This year, I’ve been working in a German secondary school as an English language assistant. I settled in quite quickly but I noticed that some parts of the German education system are a little bit different from British schools. At first, these differences seemed quite strange to me! Here are the three main differences I’ve noticed between British and German secondary schools.
1. The early starts
In the UK, most pupils start school about 9 am. However, German schools start much earlier! My students have to be in their classes by 7.35 am. That means they have to wake up very early on school days! I imagine the early starts are very tiring.
2. ‘Breakfast break’
Normally, British students eat their breakfast before coming to school. This doesn’t happen in Germany! German kids eat their breakfast after the first lesson of the day, during a special ‘breakfast break’. They usually have a yoghurt, some fruit and sandwiches. Yummy!
3. No uniform!
British pupils often wear stiff shirts and ties to school. However, German kids are allowed to wear their normal jeans and T-shirts. In my opinion, this is the coolest thing about German schools! I used to hate my school uniform – it was so ugly and uncomfortable!
As you can see, there are many differences between British and German schools. However, the two education systems are not completely different! After all, all pupils have to take tests, go to maths lessons and do their homework! Some things never change …
Nice one