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.

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 .

I totally DO NOT RECOMMEND this place! I am international student with B2 level, and I leave this…read moreschool because: 1) The level of education is very low, teacher (60-70 years old man) is unprofessional. He always laughs at their student (it was the highest level in this school) and teaches all time how to write essay in his own method! Minimal grammar, listening, speaking and pronunciation! Only writting the essay. 2) 99% student in this school have F1 visa and they come not for the knowledge, but to obtain visa, also they have very very low English skills. Management also happy that these students won't complain and when I said that GT education can't help me in English they became very angry and aggressive. 3) Management is rude and they do not care about your problems, and especially about your progress! 4) In the beginning, I was in 600 group, that is for students with good English, but on the first lesson I understood that nobody could speak! Nobody! The students didn't understand my English because it was very complicated for them. I asked Daisy to change the group, at least with those who can and able to speak at my level and she refused! Then I insisted to refund my money and guess what! They found a place for me in higher level group. Magic! 5) My last drop was the accident when teacher in the hardest group was laughing at me! Of course, GT education do not refund my money! 6) This place is located on the -1 level without windows and any ventilation! All in all, it's the worst educational school that I ever seen! Don't waste your time and money on that place for F1 holders, they can't teach you anything

Over all is good, but amount of time they advertise and real time of studying is far difference…read more For example, the schedule time shows 4 pm- 10 pm--6 hrs/day-- 3 days a week --10 weeks/ course = 180 hrs you pay around $1,500 It seems like a fair price. In reality, none of classes keep that schedule time. Teachers start class quite late and finish class around 8:20 pm Studying 6 hrs a day it is too much, I agree. But why they don't set up only 4 hrs/day and make course to be 12 weeks in order to get 180 hrs as they advertise. (I mean GT at N Nashville Ave location) I feel, it is not the right way...kind of dishonest!!! Beside of this, the teachers have good skills of teaching and staffs are friendly.

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.