The number of students choosing to study German has been declining* yet there are undeniable benefits to studying German. Learning any language is known to improve communication skills, encourage cultural understanding and even helps with results across the curriculum. But there a some very good reasons to study German in particular:
- It’s the official language, not just of Germany, but also Austria, Swizerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Brussels. Knowing German also helps with the study of related languages such as Russian and Dutch
- Germany is one of the UK’s biggest trading partners and knowledge of the language is useful for anyone wanting to work in international business
- Knowledge of German increases your job opportunities with German and foreign companies in the UK and abroad
- German is the second most commonly used scientific language and Germany has a strong reputation for technology and engineering; knowledge of German will help with job opportunities in these areas
- Learning German encourages critical thinking and problem solving
- Being able to speak even a little German opens doors to European countries where German is widely spoken, especially in Eastern Europe
The British Council can help you introduce German language in your school with our resource 'Welcome to German and the German-speaking world', which includes ideas and activities for both primary and secondary classes. Another fun and engaging resource is The great German language challenge
Hear from three people who use German in their work: Elisabeth from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); Leah from the British Council and Lisa from Government Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ) talk about how they first learned German and how it has helped them in their careers..
* The numbers of students studying German at GCSE dropped by 18% in the five years from 2018 to 2022 though there was a welcome increase of 3.5% in 2024.