The principle of Tandem is simple: the tandem partners meet regularly (e.g. twice a week for 1 hour for each side) in order to learn a language from the other person - it can be their mother tongue or a language which the other person knows good. There's a rule of mutuality: you get as much knowledge as you want to give back to the other side.

Tandem is free. It combines learning with real communication - it doesn't matter about what and in which language the participants talk - both of them profit from it. It's always an intercultural endeavour - it's not only about learning the language, but also the culture of the other person.

Tandem is close in it's formula to intensive independent studies. It can also perfectly complement language courses that you attend, e.g. by mutual help in doing your homework and preparation for classes.

The range of languages possibly offered by tandem will depends on what is volunteered by it's participants - it can be polish/german or polish/russian, but it could just as well be russian/german.

Each participant in tandem is responsible for himself/herself - you decide what, how and how much you want to learn. The goal of your studies can be very mixed. Your tandem partner, who - after all - is not a professionally qualified teacher, volunteers as an "expert" in an area of his/hers language and culture. Depending on need, the "expert" can e.g. read aloud a text, "act" as someone in a conversation, correct mistakes when talking about a certain subject, propose corrections to a partner's text. But the responsibility for goals and methods of learning rests on the learner.