Istituto Linguistico Bertrand Russell

I had a mostly bad experience with this school. I can't comprehend how there are positive reviews, only perhaps that it has seen a recent decline because the good reviews are from a few years ago. I had 5 teachers in 3 months of lessons and only 2 of them were adequate. The others were either patronising or completely unable to guage their interactions with other human beings with no classroom management skills to speak of. The organisation is a shambles. At the beginning of each month, when there has been an evaluation and the possibility of a new intake, it's as if they have forgotten, each time, how to run a school. For example, when I did my own entry test, I felt scolded by a receptionist for not scoring highly in the test, on material I had never seen before, for entrance into a school to learn Italian! The classes are normally oversubscribed for a few days at the beginning of every month while everything is "sorted out" by the office, which in practice means a few days into the lessons, someone will come along and abruptly remove a few people. When this happened to me, I felt like I was taken because I had a low test score the previous month, and then deposited me in another room with a remedial teacher that speaks to you as if you are 5 years old. I would be willing to accept that I started at a busy time but this "practice" was repeated each month that I was there and therefore in my experience it was typical. There is no one to complain to, no one who will listen or take your concerns seriously. I tried to engage constructively with the school. If you write to them, you may be taken for a coffee to have the "practices" of the "school" explained to you, with no apology or explanation, and then you can continue to pay for this "education" - it might even be suggested that you should pay for 9 months of intensive lessons! The evaluation is seemingly completely subjective with no basis in reality. My end of month test scores seemed arbitrary, and much lower, compared to my feedback in class and also several practice tests I completed each month to prepare for the exams, from other schools and universities for A2, B1 and B2. The tests are occasionally even printed badly so it's difficult to read them and then you get given a score after a full weekend of worry. Some of the teachers are even competitive with each other, complaining to the students about one another, which is unhelpful at best but also extremely unprofessional. If I was running this or any type of school, I would want to know what was going on in the classrooms. If that means you need to talk to all of the students individually or conduct some type of observation, then that is what I would do. In my experience, having worked in secondary schools and universities in the UK, this is common practice and, not only does it ensure consistency for students, but it is also a way to provide professional development / constructive feedback to staff. I feel this place is trying to trade on both the basis of being sort of "family style" learning but I think you also have to accept that because students are paying for an intensive language course, some people have come to learn a language from professional instructors to settle in Italy. I also think there is a missed opportunity to engage with students like these, instead of focussing only on tourists. For example, you have a captive audience of people who potentially need to learn how to register with the city hall, how to find a doctor or medical care, how to find out if you can have permission to work. I'm not suggesting that they should have this information to hand but it would be helpful to have more guidance about "real life" in Italy, instead of seemingly only having "fun" activities. My advice to you would be to avoid this school at the moment. It seems they are going through a growth period and the teaching is not what it should or could be. Buy a textbook and teach yourself. There is lots of good material on YouTube and, bonus, they can't make fun of you or laugh in your face.

I wanted to learn Italian from good teachers who would teach me good Italian, who would be sympathetic to a slow learner, who would make learning enjoyable, in small classes and in a place that was itself beautiful and also convenient for other places and things of interest. I thought that would not be possible but happily I was wrong. La Scuola Bertrand Russell ticks all the boxes with flying colours. I cannot recommend it highly enough and I have already been here 4 times. I shall come again and again.

Bertrand Russell hasn't yet been praised for their work with children so we would really like to tell about this aspect of their work. We had wonderful experience with this school over the Easter holiday. Our kids, 9 and 11, had a fun and enlightening time learning all the important Italian words (such as gelato al chioccolato) and expressions. We are already missing you and looking forward to coming again next year! PS We had private lessons as we couldn't stay for a whole 2 weeks' course and the school were very helpful in arranging these.

I am a Canadian student seventeen years old, and was attending Bertrand Russell, for my two month stay in Padova. While attending this school, I quickly made many friends and the school organised social events such as cooking lessons and tours, which made it 10x easier to socialize with new people. I have just left padova for the holidays, but am already planning on going back. I have stayed in contact with all of my friends and even see future opportunities of me going to their countries to visit. I have italian family and friends and am told by all of them that my italian is surprisingly impressive for a short two month stay. I highly recommend this institute.

The Bertrand Russell language school is an excellent place to learn the Italian language. They have the most intensive program to be found in Padova along with excellent teachers. Not only will you learn the language, but you'll also make lasting friendships, participating in various cultural experiences which the school prepares for the students.

Learning Italian in Padova at Bertrand Russell was an experience that I will never forget. The teachers were incredibly talented and professional. Classes were taught by complete immersion method, and the school offered many cultural activities and learning opportunities outside the classroom as well. I would definitely recommend the classes to anyone interested in learning Italian.

I spent 2 fantastic months studying at Bertrand Russell this spring, and it exceeded all my expectations! The teachers are amazing. They are incredibly gifted in providing language immersion education, teaching abstract concepts to beginners solely in Italian. They were kind, endlessly patient, and so much fun! It's just unbelievable how fast we learned, and how much material we covered. I made friends from many countries there. After 2 months I was able to manage pretty well in basic Italian when shopping, dining out and talking with friends, etc. The school was such an important part of my 3-month stay in Padova! I am continuing Italian classes here in the US, and plan to return to Bertrand Russell next spring for more classes.

Learning Italian at Bertrand Russell was an unforgettable experience for me. For the few semesters I spent there, I was taught to speak, eat, live the Italian way and totally immerse myself into the culture. The teachers were fantastic and ever so helpful to all. I liked very much that the classes were small in number and everyone was given ample attention. I have to also mention that the admin staff were equally nice and helpful. So many new friendships were forged and are still alive and well today. Bertrand Russell will always be my number one recommendation!