Online German Tutor Soenke

Latest feedback:

"We had an excellent experience with Sönke as an A-Level German tutor. His deep understanding of the curriculum and ability to explain complex grammar and vocabulary were invaluable. He created engaging and interactive lessons that boosted confidence and improved my child’s fluency. Sönke was also incredibly reliable and supportive, always willing to tailor sessions to specific needs or requests. Concise summaries at the end of each lesson were extremely helpful.
I highly recommended Sönke for anyone looking to excel in A-Level German! His expertise, enthusiasm, and personalised approach make him an outstanding tutor."

Heidi (mother of A Level student)



"Sönke has been tutoring me for nearly two years. Our lessons are fun, and very well tuned to me (as an adult learner) and my preferred learning style. I really enjoy studying with him - he's an excellent tutor."

Hilary (adult learner B1/2)



"Sönke has been incredibly patient with my 18 year old who is a very reluctant student! He has provided feedback to us on every session and been a fantastic teacher. Many thanks!"

Sarah (mother of A Level student)


Such a lovely 'thank-you' from Petra (mother of a Year 12 IBDP and a Year 13 A Level student)

Testimonials in alphabetical order:

“I'm glad to inform you that I think my oral went very well. My teacher said that it was excellent and a huge improvement from last time. Of course, I can only attribute this last-minute success to your excellent teaching and constant pushing forward. Thank you very much for taking the time to teach me.”

Abrar (Year 13 student – IBDP German B SL)

"I was very satisfied with our lessons, which were aimed at my seeing my relatives in Germany. Sönke tried to tailor them to my needs; and also advised me on relevant material for my trip to see my German relatives. I felt he showed a genuine interest in helping me get to the best level possible to converse with my relatives. I can recommend his approach and feel the money for his lessons was well spent, so that I can get the maximum benefit from my visit."

an adult learner (South Devon)

"Sönke is a very good German tutor and in the short time that I got to be taught by him, so far, I have learnt more than I probably would have in months."

Alex (Year 12 student - IBDP German ab initio student)

"I have really enjoyed my German language journey with Sönke. I was lucky enough to gain a job role in Germany and was very worried about my rusty German from many years before. He created an environment of trust from the outset and built a flexible lesson plan that made me feel like I was always improving. Now that I am in Germany, I feel confident to take risks with my German and Sönke's support has taken the edge off a life event that was very daunting. Very glad to have found him!"

Alex (adult learner - B2)

"I am three lessons into my time with Sönke and I am loving every minute of it. Very courteous and professional, but also great fun to work with.

His teaching style is very flexible and he adjusts it to suit the context of what I am learning, minimising confusion with humorous examples and witty jokes."

Alex (adult learner)

"Sönke's lessons were always very lively and upbeat. This was important to us, as we needed someone who was both knowledgeable and could also make the tutorials fun. His help came at a time when my daughter needed some extra input and guidance as she was about to sit her German IGCSE in two months time. Regardless of outcome or grade, we really appreciated Sönke's help and, in these stressful times, his humour. Thank you!"

Alice (parent of Year 11 student)

"I would highly recommend Sönke for A level German tuition - both for the written papers and oral. My daughter has been taught for some months now on a regular weekly basis completely online, meeting only in person on the day of the oral exam, for which Sönke acted as examiner as there was no other option for us in North Devon. We are very pleased to have found such an expert teacher who also happens to be a native speaker."

Alison (parent of Year 13 student)

"Sönke is a real find - not just because of his prompt professionalism, his wealth of teaching experience, but because he has so quickly established a strong rapport with our daughter."

Andrew (parent of Year 9 student)

"Sönke is an extremely likable and personable man. He is always smartly dressed and punctual. When he arrives, he is in a good mood and always well prepared for our lesson. Our lessons are very enjoyable and Sönke finds great ways to engage with me. ... Putting people at ease is such a talent to have, and he has it in abundance. He seems to have a multitude of tricks up his sleeve for teaching and utilises many types of media to assist. There are video clips, sound bites, written documents, pictures, cartoons and fun games. I really look forward to our lessons. ..."

Andrew (adult learner)

Sönke began working with my son who was at the start of his 2nd year of learning German at A level in autumn 2021. His help has been absolutely invaluable and my son has made huge progress thanks to his input. My son particularly appreciated that all of the lesson was conducted in German so that he felt much more confident about speaking as a consequence of this. We also really appreciated that he set homework and then marked this providing constructive feedback in time for the next lesson. I felt confident and assured that what they covered in the sessions was in line with the A level syllabus and was exactly what we needed thanks to his ability to assess my son’s level and learning needs. All in all, I would highly recommend Sönke as a German tutor.

Anna (parent of Year 13 student)

"My daughter is very happy with Sönke's lessons, which are energising and fast paced and fun and give plenty of inspiration to follow up homework. Highly recommended. Thank you, Sönke!"

Astrid (parent of Year 12 student)

"Sönke has been fantastic with my daughter, encouraging her and helping her to feel that she can certainly reach the grade she is after. He is patient, good-humoured and engaging and I would highly recommend him as a tutor."

Carys (parent of Year 11 student)

"Lessons with Sönke are engaging and challenging. They are tailored to my interests and have been flexible to adapt to what I want to achieve at different times. I look forward to my lessons, Sönke is an excellent tutor!"

Charlotte (adult learner)

"Mr Beyer translated a number of standard and additional yacht specifications for us. He did this to our utmost satisfaction and with exceptional professionalism. We would contract Mr Beyer again at any given time and, with reference to these technical translations, recommend him to you without hesitation, as someone who has proven himself as capable - a meticulous and diligent translator."

Chiara (translation customer - luxury motor yacht manufacturer)

"I would describe my experience with Sönke in terms of a river. It has not been a smooth journey for me. There have been countless of rocks of all sizes that have disrupted the flow of my German. There have been countless of tributaries which have unmistakably changed the direction in which my German was heading and many more obstacles that the river had to overcome. Yet, when a river has a powerful enough source that continuously supports the river by augmenting the amount of water in it, then it is able to reach the seemingly endless ocean of opportunity. That source is Sönke. A person who constantly emits happiness, joy and reason for laughter, a person who constantly supports you no matter what, a person who is the reason behind your determination to succeed in the battle against German, a person who is there for you. A source of utter strength and moral support. What is more however, is not his masterful skills of the language but the fact that you are simultaneously learning about Germany in general; about the culture, history and what makes Germany Germany. He will without a doubt aid you towards reaching your final goal. Yes, he will not carry you on his back to it and that is another reason as to why he is a great teacher. He will make you think and will patiently wait whilst you struggle under pressure and when you need urgent help, he will not simply tell you the answer but guide you to it. As a mentor he is the best, as a person, he is even better, a truly good person."

Christian (Year 13 student - A Level and Goethe B2/C1)

"Sönke has been teaching German to our staff, both face-to-face and online, for the last 10 months. Not only do they enjoy the sessions, but they are developing a good understanding of the language, which will benefit them greatly at work. Sönke’s lessons cover interesting topics, as well as grammar and speaking practice."

Claire - employer in recruitment

"Sönke has been a absolute pleasure to work with over this summer. We started with the goal of getting me speaking a bit of German ahead of my 6 month stay in Munich, and over 2 months I have learned far more then I thought was possible. Best of all I have had a ton of fun doing it! Sönke is exceptionally upbeat and personable, and always comes to the lessons enthusiastic and well prepared. His lesson plans are also very varied and I really enjoyed the different games and activities we played each lesson. I would highly recommend Sönke to anyone wishing to learn German in the area."

Dan (adult learner - Goethe Zertifikat)

"We called on Sønke's help for our son who was struggling with German at school. He was able to identify the areas to concentrate on and through regular structured sessions took our son from a predicted 3 in his GCSE to a level 6. Always punctual, polite and conscientious Sønke is well recommended."

Darrol (parent of Year 11 student)

"Always ready, well organised and focused for his tailored lessons, Sonke is a highly knowledgeable, intelligent, patient, exact and enthusiastic teacher, who truly cares and really strives for his students to succeed. Highly recommend him to everyone with interest for German language and culture."

Diana (parent of Year 12 student)

"I found Mr. Beyer such an incredible tutor who really went out of his way to help me with my German GCSE speaking exam. He always replied promptly to my many emails filled with questions and gave some wonderful tips to prepare me for the exam. As a result, I felt completely at ease, and hope that now I will be able to study German further at A Level."

...

"I at last found out that I received a grade 9 with 147/160 marks! I know I definitely could not have achieved that grade without him!"

Eliza (Year 11 student - GCSE)

"Sönke manages to make German classes engaging and fun. His use of visual prompts prove a great way to point out areas of improvement, while keeping the momentum upbeat. With his ability to keep the pace punchy and his notes precise, there´s never a dull moment. Who'd have thought German lessons could be fun?"

Eve (adult learner)

"I just wanted to say you an absolutely superb teacher. Finding you was the best thing for our child - I cannot thank you enough for your thoroughness, attention to detail, notes... everything. You are truly one of a kind."

Fiona (parent of Year 10 student)

"Sönke is a great tutor, I would really recommend him. He is friendly, easy to talk to and explains things in a clear way. Also especially helpful is the time he takes after every lesson to send resources, corrections or lesson notes which would be of help. Thanks, Sönke!"

Gabi (Goethe C1 student)

" 'Learning with a German' is fun and a very good investment. Bespoke lessons are well prepared and interesting. Due to various teaching techniques, they are never boring. Sönke is a rare, high quality teacher. He is very professional but with a personable attitude.

Sönke also provided us with some much appreciated technical translations (English-German) for specifications needed for our industry’s most important trade fair."

Gabi (adult learner - commercial customer)

"Sönke is a great tutor, I would really recommend him. He is friendly, easy to talk to and explains things in a clear way. Also especially helpful is the time he takes after every lesson to send resources, corrections or lesson notes which would be of help. Thanks, Sönke!"

Gabriel (adult learner, Goethe C1)

"I've been seeking tutoring in getting me to a B1 level and Sönke has been amazing at tailoring a programme for me. He's patient and very effective. I highly recommend him!"

Galen (adult learner)

"Working with Sönke made a huge difference to my Year 13 daughter's confidence and grades for her A Level German. She enjoyed the lessons, was challenged by him without being overwhelmed and was able to work on all of the smaller areas her class teacher had highlighted, one to one. I'm sure the experience added at least one grade to her final result if not more. Thank you for what you have done for her, Sönke - it's meant that she will now get into the university she wanted to go to and has increased her desire to continue to learn German after A Level."

Ian (parent of Year 13 student)

"Sönke truly is an excellent tutor. For the short time that I worked with him he made such a massive difference in everything from my results to my confidence and ability. He always delivered lessons that were perfectly pitched and well planned and structured, willing to spend as much time as necessary ensuring that I understood where I went wrong and how to improve. Overall, I could not recommend him highly enough!"

Izzy (Year 13 A Level student)

“The exams went exceptionally well. Thank you so much for all your help! I could not have done it without you!”

Jake (mature A Level student – online tuition)

"We have hired Sonke to help myself, my husband and my two small children (aged 5 and 7) to learn some basic German before moving to Switzerland in a few months time. His lessons have been great fun, really engaging for the kids and we are amazed at how much we have learnt in such a short space of time. He has also been really helpful in providing further learning for both myself and my husband at a more in depth level. He is professional and friendly and we could not be more delighted. I would highly recommend him as a tutor."

Jenny (family learning)

“We sought Sönke’s help with our daughter’s GCSE German course. She enjoyed the subject but lacked confidence in her ability. Sönke was a huge help in guiding her through all aspects of the GCSE course, and building her confidence especially in speaking German. He is very experienced and knowledgeable: he really listened to her and was very much led by her as to the areas that she wanted to concentrate on, but also built up her basic knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Sönke is a great teacher and I would highly recommend him.”

Jo (parent of Year 11 student)

"Sönke is an amazing tutor. He always made sure to provide me a wide variety of resources to improve my German including real world and interesting resources like magazines. His professional teaching combined with his sense of humor always made lessons enjoyable and engaging. I'm very glad to have been his student. Thank you Sönke!"

Jocelyn (high school student, Goethe B1)

"We highly recommend Sönke as a German tutor. We feel lucky to have found him, as he is a pleasure to deal with, and we did not know any local German Tutors at the time we were looking for our son. Our son’s one-to–one German sessions are enjoyable, varied, well-structured and tailored to his needs. This has really helped with my son’s GCSE German school work, and it has greatly improved his confidence in both written and spoken German."

Karen (parent of Year 11 student)

"I have been working with Sönke for the last 6 months. He is a fantastic teacher, he is patient and he has gone the extra mile when with me. Over the last 6 months, I have noticed Sönke goes into depth with grammar and phonetics. Furthermore, he also sets tasks to perform between sessions to reinforce what was taught within the session. I would highly recommend him if you want to improve your German."

Lewis (adult learner - Goethe B2)

"Fantastic tutor, because he is patient, great personality, he goes the extra mile for you and has a canny ability to get you to understand complex ideas of German grammar. Highly recommended!"

Lewis (adult learner - under graduate)

"I appreciated the effort that Sönke put in each lesson, his excellent teaching methodology and teaching style and how he adapted to my way of learning and built on my strength and weaknesses. Sönke provided useful advice and taught me more in a few lessons than in my past years."

Linda (Year 12 student - IBDP German B SL)

"I contacted Sönke in desperation as our son had received poor teaching at school and we needed to ‘rescue’ his GCSE. Despite having very poor grammar and vocabulary when he started learning with Sönke, a mere 6 months before his exam, and having no confidence in speaking German, he sat his exam this week feeling confident and well prepared! We couldn’t recommend Sönke more highly! It makes such a difference being taught by a native speaker!"

Lorna (parent of Year 11 student)

"Simply excellent tutoring. Sönke helped me cover the whole A level syllabus in just one year with a very clear and well-structured plan, which made sure all topics were covered in an in-depth manner while still having a large focus on grammar. His experience really showed in the range of learning resources he had, which can then fit to any individual learner's needs and gave a really engaging personalised learning environment. It's clear Sönke is ready to go the extra mile to help you however advanced you are. Highly recommend."

Lukas (Year 12 student - early entry - A Level)

"Sönke is an excellent tutor with a wealth of teaching experience and fantastic knowledge of all the different exam boards' syllabuses. He makes lessons fun, which is so important for learning; my daughter always enjoys them and has learnt a great deal. As my daughter has been too ill to attend school on a regular basis for some time, his lessons have actually been a lifeline. I can't recommend him enough."

Madeleine (parent of Year 11 student)

"Sönke has been teaching my 10 year old daughter for 6 months, and I would highly recommend him. He is a great teacher - patient, organised and fun - and we have been very impressed with his level of professionalism. It’s quite amazing what a little bit of focused one-on-one can do!"

Malene (parent of Year 6 student)

“Sönke has been able to support my German with a natural ability to perfectly lead my learning. He has a well-structured teaching style with a plethora of learning aids which meant I felt that his teaching experience shone through.



Not only did he provide the hour lesson, which via Zoom was so easy, but also he continued to spend time, away from the class, marking my homework and writing emails to me giving corrections and feedback.”

Mark (adult learner)

"Sönke helped me prepare for the B2 exam. Very friendly, very focussed and really helped me in successfully preparing for and taking the exam. Highly recommended!"

Martin (adult learner - Goethe B2)

"Sönke is a sublime teacher - look no further if you are looking for a German tutor. He is fun, patient, and warm, and constantly came up with new, innovative ways of learning; I always looked forwards to our lessons. I recommend him wholeheartedly, whatever your level of pre-existing knowledge of German may be."

Max (adult learner - Goethe B1)

"I would like to give my personal recommendation to anyone looking for a German tutor and genuinely say that you will not find anyone better than Sönke. My grades are really important to me and I wanted to do well in my GCSEs.

Predicted a 4 and ready to drop German, but not wanting to give up, I asked my mother whether it was possible to have a tutor to see if I could push up my grade a little.

I am so glad we found Sönke, as not only now am I hopeful for a Grade 8, but thanks to Sönke I actually really enjoy the language and with his tuition I have completely turned things around. Sönke is an amazing tutor. He has been so helpful and has made what was a difficult subject for me into something I found enjoyable to learn. He has also offered support and encouragement outside of my tutoring sessions, he has been so helpful and his style of teaching is exceptional and everything just made sense. He is very patient and I really enjoyed my lessons. Just before my exams, Sönke was very flexible and supportive.

Thank you Sönke for all your help! I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor!"

Megan (Year 11 student - GCSE)

"I have relatives in South Germany and wanted to improve my communication with them when I visited. I therefore signed up to study with Sönke early in 2020 and thought taking the Goethe Institute B1 would concentrate the mind. I had regular fortnightly lessons except for the summer months. Sönke is totally reliable in his time keeping and does not stint your time. Besides working through exercises, he also encouraged me to watch films, most notably 'Nico's Weg', but also German films about contemporary German culture and history, so that I got up to speed about events in Germany. He was very clear about the goals I needed to achieve and what I had to do to achieve them. It was hard work, especially as I am in my 70s, but when I eventually sat and passed the exam, it was all worth it. I am going to Germany in Autumn and will sign on for a few conversational sessions. Working with Sönke to achieve that B1 result was hard, but enjoyable, work.

If you want to improve your German, look no further."

Michael (adult learner - B1)

"Sönke Beyer was wonderfully clear and informative, giving our daughter some great advice. He was also efficient and made sure that we as parents knew what was going on, so that we knew how best we could support her in the lead up to the exam."

Myra (parent of Year 11 student)

"I found the German tuition very helpful because when I started I really struggled with speaking in German for more than a minute in a sudden conversation and pronouncing German words correctly. After doing this tuition my German knowledge increased and I found it much easier to hold a conversation for a greater length of time. As well as this I learnt a lot of exam technique which helped a lot in German but also in other foreign language subjects."

Nitish (Year 9 student - early entry - GCSE)

"We appreciated all the advice and extra effort in supporting our daughter. He was empathetic to our daughter's well-being and concentrated on her learning and her education pathway."

Olaf (father of Year 11 student)

"What I really appreciated about studying with 'Learn with a German' was the variety of learning materials Sönke used to teach the German Language. It is a very challenging language but with the resources he uses and his reinforcement techniques I really enjoyed and developed over the course of the year, I would highly recommend using 'Learn with a German'."

Rebecca (adult learner)

"Despite short notice, Sönke helped me with a German presentation, using video and audio recordings. It was great to work with him - strongly recommended."

Richard (translation and coaching)

"My son has been learning with Sönke for two years approx. From not knowing any word in German, and having his schoolteacher ask him to think about not getting into it, to being best in class, and having the teacher feeling "… gob smacked". All thanks to external help with Sönke and his lessons once a week. It is not easy as it is hard work (high expectation) but is worth it as my son now knows so much and may I add: with a German accent. Thank you, Sönke."

Ron (parent of Year 11 student)

"Sönke is a fantastic German language tutor and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to everyone. This year he has taught our two sons (7&9 years old), who have come on leaps and bounds with their learning thanks to his encouragement and skill. They looked forward to their online sessions which were so professional but made interactive and fun for young learners. We are looking forward to having more lessons with Sonke in the future. Thank you for such a great experience."

Ruth (mother of 7 and 9 year old boys)

"Sönke has been a fantastic tutor for my daughter. She was struggling with German at school and predicted a 5. She has just schieved an 8 with Sönke’s help and has enjoyed the lessons too. Thank you!"

Sally (parent of Year 11 student)

"Sönke managed to fit me in for a few months in the run up to my Goethe C1 exam. When I first started, I had never taken a German exam was just hoping that he would help me pass. In the end, he helped lead me to achieve 100% in speaking and over 90% in writing and listening. Most importantly though, I have gained a confidence and trust in my German that I will enjoy taking with me into later life.

I was thoroughly impressed by his quality, experience, and humor! I could not recommend him enough and wish I could go back to the beginning and do it all again :)"

Sam (young adult learner)

"Soenke did an amazing job teaching and preparing my son Daniel for his forthcoming GCSE. Patience, kindness and a great sense of humour really put my son at ease and he came along in strides. I would highly recommend Soenke."

Sherry (parent of Year 11 student)

"Absolutely first class tuition, reminding this 76 year old of the German he last spoke in a Hamburg office in 1975 and guiding him onwards and upwards towards Goethe Institut level B2."

Simon (adult learner - Goethe B2)

"Mr Beyer has taught online German lessons for my daughter in the final year of her GCSEs. He is very kind, supportive and an excellent German teacher. He has a practical and methodical approach towards the teaching. My daughter enjoyed her German lessons with Mr Beyer, and has significant improved her confidence and performance in the German. She has now taken German as one of her subjects in her IB programme, and is keen to continue with Mr Beyer as her German tutor in the next two years of her IB programme. We are very happy to have him as German tutor."

Srinivasa (parent of Year 11/12 student)

"Sönke has a great approach and combined with his sense of humor makes learning German easier. Thank you."

Stefan (parent of Year 8 student)

"Having studied German at GCSE level a ‘number of years ago’, I was rather apprehensive about starting lessons. However, I had nothing to fear!

Sönke’s approach to teaching was superb, making us feel comfortable from the outset, starting slowly with numbers and the alphabet. It was surprising how much I could remember. As we moved further into the language, Sönke went beyond the normal text book approach and made custom-made resources, e.g. ‘our brand’ top trump cards, which was a fun and interesting way to learn.

If you are looking to learn from scratch or have a refresh, I would highly recommend learnwithagerman!"

Tom (adult learner - commercial customer)

"Very highly recommended. Sönke is a pleasure to deal with, professional, prompt and making a real difference for my daughter who is taking GSCE German. She is confident that her grade will now improve. Sönke personalises the sessions and has been a great help for my daughter. Very glad to have found this tutor.

Tracey (parent of Year 11 student)

"I highly recommend Sönke as a German tutor. Throughout the past year with Sönke, I have seen a great improvement in my son’s German ability, as well as better predicted grades, indicating that his teachers have the improvement noticed too. Every lesson, Sönke has a very thorough approach with his teaching, ensuring that my son is following along. Not only does he provide challenging work during the lesson, but also sets ample effective homework in between. Overall, I am tremendously satisfied with Sönke tutoring."

Vani (parent of Year 9 student)

"Sönke is an excellent tutor. I worked with him for 2 hours a week to fast track German A level in one year, which I managed successfully. Sönke strategically worked with me through grammar and all the themes included in a German A level. He provided me with a range of sources to expand my knowledge and understanding. He went above and beyond to be helpful and to make the lessons engaging and interesting."

Verena (Year 13 student - A Level)