I took A1.1, A1.2, and A2.1 classes at Goethe Institut before I moved to Germany. I am very satisfied with my experience at Goethe Institut.
In the past, I've learned French at Alliance Francaise where a lot of instructors were young graduates from France who came to Toronto for some experience abroad and therefore were not necessarily trained and professional, but in contrast, the instructors at Goethe Institut were very well trained and professional. They genuinely care about your learning experience and want you to take the most out of the classes. Even when I was in a class of 10 or so people, I still felt that each of us received enough personal attention. The instructors also made themselves available for any questions before the course and during the break. As a whole, Goethe Institut helped me prepare as much as I can before I had to fly to Germany for my school at a reasonable price.
I also loved that the courses are taught mostly in German, even the very beginner A1.1. This could be difficult and frustrating for any first-time learner, but from my experience in learning other foreign languages, this always works a lot better in long-term.
The only reason I took one star off is that when I was buying my textbooks for A2.1, I only had a credit card, and I was told that the machine wasn't working that day and I had to pay with cash. You usually buy the textbooks on the first day of each course and by then, I had already paid the $595 course fees. I was expecting that they would still give me the books so that I can use it for my first class and note my name and class so that they could collect the textbook fees from me the next class, but I was surprised to hear that I will have to get the textbooks next time and take the first class without the books. It's not as if I would not show up next class when I've already paid for the course fees. I just thought that this wasn't necessarily fostering a good learning environment. read more