EF Language Year Abroad in Germany

My son went to the EF Munich school from June 2018 until August of 2019. While his experience there was good, he was asked to leave his guest family and given only two weeks notice to leave in mid-May of 2019. The very next day he told the Munich school, and as he would be enrolling in a German University in the fall and would need his own apartment he went and found one and vacated his EF lodging by June 1. Accordingly we both contacted EF seeking a refund for room and board we had paid for from June 1 to the end of August. After some initial push back, in which it was claimed he had not given sufficient notice. On 9/17/19 after about 10 attempts to contact him since mid June, on 9/17/19 a staff member finally agreed to refund me $1220.31 (the cost of room and board from June through August. He also agreed to refund an additional $56.59. I was told this would be refunded to my credit card, and as my ex wife and I had both paid Stefan's tuition, she would need to call to give her consent that the payment go to me alone. After arranging all this I called his assistant instructions and left my credit card information. And… nothing happened. I followed up checking my credit card statement 3-4 weeks later, saw I had no refund, and on November 14, 2019 I contacted another employee, who the first had said was his boss. The staff member apologized for the problem and promised me that a check would be cut as soon as possible, on the next Wednesday, which would have been November 20. It is now December 4, 2019 and once again. Nothing has happened. I have received no check. I have been trying to email and phone the staff member for the last three days to no avail.

I draw several conclusions from this: First, EF is not being transparent about the actual cost of room and board with host families (which is arguably the single most important aspect of language learning in a study abroad experience). The miserly amount of this refund suggests that EF is paying host families a mere $13 per day. This can’t be right as that would barely be enough to pay for food, let alone lodging, and it is difficult to understand how it would be enough of an incentive for any host family to participate in the program. Although I suspect that they are actually being paid more than this refund suggests, I doubt they are being paid much more. What does this mean? It means that EF has rolled everything into a single fee that makes it impossible to determine what portion of their very expensive program fee is for housing and what part is for language training. Second, this also clearly indicates that EF’s customer service is abysmally bad. Having spent well over $40,000 I can’t fathom why any organization would treat its customers this way. I have made multiple inquiries by phone and email but I can’t seem to get anyone to respond and settle this matter. I can't tell if I am being lied to or if EF is simply incompetent. How hard is it to issue a refund you have clearly acknowledged I am due? They have admitted the debt. I have an invoice and an email indicating as much, but three months later I cannot get them to honor it. Beware!

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.

I started my course with EF towards the end of September 2016 at the A1.1 level. I practically knew no German whatsoever, apart from some phrases I had heard in movies. But now, after about 6 months, I find myself in the B2.1 level and feel very confident when communicating with others in German. Sometimes, I even find myself thinking in German instead of English. The staff in the school is friendly and has always helped me out when I asked for help.
I would totally recommend future participant to stay with a host family. I found that I was able to learn much faster simply by speaking with my host family every night at dinner time.
I also love that there is always something to do in Munich, from going to festivals and concerts, to just finding a new place to eat with friends. The city is beautiful, and so safe that you could go out walking in the middle of the night without being scared of something happening.
Overall, it has been a phenomenal experience so far!

I started studying with the EF Education Program 6 months ago. Since the first day of class we were spoken to in German, and to this day I am in the B2.2 level. I can say proudly that I can communicate with people in German. The school has been very attentive as to my individual needs in order to improve with the language. One month ago I began with the Pre University program, and the teacher gives us courage and motivation to keep learning in order to enter a University here in Germany. There is nothing but motivation from the Staff.
I stay with a host family. I have had to move because my first host family was leaving the country, but I have a very good relationship with the owner of the house I live in right now. The house is clean, comfortable. I come from Venezuela, where we cant walk on the streets without feeling scared. Here in Munich I have not felt unsafe, not even once..

When I arrived in Berlin, I had no idea what to expect. I knew zero German besides "Guten Tag" and had never traveled by myself before. At eighteen years old, I had just graduated high school from a very small town where I knew everyone. The idea of meeting hundreds of new people in the span of six months all coming from different cultures was mind boggling to me but I am so thankful I decided to come here. Coming to Berlin with EF was the best decision of my life. I have met some of the most amazing people and have made lifelong friends with people all over the world. I have learned more about myself in six months than I knew my whole life. In the US, gap years are not very common. Many people questioned why I didn't just do the typical thing and go straight to college. However, every American here has the same feeling I do and knows they made the right choice. Now I'll get to the specifics. I live in the EF residence which means I live with other EF students. There are other students who live in host families. Those who live in host families do have a more genuine cultural "immersion" since they must speak German to their families at home and get to learn about German culture from actual Germans. However, students living in host families can live up to one hour from the school so it can be slightly restricting when going out with friends (however most of my friends are from host families and still go out plenty). The school is full immersion meaning German is the only language spoken in school which is pretty intimidating if you come in knowing zero German like me. However, this forces you to pick up the language basics very quickly. The residence and school are really in the center of Berlin. The residence is right beside the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and only a minute's walk from the Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten. Since it is in the center it is also easy to get anywhere in Berlin with the Ubahn system. Ef really gives you a lot of independence and freedom. They also bring you on occasional trips. For example, I got to go to Barcelona my second month with the school. There is a huge variety of people that come to EF Berlin and there are always waves of new people coming into the school which is always really exciting. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to come to Berlin with Education First.