Prerequisites
Classes are fast-paced, and students need study skills and computer skills.
Discipline is needed to attend class in the evening twice each week.
As well, the homework is too much to be done once a week only.
You are highly educated when you finished high school with a diploma.
After that, you studied at university or college.
The Delft Method modules are fully in Dutch. As a consequence, questions will be answered in Dutch.
However, Suitcase talen writes all organizational emails up to level A2 in English.
Fortunately, the teacher speaks French, German, basic Russian, and Spanish as well. However, she will do this only as a last resort- as most students speak English.
Duration, frequency and time
Delft Method Modules start every month, except April, August, and December.
All Delft method modules up to level A2 are offered on Monday and Wednesday nights. Students have class twice a week.
On the other hand, modules from A2 up to B1 are offered on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
All essential modules start between 18:00 and 20:15. However, the optional modules Grammar A2, Grammar B1, Exam Training A2, and Exam Training B1 are from 21:00-21:40. Sometimes we manage to move them to an earlier time.
Please use the page Courses and the time schedule below (mobile) or at the right (computer) for your planning.
All Dutch courses of Suitcase talen are fast-paced because they are for highly educated people.
When you start from zero, it takes 20 weeks to speak at level A2. It’s good to know that the Delft method A2 level is higher than that of the Civic Integration Exam up to January 2022.
After that, it takes another 20 weeks to reach level B1. This B1 level is again higher than that of traditional courses. The explanation for this is that with the Delft method you speak more.
B1 level serves you well in Dutch social life. Besides, it is required for the Civic Integration Exam in case you arrived in the Netherlands after January 1st 2022.
Read more about the levels in Language Levels CEFR
How to choose a course
When you arrived after January 1st, 2022 the required language level for the Civic Integration Exam is B1.
To reach level B1 For that, you need 8 modules of 5 weeks, so 20 weeks.
To prepare for the exam we recommend the exam training, which takes 5 weeks. It gives you a better chance to pass all the parts of the exam in one attempt.
Is your situation different? Please describe it in the Contactform a, mentioning your phone number. We will call you back soon and ask you more questions. After that, we will give you an advice.
All depends on how you speak Dutch. Most students who speak some words, like ‘goedemorgen’ en ‘hoe gaat het’ start with Lesson 1 of Module 1 of the Delft Method. From the first day, we speak Dutch. Moreover, per class you learn to use 50 new words, so the speed is high.
However, it’s our expertise to find out what your actual speaking level is, so please inform us tell us about your situation and learning goal in the Contact form.
After that, we will call you, ask questions and talk some Dutch with you. Finally, we will give you some advice.
As long as you don’t speak, the Delft method sees you as an absolute beginner. Why? In your first conversation class, you start talking from the first second on.
However, your understanding of Dutch helps. How? you will struggle less than the students who start from scratch. Yet, you must start with Module 1, just like anybody else who is not able to say more than ‘Goede morgen’ and a few other words.
In case you want to try out carefully whether Module 2 or a higher one might suit you, use the contact form . Tell us there about your situation and which goal you want to reach with your Dutch.
After that, we will call you, ask you some questions, and talk some Dutch with you. At the end, we will give you some advice.
Use Contact to give details about how you studied up to now, what your study goal is and how long you have been staying in the Netherlands. . Add your phone number and Suitcase talen will call you to discuss the matter. Usually, this free intake by phone is sufficient for good advice when you are under level A2.
In some cases, we may offer you a free proof class. After that class, both you and the teacher know whether this class is at your level.
Missed classes
As soon as you know that you’ll have to miss a class, email, text, or Whatsapp your teacher, before 17:00. If all students give permission, the teacher will record the class. You’ll receive the link to the recording the next day. The recording will be available for 48 hours.
When you don’t ask to record, you cannot catch up.
However, as long as time differences permit, you can join your online classes anywhere. That’s why many students, when at a conference, business trip or a short holiday, still participate in the lesson.
Payment
A Delft Method module is five weeks only and you pay per Module- at once and in advance.
You pay in advance for your private classes in blocks of 5 weeks.
Companies or other institutions must pay for both courses and private classes in one payment and in advance.
When a student stops or cancels after payment has been done, there will be no refund.
Stopping
A Delft Method module is five weeks only and you pay per module.
In case you stop during a module, you will not get a refund.
Cancelling
If you cancel before the module starts, you will not get a refund for the paid module. However, you can postpone your starting moment once, within a period of a year.
A Delft Method Module is affordable and 5 weeks only and you will never get a discount or refund.
Better wait for the next starting moment when you have to miss more than one of two classes! However, as the classes are online, many students continue joining class when they are at a congress, business trip, or visiting relatives.
Moreover, you can ask your teacher to record the class. If you do that before 17:00 and all the students gave their permission, you’ll receive the link to the recording the day after. The recording will be available 48 hours after the missed class.
The Civic Integration Exam
Suitcase talen does not teach MAP or ONA because most students work and are exempt from MAP, the former ONA.
However, as all candidates for Civic Integration Exam have to do KNM, we do help with KNM.
Firstly, many texts in the Delft method are related to KNM or Knowledge of Dutch Society.
Secondly, in almost every conversation class we talk about the differences between the history, culture, and society of your country and those of the Netherlands.
Finally, in the exam training, you get tips on how to tackle the KNM exam.
Are you subject to an integration obligation? And did you arrive after January 1st, 2022? Then you do the Civic Integration Exam at level B1.
Did you arrive before? Then do one part of the exam at level A2, before December 31st, 2022. By doing so, you can finish the complete exam at level A2.
You find all information at www.inburgeren.nl.