www.learndutch.sg

Welcome to the Professional Dutch Language Courses for Singaporeans

(and other residents of Singapore).

In the text below, you will come across the term NT2, which means

Nederlands als Tweede Taal (Dutch as Second Language).

NT2 is the official name for professional Dutch language education, developed in The Netherlands. These lessons are conducted by specialised NT2 teachers, catering to foreign adults, who need to master the Dutch language for a specific purpose (such as studying or working in The Netherlands, preparing for the compulsory Integration exam, or for Naturalisation).

The reason why you visit this website could be that

(1) You need to apply for an MVV = Machtiging Voorlopig Verblijf (Long Term Visa application) and therefore, you need to sit for your compulsory Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad at the Dutch Embassy here.

You would like to prepare yourself well by signing up for our MVV-course. Since the first onset of the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad, all of our MVV-course participants have passed the exam with flying colours. Therefore, you might have heard about our MVV-course from staff members at the Dutch Embassy here in Singapore.

(2) You are married to a Dutch or Belgian partner or you are planning to do so.

In either case, its nice to be able to communicate with your in-laws (& partner) in Dutch

(3) Your child is 9 to 15 years old, (s)he has a Dutch or Belgian father or mother, and now you are looking for a professional Dutch language course for children in Singapore, because your child doesnt speak any Dutch.

(4) You aim to move to Holland or Belgium soon, so thats why you need to learn Dutch.

(5) You aim to apply for Dutch Citizenship (= Naturalisation) and therefore, you need to pass the mandatory Naturalisation test at the Dutch Embassy in Singapore.

(6) You are going to study or work in The Netherlands or Belgium.

Its a good idea to learn how to speak some Dutch before you travel to Europe because you will enjoy your stay so much more.

(7) You are working for a Dutch or Belgian company located in Singapore, or you are dealing with companies or organisations in The Netherlands and/or Belgium, and you would like to be able to handle Dutch emails & letters and master Dutch conversation.

(8) You would like to maintain or further improve your Dutch language skills and proceed to the next NT2 level.

In all these cases, you have found the right place to learn Dutch in an effective and affordable way!

Course overview

We provide five types of courses

1. Evening Classes (private lessons and group classes)

2. Dutch Crash Courses

3. MVV Training Sessions

4. Naturalisation Courses

5. Private lessons

Details

-1- Evening Classes

You can make a reservation for our next Beginners Course (please refer to our home page for the exact details).

For further information, please contact our Course Coordinator Dais Chan (9684 0356).

Venue Kingsfield Education Centre, 150 Orchard Road #08-07, Orchard Plaza.

Our Language Training Centre is located very near Somerset MRT station, just opposite Orchard Central & OG Shopping Centre. Orchard Plaza offers convenient parking facilities

(CashCard parking at S$4.57 after 6 pm for the first three hours, and SS 1.65 for subsequent 30 minutes.

Please contact our Language Course Coordinator Dais Chan (9684 0356) for any enquiries or enrolment.

Duration of our Beginners Courses

Our full Beginners Course takes 24 weeks (= 48 hours, 6 months in total) to complete. There are 2 modules (1) Basic Course (NT2 level A1) (2) Completing the Full Beginners Course (NT2 level A2). Each module takes 12 lessons.

Please note that it is not compulsory to finish the complete Beginners Course (NT2 level A2), since you can take the Basic Dutch Course only (NT2 level A1), which just takes 12 lessons to complete.

Study target

After the basic course (12 lessons only) you will have reached NT2 level A1, which is the officially required proficiency level nowadays for the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad at the Dutch Embassy in Singapore (for MVV). The basic course is an excellent preparation for your Civic Integration exam, but you will also need to attend our hands-on MVV Training Courses in order to do well, because you will need to get familiar with the way you will be tested.

Combining our basic course with private MVV training sessions is the most adequate way to prepare yourself well for your Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad at the Dutch Embassy in Singapore.

After our Basic Course, you can proceed with the next level (= another 12 classes) in order to complete the full course (24 classes). If you would do so, you will reach NT2 level A2, which is the officially required proficiency level for Dutch Inburgering (Civic Integration Exam in The Netherlands for permanent residence) or for Naturalisation (Dutch Citizenship).

Whether you would like to take just the Basic Course (12 classes) or the Full Beginners Course (24 classes), you only need to make an advance payment per round of 12 classes.

Rates for Beginners Courses (group evening classes)

An advance payment of S$780/- per module of 12 classes (24 hours) is required, plus a (one-time) payment of S$140/- for all teaching aids (textbook, online teaching aids, worksheets, hand-outs).

Please note that payments made are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Dutch Beginners Course

NT2-level A1 Basic Dutch Course, 12 lessons

target Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad (Dutch MVV) or just a quick Dutch course for (e.g). exchange students, professional assignments in the Netherlands etcetera. being a very useful introduction to the Dutch language.

NT2-level A2 Full Beginners Course (6 months, 24 classes) 2 x S$780/- (two modules);

target Dutch Inburgering-examen (Integration Course), or just taking the next step on your way to mastering NT2 level B1 and B2 (necessary if you aim to take the NT2 State Exam I or II).

Switching from group lessons to a private arrangement.

You are allowed to switch from group lessons to private lessons at all times for instance if there would be any change in your job requirements or private circumstances and you expect that you will have to miss too many lessons due to that.

We will allow you to switch to a private arrangement and use the balance of your advance payment for the Beginners Group to partly cover the fees for private lessons. Important please note that missed lessons are not regarded as part of the balance. Therefore, you must inform us timely if you foresee that your attendance will be challenged, because missed lessons will be void, unless you have missed three (pre-paid) lessons within four weeks. If that happens, you are entitled to enjoy one free private catch-up lesson of 90 minutes.

Payment for the next round of 12 lessons

Our full Beginners Course consists of 2 modules of 12 lessons (= 24 classes / 48 hours). If you like to continue with the second round of 12 classes, you just make a new advance payment for the next module

(S$780/-) at the end of your first round.

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

-2- Dutch Crash Courses

these are private (one-to-one) sessions for those who are in a hurry.

Course duration

12 sessions of 2 hours each (usually on one fixed day per week, so that would be a duration of two and a half months in total, but it is also possible to have sessions on more days per week).

Rates

S$1,440/- for the complete private crash course of 24 hours. An advance payment in full is required.

Venue for private lessons

Exclusively at our Audiovisual Language Training Studio at Serangoon Green, Jalan Teck Kee, since all computer aided audio-visual test facilities, individual training laptop computers, projector, automated projection screen, Dutch library, hard-disks etcetera. for private & group training sessions have been installed there.

For planning of dates and time

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

-3- MVV Training Sessions (for Long Term Visa Application).

If you need to sit for your Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad (mandatory language test in order to get a Provisional Residence Permit at the Dutch Embassy in Singapore, this is the course you need to prepare yourself.

These are 10 lessons of 2 hours each, comprising of intensive language training sessions plus practice sessions to achieve basic knowledge of Dutch society plus perfecting your read aloud skills.

These private lessons are in principle conducted on a one-to-one basis, but in case our available slots for new MVV students would suddenly become very limited, 1 or 2 new students may join you. We reserve the right to do so. This will not influence the effectiveness of your MVV training course, at least not in any negative way. In fact, group lessons are actually more effective, since you can compare notes, and even organise extra training sessions with each other, if you would like to do so in between the lessons.

There is yet another positive aspect it is our experience that our MVV-group participants usually become good friends, mentally supporting each other even after the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad. No wonder you all share the same challenging goal moving to the Netherlands soon. When you are facing such a drastic change in your life, its good to have a new friend who can think along with you, and even help you, if needed.

We will focus on many real-time trial exams. The structure and content of all of our exams are very similar to the real Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad at the Dutch Embassy. Therefore, our many trial exams are an excellent tool to determine if you are actually ready to sit for your real exam. (And if not, you can always decide to take a few extra lessons). We will advise which moment is most suitable for you to call the Dutch Embassy and book your examination date.

We are glad to announce that all of our MVV course participants (305, until the 21st of December, 2017) have passed the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad. Time and again, their score has always been much higher than the required minimum amount of points. We simply guarantee you will pass your exam with such good results as well..

The Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad comprises of a NT2 language test (proficiency level A1), a comprehensive reading test plus a basic knowledge test regarding Dutch Society.

Course duration

10 private sessions of 2 hours each. You can always extend your private course with a few extra lessons if you wish.

Rates - only applicable with regard to private (one-to-one) lessons -

S$1,100- for the basic MVV course of 20 hours (10 lessons).

Conditions an advance payment in full is required. Payments can be made by cheque (payable to ALLWRITE Text & Media Productions) or in cash. Rates for additional private lessons are S$130/- per extra lesson, to be paid at the beginning of such lesson.

All of our MVV-students have passed the exam immediately, so if you follow our guidelines diligently, you can rest assured you will be successful as well. We simply guarantee that you will pass.

Venue for private lessons

Exclusively at our MVV Language Training Studio at Serangoon Green, Jalan Teck Kee. Here, we have installed special computer equipment, programmed to measure your personal wave-form (the same way your voice will be measured during your Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad).

At the same time, we will practise together with all kinds of computer-aided MVV training programs, presented on a big screen. Because of the special equipment we are using, we cant provide MVV training sessions elsewhere.

(We are using many interactive tools, such as

· fully automated KNS training. You can simply sit back and practise.

· real-time trial exams

· efficient vocabulary builders, up to 1,200 most commonly used Dutch words.

· 350 Dutch opposites with English translations.

· large databank with loads of short questions about all kinds of common topics,

· effective pronunciation training with useful consonant, vowel and diphthong diagrams.

· crystal clear sentence building system (useful diagram + HTML tool to move integrated parts of any Dutch sentence into the correct following order.

You will be fully prepared for your exam, once your MVV course has been completed.

For planning of dates and time

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

-4- Naturalisation Courses

In order to successfully apply for Naturalisation, you can take the so called Naturalisation Exam (Naturalisatie-examen in Dutch) at the Dutch Embassy here, provided you are residing in Singapore, you are NOT a Singapore Citizen, and you have been living together with your Dutch partner for at least 3 years.

If you are a Singaporean (and you are living in Singapore), plus you have been living together with your Dutch partner for at least 5 years, you can apply for Naturalisation after you have passed either the Inburgering-examen (Civic Integration Exam) or the Dutch NT2 State Exam I or II in The Netherlands. Non-Singaporeans can take their Naturalisation Exam right here in Singapore, but Singaporeans cant. The reason is that no one can take a Naturalisation exam in their own country of birth. It needs to be elsewhere.

The choice between the Civic Integration Exam / Naturalisation Exam or the NT2 State Exam is yours, but we always recommend to opt for the NT2 State Exam I or II, because it would mean that you will be exempted from taking the normal Inburgering-examen, except for the additional KNM exam (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij = Knowledge of Dutch Society) and ONA exam (Orientatie op de Nederlandse Arbeidsmarkt = Orientation on the Dutch Labour Market) you still need to take. You will receive an official NT2 State Exam I diploma (NT2 proficiency level B1) or NT2 State Exam II diploma (NT2 proficiency level B2), which will tremendously increase your chances on the professional job market, especially with regard to (well-paid) higher management positions.

Mind you, the Dutch government is now discussing whether they should add another 2 years of waiting time for foreign partners (which would make the time you need to be together with your Dutch partner up to 7 years in total) before you can apply for Naturalisation.

Please note that the normal Civic Integration Exam (the full Inburgering-examen, for PR or Naturalisation) is very different from the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad (this Basisexamen Inburgering Buitenland (in Dutch) is for obtaining a Provisional Residence Permit (MVV) only).

Important this comprehensive Civic Integration Exam (required NT2 proficiency level A2) takes a couple of hours to complete (and is therefore very different from the much simpler Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad (for MVV) required NT2 proficiency level A1) which MVV exam only takes about one hour to complete.

The full-fledged Civic Integration Exam comprises of a NT2-A2 language test, a knowledge test regarding Dutch Society, plus handing over a mini-portfolio with regard to your orientation on the Dutch labour market.

During private (one-to-one) sessions, we will intensively focus on all three subjects NT2 language training (targeted private lessons to reach NT2 proficiency level A2), comprehensive social studies, specially developed by Dutch social science professionals to effectively train foreigners, so that they will achieve adequate knowledge of Dutch society plus ONA training (Orientatie op de Nederlandse Arbeidsmarkt).

For this specific purpose, we have all necessary & up-to-date official teaching aids plus NT2 State Exams of previous years available here in Singapore.

This means that you can fully prepare yourself with us. Only non-Singaporeans can take their official Naturalisation Exam (which is equivalent to the major Inburgering-exam) at the Dutch Embassy here in Singapore.

During this intensive course, we will be focusing on all four elements of the Dutch language reading, writing, listening and conversational skills.

Course duration

This totally depends on the time you can make available for private lessons and study, plus your individual capabilities and learning pace.

Ideally, you will need at least 6 months to prepare yourself adequately, with intensive one-to-one sessions at least twice per week (2 x 2 = 4 hours per week); but lessons 3 times per week (3 x 2 = 6 hours per week) would actually be better.

Please note that this is a quite exacting study program. It all depends on your individual capabilities and learning pace (in terms of comprehension / memorising information).

You will need to master both the Dutch language (NT2 level A2) in every aspect reading, writing, listening, speaking, plus a fair bit of knowledge about Dutch society. Therefore, the more time you can make available for your private lessons, the better it will be.

Please keep in mind that the absolute minimum is 4 hours of lessons per week.

Next to these private sessions, you will need to study very hard (at least 3 hours every day) to be successful in the end.

Rates

(1) S$130/- per private lesson of 2 hours please note that we do not work with separate payments per lesson. Instead, we require an advance payment in full for every booked sequence of 12 lessons (= advance payment of S$1,440/- per sequence). All dates will be fixed in accordance with the availability of the course participant.

(2) A one-time payment for all necessary teaching aids is required at the beginning of the very first sequence. We will advise the type and cost of these teaching aids, since it all depends on your personal wishes and proficiency level which specific teaching aids we will be using together. Therefore, we will first discuss with you, after assessment of your current language skills, before we recommend any teaching aids from our large collection of text books & multimedia cd-roms.

Except for the above mentioned cost, there will be no other charges, and signing up for any sequence does not imply any obligation regarding next sequences, so you are always free to decide whether to stop or to continue after each sequence of 12 lessons.

Terms & Conditions Private Naturalisation Courses

Prior to your private course, we will discuss about your preferred planning.

· Participants are required to pay the full amount for the complete private course in advance at the beginning of the very first session (S$1,440/- for 12 Private Lessons)

· Each private lesson takes 2 hours.

· Based on our availability, we will reserve 12 slots, plus 1 extra slot in case of (a maximum of) 2 cancellations* out of your 12 reserved slots.

· We will send you our planning proposal for confirmation.

· Please note that as soon as you have confirmed our planning, the dates will be set and cannot be changed afterwards.

· Payments made are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Venue for private lessons

The teachers private address at Serangoon Green, Jalan Teck Kee, or your own private address. If you opt for the latter possibility, additional charges for transportation cost will be applicable.

Please note that the classrooms at Kingsfield Education Centre at Orchard Plaza are only used for group lessons, not for private lessons.

For planning of dates and time

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

-5- Private lessons

These are individual, custom-made lessons of 2 hours each, specifically catering to your personal needs.

You can also opt for private lessons in case you have signed up for one of our classes and you would like to catch up or practise more.

We work with a large range of professional NT2 teaching aids (NT2 means Dutch as Second Language), developed in The Netherlands, specifically catering to your personal target.

Depending on your proficiency level, we will select the most suitable teaching aids after assessing your language skills.

Course duration

This depends on your own wishes.

Some of our private students opt for long-term, weekly private lessons in order to secure consistency, others prefer a short-term, intensive private course (of 2 or 3 lessons per week) to reach their goal the fastest possible way.

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

Rates

Except for the above mentioned cost, there will be no other charges*, and signing up for any sequence does not imply any obligation regarding next sequences, so you are always free to decide whether to stop or to continue after each sequence of 12 lessons.

Terms & Conditions Private Courses

Prior to your private course, we will discuss about your preferred planning.

· Participants are required to pay the full amount for the complete private course in advance at the beginning of the very first session (S$1,440/- for 12 Private Lessons)

· Each private lesson takes 2 hours.

· Based on our availability, we will reserve 12 slots, plus 1 extra slot in case of (a maximum of) 2 cancellations* out of your 12 reserved slots.

· We will send you our planning proposal for confirmation.

· Please note that as soon as you have confirmed our planning, the dates will be set and cannot be changed afterwards.

· Payments made are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Venue for private lessons

The teachers private address at Serangoon Green, Jalan Teck Kee, or your own private address. If you opt for the latter possibility, additional charges for transportation cost will be applicable.

Please note that the classrooms at Kingsfield Education Centre at Orchard Plaza are only used for group lessons, not for private lessons.

For planning of dates and time

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

Venue for private lessons

The teachers private address at Serangoon Green, Jalan Teck Kee, or your own private address. If you opt for the latter possibility, additional charges for transportation cost will be applicable.

Please note that the classrooms at Kingsfield Education Centre at Orchard Plaza are only used for group lessons, not for private lessons.

For planning of dates and time

Please send a Whatsapp message to our course coordinator

Dais Chan (9684 0356) for further information.

About our professional teaching aids

We work with a selection of most effective NT2 courses, currently used by Regional Education Centers (ROC) in The Netherlands. ROCs are the official institutions in Holland, teaching Dutch as Second Language (NT2) to immigrants.

Please note that we do not focus on tourist Dutch (simplified Dutch), like other language schools in Singapore do. Instead, we only use professional NT2 methods, recognised by the Dutch government.

Integration means that someone who has come to the Netherlands speaks Dutch and is familiar with the culture and Dutch values and norms. Integration is necessary for those who wish to live in The Netherlands.

Making sure that integration takes place is one of the policy areas of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), and we follow this policy by only selecting those professional teaching aids, which are developed in Holland by Dutch language professionals and social science teachers and approved by Dutch authorities, responsible for integration of foreigners.

About the teacher

All Dutch lessons and workshops in Singapore are conducted by Native Dutch Language Teacher Matthieu Quere (BA, CEFR-NT2), born in Holland in 1960. Although his name sounds French, Matthieu is a born and bred Dutchman. He has lived and worked in The Netherlands for almost 40 years and has now eleven years of experience as a tried and tested, professional Dutch language teacher in adult education.

Matthieu settled in Singapore in the year 1999. After just a few months, he became a Singapore Permanent Resident. After living here for so many years, he is not only very familiar with the local tongue, but also with all specific difficulties Singaporeans experience while making efforts to master the Dutch language.

These difficulties are mainly regarding Dutch pronunciation and Dutch sentence building. In constant, close cooperation with NT2 (Dutch as Second Language) specialists in The Netherlands, Matthieu has found effective ways to help Singaporeans overcome these difficulties.

Before he came to Singapore, Matthieu has been working as a Dutch language teacher for foreigners from Morocco and Turkey, who are living in Holland. Next to this, he has been working for nearly 10 years as a freelance journalist and editor for a famous Dutch daily newspaper.

In 2003, Matthieu Quere set up Professional Dutch Language Courses for Singaporeans as subsidiary of ALLWRITE Text & Media Productions. ALLWRITE is a Dutch multi-media company, specialised in advertising copywriting, professional translations, video productions and educational support (development of multi-media teaching aids and e-learning facilities).

Recently, ALLWRITE Text & Media Productions has developed a very effective set of multimedia teaching aids to help students from Singapore (and also many students from other countries in South-East Asia, Eastern Europe, The Middle East and South America, who are temporarily residing in Singapore) to pass their Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad at the Dutch Embassy, testing basic knowledge of the Dutch language and society.

Since March 2006 (when the compulsory Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad for foreigners came into effect), every student, who has signed up for our Civic Integration Training Course (aka MVV Training Course), has always passed the exam with great results. Therefore, Native Dutch Language Teacher Matthieu Quere has achieved a good reputation with the Dutch Embassy here in Singapore.

ALLWRITE Text & Media Productions was originally founded in The Netherlands in 1995 and relocated to Singapore in the year 2000.

For more detailed information about our language courses, plus pictures of our activities, availability schedule (etcetera) please visit our website www.learndutch.sg

For further enquiries

Please send your email to info@allwrite.com.sg

or call / SMS / Whatsapp

9684 0356 (Language Course Coordinator Dais Chan)

Thank you for your interest in our language courses.

Have a nice day!

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