No more delays: Intensive Dutch courses at NedLes help immigrants truly settle in
Two new two-week Dutch Crash Courses are set to begin on June 2 at NedLes, the Amsterdam language school that sponsored this article. New language courses start on an ongoing basis.
The seven immigrants learning Dutch during the Crash Course for Absolute Beginners this week at NedLes are an incredibly diverse group. This particular class also represents seven different nationalities, ranging from senior executives to recent university graduates. None of them identify as an "expat," rejecting the idea of existing in their own isolated bubbles during their time in the Netherlands.
"The best way to connect with people is by speaking the language," says Airashi, who is enrolled in the Erasmus University data science and marketing analysis master's program. Born in Singapore, the 29-year-old is really enjoying the opportunity to commute from Rotterdam to study at the Amsterdam-Oost language school not only because she enjoys exploring the capital.
"I was very interested in the Delft Method" she said, referring to the style of teaching in use at NedLes for more than five years. It shifts focus from straight memorization of rules and vocabulary to a more encouraging form of teaching where students are ushered along with positive feedback. The results are clear, as students make fewer and fewer mistakes while their spoken sentences become more complex and nuanced as the Crash Course continues.
Students at NedLes also have spent various amounts of time in the Netherlands, and classes often include recent arrivals, though Paolo first arrived in 2009 when he was 34 years old. The mixologist has poured elaborate cocktails at some of Amsterdam's finest hotels, including the Amstel Hotel and the Hotel Okura. Learning Dutch has long been Paolo's wish, but life always seemed to get in the way.
"I was traveling a lot the first ten years, so that used to be my excuse," he says. He believes it has also become more common for employers to define "full-time" as four days per week, giving him more time to take up the language study. "It is nice to understand people. Communication is important, also to learn more about the culture."
His effort will pay off: NedLes says students reach the A2- level after two weeks, and nearly reach the more advanced B1 level after another two weeks of intensive lessons. Students are encouraged to chat only in Dutch during the classroom sessions, and they often continue when they bump into each other in the hallways. They help each other find the right words to complete their thoughts as their teacher, Nathalie, guides them using the Delft Method.
With patience, diction, and clarity, she helps students correct their own missteps instead of cracking down on them harshly when they mispronounce a word or mix up sentence structure. She never expresses dismay, and avoids reverting to English when offering a bit of assistance.
The students are given the space to tap into their own passive knowledge of Dutch, leading to many "ah-ha!" moments when they realise they already know how to express themselves in the language. "Perfect," Nathalie says to the students from time to time, leading Paolo to blush a bit, or a humble, "Dank je wel," from Airashi.
The latter was speaking about what daily life would be like if two of her fellow students were flatmates. Anna, an anthropologist at Leiden University, is learning Dutch as her sixth language to prepare for the Inburgeringsexamen, the integration tests some immigrants need to complete when applying for permanent residency. Nikki, an Australian CEO for an international company, says the Netherlands is the sixth country she has called home.
Despite the change in scenery, the respect for local culture remains. "I always feel like a guest in the country. It's important for me to embrace the language and at least try to learn it," the business executive says.
She moved to Amsterdam in 2020, and even though her workplace is bilingual, she feels like using English is an exception, and not the rule. The opinion was shared by Aneta, 46, who has been the artistic director of the Kaboom Animation Festival since 2018. "My whole team is Dutch, but they're speaking English only for me," she says. Her colleagues' children even try to communicate with Aneta in English when they visit.
Like many of her classmates, the moment finally arrived where her work schedule adjusted enough to make the intensive course possible. Being able to dedicate an appropriate amount of time is critical to the success of the Crash Course, which begins with one hour in the classroom, followed by three hours of time to study and practice, another one-hour classroom session, and another window of three hours for further study.
Now in his third year in the Netherlands, Felix was just looking to do "something fun" after wrapping up his master's degree from Leiden University. The 24-year-old said, "I want to know more about the community, my neighborhood and the culture. This is the best way to connect with new people."
"Students from the Crash Courses often become friends and stay in touch after the course, because it is such an intense but also fun experience. Everyone starts out nervous, but people let their guard down quickly once they realize they are all in the same boat," says Welmoed Nijhout. Now a co-owner of the language school, she joined NedLes as a teacher in 2015.
"I am still in touch with a group I taught last summer! We have dinner together every so often and the students keep each other up to date about their progress with the Dutch language and their other Dutch adventures."
This adventure has just begun anew for Justine, who lived as an au pair in the Netherlands in 2017 but brought her Dutch boyfriend back to her home country of France in 2018. They recently returned, and Justine is now getting nudged to get up to speed. "My mother-in-law is putting a lot of pressure on me," she says with a smile, drawing a laugh from her classmates.
A new Crash Course for Complete Beginners (to A2-) will start on June 2 at NedLes. That same date, a Crash Course to A2+ class will get underway for those who already speak some Dutch.
Does the Crash Course sound too intensive for now? NedLes also offers in-person, online, and hybrid courses at various levels lasting up to 10 weeks, for absolute beginners through experienced speakers looking to become more fluent.
