Languages

The population of Jena is made up of people from 71 different countries. They all bring their own languages with them to the city. A basic knowledge of German is essential not only in order to get employment in Jena, but also to manage everyday living. Incidentally, linguistic researchers have found nine distinct and different regions in the Thuringian-Upper Saxon dialect area – Jena is part of the Ilm-Thuringian dialect area.

For most businesses in Jena, it’s important that their employees have a good command of German, particularly if they are employed in customer-facing roles. In some industries or jobs, for example, in businesses in the digital sector, or in international companies, the workforce may communicate in several languages, most often in English. A list of companies with an international focus can be found in our Welcome Blog.

Adverts in English for jobs in Jena can be found by going to the JobPortal and filtering for ‘Language’. The Make-it-in-Germany portal gives a good overview on the level of German language skills you need under different circumstances in Germany. If you want to learn German in Jena, or improve your German language skills, there are many courses to choose from locally.

Language and integration courses in Jena

Integration courses

If you move to Jena from another country, you either can or are obliged to, under certain circumstances, take an integration course. This consists of an orientation course and a language course, and they are subsidised. Attendance can be part- or full-time. The Federal Office for Migration website outlines the pre-conditions for attending an integration course.

Special integration courses

Special integration courses are available for people with similar interests or needs:

• literacy courses for people needing support with reading and writing
• women’s integration courses, open only to women and geared towards their particular needs
• parents’ integration courses, which address parenting and education issues
• young people’s integration courses, which prepare young people for training/apprenticeships or university
• remedial courses for people who have been living in Germany for a while and require specialised language support
• integration courses offering a 430-hour intensive course for fast learners

The contact for these courses in Jena is the Thüringer Volkshochschulverband TVV.

Work-related German courses

In order to find employment and be successful in your job, it’s important to have a good command of German, in particular with regard to your specialised field. Hence specialised courses are available where you can learn German for the workplace.

Other ways to learn German

Deutsche Welle:
You can learn German for free with the German courses from the Deutsche Welle, Germany’s national broadcasting network – via e-learning on the computer, videos, audio recordings, podcasts and worksheets.

Make-it-in-Germany portal:
you can find recommendations for many more online platforms for learning German on the Make-it-in-Germany website.

Goethe-Institut e. V.
The Goethe-Institut is represented internationally with numerous locations and offers German courses in Germany as well as worldwide.