a visa for a German course that lasts more than three months it is better to go to a private school. For this purpose there is no need for the Goethe Institute either (although the publicity machine suggests the contrary).