your questions – our answers

+ What is the difference between the German Integration Course and the Standard Course?
The Integration Course is financed or subsidised by the Bundesamt für Migration and Flüchtlinge until B1 level.  Participants have to pay for the Standard Courses themselves.

+ Who can attend Integration Courses?
Anybody who is entitled to do the Integration Course or who is obliged to do the course.  The documents for either of these are given by the Migration Office, the Social Office or the Job Centre.
  
+ My orginal documents are at another school.  Can I register at the VHS with a copy of these documents?
No. To register for an Intergation Course, you have to bring the original documents to the VHS.

+ I do not have any German.  Do I still have to do the test (Einstufungstest) to find out my language level?
Yes. For the Integration Course everyone has to do this test.

+ Does the Job Centre pay for German Standard Courses?
No. The Job Centre does not pay for Standard Courses.  When you have a Hannover AktivPass a reduction for these courses is possible.

+ Do I receive a travel ticket for the journey to the Integration Course?
When you do not have to pay anything for the Integration Course and live more than 3kms away from your class, you will receive some money towards your ticket after the end of each Module.  This can take some time.

+ Do all the courses take place at the VHS, Burgstraße 14?
No, there are other places where the lessons can take place.

+ Do I have to pay for the course book myself?
Yes, you have to buy this yourself.  Ask your teacher which book you need to buy.

+ I am pregnant. Can I take time off from the Integration Course?
Yes, it is possible at the end of a Module.  However, we cannot guarantee a place in another course immediately when you want to start again. 

+ Do I have to pay for the Standard Course all at once or can I pay a monthly rate?
You have to pay for the course before it begins.  It has to be agreed/stated, in the contract you sign with the VHS, how often you can pay towards the course and in what amount (e.g. a monthly rate, etc.).

+ I am an au-pair.  Am I entitled to a course fee reduction?
No, as an au-pair you do not receive a reduction.

+ Is the test, Leben in Deutschland, the same as the Einbürgerungtest?
The content of both tests is the same.  The relevant goverment department (office) decides which test you are required to do.  

+ In order to receive German citizenship, do I need the DTZ or the TELC B1 certificate?
Whether you need to do the DTZ or the TELC B1 certificate is decided by the relevant government department (e.g. Ausländerbehörde).

+ For the DTZ I have only reached A2 level.  How can I repeat the necessary modules?
You have to fill out a form (to be given to the Bundesamt Für Migration and Flüchtlinge)  to ask for a revision course.  You can then be given 300 more hours of lessons.  After these 300 hours, you can repeat the exam. 

+ What happens when I have completed the 300 hours, repeated the exam, and still do not managed to pass at B1 level?
You have to contact the Job Centre to see if they will give you a form that entitles you to attend a Berufssprachkurs B1. 
 
+ I cannot personally come to the VHS office hours for a consultation.  Can another person register me for a course?
No, you have to come yourself to register for a course (but you can bring someone with you to help you). 

+ If I come to the VHS and, after a consultation, register for a course in person but cannot then attend the course, can I cancel the contract?
No. With a personal registration, a cancellation is not possible unless you become ill.  

+ Is there a waiting list for the courses?
No, we do not have waiting lists for the courses.

+ Do you have courses which provide child care?
No, unfortunately we do not provide child care.

+ Can I sit the DTZ exam without attending a course at the VHS?
No, this is only possible for people who have already previously attended courses at the VHS.

+ Is it possible to receive a reduction in the fee for the exam?
No, there is no reduction possible.

+ Do I have to attend a course in order to sit a TELC exam?
No, registration for the exam is possible without attending a course. However, please make sure you are familiar with the exam format before you sit the exam.

+ Do I have to repeat the whole exam when I only fail parts of it?
With TELC A1 and A2, you have to repeat the whole exam.  With TELC B1, B2 and C1, you can redo the oral or parts of the written exam.  For the latter, you have have to do this before the end of the following year.  (For example, date of original exam: 24 June, 2023 – You have time to repeat this until 31st of December, 2024).
  
 +When do I receive the results of my exam?
The exams are not marked and graded by the VHS.  The relevant examination office sends the results to the VHS and then the VHS sends them on to you or they are sent directly to you.   The time it takes depends on who is marking the exams and the VHS has no control over this.