Having studied Arabic and Persian in college, I've been taking classes regularly at ILI to review and increase my speaking ability. ILI has compared to college teaching and I'm more than pleased. True, we cannot cover the same amount of material in 10 weeks, but the attention given to the material is professional. The prices are fair for the amount of instruction put into each class. Emphasis is given to speaking, reading, listening, and writing, although development of one's handwriting isn't part of the classes I've taken (Basic 3-Intermediate 3). That can be done online and should be. There is no extra time for that...although I cannot speak to Arabic and Persian 1...where it's possible that the alphabet is taught. I never learned the alphabets in college. I taught them to myself over several weeks on my own. The classes are hybrid. I attend by zoom. There is homework, which must (to my mind, be done). I spend around 4-6 hours a lesson in homework to prepare for a 2 hr 15- 2 hr 30 minute class. It would be entirely possible to take two classes together, which I am currently doing in Arabic and Persian. I've read a few comments, one complained about a refund...I had a situation in which a refund was rejected. It was somewhere in the course and a medical emergency took place. I let it go because I felt that the school was doing it's best to keep the small classes afloat. I do ask for the same instructor, and so far that has been possible. I also believe that it's entirely useful and productive to move up and down ones level, which I've done. The point is to deepen the grammatical and vocabulary usage. So I've taken Int 3 and then Basic 3, and enjoyed them tremendously. Another comment was on the instructor's approach. That is something that should be taken up with the admin and possibly a transfer will be arranged. My experience has been this: everyone gets equal time in all categories; the instructors are KIND. We come into class at many different levels. Our instructors work well with the differences, keeping everything moving IN THE Language and show kindness to all of us. The instructors are professional and know how to teach hybrid, and they know their stuff. I didn't know how to keep my languages alive in what I wanted: a structured setting. I love ILI. I'm so grateful to have found it. read more

Update: I was able to get a refund, however, I am still disgusted by the disrespect and unprofessionalism demonstrated by this institute. The amount of trouble I had to go through was exhausting. From refusing a refund in the first place to the staff members removing their name from the signature line. Customer service obviously isn't their expertise. For this, my review remains 1 star. __________ I am very disappointed in the International Language Institute and would not recommend for anyone to attend this language school. You would be better off using an online service such as Duolingo or Babbel in my opinion. I received a degree in Spanish in college found the learning environment to be no were near comparable. The school was desolate and was not met with warm regards from current students in the course who talked about their confusion on how the class was structured and taught. Please do not get me wrong, the teacher was a very nice person but just didn't provide the instruction I desired. I wanted professional level learning environment and this was not what was provided. There were problems with the Hybrid class environment and connectivity with virtual students lagging and hard to hear (also reportedly unable to see the class-board). I requested a refund and was instead met with contention from the Language Coordinator who insisted my experience and evaluation was inaccurate. They said it was past the registration deadline and deadline for refunds, however, they allowed my registration nearly two weeks after the deadlines. It seems they will break their rules to take peoples money, however, when it comes to returning it they follow the rules. They will gladly take your money but refuse a refund for any reason. In my opinion this Institute is focused on making a profit and not providing quality learning experiences. In addition, I was told I did not receive the handouts for homework as a matter of being an in person student. However, the other two in person students received the handouts via email before the class date and I have proof. Two days have passed and I have not received a response from school in regards to the status of my refund. I am now having to dispute this charge with my credit card company who is working on a refund. If a refund were provided my rating would be different, however, I believe my experience proves the school values profits over providing a good learning experience.Upd read more

I signed up for Mandarin basic classes on two separate occasions over a two year period. On both occasions, I was assigned the same instructor. This feedback was true on the first set of six week private tutoring and again two years later in an online class with other students. Here is what I experienced and the feedback I shared with the administration: "I would like to request a different instructor because I don't appreciate the way this instructor talks to me. 1. She often corrects my tone by yelling at me, 2. I feel belittled when she repeatedly points to the character for the tones and tells me I'm saying the words wrong 3. She corrects/interrupts me before I finish saying the word to attempt to pronounce it correctly or even adjust while speaking 4. Evelyn tells, "are you there?" over and over again when I am just unmuting 5. She says, "I don't have time for this" when I accidentally read the wrong/incorrect activity in the book or if I say the words incorrectly (some books do not have the same activities on the same page number) 6. She asks if the class understands and the moves on before anyone responds 7. When I tell her I understand and I am trying she points to the indicator for them tone and says, "this is very important" and "you must study" when it is clear I am learning the words and then w characters but need more practice saying the tones I and other students have told her that we are trying to pronounce the tones in the correct way but have not mastered the inflection yet. I am attempting to learn this language to talk with my in-laws, other family and friends more inclusively. This instructor takes the fun out of learning by raising her voice and using patronizing words when correcting. This instructor diminishes my efforts to learn when she tells, "NO!" after I try. I feel even less interested in participating in a class where yelling is a method for instruction. If switching me to another instructor is not possible, I would like to request a refund. This has been an awful experience for me. Please advise." The school would not offer a refund and they would not offer another class at a future date with a different instructor. Really terrible business practices, a lack of professionalism, and baseline of respect for people who want to learn a new language. read more

I've taken several Persian classes with ILI over the past 6 months and I recommend them. The Persian instructor Hosein is fantastic, as are the remote training capabilities. Classes start and end on time, and the time we do have is used to the fullest so I get my money's worth. I like that the class sizes are small enough that I get individual attention. I will say that you should be confident about the level you are signing up for - I find that some students will sign up for more advanced levels than they should, but that's not ILI's fault. Finally, the coordination is smooth and it's easy to contact Jane with issues or concerns. I'll be continuing to use ILI for my Persian learning in the future. It does sound like there are mixed reviews on other teachers, but as far as Persian goes, I've been really pleased. read more

At ILI, I had the opportunity to practice and develop my English skills. They have a diverse student population, which creates a rich linguistic and cultural exchange. Overall, I had a positive experience, and I recommend people reach out, ask questions and decide if the school aligns with their goals and interests. read more

I have been taking classes at ILI for the past 6 months and I have enjoyed the experience so far. They offer beginner to advanced coursthat are usually 10 weeks long and fairly priced. Classrooms are relatively small, but it makes it for an almost one on one learning experience. There is usually a break in the middle of class where you can relax in the student lounges which offers tables and vending machines. The teachers are in my opinion very natural and teach culture as well as language. read more

International Language Institute - International Language Institute entrance - Language Schools Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

So disappointed by my Advance Spanish class I had to drop the class three weeks in. The professor showed signs of favoritism, sexism, and unprofessionalism. To top that, the professor did not follow any form of a syllabus and instead printed out news articles for the class to read. Utter waste of time. read more

I was pretty disappointed with my classes here. The teacher seemed overworked and frazzled, and frequently got off subject to talk about her personal life. She was really nice but it was a stretch for me to pay for the class and I feel like I didn't get much actual language learning out of it. She also taught us by memorization, which I don't think is a very effective way to teach a beginner class. We never went over letter sounds, conjugating verbs, and other foundational things. I've just signed up for classes at another place, and am hoping for a better result. read more

Located in the heart of DuPont Circle is ILI. For about a year I took private lesson to learn Indonesian. Three hours a day, one day a week with assignments in between. My teacher was a native speaker and her knowledge and expertise were amazing. If the instructor felt comfortable they would travel to you and teach you in your own home. I learned a lot in that period of time and wish I could take more lessons, but it started to get too expensive for me. Since I left my teacher has gone on to the State Department to teach our nation diplomats, so you know you are getting excellent. Thanks ILI! read more

I'm currently taking a Russian class at ILI, and I'm very satisfied. My class is well organized and the pace is perfect. This is definitely a situation where you get out only as much as you put into it (aka, do the homework!) and if you are well motivated you will definitely learn a lot. The class sizes are small and my instructor (I can't speak for others) seems to really care about our learning. I can understand how some people would be frustrated, without the motivation of earning a grade it can be difficult to keep up with the class, and if you're not sure what your level of competency is you may end up in a class that's either too difficult or not challenging enough. The cost is a steal compared to the thousands of $$ you would pay at a university. I removed a star because you cannot attend even the first class without having to pay for the entire semester, with no refunds. Also, the walls are a bit thin so once in awhile your class will be blasted with foreign alphabets and bouts of laughter from the class next door. If you're considering taking a class here, I'd definitely suggest reading the filtered reviews below. After trying to learn Russian on my own for 6 months, I would have started at ILI semester earlier if I would have seen those reviews first. read more

The following review is for the TESOL certification course at the ILI. Jonathan is a great teacher and I learned a lot in the class. It is hands-on and offers lots of opportunities to practice the techniques you learn. The course is ACCET accredited, which means the certificate you earn on completion is taken seriously by employers. I highly recommend this as an affordable and quality way to further your TESOL/TEFL career. read more

I researched a lot of language schools before choosing ILI. There are several to chose from in the Washington area. The fact that they had been in business since 1966 was a big plus to me. In today's world it takes good roots to stay in business for that long. ILI teaches 85 different languages. The classes are well organized and small. Smaller classes means more individual attention, which I think is one of the keys to success. The school also has a close working relationship with the Department of Defense, U,S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank, which I found very impressive. The teacher I worked with provided me with a high level of personal attention, which helped me to meet my goals quickly and successfully! They also offer evening classes so I did not have to rearrange my schedule, which was a big relief. read more

When deciding how many stars to give ILI I really had to think about my experience. I started in fall in an intermediate Spanish class because it was recommended for people that "have taken Spanish in high school" boy, that was a mistake..I was constantly behind the other students and being put on the spot made me hate coming to class, that is until I transferred to professor Palma's class Professor Palma though, he is by far the most amazing man you will ever meet. He made class very much enjoyable while testing us in each and every way. I took an early morning SATURDAY class with him but he always kept us in good moods, he'd play upbeat Spanish music and tells us stories about his glory days at his old career...he did all this while teaching us higher level Spanish and actually helping us understand. I was upset I could not attend another semester at this school, but Professor Palma made it all worth the while during my classes. For the price, you can't beat it...please try to get professor Palma for Spanish! He's amazing and is the reason I even have the school a third star. Thank you for everything professor Palma! read more

I signed up for Japanese classes at ILI, but an employee emailed me a few days before the class start date to say that the class was cancelled due to low participation. This was really irritating, especially considering that I would have signed up for classes elsewhere had I known that ILI was unable to offer the class. At that point, the sign-up periods for other organizations had already ended for the season. Note to anyone interested in taking a less popular language: You cannot depend on ILI to actually offer the language classes they list on their website. If enough people do not sign up, they will cancel the class at short notice. read more

I am currently enrolled at the Intensive English program (ESL), and I could not have asked for a better program or school. First of all, the school is located in the center of DC, Dupont Circle, right across the metro station. You might think of this as not much important, but when you have to manage time with hectic schedulle, you will soon realize that metro accessability does matter.This is especially important for foreign students, most of them orient themselfes around metro stations. Secondly, the teachers are unselfishly devoted to helping the students to learn English. Every day I see teachers staying after class patiently helping students to learn the language. Thirdly, the classes are designated in that way that it is placed equal emphasis on vocabulary, gramarr, writing, reading and listening. More importanly, different types of essays are learned through the various cycles- compare and contrast, descriptive, defenition essay etc. Another great asset of ILI is the test preparation courses, like GRE or TOEFL. Most of the foreign students come to ILI to learn English, and eventually to take TOEFL test. Those student have prepared themselves rigorously, with teachers help,and have shown great success rate in college application. For instance, many of the foreign students have started undergraduate studies in Americqn University, George Washington University, George Mason, etc.. Last, the school engages students in extra curricular activities like sports, sight seeing, museum visits, etc. read more

I'm so impressed with the International Language Institute (ILI) that I am here writing my first ever Yelp review. I highly recommend this school for anyone interested in delving into a new language. I just completed my first 10-week course (i.e., German). We covered an amazing amount of material in the Level I course, yet I felt the pace was just right. The instructor was amazing. German was her first language and she was a skilled and friendly instructor. She made the entire class comfortable with what I consider a difficult language through (1) her superior instruction, (2) a great deal of in-class practice and (3) homework assignments that focused our attention on the key points from each class. The class sizes are limited at ILI so you're guaranteed that "small discussion group" experience that I think is key to learning a foreign language. Our class had only six students, so everyone could participated constantly throughout each class. No one was left out of our discussions. Also, the class schedules at ILI are ideal of working adults who need to fit these classes around work. Our class started at 6:15p. ILI only increased my enthusiasm for learning the foreign language I selected. I would be surprised if it doesn't do the same for you. Give it a try! read more

This place gets 4 stars from me as I'm a fan of the international language institute! They are very professional and nicely kept. They have even been noted very friendly and have wonderful teaching practice. Even have been teaching students across the globe since 1970. This place has several English programs of study , a day program that is 25 hours a week,and you can also have your own personal tutor. If you are coming to the U.S. and ,want to learn English as a second language ,they do give I-20 forms for foreign F-1 visa students. In here you can learn a variety of foreign languages, and grasp english at different levels . You also have test prep and TESOL/TEFL for people that want to teach english as a second language. The classes here are group classes, or corporation classes. Payment here can be expensive but it is reasonable to manage. If you are in the D.C. area then hop on the metro as it is metro accessible. I recommend this place to all of you wanting to study english as a second language! read more

Teachers are below average and NOT professional educators. I believe they are just locals who have other jobs and happen to speak the language. The first time I took an Arabic class a few years ago, the teacher was aloof and spacey during class. I made the mistake of recently trying ILI again. This teacher was better, but constantly late and missed several classes which were a pain to make up. Also, students "self-place" themselves in the various classes. Therefore, courses are made up of students at different levels which makes learning challenging. Next time, I will try MEI or ICLS as ILI is poorly managed and teachers are subpar. read more

The owner isn't friendly at all , I came there to try with a class lower than my level she said you have to stay only for 30 minutes when you stay more you have to pay , margarita is very friendly and professional if I can give 0 for the owner and 5 stars for margarita I will do it read more

ILI is a very poorly run organization. I quit my Portuguese class half way through because I could learn more just watching YouTube videos. I actually bought Rosetta Stone, and have found that much more effective. Believe me, having paid for all the classes, I would have continued if there was any value, but I felt that I could easily learn more studying on my own. For starters, the building is old and rundown and you usually have to wait at least 2 rounds to get a spot in the one elevator that takes you to the classrooms since it is old and small and all classes are scheduled at the same time. (There are no stairs.) My class was based around a lousy text - Aquarela - that has no structure or organization. In fact, I believe it is only used because the author lives near by. I could hardly find a copy online, which should have been a warning sign. The instructor would usually arrive late for classes, and the first 1.5 hours or so would be spent by each participant bringing one word to present. Conversation would devolve every time into some nonsense about the personal experiences of the instructor or the group and we would learn almost nothing during this part of the class. Finally, we would take a break and spend maybe one hour slowly reading through the text. I very much regret having wasted $340 on such a sorry program. If you really want to learn language skills, shell out for a better program, or do what I did and work hard to teach yourself. read more

I took a Spanish class at ILI last fall. I found it pretty disappointing. It's $340, plus a $30 textbook. I really didn't get anything out of it. I took a few years of spanish in high school, and was hoping for a more grammar intensive program. I learned more spanish from my mexican co-workers at a restaurant. Unless you have absolutely zero knowledge of a language, I don't think it's worth the money. read more

I agree with rachel - my first class there was actually good - the teacher was an older lady from Spain, however now, sadly she is gone. The second class which was an intermediate conversation class I finally quit going because the mexican guy teaching it would jsut say 'que haciste este fin de semana' (what did you do this weekend, and then go around the room - not my idea of "conversation" and there was very little grammar either. read more

As someone who enjoys learning languages, I was initially excited when I found out about the ILI. I signed up for Spanish (advanced) and Arabic classes (beginner) (I needed to improve my Spanish for work, and I wanted to learn Arabic out of personal interest), and in retrospect, I wish I had been more cautious. For Arabic, I had Saida, who I strongly believe lacks understanding of teaching principles. Rather than give us homework or assigned readings, so that we could do work on our own, she told us during the first class that the textbook was useless and that she preferred a hands-on learning approach. The next class she seemed mystified when none of us had read over or practiced the sections she wanted to cover. This was a common theme for the entire course. She gave limited examples, did not focus enough on pronunciation, and seemed to assume we would instantly grasp concepts once they were explained without any exercises / practice to learn them. I enjoyed some elements of the course but I know I would have benefited more from more structure. I can't recall the name of the gentleman who I had for Spanish, but he much preferred the sound of his own voice to getting us to practice. The class would always begin with him speaking in Spanish for 15 minutes or so about whatever topic seemed to be on his mind, before one-by-one making us take turns speaking for short periods. As there were 9-10 students in the class, sometimes over an hour would pass before I spoke one word of Spanish, which was disappointing, as I had been assured that the emphasis for this class would be on conversation. Again, there was a lack of structure and I wish we had done more group activities or had exercises that we could practice at home. From reading other reviews on this site, it seems that there are some excellent teachers here and I don't doubt it. However, I was utterly disappointed by both courses that I took and I found it to be a waste of money. read more

Looking at the (old) reviews below, it sounds like the place has not improved at all! I am taking a French class at intermediate level. We started with a review class that covered maybe half of what the first class of a complete beginners class would normally cover. Learning methods and materials are from the 1980s tops, very little French is spoken, teaching is appalling. Good old Alliance Francaise, however boring, would have been a better place to spend my 340 dollars! read more

I didn't find my class to be very interactive or engaging. It was mostly lecture and exercises that we did in silence for 2.5 hours. I felt it wasn't worth the money ($360 + books that we didn't use), but I've heard it all depends on the teacher you get. On the other hand, the location is good and the class sizes are small (our class got smaller as it went, actually... a couple people stopped coming). read more

The people here are very friendly and communicative, but when they had to cancel the Japanese class I signed up for due to lack of enrollments, they only told me 3 days before the class was supposed to start. I understand waiting to cancel until they were certain they wouldn't have enough students, but if interest was that low then they should have called it earlier and given me time to find a different school. read more

I would not recommend Hindi classes. The teacher is really nice but is just not a teacher (and I am a language teacher, I can tell). No instructive approach, no teaching material but her book she followed to the letter. She kept distressing, reading chapters after chapters without taking the time to let us actually use the language. My advise - ask for a trial course to get to know the teacher before making any commitment to that school. read more

After my university dropped the language, I searched and searched DC for a Portuguese class and found ILI was one of the few to offer them. Who knew it was such a hard language to find classes for?? I was pretty shocked by the cost of some of the courses out there and found ILI's price to be reasonable. I also liked that the courses were are rational times for a professional - who are these people going to class at 4:00 in the afternoon at some of the other places? The class was a good mix of people like me learning for fun, some to build off of speaking Spanish, and others for work, and everyone wanted to be there and learn, which makes a real difference. I'm putting Portuguese on hold for the moment but I'd certainly consider it again in the future if I continue. read more

Rachel is right. ILI is $$$ and for what? My class lacked any semblance of structure (we did not use the book), the teacher prepared materials during the first 30 minutes of class, there was no direction whatsoever. For an advanced Arabic class she did not speak in Arabic as much as she should have. Never going back. read more

I took the beginner level classes a year ago. The classes were badly organized and happened in Spanglish, since the teacher refused to speak in Spanish and his English was bad. He also started to hit on me before the entire class which made me drop the class altogether. The materials were poorly chosen and the teacher had little respect or different accents or dialects of Spanish. He kept telling me things were wrong or nasty merely because I learnt them from Spanish speakers from a different country than he was from. The classes were terrible. I would never go back there again. read more

I almost did not take a class here because of these reviews, but I'm glad I did. I'm about halfway through an upper level Arabic class. There are only three of us in the class, so we get a lot of individual attention. The instructor does a very good job at balancing out our different skill levels, teaching new vocab, and following up from week to week about complex concepts. Yes, the location is a bit shabby, but their pricing is a bargain compared to other places like Berlitz or MEI. Frankly, the biggest problem with the class is that no one bothers doing their homework or showing up to class prepared. That is not ILI's fault. read more

I was excited about the Korean class, but when I got there on the first day, they said the class was canceled. I did not know. They said they left a voice message, but I did not get any. There was no email or other follow ups. This made me feel that they were not serious. I was very disappointed. I already made my summer plans around the class! I guess my advise is that do not expect too much from this school like I did. They may cancel classes. Call them to confirm before you go there. read more

I've taken 3 classes with ILI, and I've had a mixed experience. Overall the instructors were knowledgeable of their languages (all were native speakers) and were able to instruct effectively in English. When I had any issues, I simply contacted the administrator and he quickly resolved the matter to my satisfaction. I would have no issues taking another class with ILI. read more

I liked the teacher. I liked how easy it is to apply and get into a class. The location at Dupont Circle is very convenient. The PROBLEM is that the classrooms are way to small. I took a course in the summer time in the evening and thought that I was going to pass out because the classroom was so small and congested! Everybody was sitting right up on each other. The desks are like the ones you find in a high school classroom and they are not condusive to full figured people. It is disruptive just to get up and go to the bathroom without tripping over someone's foot or bag. They need a new building. read more

I am just wrapping up my first session of Russian (Basic 1), which I have been taking online over Zoom with ILI, and I have really enjoyed it! We closely follow the textbook (it's a really good textbook with a solid online component for vocab, grammar, and speaking) but Anna also has several supplementary resources she will use during class (exercises from another textbook, Quizlet Live and Kahoot games, Russian bingo, etc.), and she also often uses a virtual whiteboard to chart out concepts that can be difficult to conceptualize at first (gender, verb endings, etc.) which is super helpful. We do writing practice each week for homework, and I feel I get a lot of good speaking practice in class, as we spend a lot of time going through textbook exercises aloud along with doing partner activities using breakout rooms. Obviously it's only a beginners class so most of the instruction is in English, but I appreciated Anna inserting new Russian phrases and vocab into her teaching as the course progressed (e.g. Russian numbers, simple questions, etc.). The class has a fun and supportive vibe and I am looking forward to taking Basic 2! read more

This institute is unfair I was an ESL student with ili they treat you like middle school and my friend is a current student his English level is good but they placed him in a lower level and I do believe that he should be in higher level (even the his teacher said that on many occasions), to make as much money as they can from you. He did not mind because he liked the teachers and the way they teached but I don't recommend to be a student in this school at all, even the management is the worst ever also they're not polite with students and not understanding to students situations .... etc I'm trying to be honest as much as I can so be carful of this school. ESL programs are spouse to be fun and stress-free before you start college at the US. On the other hand my experience was good with teachers and my English Language improved. ILI provide basic learning for English in my case but you would be shocked when you entire a university in the US you would immediately feel the difference (as an international student), I mean for a master student. I wish they had a more advanced program to learn about research papers, literature reviews, all types of essays.. etc read more

I took advanced level courses for almost one year. My experience was nice and productive. I had a full immersion in academical English, under the TOEFL course. The teachers were professional and dedicated. The groups were around 5-6 people so I had enough opportunities to be corrected not just in pronunciation, but in advanced grammar foundations. I recommend ILI, the most convenient school on Dupont Circle area (with a English language courses in a University level). By the way, I got the expected TOEFL score and now I was accepted to the university to course a PhD. I want to say thank you for all ILI team. read more

I took a Spanish class at ILI this summer. I was very impressed and highly satisfied with ILI. My teacher kept the class engaging and the pace was perfect. She knew the material and more importantly, she knew how to convey the concepts to beginning students of Spanish. I have no complaints. The office staff is professional and very helpful. I highly recommend the International Language Institute to anyone wishing to learn a foreign language. I plan to take the intermediate Spanish class in the fall. Great job, ILI! read more

This is a great resource for people who aspire to learn another language. They offer many different language classes and they are reasonably priced. The environment is laid back and comfortable, perfect for a young adult who just wants to brush up the skills they learned in high school and college. All of their programs are accredited by the ACCET and they serve a really important function by teaching thousands of people different languages. The only reason I wouldn't give them five stars is because it is located in DC and parking is a nightmare. But otherwise great place to take class! read more

expensive and not worth for study ,the teaches are nice,no computer room or service room,a male clerk staff is helpful but not women.