I've been taking lessons here and Johanna is so friendly! The team really wants to help you grow…read moreand learn and they're very accommodating. Highly recommend checking them out and booking! Such a nice group of people

I submitted an online form for more information and did not hear back. Upon calling to confirm that…read moremy form was received, I was told that I had not received a response because they were not currently offering the language that I wanted...glad that I called so that I could at least search for another provider. Not a good experience. Had I been seeking a more common language, my interactions *may* have been better, but this was a clear message of "We wouldn't get any money out of you, so we didn't bother to respond." The person on the phone was polite, which is why I gave two stars.

[This review is for the Bronzeville location]…read more Bottom line: We ADORE this daycare/preschool. We started sending our son when he was around 17-18 months. I was SO nervous about the transition because he was a Covid baby and we had nannies up until that point, but it became abundantly clear very quickly that he is thriving under the care of Sandra, Adriana, and his teachers. They work very hard to make sure each kid is well cared for and comfortable at school. LTL offers dual language (Spanish and French) immersion instruction and care, and it's amazing to see how quickly the kids adapt and learn new languages and skills. They are Montossori-inspired, but more academic-focused. The teachers create a curriculum each week. What really impresses me is their philosophy that kids are extremely capable and oftentimes it's adults that underestimate them. For example, LTL reached out to us when our son was around 20-21 months old to start potty training. Everyone we knew thought it was crazy and it was far too soon, but sure enough, after following LTL's guide, our son was potty trained within a couple of months and well before his 2nd birthday. I HIGHLY recommend this daycare. It's certainly not cheap, but for us, it's worth it. Other notes: - they use the Brightwheel app, which makes it a breeze to pay, send messages, etc. - they will post a picture/video daily so you can see what your child is doing that day - class sizes have been small (but this may be because Bronzeville is a newer location). Our son's class is 8-10 students with 2 instructors. - the Bronzeville location is right across from Dunbar park, and it's SO nice to have an accessible park and field for the kids to enjoy good weather and exercise!

It was abundantly clear from our initial tour of the facility and meeting with the owners and staff…read morethat Living the Language (LTL) was way above the other options we considered. That was validated by our experience at the school. Our daughter is speaking in Spanish and French. She is writing, learning to read, and singing in 3 languages! WGN did a little segment on LTL during February 2019, because there are no other Chicago daycares that teach this way and this well. The teachers love on the children and care about them deeply. The LTL community feels like a family. Sandra and Nana (the owners) go out of their way to ensure the children get a great education and are loved on. The daycare celebrates fun European holidays and has an annual World-vision Toddler Marathon, where the children get to run a race and learn about being compassionate and generous towards those with less.

I have taken two of Elena's classes (Beginner One and Beginner Two). As someone who never studied…read moreSpanish in school and came in with nearly no Spanish language experience - aside from a few hours spent on Duolingo - I learned so much and left both B1 and B2 with confidence in my Spanish speaking skills. Elena is an amazing instructor. She keeps the content engaging, easy to follow/understand, and fun. The setup of the class is conversation based, so you're constantly speaking with your classmates and putting the learnings into practice. I would recommend Elena's classes to anyone in Chicago looking to learn a new language. I never felt like I'd be able to learn a new language as an adult - but Elena makes it exciting and enjoyable. I can't wait to continue taking her classes this summer!

Loved this experience! It takes you out of your normal routine and adds a little education to your…read moreschedule. The classes are in the back of Club Lucky in Wicker. Elena is a fun teacher and everyone who took the class was a good time. People get martinis and beers prior to class. She gives homework after each class, so I would say make sure your schedule allows a little extra time to make it well worth it. I recommend it!

We came here for an event about poetry in various languages by Chicago-based poets and translators…read more We used to come years ago (pre-pandemic) to watch movies, or listen to book reviews. We speak NO German but it was always a nice space to visit. We never joined to study the language or take classes but we definitely want to visit someday. The space is about how I remember it, and the presentation (we were kind of late) was good. The seating was not ideal. I was not able to see the subtitles for the readings (there were PowerPoint slides) so I sat in the very back on a sofa. I really blame myself for being too late to sit up front, not the institution. There was a wine reception following, with treats from local bakers as well as the Italian Cultural Institute. We chatted with a few people too. The view of Michigan Avenue from there is so great, even at night. I'd go back for another event, I do miss this place.

Once upon a time, I took German in High School. Over a decade later, I decided to rekindle my…read morerelationship with the language. There's a good chance that I may be going to Germany to teach English next year, so now is a good a time as any to take the class! I thought I would know a lot coming into the class (I barely tested into A1.2) but then I realized that there were already many things I didn't know or forgot. But the great thing about these classes is that you are thrown in and fully immersed in a certain theme of German speaking. ie, asking for directions, making a doctors appointment, telling time, etc. Unlike my HS German class, you don't necessarily learn "from the start" but take steps towards learning the language in a way that may be helpful in speaking and understanding. My last class is next week, but I've already signed up for the next level. The instructors seem to rotate and vary depending on skill level, but our teacher is simply the best! She's always high energy, positive, and makes the class engaging. I certainly hope she's the instructor for the next level! A great course at a great price. High recommendation.

Learning a new language as an adult is very intimidating. I found Berges Institute's Beginners…read moreSpanish class very welcoming, encouraging and a great atmosphere to learn. Melissa was an engaging instructor. Class would be reviewing the week's homework and past lessons, learning the new work and drilling the lessons. There is a lot of memorization involved as there is in any new language learning. While I attended with a Groupon, I found their regular class prices being more then reasonable and plenty of class times and able to make up a missed class. Also they email a couple times a week to remind you of the homework, the next class time and if you need to go at another time and also tips to reinstate the Spanish you've learned so far. I look forward to learning from them more.

I signed up for a beginner level Spanish course a couple of months back to learn Spanish formally…read more The office personnel made signing up very easy and answered all of my questions. Classes were going well, I was learning quite a bit from the teacher Sofia, she was great with the class. I put in plenty of time outside of the course to practice too. Unfortunately, the whole covid pandemic disrupted my work schedule so I had to discontinue halfway through. I am likely to retake the course once my schedule stabilizes and I have an uninterupted free day. Great place to learn, highly recommend the Berges Institute and the teacher Sofia. -Elias

There are lots of social activities for students, nice people around and so many nations! Lessons…read moreare split to three parts, 1.5 each and teachers rotate. Mike and Kevin are fantastic teachers, Kelley was my another favorite but she left :( Prices are good and we can pay by instalments. There are talks that Solex may increase tuition (currently, its $480 a month including books) but it will not effect old students, fingers crossed. Oh yes, they just bought new furniture and comps, it looks soooo nice. Hope we will get a coffee machine on the 4th fooor too.

Solex its very good school for many reasons first and foremost most of the students are…read moreinternational students and someone from different country could feel there very comfortable. All the instructors are very qualified and very friendly the school is located in the middle of downtown so the students can go for lunch to me millenium Park and enjoy all the things the city of Chicago has to offer .

Horrible school. Do not go here. It's a waste of time and money. They're horrible at communicating,…read moredon't answer my calls or emails. They stop giving classes when I was half way through the program. Won't update me on what's happening. So unprofessional!

birtraining center is a terrible school and very non-organized! i am a student there.i feel just as…read morenon educated as i was before i enrolled there.im do to graduate in september and i dont feel like im ready for the work field. there is a few smart but alot of dumb instructors and staff members there. u will go through things like every registration day you are fighting for a seat and if they are all taking you will have to sit out for 7 weeks a whole semester. i currently am sitting out for 14 weeks because i lost the battle fighting for a seat for externship. registration starts at 12am on the date giving and i can assure you if you dont have a computer at home or your internet is messing up you wont have a seat in your next class or a check. im not referring anyone else to this school,i have referred 4 people havent received a referral fee for not 1. there be fights inside of the school. it is like an ghetto high school. alot of people dont want to hire students from bir training center.this is so true i will put my name on it. its cool if you just want a check but not a good look for education!! i give this school 2 thumbs down. im trying to see who can i talk to about getting this loan off me so i can restart my program at another school! do your research first because i wish i would have!!!!!! sincerely yours janie dudley

I have had, and am currently having, an amazing experience with the Spanish LC. I have been in…read moreclasses for almost a year now, and am planning to continue on with remote learning due to Covid. Valeria has been my teacher and she is AMAZING! She makes learning intuitive and fun while also going above and beyond with any questions I have. I highly recommend the Spanish LC to anyone who is thinking of learning Spanish.

Background: I've now taken classes at Cervantes, UNAM,…read moreSpanish Language Center and Spanish Lessons Chicago / Latin American Language Center, so I have seen a decent cross section of what is available here in Chicago. In my opinion, SLC is definitely worth trying and can be a very good value if you do the membership deal ($600 for 6 months all the classes you can take model). I took Beginner 0, 1 and 2 this Jan - June. Could have taken Beg 3, too, but got pretty busy at work and needed to take a break. I would also suggest that SLC is most useful for learning the basics and rules of the language, but it's not (at least not yet) been a great place for practicing much conversational spanish. This could be a function of my still being pretty early in the progression (Beginner 2) or the nature of the classes, where you've got 7 - 10 classmates and you go around the table taking turns translating examples and asking simple questions. So, it can be a help to start learning but you will definitely want to do other things to practice outside of the weekly class time. What I like: * The curriculum is clear. You know what you will be covering in each section (e.g. Beg 1, Beg 2) and in each specific class (e.g. class 1 of Beg 2, class 2 of Beg 2). I can't say the same of the other places I have studied. * The text / materials are clear, straightforward and useful. I have also purchased a number of general spanish exercise books online and prefer the workbooks that SLC has put together to complement their classes (Note: these materials do cost extra, but are pretty reasonable. ~$35 or so per class, I think). * They seem to draw a consistent mix of people who want to learn and consistently show up. So as you track through their levels you can be taking classes with familiar faces, which can be comfortable. What could be better: * Consistency of student levels This is a challenge everywhere I've taken classes. Not sure it can be solved. Seems you're always destined to have some folks who are in a bit over their head and others who maybe should be in the next class up. This mix can make some lessons a bit choppy. But I've seen this everywhere. * Consistency of the teachers I have had classes with 3 or 4 different teachers now, sometimes within the same track (e.g first 3 or 4 classes of Beg 2 started with one teacher, last 3 classes have been with another). Styles vary and just when you really start to click with one teacher he might be be gone without explanation. All of the teachers I've had have been pretty good, so it's not an awful drop off. But just know you should expect this kind of variety. The materials are the constant, the teachers may vary.