What Soft Landing does

Soft Landing GmbH is a privately held Swiss language school headquartered in Baar, Canton Zug, founded by Harry Fuchs, who has more than 40 years of German teaching experience. The company delivers German language instruction across all CEFR levels (A1–C2) to adult expats and international residents, children and families, international school students, and corporate clients in the Zug/Zürich corridor, supported by three physical locations (Baar HQ, new Zug city centre site opening January 2026, and Adliswil from October 2025 via a partnership with Skaska School) plus comprehensive online live teaching.

The core technology asset is a proprietary pedagogical methodology built around 18 grammar charts developed by Harry Fuchs over 35+ years, designed so students discover grammatical rules rather than receive direct instruction. Soft Landing also holds accreditation as an official fide test centre for German exams at A1–B1 levels, with first sessions from August 2026, and runs a 15-year Swiss citizenship preparation programme with claimed 500+ successful naturalisations at a 99%+ success rate. Additional offerings include AP/IB exam preparation, French courses, summer intensives, a Book Club for B2–C1 conversation, and free community seminars.

The business model is sales-led with heavy reliance on community word-of-mouth referrals. Revenue streams include group courses priced at CHF 30–52.50 per 45-minute lesson per student depending on group size, one-to-one tuition at CHF 86.25 per 45-minute session, corporate modular packages with no long-term commitments, fide testing fees of CHF 120–250 per module, and citizenship preparation packages (e.g., CHF 877.50 for the first three 90-minute lessons). Marketing channels include the softlanding.ch website, social media, a MailChimp newsletter, free seminars as lead generation, and the Skaska partnership for venue expansion.

Name

Soft Landing

Legal name

Soft Landing GmbH

Website

https://softlanding.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soft Landing is a privately held Swiss language school in Canton Zug, founded by Harry Fuchs, delivering German instruction (A1–C2), Swiss citizenship preparation, and accredited fide testing to adult expats, children, international school students, and corporate clients across three locations plus online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Language Education Services

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Proficiency Exam Prep (CEFR, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE) (EDANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foreign Language Subject Tutoring (School Coursework) (EDANAAAF)

Keywords

• German language courses
• Language school
• Swiss citizenship preparation
• Fide language testing
• Corporate language training

Headquarters

HQ city

Baar

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Group Language Courses: Group courses for adults and children at various CEFR levels (A1-C2). Fees vary by group size: 4-6 students at CHF 30/45min, 3 students at CHF 41.25/45min, 2 students at CHF 52.50/45min. Courses run in blocks aligned with school holidays.
2. One-to-One Tuition: Individual tutoring at CHF 86.25 per 45-minute session. Most efficient and fastest approach for reaching language goals. Customized to individual needs, schedule, and pace.
3. Swiss Citizenship Preparation: Comprehensive citizenship program including individual sessions for application forms, four group seminars (politics, history, geography, culture), and two individual interview preparation sessions. First 3 lessons at CHF 877.50 for 90 minutes each.
4. fide Language Testing: Accredited testing centre offering fide German exams. Full test at CHF 250, Speaking & Understanding module at CHF 170, Reading & Writing module at CHF 120.
5. Seminars and Workshops: Free seminars covering topics including Decoding Swiss German, World of Languages, Grammar Modules, Permits & Exams, German Time Machine, Case-Maze, Magic of Prepositions. Also paid options like Book Club at CHF 60 per session.
6. Corporate Language Training: Tailored packages for corporate clients with no fixed terms or long-term commitments. Modular course with cultural integration focus. Workshops delivered at client offices on business-relevant topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Soft Landing is a Swiss language school that delivers German language courses for adults (A1-C2 CEFR levels) and children, accredited fide language testing for residency permits, and a comprehensive Swiss citizenship preparation programme. The school also provides corporate language training, French courses, exam preparation, online live teaching, and free/paid seminars across multiple locations in Canton Zug and online.

Product overview

Soft Landing is a language school offering a unified platform of German language courses and integration services for residency and citizenship in Switzerland. The core product portfolio consists of German courses for adults (A1-C2, including compact programmes and conversation classes) and children (ages 3-16), alongside an accredited fide testing centre for official language certification. Supporting modules include Swiss citizenship preparation (individual coaching plus seminars on history/politics/geography/culture), corporate language training ('Soft Landing - The Course!'), online live learning, and free seminars (Decoding Swiss German, Grammar Modules, The World of Languages). Additional offerings encompass French instruction, AP/IB exam preparation, a Book Club, and summer intensive courses. The school operates across three physical locations in Baar, Zug, and Adliswil, supplemented by online delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• German Courses for Adults
• German Courses for Children
• International School Exam Preparation
• fide Testing
• Corporate Language Training Programme
• Swiss Citizenship Programme
• French Courses
• Book Club
• Summer Courses
• Seminars and Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ naturalisations with 99%+ success rate over 15 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Skaska School (Adliswil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2025Partnership with Skaska language and cultural education school for venue sharing. Soft Landing delivers courses at Skaska's premises in Adliswil, expanding accessibility to Zürich left-lake area. Some Soft Landing seminars already held there before formal expansion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wall Street English: Global English-language school chain that has expanded into German in selected markets; competes on premium per-lesson pricing and structured curriculum. Overlaps in methodology-driven premium language-school positioning, though its core is English.
• Berlitz: Established global language school chain with Swiss locations offering immersive German instruction, corporate programmes, and cross-cultural training. Overlaps in product (German courses, corporate delivery) but operates globally and across many languages rather than specialising in Swiss expat integration.
• Goethe-Institut: German government's official cultural and language institution offering German courses and Goethe exam preparation worldwide. Direct overlap on Goethe certification (referenced repeatedly in Soft Landing testimonials) but operates as a non-profit cultural organisation with a much broader international footprint.
• Migros Klubschule: Switzerland's largest adult education provider, offering German courses from A1-C2 alongside many other subjects. Same core offering (CEFR-level German for adults) at much greater scale and broader geographic coverage, but operates as a general adult-education platform rather than a specialist expat/citizenship school.

Direct peers

• TANDEM Sprachschule: Network of independent language schools offering group and individual German courses in Switzerland (e.g., Zürich, Basel). Closely comparable in size, course structure, CEFR-level offering, and target customer of adult learners and expats.
• Inlingua: Global language school franchise with Swiss centres offering German courses, corporate training, and exam preparation. Directly comparable business model (per-lesson pricing, multi-level group and 1:1 courses, corporate delivery) targeting the same adult learner segment.
• IBZ - Integrations- und Beratungszentrum: Swiss integration and language centre offering German courses from A1-C1 plus citizenship preparation support in the Zürich area. Most directly comparable in the Swiss-specific combination of language instruction plus naturalisation preparation for expats, the core of Soft Landing's value proposition.

Emerging players

• DeutschAkademie: German-only language school chain focused on A1-B1 levels for integration and residency-permit requirements, with strong online and physical presence in Germany and Austria. Closely comparable CEFR-level German exam-prep focus and expat learner segment, though primarily active in DACH rather than Switzerland.

Regional players

• Skaska Sprachschule: Zürich-area language and cultural education school partnering with Soft Landing on the new Adliswil location. Comparable in offering (multi-language courses, cultural integration, group and 1:1 delivery) and directly adjacent geographically, serving overlapping expat learners in the Zürich left-lake area.

Others

• Kaplan International Languages: International language training provider offering German courses online and in select centres. Comparable business model (paid 1:1 and group German courses, online delivery) but focused more on study-abroad than on Swiss residency/citizenship preparation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Soft-Landing-Language-School-106253892742450
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soft-landing
• Instagraminstagram.com/softlandinggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soft Landing