German Beginners (A1): Waste of time. Very old fashioned teaching methods. Terrible course book. Very little useful language taught. Classroom language all in English (so you don't learn things like 'I don't understand' and 'I don't know'). Focus on grammar over any form of useful communication. After 3 weeks there, I felt just as apprehensive about speaking German as I did when I arrived. Best avoided.

The content of the course, the topics we used to learn difficult topics, the knowledge and rich vocabulary I could absorve during my time at IH Berlin finds no comparison in Berlin: it is definitely the best place to learn German in a very light and encouraging atmosphere. I had never had a teacher that cares about our agreed objects till the very last minute, i.e., she was there to support us before the exam, instructing us in all important points. Again, not only for certification preparation, I recommend IH Berlin for German language knowledge acquisition in general.