Our history

The Berlitz Method's creation was a result of chance, specific circumstances, and a creative mind. While teaching in Providence, Maximilian Berlitz hired Joly, a Frenchman, as his assistant. However, Berlitz discovered that Joly couldn't speak English.

Due to Berlitz's illness, Joly had to take over the teaching duties. Berlitz instructed Joly to use gestures and context-relevant vocabulary to teach the French students. Surprisingly, after six weeks, the students communicated in perfect French, which led to the creation of a new and highly effective method of teaching.

The Berlitz Method today

Today, the Berlitz Method remains the most effective way to learn a language.

Your instructor teaches and addresses you in your target language only - Language is presented in context of real-life situations with a focus on grammar and vocabulary.
Goal orientated - Each lesson is task-based with specific learning goals. This allows you to put your new language to use in actual situations right away.
Present, practice and perform - To help you absorb your new language, every lesson follows this structure. New content is presented by your instructor, you take part in both guided practice and general practice, and are then encouraged to perform what you have learnt.

How learning with Berlitz works

To learn with Berlitz, individuals follow the Berlitz Learning Cycle that helps to determine their proficiency level, specific goals, and needs. The cycle acts as a quality assurance tool to ensure that the individuals progress towards their goals. The cycle involves understanding the individual's needs, orientation, reviewing progress, testing achievements, certifying achievements and progressing to the next proficiency level.

Here’s how it works:

Getting to know your needs - Once we understand your aims, we’ll clearly explain the training options that would suit you best and how they can help you achieve your language and cultural understanding goals.
Orientation - We’ll explain how it all works and help you get started. You’ll meet your language instructors, get to know your way around the learning center, receive your program materials, and learn about our platforms.
Reviewing your progress - We’ll check you’re on the right path to achieving your learning goals, successfully retaining what you learn and give you any extra learning support you need to embrace your new language and culture with confidence.
Testing your achievements - We’ll measure your understanding and skills so you can see how much you’ve progressed before moving to the next level.
Certifying your achievements - You’ll receive a certificate to celebrate your accomplishments!
Progressing to the next level - We’ll check you’re happy with your achievements and advance you to the next language proficiency level.