In the event that there is a conflict in information provided here and what is written in the School Regulations for Dutch First, the information provided in the regulations supersedes information provided in the FAQ.
Our school is located in the city of Utrecht at Niasstraat 1, a fifteen-minute walk or five-minute bicycle ride from Utrecht Central Station. The school is easy to reach by public transport, a bus stop is in front of our school. To reach the school by bus from Utrecht Central Station, you can take busnumber 27, 28, 38 and leave the bus at bus stop 'van Koetsveldstraat'. You will find Dutch First across the street. You can enter the building through the shared main entrance at Niasstraat1 (until 5 p.m) or through our private entrance located on the streetside of the Vleutenseweg. Walk straight on the Vleutenseweg and you will find the entrance of Dutch First on your left. For a map of our location and our office opening hours, please visit our Contact page.
You can not pay your course at Dutch First with a DUO loan. When you have a loan from DUO and you want to pay for a Dutch course using this loan, it is necessary that you choose a school from the 'blik op werk' list. You can find the list of schools online.
The education plan for teaching Dutch as a second language for adults is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The plan is divided into levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
Dutch First divides the CEFR language levels A1, A2, B1 and B2 into two or three courses. A table is provided below to clarify how Dutch First courses align with the Dutch Language Plan and CEFR Levels.
|
Dutch First courses |
Corresponding CEFR level |
Chapters covered |
Book |
||
|
Intensive |
Standard |
||||
|
(breakthrough) |
Dutch intensive A1-1 |
Dutch standard |
A1 |
Contact! 1 Chapter 1-3 |
Contact! 1 Workbook and Textbook |
|
Dutch intensive A1-2 |
Dutch standard |
A1 |
Contact! 1 Chapter 4-6 |
||
|
(waystage) |
Dutch intensive A2-1 |
Dutch standard |
A2 |
Contact! 1 Chapter 7-9 |
|
|
Dutch intensive A2-2 |
Dutch standard |
A2 |
Contact! 1 Chapter 10-12 |
||
|
user (threshold) |
Dutch intensive B1-1 |
Dutch standard |
B1 |
Contact! 2 Chapter 1-3B |
Contact! 2 Workbook and Textbook |
|
Dutch intensive B1-2 |
Dutch standard |
B1 |
Contact! 2 Chapter 3C-6A |
||
|
Dutch intensive B1-3 |
Dutch standard |
B1 |
Contact! 2 Chapter 6B-8C |
||
|
user (vantage) |
Dutch intensive B2-1 |
Dutch standard |
B2 |
Contact! 3 Chapter 1-3B |
Contact! 3 Workbook and Textbook |
|
Dutch intensive B2-2 |
Dutch standard |
B2 |
Contact! 3 Chapter 3C-6A |
||
|
Dutch intensive B2-3 |
Dutch standard |
B2 |
Contact! 3 Chapter 6B-8C |
||
You can enroll in a course in several ways: the easiest way is to find the course you want to attend in the course menu on our website and click on the green button located in the right hand corner that says “sign up”.
One can also enroll either in person at the school’s reception or by sending an email to [email protected].
Please note: the course enrollment is binding. Participants withdrawing from the course within 7 calendar days of the course start date will be charged a cancellation fee.
Resignations for courses are only accepted when they are presented in writing following the time restrictions presented below. They can be submitted either by email or in person at the reception. You can also resign by clicking on the cancellation link in the confirmation email that you receive when signing up online. The school does not accept resignations over the phone. A registration for a course will be considered as binding until a written resignation is received by email, handed in at the reception or through the cancellation link in the confirmation email.
Yes. You can transfer to another course at a later date if there are extraordinary and/or unexpected circumstances that have arisen. The request and documentation supporting the reason for the request (i.e., illness, employment changes resulting from the employer) must be submitted in writing to the school's reception. We do not accept any course changes over the phone. There is a one-time transfer fee. An approved request for transfer allows the student to continue in a later course at the same point in the lessons at which they left, provided there is space available. The transfer is possible only once, and is binding. The replacement course must be started within three months of the approved transfer date. It is not possible to return to the previous course after the transfer has been approved.
Yes, but only in cases of unforeseeable circumstances (e.g. documented illness, business trip with a written statement from the employer), and only if there is a group on the same level with available space. You need to be in contact with our administration to plan the make-up lesson.
Dutch First uses the books of Contact! from publisher Intertaal for their courses. Both Textbook and workbook are used. The books can be purchased online or at a bookstore. Dutch First provides the option to purchase the book at the reception for the same price. The books can be reserved via email or telephone. When the invoices for the course are sent out, a payment link for the books will be included in the email that can be used to pay for the books (only works with a Dutch bank account). It is also possible to pay for the books in cash at our reception. For detailed information about the books needed for specific courses, please go to the "Our Courses" section of the website and read the description for the course you are interested in.
After the course enrollment you will receive an invoice via email at the email address you provided at the time of registration (approximately 5 days before the course start date). You can pay the invoice by bank transfer. Alternatively, it is possible to pay in cash at our reception. Cash payments are subject to an additional €7,50 administration fee. The payment has to be completed before the due date, which can be found on the invoice. Please make sure to provide a proof of payment at the reception when you come for your first lesson.
Yes, but only for payers residing in the Netherlands who can present their Dutch service number (burgerservicenummer). The type of installments depends on the course. For standard courses, payment can be divided into two installments. The first installment should be paid before the course starts, and there is an additional fee of €15 added to the first installment. For the one-year program, payment can be divided into three payments. The first payment should be paid prior to the beginning of the course. There is no additional fee.
Dutch First is a private institution focused on the individual customer. We do not receive any subsidy from the state and have some of the least expensive course offerings on the market. We do not grant family discounts. We offer some discounts for companies or organizations based on the number of enrollments. However, if you are a group of minimum four people enrolling at the same time for the same course, we can offer you a discount. This only applies to newly registered participants. Please inquire at our reception.
All participants who attend at least 80 percent of the course sessions have the right to receive a course certificate. The certificate includes information on the material covered in the course, the course level, the course dates, and the teacher's name. It is issued the last day of the course and is included in the course fee. Additional official copies cost €5 per copy.
Courses start with a minimum of six participants. A group can contain a maximum of 14 participants.
If you are unsure what level of language course you should take, it is possible to take a placement test at our school location. These services are offered free of charge. Please contact us to make an appointment.
We believe that conversational skills are an important part of the language learning process. As such, all our classes are taught in the target language. During the classes we focus on all four of the basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing to ensure full language comprehension.
No, Dutch First is not responsible for your visa application and we cannot assist in the process. However, if you are enrolled and have paid for a course, Dutch First can provide an official letter as proof of your enrollment. Dutch First can not guarantee that a student will be granted a visa to the Netherlands. For more information on obtaining a Dutch visa or citizenship we would like to direct you to the website of the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
Dutch First is looking for qualified teachers that are native speakers with experience in teaching. If you have relevant experience and are interested in working with us, please send your CV to our email: [email protected]. We realize searching for a job in a new country is challenging. However, we do not provide any information or help in searching for work.
Students who have changed their name for legal reasons must present an official document confirming the name change. An official document could be, for example, a statement of name changing from the Dutch 'Burgerzaken' (National Population Register). The school will make a copy of the document and change the student's name in the files. If the student is currently attending a course, we will change the name on that course's certificate (we will not change names on past course certificates).