EF Reviews

my journey with EF have started about 7 months ago and since then I started the journey
I was away from home , yet I never had homesickness not because I do not miss it, but because I found a new home in EF school, New family , the best staff , the best teachers , the best administration and the best friends.
I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of new people , new cultures.

A lot of things I have been through in my life but my experience with EF with be always the most memorable.

Efparis is an amazing school and i want to say that hicham and matar (activity staff) are great and they have helped me so much. The director Alix is also so nice and she helps me when ever i ask for anything. the teachers are good. And again i want to thank hicham and matar they are the best. I have meet a lot of nice people from school. Alix and Sabrina are there for help. i appreciate everything. J'aime Efparis. Thank you Alix for this opportunity. merci beaucoup à tous !!

Coming from a small town in Connecticut I feel as though my experience in Madrid is something I will never forget. The friendships I have made have allowed me to travel all around Europe just visiting friends that I have made through the EF program, and for this I think it is a really special thing. Through my time in Madrid I have been through many new experiences, made friends I never thought I would have been so close to and improved my Spanish skills tenfold. The teachers at EF madrid are some of the best professors I’ve ever had in my student years. They are fun, and always there to help you whether It’s a small or large probelm. Having visited both EF Malaga and EF Barcelona although I think both are very good programs as well, I think Madrid as a city is better. Being the metropolitan capitol of Spain and in the center you’ll find that you will get more real Spanish speaking people and less tourists. For this reason it is a better city to improve your Spanish skills. The night life in Madrid is truly incredible and spending nights out with your friends is really something you will never forget. Overall I think my expirence at Madrid has been very rewarding

When I first left for Berlin, I had no idea what to expect. Moving to a place where I did not know the language, a single person, or even how to use the public transport, was something that I never thought I would do... But from the moment I walked onto the EF Berlin Campus on that very first day, I felt welcomed and understood.

From their incredible staff, no matter what I needed, I always received help. From questions having to do with the metro, to setting up my VISA, to dealing with personal battles, the people at this school never ceased to amaze me with the compassion they have towards their students. And even now, as I reach the end of my time in Berlin, I am amazed every day at the genuine goodness that everyone on the staff possesses.

Physically, the school itself is beautiful. With up-to-date technology, modern design, and an overall welcoming aesthetic, there is nothing bad one could say with the building in which we learn.

And the students that fill the school are incredible as well. Coming from all over the world, I was able to meet people from countries I scarcely thought about. Speaking about different cultures, customs, and (of course) languages, has opened me up to the world in a way I never would have expected. And I have truly made some of the best friends I have ever had, during my stay in Berlin.

Now for the most important part about my EF Berlin experience: the language. I came to Berlin knowing no German what so ever. And in the past six months I have gone from being unable to even say "Hallo!" to being able to hold my own in conversations, and understand most of what people around me say. And I can assure you that there is no better feeling than the moment when one understands their first sentence in German. It is an unquantifiable feeling of success that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Looking back on my last six months, although they pushed and challenged me in many ways, I would never exchange them for anything else in the world. I have grown into myself in ways that I never expected. I have learned so much.

Thank you so much, EF Berlin, for teaching me a language, for allowing me to find a new home in Berlin, and for bringing me to myself. And, although I have to leave, I am so grateful that for the rest of my life I will have this experience with me. I am so grateful that for the rest of my life, I will be able to speak German.

Great program! It is useful to get a hang of the basics of hiragana before coming, but not at all necessary. I recommend taking advantage of the SIM cards offered on the first day, since getting around and contacting friends is much easier that way. Don’t be shy when meeting people, they are all really friendly and patient even with very limited Japanese! Services are very nice, and it’s been a great experience so far!

I really wanted to study abroad and take the JLPT. I was told I would be placed in a class with other adults, I was not. I was told I would not be living far from the school, I was a 1hr and 20mins away. I was told I would be living with a Japanese family, I did not. I was told I would be able to take the JLPT and take prep courses for it, I wasn’t. The courses are fine I guess if you already know some japanese, don’t mind speed courses and are a college kid burning your school vacation. My teacher did not speak English well so answering her students questions was often difficult. Leaving many of us to change classes or be confused most of class. There are NO classes for adults at this location, only immature teens and young adults. So if you prefer to take classes with working professionals or atleast people 30 and older forget it. A lot of things weren’t explained to me upon signing up and I didn’t realize this until after a few weeks in so I wasn’t pleased with quite a few things. Not to mention once I was done with the program the administration and agents that signed me up seemed wash their hands of me and not respond to my questions.

I was very excited to go to Barcelona and study abroad. My friend went through a different program and enjoyed it a lot. My Spanish improved so much and I 100% think this was a valuable experience and recommend others to study abroad. (Learning Spanish was more of a result of being in Spain not at all a result of taking those un engaging classes with bad teachers)
Having said that I have come to the conclusion that, from what I experienced during my stay, the EF program in Barcelona is unorganized, the staff are rude, and the host moms, which I spoke to(I can't speak for ones I have not met or heard about), are uneducated and rude as well. I am not saying all of their locations are like this but the interactions I had with the Ef staff in Barcelona were atrocious. They would most definetly be unqualified to work in the U.S. for speaking to customers the way they do. Not only that but I was shocked because they were complete liars. They would say anything to save their behinds and made up stories when people complained. I do not believe they were qualified for their jobs one bit as they are rude, close minded, and untrustworthy.
As much as my experience with the staff was atrocious that wasn't the worst part, and it is probably unusual as most kids just pass through the program and are simply given fake smiles. The worst part was how obviously unorganized the program was. Most host parents were not even parents. Some where just men or young women who lived alone and were never home. My host mom was not a native spanish speaker and had such a thick accent I could barely understand her. She also did not know anything about the culture and therefore it was not a "cultural experience". I spoke to many people who were there with me in Barcelona(from all over the world) and many had problems with the program and their host "families". Some were left alone to do what ever they wanted sometimes as their host "parent" would go out clubbing. One of my friends was not even fed for a few days and was forced to buy her own food(the program is expensive and includes meals). Everyone I had talked to who was vegetarian arrived at the house to find out that the host family didn't even know! My host mom did not even know how to cook for my roommate and me and due to this we wasted so much money on our own food. Her boyfriend also smoked in the bathroom and the house would reek and I had an allergic reaction to the smoke.
Over all I recommend going to Spain just not through EF. My close friend loved her program and even talks to them today! There are great programs out there- this is not one of them.

I absolutely loved my experience abroad with EF! The experience opened my eyes & mind to different cultures and languages. I realized after my travels that it is extremely difficult to put a price tag on experiences. EF was there for me from the beginning until the end, and they acted in the best interest of making it a good experience. At the same time, it's important to keep in mind that your experience will be as good as YOU make it. EF is there for you all the way but simultaneously you also need to be open-minded for something new, and "get out your comfort zone!"

I really enjoyed the internship portion of my travels, working alongside extremely hard-working, life changing and passionate people. I would highly recommend doing an internship with EF because it's the perfect stepping stone to jumpstart your education & professional development.

I did an internship with EF at one of their offices during my gap year. It was an amazing opportunity to travel, learn, and to meet new amazing people with different backgrounds. The internship was structured very well and gave me a broad range of professional and life experiences that has helped me grow as a person. EF does a great job motivating each individual to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and to be their best self.

I would recommend anyone to take a gap year with EF as it is a great and unique chance that will be very rewarding in so many ways.

I was with EF paris for around 5 months, and I had a very good time:) I made a lot of friends, learned a lot of french and had a experience which i will remember for a life time. After my stay,ive decided to study here because EF gave me such a good time! I recommend EF Paris very very much; if you like to meet new people and experience something different:D Thank you, everyone at EF for this experience!!!!!