Costa Rica - IPED Languages Plus - Spanish school

1. There is a serious lack of communication between the owners, their teachers, their "tour guide" and the website. (aka False Advertising!)
2. Classes never start on time. You pay for 4 hours of instruction and get about 3 and a quarter (if you’re lucky). (Reason being doors to IPED don’t open until 9:10 ish, there is a half hour break and then end of class. So without the BS that’s 3 1/2 hours off the top-again your paying for 4.)
3. The text books are in English. (Their refund they promise you…..is hard to get.)
4. No one speaks Spanish on breaks.
5. The instructors are extremely immature! One drew sexual drawings of me on the board, while the other was too busy with her social life (aka flirting) to start class on time.
6. My classes were constantly interrupted, for needless things.
7. You are not allowed to be in the school unless it’s class time or “event” time. The school is not open before 9:00 or 9:10.
8. EVERYONE pushes the overpriced trips by the “tour guide”
9. The Tour Guide has 24/7 access to you, which he takes full advantage of. The owners don’t even know whose house your staying at!
10. AVOID IPED!!!!!!!!!

My experience of IPED was not fantastic. I found the teaching very hit and miss dependent on the teacher that you were allocated to. Other students advised me that there is only one really good teacher and if you are unlucky enough not to have her if you are at intermediate level you may not learn what you need.

The homestays are good. I did not agree with paying $10 extra for the hire of books you do not use and I think that you should be assessed Monday at 9:00am at the beginning or the week and students should not be placed in a beginners class until this happens.

4 other student that were there when I was left after the first week after initially intending to stay longer.

Anon