Indian Danfoss employees learn Danish and become part of Sønderborg’s social life

10. May 2023

Indian Danfoss employees learn Danish and become part of Sønderborg’s social life

Danfoss employees Suriya and his wife Abi from Chennai, India have embraced Sønderborg as their new hometown. They are both fully engaged in learning Danish, as they want to be able communicate freely with their colleagues, and they also want to take part in social life in Sønderborg.

Abi and Suriya are diligent online Danish students at UCplus, and they practice their Danish in many ways, both on walks in and around Sønderborg and at handball matches.

Online Danish lessons provide flexibility to learn Danish alongside demanding jobs

When Suriya came to Denmark in 2018 to work for Danfoss, he was initially at the factory in Nordborg. Here he met colleagues who had been employed by the company for many years, but who were not so fluent in English. Suriya wanted to talk to them, so he was very keen to get started learning Danish. But because his position involved a lot of travel, it was often difficult for him to attend the weekly Danish lessons. A colleague recommended that he contact UCplus, which offers online Danish lessons, and it turned out to be the perfect solution for him and his wife Abi. In fact, UCplus, at the request of a group of Indian employees at Danfoss, has created a class exclusively for Indian employees.

“The advantage of UCplus’ online Danish is that I can participate even when I’m traveling. And our teacher, Pernille, has been so supportive the past 2 years by helping me understand the Danish language with a cultural perspective, ” says Suriya.

Abi, Suriya’s wife, did not have a job when she moved to Denmark in 2022. Like Suriya, she thinks it is important to learn Danish, so she started taking online Danish classes soon after she arrived in Sønderborg.

“I have learned about written and unwritten rules in Danish society, and it is helpful that we learn about Danish traditions. We did not know all the holidays in India, but when we learn about them, we understand what they mean to our Danish colleagues, and then we can say happy Easter, for example.”

All in with the social scene in Sønderborg

Suriya and Abi are going “all in” to integrate themselves into Sønderborg:

“We don’t just want to read up on Danish language and culture, but also experience life in Sønderborg,” says Suriya.

They use every opportunity to get out into the nature around Sønderborg, going for walks in the forest or going to the beach. At the beach, Abi saw how even very young children jump into the water. She couldn’t swim herself, but was inspired to learn, and last season she started on a swimming team for adult beginners.

Suriya plays volleyball three times a week at the Sønderborg Volleyball club and has also participated in tournaments in Løgumkloster and Kolding.

“I really enjoy playing volleyball, and Denmark has good and strong sport clubs.”

Suriya and Abi have also embraced the archetypal Danish sport of handball. They do not play themselves, but they follow the games from the sidelines when Sønderjyske plays.

Before coming to Sønderborg, they were not familiar with handball because it is not a sport that is common in India, but now they have learned the rules, and Suriya can mention several player names from Sønderjyske’s men’s team.

Learn Danish with UCplus

UCplus offers the three official Danish Language Courses that provide access to official exams and a good start in Denmark. The courses are offered at three levels, each consisting of six modules. You will be offered the level that fits your years of schooling and qualifications.

Would you like to learn Danish online? Read more and sign up here.

To move to Denmark has been an adventure with language and sports

24. April 2023

To move to Denmark has been an adventure with language and sports

Silviu’s adventure in Denmark stretches from Skive to Silkeborg and includes both language, jobs, and a big kayaking competition as the icing on the cake. Read on to find out how UCplus in Silkeborg and sports are helping Silviu become proficient in Danish.

Silviu loves challenges, and this year he will both pass the final exam in his Danish education and sail a marathon in a kayak .

A new start in Denmark

“Moving to Denmark has been an adventure,” says Silviu Constantinescu.

It all started when Silviu’s sister was employed as a doctor at Viborg Hospital. Silviu visited her in 2017 and quickly realized that he also wanted to live in Denmark. A few months later, he moved with his family from Galati in eastern Romania to East Jutland.

Silviu is originally a food engineer, but since he couldn’t speak Danish at first, he has had jobs in a variety of other professions. He started learning Danish in Skive but had to stop when the job took up too much of his time.

But now Silviu has a plan; in 2023, he will get to be proficient in Danish, and he will find work in the food industry.

He is already well underway with the first part of his plan. Three days a week, he drives from his home in Bjerringbro to UCplus in Silkeborg, where he works hard on his Danish. Reading and writing Danish isn’t so bad, but it’s challenging to speak Danish. However, he is an optimist by nature and continues to work on it.

“I believe that every challenge can be an opportunity to create a new perspective. There are opportunities everywhere; we just have to identify them and have the courage to use them in our interest.”

Silviu uses sports to improve his Danish

Silviu has also found a place where he can practice his Danish when he’s not at UCplus.

Back in Romania, Silviu was an avid kayaker, and he has discovered that he can use his love for kayaking to become proficient in Danish too.

He has become a kayaking instructor at Ans IF Søsport, where he teaches both children and adults. So, while he helps the club’s members master sailing techniques, he is also training himself in Danish.

Silviu likes challenges, so he signed up last year for Tour de Gudenåen, where he kayaked the marathon distance of 42.2 km. It was tough, but also beautiful, so Silviu wants to participate again this year. He aims to get another medal. And at the language center, he is looking forward to passing the final module test in November.

UCplus wishes him good luck with both challenges!

Learn Danish free of charge at UCplus

Are you new in Denmark? And do you need to learn Danish?

At UCplus, you can learn Danish both online and at one of our 7 language centers.

Ready for the PD3 exam after just 1.5 years of online Danish lessons with UCplus

29. March 2023

Ready for the PD3 exam after just 1.5 years of online Danish lessons with UCplus

Jan Lierz fell in love with Denmark during a family vacation to Jutland in 2018. He wanted to return and chose Aarhus University for his master’s degree. He also wanted to learn Danish and opted for online lessons with UCplus as this gives him flexibility to balance his university studies. After just 1.5 years of lessons, he is now preparing for the PD3 exam.

Jan Lierz wanted to learn Danish and opted for online lessons with UCplus as this gives him flexibility in relation to his university studies.

Start Danish lessons as soon as possible

Originally from Düsseldorf, Germany, Jan Lierz holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. In August 2021, he started his master’s degree in Information Management at Aarhus BSS (Aarhus University – School of Business and Social Science), while also beginning online Danish lessons with UCplus.

“I knew Danes were good at speaking English. But I wanted to be able to communicate without English. So, for me, it was important to learn Danish. And it was important that I started learning the language as quickly as possible.”

Online lessons and daily practice

Jan chose online learning because it was easy to combine with his studies during the day. He found Danish and German to be similar, so reading Danish was not too difficult. Pronunciation, on the other hand, can be a bit of a challenge, but attending lessons helped.

“Our lessons always start with each of us speaking a bit, like telling what we did over the weekend. And it really helps that we speak in all the lessons.”

But Jan was also determined to use Danish outside of lessons.

“When I go grocery shopping, I always try to speak Danish. I say, ‘I’m not from Denmark, I’d like to practice my Danish.’”

Song lyrics and daily conversations

English is spoken a lot at the university, so Jan has been looking for ways to speak Danish. For example, he applied for student jobs and became a student assistant at a large auditing firm in Aarhus, where he speaks Danish with his colleagues.

At home, he listens to Danish podcasts like ‘Danish Coffee Break’ and Danish music from artists such as Peter Sommer and Thomas Helmig, who are also from Aarhus.

Jan has enjoyed studying in Aarhus, both because of the student life and the city’s location by the sea. He is very fond of Denmark, because he thinks it is an exciting country with a lot of good ideas, and he particularly likes Danish architecture and interior design.

He would like to stay, so in addition to preparing for PD3 and completing his university studies, Jan is also writing job applications to Danish companies.

We wish Jan the best of luck with both the PD3 exam and his job search!

Learn Danish with UCplus

UCplus offers the three official Danish Language Courses that provide access to official exams and a good start in Denmark. The courses are offered at three levels, each consisting of six modules. You will be offered the level that fits your years of schooling and qualifications.

Would you like to learn Danish online? Read more and sign up here.

I have learned more Danish in half a year than Irish after 14 years

14. February 2023

I have learned more Danish in half a year than Irish after 14 years

Paul Gordon came to Denmark to visit a couple of Danish friends whom he met at the University in Dublin. He told his parents that he would just be gone for a week. Now he has been here for over two years. He fell for Copenhagen, and the many opportunities life in Denmark offers. And attending the Danish education at UCplus has helped a lot.

It is very important to Paul that he learns Danish properly, so he turns up for Danish classes at UCplus’ language center in Gyldenløvesgade in Copenhagen every Saturday morning.

It is the teaching here that makes the difference

It was a huge surprise for Paul Gordon that he could already use his Danish after just half a year. He hadn’t expected that because his previous experiences with learning languages had had completely different results.

“I’ve been learning Irish for 14 years, but I still can’t speak Irish,” Paul says with a laugh. But he also knows what it is that has made the difference.

“At UCplus, we already started practising to speak Danish in the first lesson! I had never tried that before. When I was learning Irish and French at school, it took years before we tried speaking because we had to learn all the grammar first.”

Danish lessons help with everyday situations

The Official Danish education is not only about mastering the language, the lessons also include knowledge of Danish history and culture. And in Paul Gordon’s opinion, this is definitely an advantage. During the Danish course he is attending, he has covered topics such as the Danish Parliament and the role of trade unions in Danish society. And especially the latter has given him useful knowledge.

“I am glad that I have learned about trade unions in the lessons. I understand what it means to be a member and what my rights are. And it helped me when I had to talk to my own trade union here in Copenhagen and had to fill in various forms.”

Paul has just started Module 5, and he is looking forward to learning more about politics in general. Like the rest of the class, he has the PD3 exam in his sights right now. But he is also interested in continuing with Module 6 to become even better at Danish.

Paul’s advice: Take every opportunity to speak Danish

Paul knows why he has learned to speak Danish so quickly – because he tries to speak Danish as often – and as much as possible.

Since his job takes up his time during the week, he has chosen to attend Danish team classes every Saturday morning. When he has told others that he attends lessons on Saturdays, he has experienced that quite a few people are surprised that he spends weekend time on it. But for Paul, it’s the only right thing to do. In the same way as he practices speaking Danish with his girlfriend and her parents, and with the Danish friends he has.

“For me, it’s about taking all the opportunities in which I can speak Danish. It is about being willing to go out and meet up with people. Because the more people you talk to, the better you get at speaking Danish.

I have agreed with my girlfriend’s parents that we only speak Danish when we are at their house. At first, I only understood a few words, but now it’s fine and I can follow the conversations.

I also meet with my Danish friends to practice my Danish. They help me improve because they tell me when I make mistakes. Or they explain which words I need to use if I’m at a loss for words. If you want to learn Danish, you have to prioritize it.”

The Danish education helps you become good at Danish

UCplus offers the three official Danish courses, which give you access to official tests and a good start in Denmark. The education is offered at 3 levels, each of which consists of 6 modules. You will be offered to start at exactly the level that suits the number of years of schooling you have and your qualifications.

In the first 2 modules of all 3 Danish courses, we focus mostly on oral skills and on getting you ready to speak Danish at your job and in your education. In the following modules, you will gradually get better at speaking, reading, listening and writing in Danish.

UCplus helped Valentina on her way – learning Danish and becoming a bus driver

17. January 2023

UCplus helped Valentina on her way – learning Danish and becoming a bus driver

Valentina came to Denmark from Romania hoping to make a better life for herself and her family. She started working as a cleaning assistant, and when she got a job cleaning for the bus company Anchersen, she decided that she wanted to become a bus driver herself. She told the company Anchersen that she wanted to learn Danish properly and drive their buses. Anchersen was thrilled and rewarded her determination with a job.

Valentina was determined to learn Danish properly. She worked her way through Danish courses at UCplus, and has resulted in her having both passed the Danish test PD2, that she has obtained a bus driver’s license and a job with the bus company Anchersen.

From Danish courses to bus driving licenses at UCplus

“When I came to Denmark, I was completely alone. I missed my family, but I cleaned so much that I barely had time to miss them. But I wanted to learn Danish.” In 2020, Valentina saw one of UCplus’ posts on Facebook about learning Danish online. She did not want to learn Danish that way, so she wrote to UCplus’ Language Center in Greve and asked if there were other options. “There was an evening shift I could start on, and it suited me well because I had to clean in the morning. I took module 1 and 2 in the evening. But I wanted more hours so I could learn faster. Then I had the opportunity to come to classes during the day, and it was really good.” In June 2022, Valentina passed the Danish test PD2. And barely two months later, she switched from UCplus in Greve to UCplus in Skovlunde, where she started the bus driver training.

Passed the driving test with ice in the stomach

In Valentina’s eyes, it was one thing to learn Danish, quite another to learn how to maneuver a 15 meter long bus. “Before I had to go up for the driving test, my heart was beating so hard I was sure you could hear it. But I had learned a lot from the teachers. Among other things, all the mechanical expressions, but also something else. They also helped me to be calm and one of them always said to me; ‘ice in the stomach – ice in the stomach’. ” Valentina used everything she had learned. She kept a cool head, got over her pounding heart and passed her driving test first time. She then proudly drove on to her boss at Anchersen and showed the driver’s license. And as promised, there was a job ready for her as a route bus driver.

The job as a bus driver gives a good mood

Valentina is very happy with her job as a bus driver at Anchersen. For many reasons. But at the top of the list are the nice colleagues and friendly passengers. “I love talking to people, and at Anchersen I have so many good colleagues that I talk to when I’m at work. It’s fun to drive a route bus, because many passengers ride the bus every day, and some of them say to me ‘Aaah, you’re new to the route’, and then they help if I’m in doubt about the route.” Although Valentina now has a permanent job, she would like to continue with more courses at UCplus, because her dream is to obtain Danish citizenship. “I live here. I work and pay taxes. And then I would also like to be able to vote for the Folketing.”

Danish and transport courses open new doors

If you are new to Denmark and want new job opportunities, you can do like Valentina and take Danish courses at UCplus. You can read more about both the Danish education and FVU courses here

UCplus also offers Danish and Driver training, which is for you who would like to be a bus, taxi or truck driver, but need to learn more Danish. Read more here.

Cooperation between Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality, local businesses and UCplus ensures Ukrainian refugees a good start in Denmark

9. January 2023

Cooperation between Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality, local businesses and UCplus ensures Ukrainian refugees a good start in Denmark

Together with Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality, the UCplus Language School has created a special offer for newly relocated Ukrainian citizens, where Danish lessons are spiced up with visits to local businesses. It is a win-win situation for all parties. The Ukrainian citizens want jobs, the local companies need labour, and UCplus helps the Ukrainians learn Danish so that they can get to work quickly.

The Ukrainian citizens who learn Danish at UCplus would very much like to have a job. So there were happy faces when UCplus took them on a visit to a local fishery company and a holiday home rental company.

UCplus offers job-related Danish lessons

The collaboration between UCplus and Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality has come about because the municipality wanted an educational offer targeted at the labour market in and around Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality.

“It is important to give the Ukrainian refugees a good start in Denmark, and when we collaborate with both the municipality and the local businesses, we create the best conditions for them to be integrated quickly,” says Language Center Manager Karen Poulsen.

Another important prerequisite is that the Ukrainian citizens receive job-related Danish lessons. And UCplus’ language consultants make sure of that.

“We make a great effort to ensure that the Danish that we teach is job-related. This means that we put focus on the vocabulary and grammar the Ukrainians will need to get by in a Danish workplace. We also explain how the Danish labour market works, for example why we pay tax, and how to understand a pay slip,” says language consultant Annemette Knudsen.

Holiday home rental company and fishing businesses open their doors

In addition to the Danish lessons, the Ukrainians have also visited a few of the local companies that need extra hands, e.g. Esmark Feriehusudlejning and the fishing company Insula.

At Esmark Feriehusudlejning, HR assistant, Stephanie Dittrich, is happy to be able to open the doors to the Ukrainian immigrants.

“Esmark has 3.800 holiday homes, and we have a great need for cleaning assistants. So it was obvious for us to invite the Ukranians to our new office buildings here in Hvide Sande. We can give an impression of which tasks a cleaning assistant has and we can show them how things work here, eg. that they get good work clothes. Some of our holiday homes are located directly opposite the office. You can easily walk or cycle to the holiday homes, and we can therefore show them that transport is not a problem if they are hired by us.”

It is not the first time that Esmark Ferieudlejning employs Ukrainians.
“We already have a number of employees who are from Ukraine. They arrived 4-5 years ago, i.e. before the war in Ukraine, and they are well established here in the area. They are therefore a great help, and make it much easier for us to help the new Ukrainians get going with us.”

After the company visits, the Ukrainians were taught how to write job applications, and Annemette Knudsen then went out with the Ukrainians to hand in the applications.

Cooperation between UCplus and the Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality will continue until July 2023

The collaboration between UCplus and Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality regarding the education of the Ukrainian newcomers was originally planned to end mid-December 2022. But the municipality is extremely satisfied with the course and activities provided by UCplus, and the municipality has therefore chosen to extend the collaboration until June 2023.

Want to know more?

If you want to know more about the collaboration between UCplus and Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality and the possibility of getting a specially tailored Danish course, contact Language Center Manager Karen Poulsen at kp@ucplus.dk or call 31 12 03 67.

And you can read more about UCplus many Danish courses here