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EF International Language Campuses

About

The world is waiting. Learn a language abroad.

See the world, experience a new culture, and make friends from around the world as you prepare for your global future. EF's fun and interactive classes help you learn faster while living the language first hand. Earn college credit, participate in an internship, and explore your dream destination abroad. Start any Monday and study from two weeks and up, or join us for a semester or year abroad. We also offer University Preparation courses for students looking to attend college in France or Germany.

Website
www.ef.edu
Founded
1965

Reviews

Default avatar
Milena
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

EF exchange year

I've done an exchange year with EF and I couldn't be more grateful. They've been helpful with everything and supportive. As something really usual I've had ups and downs during my year and they've been there every time I needed something. Welcome days in New York are amazing and a really good experience to meet new people from all over the world and make new connections. I really enjoyed those days and made new friends. I'm so happy that since the first day, I chose EF to make my year abroad, thank you!

Pros
  • Helpful
  • Learn more languages
Default avatar
Sebastian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Singapore EF

Amazing the crew has been so helpful. I am currently scheduled to go in May if 2023 and everyone is very helpful. I’m very excited!! Even though i haven’t started my program yet i have been on previous study abroad’s. So far EF has been so helpful in preparing me and helping me with accommodations. I think i will be able to learn a lot from EF and i hope to go back with EF for a gap year when i graduate highschool. My EF counselors have also helped me because i am planned to go to Paris and Singapore.

Default avatar
Xixëllonja
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

if I could give a zero I would.

If I could give a zero I would.

EF sucks. Me and my friend went to south Korea with EF from Sweden. We didn't get any help from them and had to pay them a lot of money and didn't get what we paid for.

Me and my friend had to drive like 7h to get to the Korean embassy to get our student visa. EF told us to go there and when we did they told us that Korea's borders where closed and we had to go back home, later we had to take the same trip again when EF told us to, and we were declined from the embassy again, and EF was just like "oh we didn't know, they didn't tell us".

Also when we got the information about the trip, before going, EF told us that a trip to Japan was included in the price. When we got to Korea, some of our Swedish classmates had also heard the same thing, while others hadn’t. We never got a trip to Japan, we did find out that some of our classmates went on a trip to Thailand and we didn’t hear anything about it until they were already there. We didn’t get any money back.

They suck at giving information, we never knew anything that was going on, and then they just expected us to know. We had a group chat of people from all over Sweden, also going to Korea with us, and everyone was disappointed with the service and everyone received different information.

When we got to Korea, the staff that picked us up was confused and drove me to another place, even though me and my friend booked the quarantine in the same building. I got a small room and had to contact EF to get the room I paid for and I had to take my suitcases and walk back to the other building.

After the quarantine we lived with a host family, and when we were indecisive about living there or getting an apartment on our own, because we never ate at the host family, so we didn't want to pay for food we didn't eat. We asked EF what we paid to live there, if they could send us the receipt divided of what we pay for food and housing, so we could compare the prices and also if we could remove the price for the food so our host mom won't cook for us, and they answered that they didn't have the documents of that and that everything is included in the full price, so there was no way for us to know what we pay for, and they also said they couldn't deduct any money.
They were also really bad at paying the host families.

When there was 2 months left of our education, EF told us "they had too many student", so there was no classrooms for us, we had to have classes outside and the only thing we did was walk around and take pictures of signs and that was it.

This is not even half of the problems, I could go on and on.
I was so mad and disappointed ALL the time!!!!

Aside from EF, Korea was so beautiful and fun, I really wanna go back!!!
If you love photographing like me, it's amazing!!
Also if you want info or anything, you can contact me on my instagram: thefarawayadventures , I'll gladly help! :)

Pros
  • very beautiful!
  • nice people!
  • good food!
Cons
  • everything about EF
  • EF
  • did I mention EF?
Default avatar
Amber
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

6 Weeks in Seoul

I spent 6 weeks in Seoul and it was an amazing experience! The pace can be fast in the learning environment but the staff are always so willing to help and can make it fun. I was able to experience things that I would have never thought of doing abroad through the activities they offer, like SUP on the Han river and roasting traditional herbal tea, and if you ever need help, the staff will guide you on where and how to get somewhere at any hour, my second night there I got lost in Seoul and was able to message one of the staff members and they were a big help. I’ve made life long friends from the program and I would recommend for a solo traveler.

Pros
  • Great Food
  • Easy transportation
  • Endless activities
Cons
  • Wasn’t fully prepared for what makes it easy to live in Seoul
  • Random class hours
  • Such fast pace classes
Default avatar
Cody
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

9 month intensive course in Nice, France

I love the atmosphere and that there are so many wonderful people to meet and connect with. All the teachers go above and beyond to help those who don’t understand and the staff make the campus as warming as possible. I love living in a host family where I can practice my french more and get tips from a native speaker that you wouldn’t learn in a classroom. I’m glad I was able to undergo such a wonderful trip with EF. There are so many opportunities that you can take with this course and I highly recommend that you do the most you can, it doesn’t matter how long you’re staying. Just have the most amount of fun you can!

Pros
  • Full immersion in the language
  • Wonderful assistance if you don’t understand
  • The ability to make friends all across the world
Cons
  • If you’re under 18 it’s a little difficult to have as much fun as the people over 18
  • It’s kinda had to have a budget because of the tourism price markups
  • You can get lost easily without a map

Programs

Displaying 1 - 9 of 18

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Tanya Villafuerte

Why did you choose this program?

I choose this program because I go to art school and I have always loved art. Rome, having being the home to multiple artists, not only allowed to me to get to learn a new language and meet new people, but also to dig closer into the fascinating pieces it holds in all the museums and national sites. It also has great food.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I won this trip as a part of a giveaway, so EF practically arranged everything for me. The housing, the flights and the program itself was carefully taken care by the team, which made it super easy, stress-free and enjoyable overall. And Fiona was super sweet and easy to reach; she also gave me all the info I needed to chose a course and everything.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I would say just go, even if you don't know anything about the language, the food, the metro or whatever is holding you. You will eventually find out - it is just way easier than expected, and you will find people around the path that will gladly show you and teach you all you may need to know. Also, I would recommend staying at a host family; this way you get more involved.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

An average day to me would have been going to class in the morning from 8am till like 2pm, and then I would probably grab lunch somewhere new, and then wander around the shops, the streets or the free museums. At night, I would maybe go out or hangout with my roommate. Gelate was always the way to end my day.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was the homestay and getting around.

In my previous travels with EF, I always stayed at their residences, which made it super easy to get around, while this time I had to take the metro and the bus to get to the school, and having no knowledge on the language scared me because I thought I was going to be lost all the time.

What is close to Rome to visit on a Day trip?

Any weekend you can take a bus, a train or a flight to other cool cities like Venice, Florence, Naples, Milan, among other cool trips outside of Italy for a weekend getaway. It's easy to book and cheap, especially if you book with friends to keep you company.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Stephen Cai

Job Title
School Director
Stephen is fun and passionate, and he is always right there to help whenever you need him. :)
Stephen Cai

What is your favorite travel memory?

I had countless beautiful travel memories! But my favorite is definitely when I went to Lake Louise in Banff in 2014.

I had my dream come true by doing a road trip in western Canada and finally got to sit there on my own and take in the stunning but peaceful view of the Lake. The great nature always fascinates me the most where many great memories were left.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

The biggest change comes from within. We meet students from all parts of the world and see them grow every day, and being part of this program, I also become more open to different cultures.

I love being with our students and listening to how much they find China a great place to explore. Working with EF as a school director also helps me understand customer services are everywhere in the school.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

It has to be the transformation that I see in our students, both in language and, more importantly, in the ability to embracing differences. Hayato from Japan did not speak a word of Mandarin when he first arrived in April and was quite negative towards the cultural difference between China and Japan; however, after a 9-month course, he can now have conversations with all the staff in Mandarin, and he's mentoring new students with some personal tips to help them adapt to the Chinese culture.

A star student for sure! :)

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

The language Academic Year program! Seeing how much fun our students have had and how much they have grown as a person really inspired me. You can not only improve your language skills during an academic year program but also make friends and become more independent. Just be a bit more specific, I wish I could also do a one-year program in EF Barcelona learning Spanish one day. :)

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I think we do live by our company's core values and mission of "Opening the world through education", which gives us motivation and reasons why we work.

When people share the same values and a common goal, they work as a team and give their best towards the customers/students day in and day out. And that's what makes EF very very special. I am proud of the team every single minute because we are changing the world for a better place by breaking down barriers through education! Seriously!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I've been working with EF for almost 10 years now and I've been also speaking to a lot of colleagues, and if you ask them the same question, the answer is going to be the same: it's the PEOPLE, and people with the good company culture fit.

I truly believe there's no job that cannot be done by a group of people with a tremendous passion for education that paired up with the "Nothing is Impossible" philosophy. In the meantime, being flexible and agile as a company is also key in my opinion.

Professional Associations

The Forum on Education Abroad Logo
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USA Gap Year Fairs Logo