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A little more info may be required for some.

In Germany, there is a thriving tutoring business for people's children as children are still separated rather early into various streams for either university or trade school.

Much of this is based on how well the child speaks German.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:54:39 AM EST
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So, anybody interested in helping me research this a bit better?

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:21:27 AM EST
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these teachers could also be set up to be used by the Goethe Institute for example, as a resource to teach German worldwide.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:25:17 AM EST
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I know that some people do hire tutors to learn online but does anyone know if this is an efficient way of learning? Can people with no pedagogical experience be trained quickly to teach?

I was listening to a podcast about how to learn a foreign language and the podcaster was listing this as a new way to learn and this gave me this idea.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:59:14 AM EST
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I've been doing some research this afternoon and it seems that yes, peoplel can be taught quickly how to tutor others.

NOW, I would require some help in the following please:

who to address this idea to - Länder or Bundesminister? and if so, for which Ministry?
is there a place I can find some idea of the existing subsidies for this type of idea?

Thanks for your help. If I get this together, I hope to put together some sort of rough plan in the next week.

Maybe Eurotrib can become some sort of activists' hatchery as well as a blog. Wouldn't that be something?

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:18:45 PM EST
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Re: The secret of Germany's success (4.00 / 3)

When it comes to language courses for integrating migrants, it looks like the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge is who you want to talk to. You can get the lowdown here.

This is different from extra instruction in a school context; for that you would need to address the Länder individually.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:37:11 PM EST
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thanks, dvx. that's part 1.

Is there some sort of site with existing government subsidies, do you know?

I know several countries that have this.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:45:00 PM EST
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Sorry mmmm, I don't know of one. The Länder all have their own programs, as do some regions, but I don't know offhand where I would find a central list.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 01:29:21 PM EST
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Thanks, I found some names of people that could help.

I am pretty excited about this. It's nice to act, not just talk.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 01:41:26 PM EST
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I had a company which had a number of English as a 2nd language personnel. We brought in an English tutor once or twice a week (I don't remember.) It was highly beneficial for them and for us English speakers. Everyone was more comfortable exchanging ideas, etc.

Whether this could translate into a language lab with screen and cameras internet-linked into a native speaker who isn't trained in language tutoring...sounds like a stretch. But if there is a way to get someone trained up quickly into a program...perhaps you are onto something.

Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.

Frank Delaney ~ Ireland

by siegestate (siegestate or beyondwarispeace.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 01:48:16 PM EST
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I don't exactly understand what you mean, but drop me a line and we'll "talk" off-line.

by zoe on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 02:10:56 PM EST
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Hehehe...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:56:38 AM EST
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As we know (4.00 / 2)

poverty doesn't count, as long as they work. The working poor have the additional advantage that they have neither the time, the inclination or the ability to protest about their predicament.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 04:34:05 AM EST
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Re: As we know (4.00 / 4)

Except when they vote for the Left Party, and then we act outraged at the spread of extremism/populism.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 04:36:32 AM EST
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Re: As we know (none / 1)

Sometimes they vote for the right... the extreme right...

by Torres on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 05:58:38 AM EST
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This is one side of the coin, but accross the board, the German recovery has not been jobless. The unemployment rate has dropped 2 percentage points from where it was last year, and more than 3 percentage points from where it was two years ago (9.5 to 11.5 and 12.6 percent).

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:00:46 AM EST
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The important questions are:

How much of the drop is down to employment growth, and how much is due to people falling out of the workforce?
What kind of jobs have been created?

(I haven't yet researched these questions in detail, so they are really just questions.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:28:25 AM EST
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3. What part has wage restraint played?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:52:21 AM EST
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Yep (4.00 / 2)

Year-on-year wage growth:

The number of workers has increased a lot, and yet that did not translate into growth, or even spending growth:

Germany's growth has been driven largely by exports and not domestic demand:

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:42:00 AM EST
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Re: The secret of Germany's success (4.00 / 5)

Answering my own questions:

According to the ILO statistic, from March 2006 ro March 2007, unemployment fell by 690,000, employment grew by 602,000, while population change was minimal ; the ratio of 15-64-year-olds employed grew by 1.6 percentage points (to 69.3%) -- a case for true job creation.
The ratio of 'underemployed' (who work but would do so more) fell by 0.3% year-on-year, that would be a positive, but (see next link) there was also some reduction of average hours worked. Here is something on jobs, up until Q4/2006. There was growth in Q3+Q4 in agriculture and in the construction sector, still reduction in the production sector, biggest growth however was in the service sector. That does say something but not much, I should look for further data.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:55:09 AM EST
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Good digging! The ratio of underemployed persons fell by 0.3 percentage points (to 12.7 percent from 13 percent). Sorry for nitpicking, but there's a difference.

The question of 'what kind of jobs' is a bit more difficult to answer, probably. Another good question is where the jobs are being created (unemployment rates were high in much of the west as well).

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:28:04 AM EST
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0.3 percentage points

The one time I forget it it is pointed out -- ET :-)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 08:31:04 AM EST
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