English for Staff

Level - Advanced: How to conduct meetings, write emails, discuss interaction with students and administrative organization, and other topics of interest for those who would like to practice their English in a small group. Participants should bring samples of their work tasks to class!

Level - Intermediate: This short, 4-day grammar course will review critical topics in B1-B2 grammar including verb tenses, conditionals, and prepositions. The course uses both independent Moodle exercises in addition to Zoom sessions for review.

• Guided Online + Zoom, Mondays
• 04.11. - 25.11.2024
  9:00-12:30

Level - Intermediate to Advanced: A conversation course on current topics at TUM ranging from university structure and sustainable architecture to artificial intelligence. Topics each week are determined by the participants based on articles, videos or stories from the news.

• Garching, Thursdays (All levels)
  17.10.24 – 06.02.2025
  9:45-11:15
   
• Zoom, Tuesdays (Advanced)
  15.10.24  – 04.02.2025
  9.00-9.45
   
• Zoom, Tuesdays (Intermediate)
  15.10.24 – 04.02.2025
  8.00-8.45

Level - Intermediate/Advanced: In this course, we use English to discuss intercultural content and miscommunication. This course is directed to staff members working in intercultural teams interested in improving both their English as well as their intercultural communication.

• Gar, Thursdays
  09.01. – 30.01.2025
  8:00 – 9:30

• MUC Mensa, Tuesdays 
  03.09. – 24.09.2024
  12:30 – 13:30

Professors can receive individual coaching to improve their spoken and/or written English. We can also attend your lectures, video-taping them if desired, and offer feedback. Coaching sessions can take place at your department or in a room of the TUM Language Center.

Academic/administrative staff and doctoral candidates can request small group coaching tailored to the group in their own meeting rooms. Depending on the coach's availability, individuals within the group may also book occasional one-to-one appointments for specific projects.

Interactive editing is a collaborative, iterative approach to revising texts. Our aim is to help you become a more autonomous writer as we work together to improve your texts (not a drop-off editing service). The service is free to all TUM professors, post-docs, and other staff, as well as doctoral candidates.

We help you identify and correct systematic errors. We will also suggest, if desired, changes to style, layout, structure and argumentation. We are happy to look at texts of all formats, styles and genres, as long as they are directly relevant to TUM activities.

Book an appointment:

1. For an initial assessment of your requirements, please contact Stephen Starck by e-mail at starck(at)zv.tum.de.
2. Then book an appointment via the coaching calendar and we will arrange a meeting point.

Please note:

• In principle, there is no limit on text length, but we cannot guarantee we will be able to review your entire text. We generally work on teaching scripts and texts for publication, but do not edit dissertations.
• Please come to your appointment with the printed text, double-spaced and in a reasonable font size. This makes our work together easier.
• Please bring documents in Word (rather than LaTex or pdf). This will allow for inclusion of tracking changes and comments.
• Please leave sufficient time for interactive editing – book as far in advance as possible.
• Please note that the demand for the coaches is high, and we will not always be able to meet your specific requirements or deadlines. 

Coaching Seminars are offered in March and September each year, find details of what is being offered and register for the seminars on our Moodle Coaching Seminars: Registration page. Details will be published in the Moodle in mid-January (for March seminars) and mid-July (for September seminars).