- Are you a priest preparing for your future place of work or study in Austria or Germany?
- Are you already living and working as a priest in a German-speaking country and would like to improve your German language skills?
- Are you a nun and need German language skills for your work in the religious community?
We are happy to support you in this process: We see language as the connecting element between people and religion and understand the challenges that people in pastoral or charitable ministry are confronted with.
The Österreich Institut has been offering an online language programme for priests for many years, for which we have received very good feedback.
Grammar is very important when learning German. I consider it to be the basic material of the language. Personally, I need German for my theological studies and also in everyday life. I really liked the relationship we have in class. It is very encouraging and makes learning easy. Over time, I and the others around me have noticed that my German is getting better and better. Mrs. Manton has helped me a lot to improve my German (Sixtus Dilibe Sepuaka).
Mrs. Gruber-Tschida, Managing Director of the Österreich Institut, on the background to the initiative: “It is important to us to bring our offer to Austrian dioceses and religious communities as well as to priests worldwide. We recognise the challenges that range from understanding regional dialects and the necessary technical terms to Austrian regional studies and intercultural communication.”
Contact us and we will discuss your individual needs:
- Are you starting with German?
We recommend our A1.1 courses. - Do you already speak some German?
After a placement test, you will receive an offer for a suitable course from us. - Do you already have a B1 level of German and are you preparing for pastoral or charity work in a German-speaking country?
We offer specialised language courses in which we specifically address situations that are important for your work. The basis for this is a specialised language reader with German learning materials (included in the course price). The reader was created by Brigitte Heuer, German course leader at the Austrian Institute in Rome, who herself completed a three-year course at the Centro Diocesano di Teologia per laici and is active in various areas in her parish. - Do you work in a domestic or foreign diocese or religious community and are you looking for an offer for several priests or nuns?
Let us know what you need. Of course, group courses are also possible.
From A1.2 to B2.2 in eleven months!
I have been learning German at the Österreich Institut for about 11 months. I started with level A1.2 and now I’m almost finished with level B 2.2. The important thing for me when learning German is that I speak German well and understand others. I need German for my studies at university and my work in the parish where I work. I like the teachers’ lively teaching methods best. I am sure that my German has improved. The people around me always tell me that. (Bartholomeus Okeke)
Online trial lessons in German
Get to know our way of teaching and sign up for an online trial lesson! You can choose between a trial lesson on the level A1/A2 and a trial lesson for a specialised language course (from level B1).
