How Portugal has become the crush of German students
The “German dual education system” comprises the most typical track of schooling, ending in university, with the alternative of undertaking vocational education with practical experience within companies. Nevertheless, an international outlook is a personal priority for people who seek higher education studies and, in that regard, Portugal became love at first sight.
The sun is setting after a day of classes in Copenhagen. In the lands of Queen Margrethe II, that means it is quite early, especially for a Southern European like me — even with the new clock lag typical from Winter. In the absence of a warm Sun, coffee takes its role and fuels one of the first exchange of views with a German friend, studying as well in the heart of the Danish capital, about the education system of her country — or, accurately speaking, their dual education system.
If the automotive industry is one of the major German export products, their education model has, surely, become one of the most desired national features in recent times. The system starts the same way as in other countries we know. Compulsory schooling begins around the age 6, but, at the age of 9 or 10, the tough (but profitable, they say) choices begin. With the non-binding advice of the child’s teacher, families are free to choose one of the three main directions or a mix of the three (“gesamtschule”):
a. Gymnasium: a demanding curriculum, aiming to give students the foundations of knowledge to study at universities;
b. Realschule (i.e., the middle school): a program, leading to the middle school certificate, giving general educational and vocational preparation qualifications;
c. Hauptschule (i.e., the modern secondary school): a solution designed to allow students to get a qualification with a practical focus, usually at a more gradual pace, leading to the secondary school leaving certificate and to the labor market.
Such set of choices defines the “German dual education system.” It comprises the most typical track of schooling, ending in university, with the alternative of undertaking vocational education, through three-year programmes combining classroom learning with practical experience within companies. In the latter, students have a first experience in the labor market, absorbing the relevant social and technical skills for their future.
Two years after, when the same topic resurfaces in a discussion, it is exactly on Soft Skills that Robin, a German student of Economics at Nova SBE, sees the most-added value of this system. Since he has been abroad, he has seen how the education back home made him “more comfortable speaking in front of people” than his peers.
Nevertheless, an international outlook was a personal priority for his higher education studies and, in that regard, Portugal became love at first sight. Besides having a top 25 European business school with a strong global mindset, the lifestyle and friendliness of the Portuguese quickly conquered his heart. In fact, and unlike you might think, Nova SBE has been causing many “crushes” like this. The school has, nowadays, almost 300 German Alumni and the trend does not seem to lighten, as more than a quarter of this year’s cohort shares nationality with Robin.
With many countries having free tuition or only administrative fees, how can other nations become more appealing to German students? This German paradox has puzzled many and the answers start now to emerge, as the phenomenon keeps intensifying.
First, Portugal is regarded as a country with “great quality of life”, a “balanced cost of living”, and an “outdoor lifestyle.” Second, Nova SBE is seen as extremely attractive due to the “diversity of the courses it offers,” the “interactivity of its classes,” and the “constant critical thinking” promoted throughout the learning experience.
Third, and although one of the success factors of the German model is having educational curricula co-designed with companies, various students with whom I spoke highlighted how Nova SBE has been exceeding their high expectations. One of the school’s alumnus, who had graduated in Engineering before coming to Lisbon, was extremely pleased with “how strong the interaction was with numerous corporate partners at the school,” giving him the “chance to set his career in the track he always thought of.”
The latest statistics available seem to prove him right. Some of the major German companies, such as Beiersdorf, McKinsey Germany, and Merck, are using Nova SBE as a platform to strengthen their value as a brand and as a global recruiter. Many Alumni of the school have also been hired by other notable key players of the country such as BASF, Bayer, E.ON, or Siemens.
All in all, the German-based learning duality emerges as an honest need of students, even when they do not follow the vocational path. They are, then, tempted to look out abroad for that balance — and Portugal often conquers that space. Nova SBE has been affirming itself as a major player in the race for talent that characterizes our times. Besides the international mindset, a strong corporate network and essential technical foundations compose the bundle that ensures the theory-practice equilibrium much appreciated by Germanic students.
Nevertheless, even if such “German paradox” was unexpected, its effects promise to heighten in the future. As long as the vocational instinct stays at the core of the students’ decisions, business schools must continue their investment in programmes which respond to the needs of the labor market and interact with its players. If that happens, prices will remain as a non-inhibitory factor — and only the elasticity of each student’s world will affect the decision.
Carlos Teixeira, a BSc Economics ’13 alumnus, is a young, aspiring diplomat, currently working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the Council of Europe. Previously, he worked at the European Commission, in the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, and at A. T. Kearney. Besides being the Class Ambassador, Carlos has advised the school on the foundation of its Alumni Club. While at university, he was laureated with the Angelini University Award and, earlier in his career, he was given the title of Portugal’s Young Scientific Journalist and he was elected the 2013’s best student on Mathematics by the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. He wrote several articles on health and innovation policy and founded two youth-led NGOs.
