Testimonials

Michael [Rübenach] was the perfect teacher, he tailored our sessions to my needs, both inspired and challenged me and we also had great fun together!

Meeting Michael Rübenach was one of the best things that happened to me in Germany. Being an executive in this country means that you need to master their language. No escapes. Enter Michael.

Geschäftsführer Technik (CTO), Vodafone Germany
Eric Kuisch

He helped me during 18 months in intensive individual training at Goethe to improve my language skills considerably. He is a pleasant person to work with, highly interested in your well-being and at the same time very demanding and really puts you at work. He is very sharp on the progress you make and is brutally frank when you make mistakes (normally Germans are so polite that they would not correct you, especially when you’re the boss..). Finally, it is really helpful that Michael uses your day to day experience to make your learning faster and more relevant to your everyday life.

I recommend Michael highly, and wish him all the best in building his own company based on his unique skills.

It is with great pleasure that I write this reference letter for Mr. Michael Ruebenach. I have known Michael for more than 6 six years, both as a language teacher and as a social and cultural integration expert.

Former Canadian Consul from Düsseldorf
Mathe Lemay

With regards to his teaching, Mr. Ruebenach is extremely knowledgeable in the language and its intricacies, detail-oriented and extremely competent. His excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, allow him to connect with people and to inspire them to provide their best effort. He has excellent rapport with students of all ages, having taught young graduates to older professionals like myself and every age in between.

Not only is Michael a great teacher, he is an outstanding guide for those coming to a new country and looking to adapt quickly to their new environment. He has an in-depth understanding of the complex and fascinating interactions among language, culture and society. As Consul for Canada in Germany, I had to interact with senior officials both from the political and the business circles. Michael was key in identifying the key cultural savoir-faire including values, beliefs, behaviors and local practices in order to skillfully guide me in my interactions with my German colleagues. Needless to say that it was an immense pleasure to work with Michael. His personality and creativity made every session extremely enjoyable and something to look forward to every week. In summary, I highly recommend Michael for any position or endeavor that he may seek to pursue. He will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to any organization.

Two years of private lessons with Michael Rübenach as my teacher took my German to new heights. I arrived fresh from Sweden to work in Oberhausen, had previously mostly learned German on my own but mastered in the end the language so well…

Director Manufacturing, Celanese Europe BV
Kristina Geelmuyden Karlsson

…that I passed “Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung”, meaning reached the highest level (C2) for people of foreign origin. Michael was the perfect teacher, he tailored our sessions to my needs, both inspired and challenged me and we also had great fun together!

I engaged Michael last summer for private German lessons and have no hesitation in recommending him most highly to other potential clients. He is excellent at tailoring tuition to individual needs, both in terms of responding to a client’s stated aims…

Poet
Elaine Ewart

…and in diagnosing what they need in terms of language learning and practice. I always had the feeling of being in very experienced and expert hands, which showed in many small details. Michael is also sensitive to what motivates an individual client to want to learn the German language and adapting lessons accordingly. I was learning German in order to carry out a particular research project, and Michael’s enthusiasm in engaging with the subject of my research made our lessons both enjoyable and memorable. I benefited hugely from our lessons in terms of my German language confidence and more generally from our wide-ranging discussions.

I have known Michael for 5 years and have interacted with him extensively in his capacity as my German language teacher in Goethe Institut Düsseldorf. During my courses, I have come to know Michael very well, and therefore can comment on some aspects of his teaching.

Wealth Management Advisor
Julia Thanasoura-Orfanakou

Michael is a kind, interesting, hard-working, creative, organized, remarkable teacher, and it has been my privilege learning German with him. His enthusiasm increased my engagement, and interest in learning German. He acted as a motivational catalyst, increasing my interest by the variety, novelty, and surprise of the enthusiastic presentation of the material. He motivated me to study German beyond the lecture textbook. An important aspect of Michael’s interaction is his availability to answer questions, interest in students’ work, ability to provide just the right amount of structure yet allow the student some independence. Last but not least he accommodated my need of learning business and financial German. I personally have benefited from learning German with Michael and highly recommend him as a teacher of German language.

My name is Felipe de la Balze, I work in JPMorgan Corporate and Investment Banking in the area of Credit RIsk. A couple of years ago, I had intensive lessons for one month with Michael. His service was truly excellent…

JPMorgan Corporate
Felipe A. de la Balze

…and he enabled me to pass a written and very hard exam in German on the topic of Supply Chain Management. He learned the material of the exam and truly accompanied me as I tried to understand the material and then write about it. He has an excellent grasp of the German language and is a truly high quality teacher, of which there are few around. Do not doubt to hire him as your German teacher, for whatever reason you may need him. He will adapt to your needs. Many thanks, Michael!

Michael is the best German language teacher I have ever encountered! I had the pleasure to be taught by Michael on a 1:1 basis over 6 months. Michael is intuitive, structured, encouraging, enthusiastic and inspiring.

Account DIrector, ThingWorx
Peter Liss

He adapts to your learning pace, goals, industry requirements (specialist vocabulary), and your learning style. This results in tailored and individual learning programme. Michael is also able to advise on general communication effectiveness (e.g. letters, presentations, speeches, board meetings etc). For both professional/corporate and personal benefit, I strongly recommend Michael as a consultant, coach and teacher, for your communication and language needs.

Michael, my former German teacher, is very professional, he is not only able to teach foreigners German in a structured way but also embed a lot of learning of German culture and history, which I found very beneficial and helpful to be integrated in German society…

Former Global Director Finance Value Chain Management, Metro Cash & Carry
Daphne Bing Schomaker

with his dedicated efforts, I was able to obtain the B1 certificate with very satisfactory result… thanks, Michael!

I had German lessons with Michael Ruebenach for 1.5 years, it was an intense and rewarding experience! Michael kept the classroom sessions very interesting, with lots of practice speaking and listening through informal conversations in a relaxed setting.

Regional Utilities/Energy Manager – NAFTA – Evonik Corporation, Theodore, USA
Jim Gilliland

There was plenty of work outside of class that I could do “on my own”, thereby getting the maximum value out of the class time. Michael’s in-depth knowledge of language history and word derivations added a richness to the learning experience. Michael has my highest recommendation.

I highly appreciate your support and cooperation during my term in Germany.

Geschäftsführer, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Düsseldorf
Yasutaka Iyama

Couple of years ago I followed Michael for a private language course. He is a very efficient teacher, has great coaching skills and always encouraged me to learn through the practises. He is very diciplined, strict but also with sense of humor.

Global Business Expansion Experienced Senior Executive, Weyto International GmbH National University of Defense Technology, Düsseldorf
Lili Jia

It was a lot of fun through the learning and I got also very positive result for my language certification after the course. Thanks a lot Michael!

I found Michael Rübenach to be an outstanding German language tutor. He quickly discovered my strengths and weaknesses and then designed a lesson program to efficiently help me reach my potential.

Director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Prof. Arjun G. Yodh

This approach enabled me to maximize my research time at the University and to communicate in German about ordinary matters.

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