A friend recommended this language school to me as something more intensive than the courses I was…read moretaking last year at St. Annahof Sprachschule, but a more affordable option than something like Bellingua. We also get a discount from being an employee at Zurich Insurance Company, yay! I sat in a trial class, it was a good experience for me, so I signed up for German classes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. Unfortunately, after about 4 years in Switzerland, I'm STILL at German A1 level, but this time, it seemed good as a refresher on the basics. The teacher Anne Madeleine tries to explain everything in German instead of resorting to English. Sometimes it's still a bit difficult to figure out what she's trying to say, so I still have to resort to the Google Translate app on my phone. Class sizes range from 3 people up to 7, depending on who shows up. Homework is minimal or nonexistent, but what I like is the practice during the class. We take turns answering questions and speaking in German, so I get to say something in every class (unlike at my prior school). Unfortunately, due to my work schedule, I had to start missing some classes, and now I'm starting to get a bit lost in class again. I finally decided that German is not for me and gave up. But while it lasted, the course was pretty good. The only negative is that it's just really time-consuming and exhausting to sit there after a long day at work. Plus I get hungry because it's during dinner time. I tried to eat something at 5:30 at work, but then I was hungry again at 9:30 pm and had to eat a second dinner after class. This class is making me fat! :O

From the owner: Unsere Sprachschule ist sowohl auf Deutsch als Fremdsprache als auch auf Fremdsprachenunterricht…read morespezialisiert. Das Kursprogramm der Sprachschule richtet sich stets nach dem Europäischen Referenzrahmen. Zudem sind wir Prüfungszentrum von telc. Ob Erwachsene, Jugendliche oder Kinder, alle finden bei uns den passenden Kurs. Unser Angebot umfasst Intensiv-, Halb-Intensiv- und Abendkurse sowie Privatunterricht und sprachliche Aus- und Weiterbildungen für Firmen und Institutionen. Die Kurse finden wahlweise in unserer Schule, in Ihrer Firma oder bei Ihnen zu Hause statt. Die Lektionen finden in Kleingruppen oder im Einzelunterricht statt. Nur so können unsere kompetenten und erfahrenen Lehrpersonen individuell auf Sie eingehen und die gewünschten Lernfortschritte laufend überprüfen. In einer persönlichen Beratung klären wir nach erfolgter Einstufung Ihr aktuelles Niveau ab und erstellen aufgrund Ihrer persönlichen Ziele und Bedürfnisse anschliessend ein Lernprogramm. In kostenlosen "Schnupperlektionen" finden Sie mit Sicherheit den richtigen Kurs, in dem Ihre Lernfortschritte mittels regelmässiger Unterrichtskontrollen überprüft werden.

I returned 5 months later for a 3 month session because my last visit to Bellingua was full of hard…read morework, great people, and excellent teaching. This time, I was put in a class with a bad teacher. I wont go into detail about her because I feel mean bashing someone so openly. The worst part though, was that she was a good teacher when she wanted to be... which was when we had management sit in to analyze her teaching ability. Why didn't the students suffer? Because Bellingua's materials are golden. The books are easy to understand and pair well with the exams. The students want to learn because they're paying a buttload for the classes, and if they fail more than 3 exams they are kicked out of the school. So really, a teacher is there to help but ultimately the students can teach themselves with the course work. Teachers like Ladina (my teacher the first 4 months I was at Bellingua) make the 3 hours of class enjoyable, different, stimulating, and enable the students to learn a bit more efficiently. Why didn't I switch teachers? I tried, but I was told by the manager that my expectations were too high and I wouldn't be satisfied with anyone. For the record... they weren't! It was unbelievable some of the things my previous teacher did. The manager went as far to say that I couldn't take a break and return with another teacher. This is what she told me, in English and German. I would question whether I was expecting more than necessary, but the fact that every student in the classroom was complaining about the same things showed me that something was wrong. Months later, I wrote the owner of Bellingua, telling him that he has a really bad teacher, and that students should be able to at least switch to a GOOD teacher. I told him that the manager refused to let me change teachers. He did a lot of research, updated me with e-mails, and ultimately concluded that there had been a misunderstanding. He said that he was unable to conclude who said what, but that he updated the paperwork and website to ensure students that they are allowed to change teachers. That's really all I wanted. I didn't message him while I was taking classes, because my teacher already knew I had problems with her, management thought I was better than everyone else, and I knew that e-mailing the owner would just escalate emotions. He was an efficient and helpful man, and I am thankful that he handled the situation the way he did. Unfortunately, I have no desire to go to Bellingua again. The relationship between me and the management would be awkward, and if my previous teacher is still there things would be even more awkward. Too bad

The material is good. Some of the teacher lack experience…read moreand cannot explain everything all that well. It is very good to have weekly tests however the grading is unnecessarily harsh and is more stressful than helpful. It is not reflecting the students capacity and focuses on errors rather than progress. The idea behind is to teach people to do the simple minimum rather than try to use more difficult structures and words as they are being punished for it. Punishing effort seems misplaced for a learning institution.

I had a very good experience studying in this school. High quality of teaching course and great…read moreprofessors as well as a very convenient and central location in Zurich. They're also flexible and offered online courses when I could not make it in person to the class. Definitely recommending it!

Not a fan, es tut mir SEHR Leid. I learned more German watching TV than at this school. It is a…read morefour-hour commitment, super expensive, classrooms are cramped and hot during the summer, and the learning materials are, IMHO, not the best. Better bet for less money is Allemania Schule. Also has it's problems. But, there are some great teachers there. See my review.

Ok, I'm more than halfway through my course, so I suppose it's time to write a Yelp review on the…read moreschool... I'm currently enrolled in "Abendkurse 217, Mittlere Kenntnisse 1, A2", which is considered an advanced beginners course in German. Class is once a week on Monday evenings at 6 pm. CHF 364 for 20 lessons at 75 minutes each. I wouldn't call it extremely intensive, but it's perfect for me so I don't get discouraged by too much learning. Plus, I only have to run out of work early once a week. My instructor is Joel Duss, and he's quite a pleasant guy who tries to explain everything using German instead of English. As a result, I sometimes don't have a clue what he is talking about, but I guess that's part of the whole learning process. We have anywhere from 8 to 11 people that show up to class, and Joel is pretty good at giving everyone the opportunity to speak and read aloud in every class. What I do like about this course is that they focus on German in Switzerland (AKA "Deutsch in der Schweiz"). This is directly applicable to life in Zürich, although Joel does teach us both the Swiss word and High-German equivalent whenever there is a discrepancy. Book fees are on top of course fees. You can buy the books directly from the school, but they were out, so I just got them from the bookstore. I got the Kursbuch, Arbeitsbuch, and Vokabelheft for about CHF 70, although the last one was unnecessary and could have saved me CHF 8.50. Oh well. We got 2 weeks off for winter break and now another 2 weeks off for February ski break, so progress is going kind of slowly. But I think if I take another course after this one, then I should (hopefully) be ready for the A2 exam at the end of this year.

From the owner: Bénédict-Schule Zürich…read more Bénédict führt moderne, den heutigen Bedürfnissen angepasste Sprachschulen, Handelsschulen, Management- und Kaderschulen sowie Informatikschulen und medizinische Fachschulen in Zürich, St. Gallen, Luzern und Bern. Wir bieten: - Moderne, erfolgreiche Aus- und Weiterbildungsprogramme, die auf die Bedürfnisse der Teilnehmer und die Anforderungen in der Praxis abgestimmt sind. - Modularer Studienaufbau nach dem Bausteinprinzip bis hin zu anerkannten, offiziellen Diplomen. - Kurze, intensive und kompakte Studienprogramme ermöglichen den Teilnehmern eine genau definierte Studiendauer und eine flexible Ausbildungsplanung. - Qualifizierte und engagierte Dozenten mit Universitätsabschluss oder Absolventen einer Fachhochschule, die neben ihrer Lehrtätigkeit eine Spezialisten- und Führungsfunktion in der Praxis ausüben, vermitteln den Lehrstoff kompetent und praxisnah. - Unsere erfahrenen Mitarbeiter garantieren eine umfassende Ausbildungsberatung

From the owner: Corporate and private language courses for both learners of English at all levels, but also…read moreexpatriates wanting to learn German. Many more languages offered.

From the owner: Deutsch lernen mit Spass! Kommunikativer und moderner…read moreDeutschunterricht. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Deutschkurse für alle Niveaus A1, A2, B1, B2, C1

From the owner: Boa Lingua, founded in 1989, is a Swiss language travel and study abroad platform where customers…read morecan compare language schools worldwide, create personalized offers and book language courses abroad. In addition to its digital platform, Boa Lingua’s experienced language travel experts advise and guide customers throughout the planning of their language stay abroad. Thousands of reviews and experience reports help customers choose the right language school. Programs include language courses abroad, learn and work abroad opportunities and language courses combined with leisure activities such as surfing, cooking and cultural experiences.