Language schools
expat-services.ch lists 13 hand-checked German courses in Zürich for English speakers, including Academia Languages, Alemania Deutschschule, Bellingua and ECAP Zürich.
Besides English, they also work in German, French, Italian and Spanish. Every profile shows the services, languages and contact details, checked by hand before going live. See also Schools and childcare providers in Zürich.
13 providers
Language school network; its Basel school at Heuwaage runs German level and exam courses (telc, fide), accepts Basel-City course vouchers and offers childcare during lessons.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?German school in Zürich, Bern and Lucerne: group courses once, twice or five times a week from A1 to C2, private lessons on site or online, telc and SDS exams.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?German school in Zürich city centre for adult learners, founded 2002: hybrid group courses (on site or by video), private lessons and a Swiss German course. English website.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Non-profit education provider in Zürich: German group courses incl. evening courses and childcare, City of Zurich co-financed courses, fide test centre, fide and telc preparation.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?English-language German school in Zürich (Leimbach): small groups of up to 6 and private lessons from A1 to C1, in person or online, High German and Swiss German.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?German school at Limmatplatz in Zürich: daily intensive courses with monthly pricing, semi-intensive evening and Saturday courses, online courses, telc and Goethe exam registration.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Basel language school with sister schools in Bern, Zurich and more; German and 40+ languages in small groups, intensive, evening and Saturday classes, plus telc and fide prep.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Language school at Stauffacher in Zurich teaching German in small groups of 2-6, intensive and Goethe exam courses and private lessons; other languages and company courses offered.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?German and English school near Zürich main station: intensive and semi-intensive group courses on site or online, fide and telc exam centre, fide preparation courses.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?German language school in Zurich offering practical, communicative courses for expats, international professionals and newcomers, from beginner to advanced levels.
Zurich language school with one-on-one German lessons built around the Swiss naturalisation language certificate (A2 written, B1 spoken); English website; knowledge-test preparation on request.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich school running a 16-hour naturalisation preparation course on Swiss geography, history, democracy and social system, with interview training in German.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich language school offering naturalisation preparation that combines German A2–B1 with Swiss civics for the canton's basic knowledge test; on-site telc/fide exam centre.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Local facts
For a C permit the Zurich Migration Office asks for German at A2 spoken and A1 written; nationals of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein need no certificate, and a course certificate of the University of Zurich and ETH Language Center at the matching level is among the accepted proofs (Migration Office, checked ). Naturalisation in the canton needs B1 spoken and A2 written, shown by a recognised B1 certificate or by the cantonal German test (KDE), which has an oral part and a written part with listening, reading and writing, at a fee that depends on the commune and the test school (Canton of Zurich, checked ).
The fide office's list shows eight examination locations in Zurich, and the full fide test costs CHF 250 (fide office, checked ). The city's own preparation module for it, eight lessons over two weeks, costs CHF 40 and is refunded in full on application to city residents with a KulturLegi who attended at least 70% of a city-subsidised course in the past two years (City of Zurich, checked ). In the city's database Swiss German is a separate course type: it trains listening to the dialect and requires very good Standard German (Deutschkursdatenbank, checked ). The canton tells newcomers that speaking Standard German is accepted and that people can be asked to reply in it (Canton of Zurich, checked ).
Arrivals from abroad register in person at the Personenmeldeamt Zürich Süd in the Stadthaus, Stadthausquai 17, with a booked appointment, and only once they actually live in the city (City of Zurich, checked ). The deadline is 14 days (2026) (City of Zurich, checked ); the fee is CHF 40 per adult, plus the cantonal migration office’s permit fees for foreign nationals (City of Zurich, checked ). More in our guide to registering at your commune.
Read more German courses in Zurich: how to choose one (2026)The fide test in Switzerland: levels, format, fees and test centres
Checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team