Intensive English Language Courses in Poland?

Gazzaroon, don't take this personally, but the reason Berlitz is getting attacked is because its methodology is proven not to be an efficient mode of language acquisition. Being based around its own tests, all it proves is that students can be taught to pass Berlitz exams, in much the same way the British Council teach students to pass the Cambridge exams (whether or not anyone in the business world uses Yours Faithfully any more).

The Berlitz method is an unchanging dogmatic attempt to force language down someone's throat. Some students pick up some useful stuff, I won't deny, but research repeatedly shows that those students would pick up exactly the same amount of English from just watching films, or having a conversation with a native, with or without Berlitz's wholly unfounded "method."

The Communicative method, which IH teaches in its CELTA courses, is a system of tools which regularly changes over time to adapt to the latest studies in Language Acquisition. It's not a kogo-czego-we-do-this method, like all Polish Language schools use; it's just a way for the teacher to get through to his* student, whether he uses flash cards, audio recordings or targeted questions. The Berlitz method doesn't use any of that; it just uses slick phrases, well-drawn photocopiable sheets for every single student and extremely high prices to convince the client he's getting a quality service.

You can say "the Berlitz method works for some", but sit a Berlitz student and a "regular" student in front of a qualified native speaker for five minutes, and he'll tell you which one was Berlitz-trained.

* or her, of course.

As I have repeatedly said I am not saying it's the best method but it's an option for someone wanting to learn the language quickly, as is IH, Callan or other methods. The point I am trying to make, and seemingly rather poorly, is that students learn in different ways that is appropriate for them and only they can choose. There is no hard and fast rule for learning a language which is why different methods are still operating today.

All of us have probably heard horror stories relating to different methods, schools and so on but I tend not to listen to them as people need to find the best way they learn, a good teacher and then commit the realistic time to learning the language in an appropriate manner.

Yes. Tried and tested, recruits well and, unlike Berlitz, respected.

No method is bad if it means the student learns effectively and makes progress and achieves their goal. Singling out one school and one method is unfair and also unsafe as I am sure you can find people to criticise all methods. Why can't we major on the student and what they want rather than our prejudice?

Exactly - rather than a slickly marketed inflexible method taught by barely trained individuals.


In my case it's my professional opinion.

a) Berlitz noted for giving refunds to students who find the Berlitz method doesn't work, are they?
b) A 'traditional' approach is to use whatever method(s) work with the individual student.

No professional is averse to prejudice as long as such professional is making money from the profession they are professional in.

Slightly amusing but untrue. In my case I'm making my money far from Poland, in a market that Berlitz can't compete in, so I'm unbiased.

Trust me, Berlitz are a company to avoid. Great at selling, nice glossy adverts (paid for indirectly by the customer), but the (grossly overpriced) product just doesn't cut it.

The greatest part of this debate, for me, is to see the blinkered view people have of education. Education surely is that which motivates the student to learn the subject they are studying regardless of method. The way we communicate today is totally different to the way we communicated 100 years ago, or even 30 years ago, and even Cambridge exams are beginning to include this change into it's exams. None of us, including myself, are free of prejudice as we believe we are right based on our own experiences.

JonnyM - you are of course biased, because you may have seen cases from Berlitz that have been negative. The problem is I have seen people who have learned, for year, with the theoretically tried and tested translation method, not doing well and hating it and not making progress. They then have turned to the berlitz/callan/ etc communicative method and made progress.

I tend not to judge methods but look to the effectiveness of the learning process. That is the key. Trying to tie people to certain methods that don't suit them is not only restrictive but also ineffective for them and unproductive for the teacher. I have seen both successes and failures with the Berlitz/Callan method and would always look to fulfil the needs of the student and their learning process. Ruling out a method based upon our bias is unfair to the potential student.

As one of my friends who is a Cambridge examiner says " if it is effective for the student and they can pass the relevant exams the it's working for them"

If peop

richfilth wrote:


i'm not criticizing your methods, just your logistics.

richfilth wrote:


but just before you wrote:

"I can supply a teacher immediately that can provide intensive lessons for as many hours a day as you need."

Your words man, not mine.

now that you expanded on that, you have an even bigger logistics issue. you are now telling the OP that you not only have people "over most of the country" that can accommodate him, but MULTIPLE people in each area able to put together a 6 week intensive course.

I just don't see it, sorry man. more than one teacher.......2? 3? 4? all of them, working together, coordinating an entire course for him, driving back and forth every day to wherever this person lives as well as carrying on with their preexisting work......

For example, if I may drive this home further: Let's say the guy lives in.......Mlawa. There is not a major city within 100km of there. What are the chances of having enough people to put together an intensive course (multiple people as you said) that also happen to have availability to accommodate.....and are willing to drive from who knows how far to get there and teach what......2-3 hours and drive/train/bus all the way back home?

I think you jumped the gun a bit here, man. Sure, maybe Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Poznan....you've been in the game for a long time and you might have a big enough crew in those cities to pull it off but you'd also be relying on the guy actually living in one of those cities.

I know i'm getting carried away here man, but let's face it, what I'm saying is tough to argue. You're not a magician.

aman wrote:


You live in krakow and are willing to consider any other location in the country for this intensive course......OK. what if richfilth told you a city 200 miles from Krakow.....what are you going to do, put your brother up in a hotel for 6 weeks while he does this course and bring him home every weekend to spend time with you? you got that kinda cash?

i personally think this thread smells fishy. a guy writing fluently in english, looking for an english teacher to put together a 6 week intensive course for his "brother"........it just doesn't smell right.

Which brings us back to one of the many major drawbacks of Berlitz.

No bias at all, just sound judgement based on a professional assessment of their methodology, knowledge of their 'business practices' and yes, having seen many many 'cases' of people who've done courses there and subsequently gone to more effective training providers.

The OP wants the course in Krakow.

@Gazzaroon, what is your own experience of Berlitz?

My whole point is not that Berlitz is the best or the only way. My only point is that Berlitz is an option as are others. When looking to attend an intensive language course you should look at al options and not just one.


I fully see the restrictions of the Berlitz method and how it doesn't effectively teach grammar to it's students, for example. However, as a mode of getting students to communicate quickly it's very effective. I have learnt Polish at Bertliz and found it very effective in helping me to try and master the language.


There are, to be fair, many drawbacks to the 'traditional' methods also, but by combining many methods of learning a student has the best chance of mastering a language.

Berlitz is never, or very rarely, going to teach someone academic English, for example. But, it can teach students to hold conversations, write informal emails and I have seen this effectively take place via a Berlitz intensive course. Would the method prepare someone for CAE or IELTS and so on? I am not sure it would effectively do so.

It all depends on what you the student needs to achieve your goals.

Fuzzy, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If I can't put a package together then I'll respectfully admit that, but the only test is if the client actually makes a call, gives me some concrete information and agrees a price that makes it worthwhile organising it for myself or the teacher(s).

I'm not here to have arguments; I'm here to help people with their English.