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.

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!

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.

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"!

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.

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 have been thinking about learning Korean language for quite sometime now. The reason behind is…read morebecause I love Korean food. I also love Korean dramas. Third, is Asiana Airlines is my go to for direct flights from LAX to Seoul. Then Seoul to Clark Philippines. Fourth, I want to be able to communicate with them when I'm in Korea. My lay over in Incheon, South Korea to LAX is almost 8 hours. I've been looking at this sign that reads, "Brilliant Foreign Language" in East Palomar St, Otay Ranch, Chula Vista. for the past year or so. Then, I finally had the courage to walk in their office and inquire about their program. There is a one time registration fee of $50 which includes the book, and $30/hour one on one lessons. If there are more than 2 students, you only pay $20/hour. The two staff who talked to me were very helpful and friendly. My Korean teacher is really nice. Her method of teaching is really good. If you're looking to learn another language, I strongly recommend this school.

This is a wonderful place for learning a language! I live close to this school so I sent my cousin…read morecome here every Wednesday and Friday. She learns a lot and I can tell her Chinese skills improve every week. Teachers are super professional. I will recommend this place for learning Chinese. By the way, they have other language classes, such as Spanish, Korean, and French. Good place to learn!

Staff and teachers are wonderful and friendly. Have weekly fun activities and get to do lots of…read moreoutings, volunteering, and cultural days. Have massages for $45 by awesome people at ICHOHS. Got to try a massage after classes!

Just wanted to try out the school so I gave them a shot and attended half day class but it wasn't…read morewhat I expected! Lack of organization and discipline, small classrooms and the parking sucks in that area. 2 stars simply because they offer free classes!

I started my Japanese language study at San Diego Japanese school years ago. Studied with both…read moreHasegawa-sensei and Fukuda-sensei. They taught wonderful beginning adult language classes. I knew nothing and they were very patient. They spent a lot of time making sure that I knew how to speak politely. I was able to travel to Japan and speak successfully, as well as transition to other Japanese language schools when I moved away from San Diego.

San Diego Japanese school is a small, little gem I really wish more people knew about. That being…read moresaid, as somebody who was a student here from middle school up until early high school, my opinion is definitely more from the high-school student perspective. Hasegawa-sensei and Fukuda-sensei are both sweet, personable and attentive teachers who get to know their students personally and oversee their studies with care, interest and patience. There are various age and skill groups that students are split off into, all of which are taught by various competent teachers and some of which I've kept in contact with over the years (here's looking to you, Chris-sensei!). In the middle of the session there is a small break in which the teachers make and sell homemade onigiri (still warm!), followed by group raijo taiso. You really get a sense of family here- it's honestly hard NOT to fit in and make friends easily here. In addition to language classes, they have some culture classes and occasionally have interesting and informative guests you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. If I remember correctly, we once had some people from the Toyko Philharmonic come and play for us, and every year students get a tour of the Japanese Self Defense Force boat in the harbor. Cool! That being said, you really have to have some self discipline to really get the most out of this school. Meeting only once a week means there is a lot of things to go over in one day, and it is imperative that you upkeep your studies, go through your textbooks and do your lessons in the days between classes! Like with most schools, it can sometimes be easy to be distracted by the social aspect of going every week, so one definitely needs to remember that it is a school, not a place to hang out. I loved it here. Honestly, if anyone was looking to seriously learn Japanese, I would without hesitation refer them to the San Diego Japanese School. Anyone who comes here is in some seriously capable and caring hands.

We won't return to the classes my son enjoyed and felt proud and accomplished in. As frequent…read moretravelers into Baja California and my son also being a specialist with us as a family, from the ages of 3-10 years old, in the Mexican cuisine and culture, we knew we were taking a chance that our special learner may have challenges.. He gives this class 5 stars, especially the students he was so happy to see. And the disruptions happy kids cause in classrooms is totally not ideal for everyone trying to learn, and most importantly, the teacher trying to teach. Somewhere, over the rainbow, there is a happy medium where a guy who truly does want to learn, can do just that. Occasionally he needs help and guidance to do so. And because no other guides, an IEP, or any special needs kids are not accommodated or welcome, we are on the search to find someone who does accept special learners. This particular class recognizes none of this. I recommend looking over the paperwork introducing classes such as this one, and going over it with the instructor. We try things out, we disclose as much as we can. These are elementary school aged kids. And no one is perfect. All of this was so upsetting for me as I felt we finally found something successful. Good luck, everyone.

Must say this! Owner Maritza is a secret gem in our community. She has a sincere heart and passion…read morefor teaching children & adults the beauty of the Spanish language, foods, art, & culture. She provides a festive learning environment AND also offers art classes and art & sip events at her studio! I've been a participant in both the Spanish & Art programs. She also has Spanish classes at area schools in the district. She's a gift I hope you will enjoy too!