EF

⭐ EF Malta:
I paid €1,070 for one week with EF Malta: just five days of classes, with flights not included. Considering the service I received, I find this price completely disproportionate.

The most serious issue was the accommodation: dirt throughout the house and cockroaches, in conditions I consider unacceptable. I was not expecting luxury, but I did expect cleanliness, basic hygiene and a proper bed. The mattress rested on a board over a deteriorating wooden box, from which I saw insects emerging. In my view, this could hardly be considered a proper bed. The attached photographs show the condition of the furniture and bedroom.

Nine of us were staying in the homeshare. Three had access to a private bathroom, while the remaining six, including me, had to share a single bathroom. The toilet flush also broke, leaving us having to use buckets to flush it. I find it outrageous to encounter these conditions in accommodation arranged by an organisation charging this much.

Breakfast was virtually nonexistent. During my stay, I also suffered from diarrhoea and could not even find any tea available. This added to the discomfort of an experience already undermined by the accommodation.

I am 38 years old, yet I was placed in accommodation with teenagers, with no real opportunities to socialise with people my own age. I had chosen this trip as an adult seeking professional development, but found myself in an environment designed for completely different needs.

My request to change accommodation only made things worse. The proposed move fell through: when I arrived at the address provided, I could not access the new accommodation. I found myself stranded outside, unsure where to go, and had to return to the previous accommodation, paying additional taxi fares. I felt left to fend for myself, without prompt and effective assistance when I needed it most.

The academic experience was also deeply disappointing. The course was sold as “intensive”, but with three teaching sessions a day, it felt far from the intensity I had expected. The advertised initial speaking assessment never took place. I was assigned to a level solely on the basis of the online test I had completed at home, without an initial assessment of my conversational skills.

I also encountered several teachers who were not native English speakers, including Italian teachers and teachers of other nationalities. One of my reasons for choosing to study abroad was to hear native English pronunciation and improve through that exposure. In this respect, too, the experience fell short of my expectations.

Overall, I felt the programme was geared more towards socialising and entertainment for very young students than towards the needs of an adult seeking serious, well-organised language training.

Based on my experience, I would only recommend this option to someone mainly looking for a holiday and entertainment in a teenage environment. Anyone looking to invest seriously in their language learning should look elsewhere. Given the dirt, cockroaches, poor accommodation, inadequate assistance and disappointing academic experience, I cannot justify €1,070 for five days of classes, with flights not even included. I would not book this experience again.

I got back from my course about a month ago, and I miss it horribly. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about my trip. The food, language, people, art, and classes were truly unforgettable. EF courses were always fun and held my attention. One thing I’d say is that it’s very expensive. I would’ve gone longer if I could afford it, but I’m extremely grateful for the time that I did spend there. It gave me a sense of freedom that I never thought possible. The hardest decision I had to make was whether or not I wanted to walk to the Vatican before dinner. I highly recommend, you won’t regret going!

I'm only a few weeks into my language immersion program with EF here in Nice, and it's already been incredible. I've studied French for years just to see how far I could take the language — turns out the real surprise is how far the language has taken me.

Getting immersed in an entirely new culture and language has shifted the way I think about so much. Every day feels like a privilege: learning from my teachers, swapping stories with classmates, and living with a host family who's welcomed me into their home. As someone who'd never been to Europe before, seeing the differences between home and here has been eye-opening in the best way.

I won't pretend being this far from home is easy — it isn't. But the people at EF are so supportive and kind, and almost everyone here is working through some version of the same adjustment, so it's hard to feel alone in it.

This is shaping up to be the experience of a lifetime, and I'm so grateful for the chance to learn French in such an immersive way. Can't recommend EF Nice enough.

EF Seoul is a great program for visiting Korea and improving your Korean skills! The staff and teachers are incredibly friendly and helpful, and the activities that you can sign up for through EF allow you to have great experiences for lower prices than if you booked externally. I would definitely recommend EF for those looking to learn while also having a fun trip and meeting new people from all over the world. EF has students from all ages and all over the world, making it an excellent environment to meet new international friends who share your interests and passion for travelling or experiencing new things.

This was my second time using EF for language learning in Korea. They really make everything easy. All you have to do is get there. EF Korea is AWESOME. They make sure that all your questions are answered. They actually read the surveys that you provide and come to talk to you about them. It makes the entire stay more personal. Seoul and the rest of the country is beautiful. I didn't really do anything the first time but on my last trip everything and everywhere was in play. I stayed for 2 months and still was not able to see and do everything. What's also so cool is that they have fun activities that you can choose to do on your off time. This makes it easy for students who may not know anyone or even if you do, to go out and experience Seoul. I did the homestay which was great. The only thing is that I'm 53 years old and most of the housemates were teenagers. Don't get me wrong, they were great and sweet and I had my own room so that was good. However, be prepared if you're older. Although this last trip there were definitely more older adults and I met a really awesome person who I will probably be friends with for years. The other thing with the homestay was the use of air conditioners. Now, this has nothing to do with the school, the school temp is usually fine but the host may or may not use their air condition. During the summer months it can get really hot. However, normally if you ask for a fan they are more than willing to oblige. This is definitely a trip that you should take. It's absolutely worth it!