Beverly Hills Lingual Institute
Categories: Tutoring, Specialty Schools, Adult Education [Edit]
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills439 N Canon Dr
Ste 207
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310) 858-0717
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
13 Reviews for Beverly Hills Lingual Institute
The management here is very easy to work with and they really want the best for their clients. They also have a very useful site that contains images and information about each of the languages. My mother has been a Spanish teacher and language consultant her entire life and I would send any of my local contacts who want to lean Spanish to Beverly Hills Lingual Institute.
Spanish Page:
http://www.bhlingual.c...
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Yo hablo un poco espanol, pero hablo ingles muy bien.
Yo asisto clase en martes noches.
Yo aprendo mas espanol con cada clase.
Don't laugh yo. Hey, I can now order by number in Spanish and can count to 100! The other day I bumped into a Mexican child and said "lo siento"
I'd definitely recommend Beverly Hills Lingual Institute if you're interested in learning a new language or need to brush up on a language you haven't used in a while. The classes are small and they are very friendly to work with. I had to stop taking classes because of grad school, but I hope to return again.
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I'm on my own spring break from French classes, but I've been taking an advanced class here at the BHLI since September to brush up on my skills for the recent trip I took to Paris & Nice.
Upon finding the BHLI on the net, I called them up to further inquire about the testing and registration process. I was expecting to take some kind of assessment test but was given a weird, inconclusive oral exam over the phone. It was suggested that I enroll in the Advanced I class, so I did. I figured that if it was too speedy for me that I could move myself into another class as was also advised by the person I spoke with.
Since taking 3 terms, I've found the class to be quite helpful in its structure to improve conversational skills, reading, grammar, & comprehension. My instructor is amazing and funny and speaks only in French during class but makes an exception to speak English if necessary to explain an important point.
Driving to Beverly Hills is not at all convenient for be but It was the only place I could find that suited my schedule. And I figured driving there once a week could be seen as a treat to shop a little before class or to simply to get out of my element. So for me, paying the spendy $275 per 8-week session was worth it.
$2 subterranean parking is plentiful and convenient and the BHLI always has coffee, tea, and danish cookies to nibble on before, or during in my case, class.
Overall, I would suggest this for someone who is disciplined enough to do a lot of studying and practicing on their own time since the classes are only once a week. But if you are looking for conversational classes, I would suggest finding something at a junior college that offers classes every day or enroll yourself into an immersion program.
Bonne chance!
I will also repost my review of the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute, and more importantly Karin Fallon. It's sad that freedom of speech isn't a courtesty extended to those posting honest feedback on Yelp in an effort to help and inform others.
Anyways, here was my original post:
"Well, looks like I'm not the only one that had a negative experience with Karin....
I went to the BH Lingual institute for a basic Arabic translation request. Not only did I receive the project a day later than initially promised, but the work was not done in accordance with how I explicitly requested for it to be done, via email and telephone instructions. Karin demanded that I pay her more money in order to finish off the project for which had already been paid in full.
Through her in-person and email discussions with me, Karin was incredibly rude and disrespectful and made it quite clear to me several times that my project was not even worth it to her because it was too small and not enough profit could be made on it. If my project was not "worth her time" and if she was so "incredibly busy", then she should not have accepted my business in the first place. Instead, she decides to charge me extra, after the fact. I am now contesting the initial charge with my credit card company as the work that was done was incomplete and essentially worthless.
In short, I would not recommend the BH Lingual Institute to anyone, for any reason whatsoever. Karin Fallon is rude, unprofessional and clearly more concerned with extracting as much money from you as possible, rather than running a reputable business and providing a quality learning environment. My experiences confirm exactly what the other reviewer on this site stated. Clearly, these aren't isolated incidents and perhaps Karin should reassess how she treats her customers."
Update to my story (my incident dated back to Fall 2007):
A complaint was succesfully registered with the California Better Business Bureau (http://www.labbb.org/B...) and more importantly, I won my dispute with my credit card company and the charge was reversed.
Again, it's extremely dissapointing that negative reviews on Yelp can be removed by business owners that complain because they don't appreciate what's being written about them. Here's a tip to Karin, don't treat customers like crap and then you won't have to worry about negative feedback on the internet affecting business.
Keep in mind there were other negative reviews when I first submitted feedback on yelp which have unfortunately have not been reposted.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
06/03/2007
I went to the BH Lingual institute for a basic Arabic translation request. Not only did I receive… Read more »
Good teachers ( I took French), small classes, easy parking in the lot or street, variety of times and all the levels you could want.
I plan to return this summer.
Top notch. I took two (or was it one and half) sessions of french here. Really well run organization. Great teachers. Easy parking, plenty of places to eat before or after class.
I highly recommend. I didn't have the patience to stick it out, but what I learned was well taught.
I have shopped around UC extension, local community college and found this place the best.
First, in terms of time, you don't have to commit as long time a week as in other places. The extension and CC usually want you to go either 2 nights a week or 3 or 4 hours on the weekend which is too much for working people who already have a couple gigs on the side like me. Beverly Hills Lingual Institute only takes 1 night a week and it's short.
Second, the pace is quite easy to follow too. My teacher is Marielle. She's excellent. She's very patient and nice. Class is small so you get lots of attention and practice. Staff is very helpful and other students are all very nice people. You have free coffee and cookies for class too.
Third, in terms of money, the fee's also very reasonable. I'm so glad I found such a cheap place to learn French. The Alliance Francaise is basically unaffordable.
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A: Hola? Como esta?
B: Bien. Y tu?
A: Regular. Nos vemos, eh?
B: Hasta luego.
I had my first Spanish (Beg I) class on Thursday at the BHLI. I walked into an office full of fellow linguists, who were all waiting for their 8 week class to begin. I was impressed by the cordigal and helpful staff at the BHLI. An 8 week session will run you about $225, excluding the cost of the textbook. You can do what I did and buy a used textbook off of Ebay/Craigslist. But the $225 does include a well-stocked assortment of cookies, teas, coffee, and water for the students. The class sizes are limited to 10 students. You'll be surrounded by a diverse group of students (i.e., students, foreigners, actors, suits, etc).
Before I decided to enroll in BHLI, I was looking at getting the Rosetta Stone Spanish CD's instead. The cost for the CD is around the same price of BHLI. However, you get live in-class instruction from a cool teacher as well as an opportunity to practice with the students in your class. Plus, it's always fun to meet and interact with new people.
Like Dan O. said in his review, you need to be really self-motivated in studying because you only meet once a week for class. However, if you keep up with the homework and the practice, you should have no problem becoming fluent.
Before class, my amigo told me to tell the teacher, "si das tarea mueres."
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I spent maybe 1-2 years here taking French for kicks. The teachers are excellent. The office staff could not possibly be friendlier; they always make you feel welcome, and often remember your name. Class sizes are very small so you get a lot of interaction time with the instructor. It's also a good way to meet peops, so if you're sittin' on the couch wondering why you can't meet anyone, sign up!
Word of warning though - you need to be self-motivated if you really want to become fluent. Class is only once a week, so in the time between you're supposed to study up and involve yourself in the language as much as you can. Come class time, you'll look like a doofis if you didn't do your homework and you end up not knowing what's going on. Believe me, I was often that doofis.
Oh, and you never know who you'll have in class. Once I saw Urkel.
Bottom Line:
- Great teachers/staff
- Friendly environment
- Easy parking
- Good location (lots of eats/shops)
- Accommodating class times
- Lots of languages to choose from
- Can be a bit pricey
- Urkel
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I'm 3/4 the way through my first term (intermediate italian). I love the size of the class, only 7 other students, and my teacher is a sweet heart.
It cost $225 for the term, and I had to buy there text book for an additional $99.
Parking is easy, usually $2
They offer free coffee, tea, cookies, pretzels and pens in the lobby area.
I am very happy and will continue my studies here.
I am reposting because, I heard Yelp had removed it, probably at the behest of Karin at BHLI. Kind of makes you wonder about Yelp's integrity, since I did not violate any of their rules. Here it is again:
I had a very dissatisfying experience at this school. I had heard from someone that they had called to inquire about taking classes but chose to find another school because the woman that she spoke to was so rude. I wish this had dissuaded me from signing up for a class there.
When I came in to inquire about taking Spanish, I talked to an older woman who seemed to be in charge. She told me about the classes and when they met. I told her that I had not taken a formal class in 23 years but I had been studying on the computer. I also said that I thought private classes might be better for me, since I had not followed the typical path. She disagreed and pushed me to take a group class. She then gave me a short verbal test, which was awkward since she spoke no Spanish at all. She said I should go into the highest Advanced class. This seemed wrong to me. I looked at the text book for that class and they were doing grammar that was way ahead of me. After looking at the books of other classes, I told her that the first level Advanced class was doing the grammar I needed to learn first but I thought, still, a private class would be better. Again, she said that I should do the group. I said okay and paid for the class.
I went to my first class and quickly found that it wasn't for me. The teacher was great but the other students were pretty far behind my ability to speak. Most of them had come up the ladder together from the begining class. They would often speak to each other in English, against the teacher's protestations, which I did not like either. Still, i wanted to do the grammar they were doing in that class. After the class, I spoke to the teacher and she saw my problem. I went to the woman who signed me up and explained, because of how I had learned up to that point, I thought private classes would give me what I needed and the group did not. I asked her if I could take the money I spent and apply it to private classes, where I would get what I needed.
The woman said that private classes were expensive and I should just move into a higher class. I explained that the other class she recommended was not at a convenient time and, because of my situation, privates were better for me. I also told her that I was fine paying the difference. She said that the rules did not allow me to convert my tuition. I told her that I did not think this was fair, since I suggested that I should take private classes to begin with but she steered me to the class that did not work for me. I said that I could see her point if I had ever been there before or if this had been my third or even second class, or if I was asking for a refund; but this was my first and I thought it just for me to be able to use what I've paid to do the privates.
She coldly said "no" but that she thought it would be "best for me" to go into another class. I told her that I did not really like the way she did business and that I would just leave and not come back. She said that was fine. i really don't like when people I don't know tell me what is "best for me."
The next day, she called my office and spoke to my assistant, telling her that she wanted to have me come back and take a group class. After talking to me, my assistant relayed to her that this did not work for me. She said, that she would not make an exception to their rules and that I should return and take a group class.
I am going to find another place to take private lessons. Unless you are a beginner, you should really think before going into a group class at this place. Most likely, a person who does not speak the language you are taking is going to give you a test and then tell you which group class you should be in. This may yield an unsatisfying and uncorrectable result.
And, in case you are wondering why they would not want to take my money for the more expensive private classes, it is because, I figure, they charge 4 times as much for privates but they still probably have to pay the teacher the same amount as for a group where they have 10 to 12 students. Same overhead, higher revenue. Plus, you learn faster in a private, so you will take fewer classes over time.
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You've seen the colorful tri-fold brochures everywhere. I've taken several classes at BHLI over the years (both at the old and new location) and I really like the institute. BHLI's staff is extremely helpful and they try to keep the working class schedules accomodated with a lot of time slot options. The new location is great. Easy parking and in a new(ish) building.
The one ding I'm making is that they have no language lab. It would be helpful to have for the more serious students who don't have the focus to study @ home while "Lost" is on TV.
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I took an Arabic course here to help me with my home study. The teacher was excellent and the lessons really helped me on my trip to Egypt. Not cheap, but what is these days? If you are looking for a conversational course to help you get off the ground in a language study, and if you are looking for convenience, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this institute.
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