Fantastic school and experience. And it's virtual. The teachers are great and sk are the students…read more I highly recommend Pura Buena Onda if you want to learn Spanish!!!!

i have been involved with PBO for at least 9 years. i took classes for several years. The classes…read moreare terrific: no more than six per class, and you speak Spanish because you want to be part of the conversation. The classes are comfortable and fun. Students are of equal ability making it more comfortable to make mistakes or stammer. There are nightly topics for you to write about in Spanish these are corrected. It is exciting to get "Bien escrito" on your commentary. The corrections are very helpful. You really learn, lose inhibitions, make new friends, and have fun learning.

Do this place actually want customers? If so, I would suggest that they not be condescending and…read moresnarky in their responses to legitimate queries. I tried to call this place because I had some questions about pricing and registration. No answer, no voice mail, so I sent them an email. They then replied to my email with pasting material from their web site in the email. Yes, thank you, I read that already. I should have just left it there, but I wrote back saying that it would be just be easier if someone could give me a call. No call. I wrote back again asking about one class in a particular and I also asked whether they have free trial lessons. Their response: "I am sorry but that is not the way we work. But, if you ever find a free teacher let us know." Have a look around at other language schools, dance schools, ZUMBA places, etc. many businesses will offer you a chance to test out their classes for free to get a feel for fit. And why do they do this? Because generally what they offer is excellent, so people will come back. Completely unprofessional and disinterested in obtaining new customers. Keep looking, folks!

I have been taking Spanish Classes from Nora for 3 years now and she is amazing teacher/friend. She…read moreis really passionate about teaching for and also she is a yoga teacher which is awesome!

I've tried other conversation based learning in San Diego and Culture and Language center is light…read moreyears ahead. My teacher Izak is exceptional and Lalo, the owner , is incredibly professional, responsive and he cares greatly about his business/students. There are always extracurricular events such as trips of nights out and it great to build a community and friendships. The model is to have only 4 students per teacher and this makes a huge difference, furthermore, there is a curriculum on which the class is based on. So we spend a portion of the class chatting, a portion learning and the third part is to practice what we just learned. I always feel like my spanish improves after every class and I cannot say the same for the other conversational based learning.

My husband and I are enrolled in weekly classes here and we LOVE our experience! We both met with…read moreLalo to begin with for placement, and he was so kind, personable, and reassuring. Through my conversation with Lalo, a lot of my anxiety immediately melted away. Once we were placed, we signed up for weekly classes based on our skill level and have had nothing but a positive experience. Our teacher is Andrea - she is charismatic, professional, and skillfully integrates on-the-fly lessons to our broader goals (i.e., when we are confused by a concept Andrea organically integrates it into our lesson and explains it in such a clear way). Everything we do is in Spanish - 45 minutes of conversation, then 45 minutes of lessons/activities/homework review. The Culture and Language Center has really helped cure so much of my speaking anxiety and given me a lot of confidence - now I feel safe to speak, play, and even make mistakes. :) I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this program to anyone. If you are on the fence, you won't regret this experience!

Time flies. It has already been 3-4 years since I took the TEFL class in SDSU ALI. I can't help but…read morewrite a review as soon as I found this on Yelp. This program has not only good reputation, but also amazing instructors. All the instructors were so great. They have so much experience teaching in this field and was able to share many teaching skills and theories. One of my favorite parts was that I had a chance to teach in an actual class. I had to observe a class, learn how to teach from a mentor, and also got to know students and help them to learn English. It was a fabulous experience and it helped me a lot to find a job in Korea, where I used all the stuff I have learned in my classes. I still get update emails about job openings from all over the world from ALI and SDSU. How nice !! Wish I can write everything I have done. I can just say it's the most amazing program ever.

My experience at the American Language Institute has been amazing. It was my first time to study…read moreabroad and I already been here for one year. I love San Diego weather and life because it was very relaxed. American Language Institute is in San Diego State University campus. So it's a good chance to improve your English because you can meet a lot of university students and native speakers. Also, ALI gave their students a lot of benefits, like city tours, baseball games, zoos, etc. You can really enjoy your time in San Diego. Also, we can use the gym on campus. Sign up and it's free for ALI students. I like this language school because i met a lot of international students, very nice and friendly teachers. I'm so happy I can be a part of ALI, but in the other hand, I think the class was a little bit early, everyday started at 8:00 am. So sometimes it's difficult to wake up. If it's possible to change at 9:00 am it's better for students. And the class finish at 1:00 pm, so we can have a lot of time to hang out with friends and enjoy beautiful beaches in San Diego. I would definitely recommend this language school to everyone who wants to study abroad and improve their English. Also, ALI has a lot of different programs you can choose, not only learn how to speak English, but also can get some special certificate about business. So I think it's very useful for me in the future. Thanks ALI gave us a really nice and good study environment. I appreciate it.

My husband and I have been studying Spanish here for almost a year. We love our teacher, Yolanda…read more She is very helpful at explaining things and has patience when you don't quite grasp the information. She always makes it fun. Which I find as a great motivator. I look forward to going to class every week. She is great at making a personal connection with her students. My only criticism would be for the owner to include your book with the price of the lessons. It seems a little silly to charge a fee for lessons then a separate $30 for each book. The learning materials are written by the owner Luz. She clearly has thought out each lesson plan and the books are excellent. Overall, whether you are a true beginner, have a little Spanish or are Advanced this is a great place. Most of the other students we run into (from other classes) speak excellent Spanish and have been studying with them for years. Highly recommended.

Over the past 5 years, I have tried several language schools in my quest to learn Spanish. The…read moreother schools are exclusively "online teaching" and have registration systems that are difficult to work with and require questionable security commitments. I was hacked because of one of these exposures. With Spanish Language Center, you contact them, find a lesson time and teacher that meets your needs, show up and get a great person to person lesson. Payment takes place at the first lesson... in person! The owner, Luz Kutchins in the author of a complete course for Spanish Learning. Spanish Language Center is "Numero Uno"!

This was our first class taking lessons in Portuguese. Our professor, Drausio was so awesome! Not…read moreonly is he very descriptive in his teaching, but he brings a great sense of humor and makes our language lesson extremely fun. As a married couple with our daughter on the way, we are glad she got to listen while in her mommies tummy and we look forward to the 3 of us coming back as an extended family to learn more! Also, Paula, Jerrica and the Language door staff are phenomenal! They'd greet us warmly and with a smile as soon as we enter the door. If anyone is looking to take the Portuguese language, Drausio is absolutely phenomenal!

Awful customer service. I was eager to enroll my 3 children into classes and had read many good…read morereviews through Yelp. When I contacted the email address the lady, Nima, was very informative, helpful...eager to take my money. I was SO surprised at their prices. Yes, I understand for one person $199 is a good deal, but if I am bringing 2 additional people at least try and make it worth my while. She said "$199-first person, $189-second person, $99-third person". $10 is not a discount... I expressed to her how surprising this was. And perhaps we could negotiate because there is competition out there. Her last email was very curt and short. Horrible customer service, Nima. I can see why your company is receiving so many negative reviews on this. I will make sure I take my business elsewhere and I will spread the word.

I am taking Korean classes now and I like it very much. I also like the parking and talking it…read moreinternational students on my break.

Wow. This company is truly awful. I called them before purchasing the groupon for 8 lessons to…read moremake sure that we were able to set up lessons. They assured us that we could start the following week. Then after purchase it took them a month to set up lessons. Rocky start but fine. Then finally we set up a date to start but apparently they have two locations, we were at the wrong one. So when we finally rushed over to meet our teacher she had no lesson plan and we discovered this was going to be "immersive" learning as the teacher didn't speak much English. Her boyfriend helped with the first class or I would have no idea what was going on. The next two lessons had a plan and were better but after 3 lessons the teacher could no longer do the agreed upon time so classes were ended. We agreed that we would start again after the holidays for everyones inconvenience. I have been messaging with Brian weekly since then with NO results and lots of false promises. He had me contact the parent company tesol training for a refund who said that there was no refund available because I already took 3 classes then stopped responding to my emails. This has been a true nightmare to deal with and I highly doubt I will be able to finish my classes so I am just out the money paid to groupon. VERY disappointing and POOR business practices all around. DO NOT WORK WITH THIS COMPANY.

I took the TESOL certification class with Bryan at ELI San Diego and it was certainly a worthwhile…read moreexperience! Bryan does a good job covering the core values of successful ESL teaching while offering real world advice. There is a class presentation in a foreign language, test, paper, & specialization assignment; so be prepared to work for your certification. Their contextualized, project-oriented approach to the course material personally resonated with me. Do not be afraid to ask questions: Bryan encourages a lot of discussion and offers potential opportunities to practice teaching/tutoring! ELI definitely assures you with its friendly environment that they care about their students' long-term success. I am looking forward to working with the ELI staff during the job placement process as I intend to teach English in Brazil! Chau, Trey

I strongly do not recommend CLA in San Diego. My friend from…read moreKazakhstan paid tuition to CLA, but unfortunately his U.S. visa was not approved. According to the signed refund document, CLA was required to return the refundable portion of his payment, which is $575. The refund deadline was at the end of August. Today is September 20, and the $575 refund still has not been received. I am attaching the signed refund document confirming the refund amount. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend CLA. Be very careful before making any payments -- you may have serious difficulty getting your refundable money back.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with California Language Academy…read more My friend from Kazakhstan enrolled at CLA but was unable to attend because his U.S. visa was denied. I personally made the payment to CLA on his behalf using my own bank card. CLA approved a $575 refund and provided a refund form stating that the refund would be issued by August 27, 2026. We waited for more than a month, but the refund was not received by the promised date. After the deadline passed, we contacted CLA twice. They responded that they were waiting for an update from their CFO, but the money was still not refunded and no specific payment date was provided. Because CLA failed to issue the refund by the deadline stated in their own document, I have now filed an official complaint with the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). This has been a very frustrating experience. I expected a school to honor its own written refund commitment and return the money on time. Based on this experience, I would not recommend dealing with California Language Academy.

Iftin Charter School is a wonderful school, and I'm grateful that my son is part of this learning…read morecommunity. The teachers and staff are dedicated, caring, and genuinely committed to helping students succeed. The school provides a welcoming, supportive, and safe learning environment where students are encouraged to grow academically and personally. I truly appreciate the strong sense of community, the emphasis on education, and the care shown to students and families. I highly recommend Iftin Charter School to any parent looking for a quality education for their child!

I have the misfortune of living near this school. From what I have witnessed, it is a blight upon…read morethe neighborhood. Twice a day the pick up lines cause dangerous traffic. When you walk by in the sidewalk you are stared at and made to feel extremely unwelcome. And this is just an outside impression of the school. I just get bad vibes all around.