Inburgering

Our preparation course for the inburgering exam (Dutch civic integration exam) intended for students who are planning on taking the obligatory NT2 (Dutch as a second language) speaking, listening, writing and reading components of the Dutch civic integration exam.

The course is a full long-term course from A0 to B1 level and is also available starting from A2, B1 or B1 part 2 for those who have learned Dutch elsewhere before.

About the Inburgering course

Inburgering courses consist of a combination of group work in the course and self-study of material at home. ​In each course at Dutch First there is a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 participants per group. The group size is optimal for creating a safe learning environment where participants can get to know each other, but still allow for personal attention and supervision. Our target audience is non-Dutch speakers that want to learn Dutch. Specifically, the Inburgering courses are for those planning to take the civic integration exam at A2 or B1 level. Our courses are most suited for those who have completed tertiary/higher education and/or have learned a foreign language before. This is an NT2 (Dutch as second language) course, which includes exam preparation. What is NT2? Read more here. We welcome participants of all origins.

Our inburgering courses are planned to start from January 2024 and September 2024. To join the waiting list for inburgering courses in September, please contact us by email. For the course in January, please use the registration form below to sign up.

Inburgering lessons are given in a classroom setting. For classroom-based courses, we use Smartboard technology combined with video- and audio fragments and game elements to make lessons interactive. Students work in groups under supervision of a teacher, with parts of the lessons designated for explanation of essential components by the teacher. 

Registration Procedure Inburgering course

You are required to do an intake with the school if you have a DUO loan for your course or if you are doing inburgering through the Gemeente. Based on the intake with a qualified and certified NT2 teacher, it will be decided which course you can join based on your level, schedule preferences and possible DUO loan situation.

If you do not have a DUO-loan, you can simply sign up and pay for the course at the same time by registering for the course via our website. We will invite you for the mandatory intake as part of the course preparation in the weeks before your course.

In general, if you are not sure what level course to register for, we would advise you to first book a preliminary placement test with us to get a level indication of which course to register for.

The intake procedure

To book a meeting for the intake and placement test for our inburgering courses, you have to meet the following criteria:

• You have a DUO loan or are enrolled at the Gemeente for inburgering in the “B1-route”. This criterium does not apply if you are paying for the course yourself.
• You are at least 18 years of age.
• You have finished at least up to secondary-level education. Having previous experience learning foreign languages and other higher education is recommended but not required.

If you meet the criteria, please book the meeting here. Please inform us about which course and level you are planning to take in the comments of the book a meeting (level and start date). If you do not meet the criteria and want to do a placement test to see which level course you can register for, please send us an email.

During the meeting, one of our qualified NT2-teachers will assess your level and ask you some questions about your background and goals with learning Dutch. You will then do a placement test to determine your current level of Dutch before registering for the course.

After the meeting

After the meeting you can register for the course of your choice by email or at our reception. After the intake, a binding course agreement will be signed between Dutch First and the course participant in English or Dutch. The course agreement is specific to the amount of hours purchased in the inburgering course. You may also sign the course contract and choose the course immediately during the intake.

Now follow the course you have registered for and make sure you pass the binding level exams at the end of each level (A1, A2, B1). We will have additional intermediate tests during the course and you will have progress and feedback meetings with your teacher as well to make sure you are on the right track to passing the exams.

At the end of the course, you will receive your course certificate with at least 80% attendance. You will now be ready to do the Inburgering exam!

Course level

Th A0 course is for beginners of the Dutch language. Students with an A0/beginners level will join in a group together and will not have lessons with other level students in the same group. Inburgering students can join in from the beginning (A0), or after each level (A1, A2, B1 part 1). If you do not want to start from A0, you have to be able to show that you have completed the earlier levels by 

• having followed a course with us on these levels before and/or
• showing a course certificate of the level in question

New students with a DUO-loan can only join in later if they have completed the placement test at Dutch First, the full intake with the teacher, and our advice corresponds to the level accordingly.

During the course, we will keep track of your progress with interim exams as well as binding certified voortgangstoetsen (progress exams) at the end of each CEFR-level (A1, A2, B1). You will only be able to continue with the next part if you pass the voortgangstoets. If you do not pass the voortgangstoets, we will advise you on how to proceed. As part of your progress checks, you will have monthly meetings with your teacher to discuss your tests and your progress in the course.

Choose your Inburgering civic integration exam course

Course materials

For inburgering courses, a combination of E-learning materials and in-class materials will be used. The E-learning materials developed by publisher Boom NT2 will be provided by us as part of your inburgering course and the license will be valid for one year from activation.

Inburgering course duration and study load

Courses at Dutch First generally consist of meetings of 3 lesson hours of 45 minutes per meeting. In terms of inburgering courses, you can choose courses with lessons two times as week. The amount of lesson hours is 120 for A0-A2, and the same for B1.

Per lesson you should plan at least 3 hours of self-study. We expect of all our students that they complete all contact- and self-study hours.

Finishing the inburgering course

At the end of the course, you will receive a course certificate. The course certificate is a proof of attendance and is handed out if you attended at least 80% of the course. On the certificate, the CEFR language level of the course is mentioned. For which level you receive a certificate depends on which course you followed. The certificates serve for you to show you attended a course at that level.

After completing the full A0-B1 Inburgering course you are ready for the NT2 part of the civic integration exam at the B1 language level. This is also the level on which the civic integration exam will be held from mid-2021 (wet inburgering 2021). If you have a DUO-loan under the wet inburgering 2013, you will do the exam at A2 level. The civic integration exam is conducted by the Dutch government. For all dates and to register for the exam, please have a look at this website: https://www.inburgeren.nl/examen-doen/aanmelden.jsp

For more information about the exam, please have a look at: www.inburgeren.nl

Please contact us in case of more questions about our inburgering courses at [email protected].