International Center for Language Studies, Inc Reviews

Great school.

I can say for what they lack in number of courses offered they make up for with the quality of the instruction itself. I took 30 hours of intensive Portuguese, and the instructor (Nilzelaine) made personal Powerpoints tailored to me before each session. The only downside is that during summer they don't have enough students to host group classes for less-studied languages, so be sure to confirm with them if they're actually teaching a class even if it's listed on their website.

The thing that mosts distinguishes ICLS is the quality of their instructors. Mine spoke English flawlessly (so understood some of the difficulties in learning Portuguese from an English perspective) and had a background in pedagogy. Also nice is the fact ICLS classrooms have amenities like computers and projectors... this may sound basic, but I when I took classes at the International Language Institute, there was nothing but a whiteboard in each classroom. This may sound nice but for the fact it's so much easier to convey information through a prepared Powerpoint than, say, writing each conjugation over and over again on a whiteboard.

I highly recommend ICLS.
When I moved to the US, I couldn't understand when people were talking to me. Now, after a few months in their Intensive Course, I can speak comfortably in any situation.
They offer free extra activities such as conversational groups and field trips to museums and galleries in DC, wich is ideal for making friends with students of other levels, who come from many countries around the world.

I took the Spanish evening group class for beginners and it was an amazing experience. This is much different than learning a language in high school or college, which was much more boring for me. At ICLS, they get you speaking Spanish from the beginning, and its highly interactive style helps you become comfortable with your classmates. My teacher, Astrid, was fantastic. Our class became so close that by the end we went out for a dinner on our last class and practiced ordering in Spanish. I highly recommend to any language learner in the DC area that is looking to take a class after work. It meets twice a week so it is perfectly manageable for my busy schedule.

I have studied English (ESL) Program in ICLS for a year and half. It was a great experience. The instructors were really friendly and they cared about our learning progress a lot. It wasn't just a language school, it was a cultural experience.

I was teaching Russian at the school. Great management, friendly environment and highly-professional team of language instructors.