Portrait of Nadia El Hamouri, founder of Swiss Language Studio and German exam coach in Switzerland

Hi, I’m Nadia, your German exam coach

I make your German exam-ready.

You can take a standard German course. But if your goal is to pass the exam, working with me gets you there faster.

Your time is limited, and you probably don’t want to spend it on endless exercises that have little to do with the exam.

That’s why I chose to work differently, with a clear focus on what your exam asks of you.

I’ve seen exams from the other side

I’ve been working for more than 15 years with people who have made Switzerland their new home.

As a former certified TELC examiner, I know how exams are assessed and what examiners look for.

Over the years, I’ve helped many people feel ready for their exams: TELC, Goethe, SDS, FIDE.

People come to me after trying different approaches, and I hear the same things quite often. A course that felt like school, with too many rules or too little structure. They didn’t see where it was going. Mental check-out after three weeks, and speaking postponed to “later”.

With me, that changes.

As a Neurolanguage Coach®, I don’t just teach German. I guide you without overloading you, and we decide together what to work on.

You speak and think: okay, that actually sounded like something. Not perfect, but you said it…

with a small set of structures that already let you say a lot.

And when you sit in the exam, you’re not guessing, because you finally learned the right things and know how to respond.

You don’t need to memorise more and more rules or a thousand fancy words.

I help you say a lot with a little.

So speaking in the exam feels like something you can do,
not something you just survive.

Sometimes, everyday situations feel like exams, too.

A meeting at work, a phone call or a conversation you didn’t see coming. You know more German than you think, but suddenly the words won’t come.

That’s something we can work on. We start with the situations that matter to you and practise how to express yourself using the German you already know. Then we build on it, step by step.

Explore German Coaching

This is also me

I’ve been on your side too

Beyond my work, I’m a language learner myself.
I’ve lived abroad for several years.
So I know what it means to build a life in a new country
and to navigate daily life in a language that isn’t your own…
…and how humbling it can be when a five-year-old speaks better than you.

I grew up in a bicultural family in a very international neighbourhood in lovely Bern.
Language, culture and identity were part of my everyday life long before they became my profession.
I also hold a Bachelor’s degree in Social Anthropology,
which shaped how I understand communication, culture and human interaction.

When I’m not working, you’ll most likely find me with my son or dancing.
I have a passion for Latin dance and love to move whenever I feel the rhythm.
It keeps me grounded
and it probably says something about how I work:
focused, but never stiff.

credentials

Where my approach comes from

Exam insight & teaching

Former certified TELC examiner

Levels B1 to C2

7000+ hours of teaching experience

Including hundreds of hours of targeted exam preparation

10+ years at a German language school

Plus six years as a private online coach

SVEB Certificate Level 1

Certificate of the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning

EUROLTA Diploma

European Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults

Coaching & communication

Certified Neurolanguage Coach®

Combining language learning with coaching principles based on neuroscience, accredited by ICF International Coaching Federation through ELC

Person-centered communication

Training based on Carl Rogers

Bachelor in Social Anthropology

Understanding communication, culture and human interaction

Working languages

Simply put, Nadia is amazing. She finds you precisely where you are, regardless of your ability; and then knows exactly which levers to pull to get you to the next level. But you won’t hardly notice that she’s pulling them: the hours will fly by, and you’ll begin to wonder if you had spent them talking with a teacher or with an old friend. That is, right up until the next time you open your mouth to speak German – at which point, you’ll wonder how you ever got on without her.

Mike F. IT-Professional, Bern

Uno de mis retos cuando empecé a trabajar con ella fue aprobar el examen B2 de alemán. El compromiso, la empatía, la coherencia y reflexiones no solo me llevaron a aprobar mi examen de alemán, sino que también a tener seguridad en mí misma que antes no tenía.

Giselle I.Educator, Zürich

She helped me overcome this block in my head with learning new concepts and grammar in german. I felt as a teacher she is kind and super motivated to help me achieve my goals.

Narayan R.IT-Professional, Bern

Nadia is an excellent German coach. She provides a unique balance of structure and communication while keeping the sessions interesting and fun.
I highly recommend Nadia in this regard, as she will tune in to one’s particular needs and wishes, including integration into the cultural and language peculiarities of Switzerland and will cater the lessons accordingly.

Michelle G.Astrophysicist, Bern

Como muchos sabéis es difícil encontrar un buen profesor o profesora de idiomas, son pocos los que tienen vocación, Nadia es una de ellas. Con ella aprendí mucho.
Te hace ejercicios personalizados al tema que estáis dando, te anima mucho a que lo intentes una y otra vez hasta que te salga natural. Es una ventaja que hable castellano y vea las diferencias del castellano al alemán y eso me ayudó a entender varias cosas.

SorayaBern, Switzerland

Nadia knows how to help adults with German and she is passionate about it. Her sessions are organised and captivating. She delivers clear explanations to sometimes elusive grammatical rules, uses creative discussion points to engage students of all levels.
She is a Germancoach who listens and recognises the particular goals and/ or struggles of her students, and can, therefore, effectively help them along their journey of learning German.

Eva M.Bern, Switzerland

Work with me

If you want to feel prepared,
this is a good place to start.

Luckily, there’s a different way to prepare for your exam
than working through another 300-page textbook.

Get in touch →

A short message is all it takes to start.