Testimonials
“I feel more at home in the Netherlands now.”
I was eager to learn Dutch to better integrate in the Netherlands. As a professional engineer from Ethiopia, I know how important it is for your career to speak the language. The course at Babel helped me feel more at home in the Netherlands. It has improved my Dutch and enabled me to communicate more effectively, both in my professional and personal life. It has been a valuable step!
Semachew Ayele – Hydraulic Engineer
“It changed my life.”
Looking back, I can honestly say that it changed my life. One of the biggest benefits is that I can now communicate with Dutch friends without difficulty. It has helped me make friends. Also, it has also helped me in my work. New opportunities have found me. I think everything I learned about language will help me in my work and my daily life.
Amr Moussa El-Azab
“Learning Dutch in five months is possible.”
The language courses at Babel are good, both in terms of organization and of people. The teachers are caring and kind. In five months, I reached a language level of B2+. That is great. I know people who have not reached this level after more than five years in the Netherlands. Learning Dutch is difficult and intensive, but it is made possible because of the energy, motivation and skill of the teachers.
Omar Dakar – Dentist
“I feel better when I speak.”
I used to make the occasional mistake in Dutch. My employer encouraged me to take an individual course in advanced Dutch, and even though I had to give up my day off, I’m glad I did it nonetheless. I practised a lot with articles, prepositions and the word ‘er’. I never used to know whether to say ‘de’ or ‘het’, and now I hardly have to think about it. I’m very happy with the results. I’m much more confident.
Mevlude Sahin – Leerkracht groep 1/2
“A lot of language problems come about through lack of confidence.”
I got on well with the teachers straight away: they’re effective and enthusiastic, in my experience. I could ask them anything and they gave me a lot of advice, even at a psychological level: they showed me that I don’t have to be afraid of speaking Dutch, because a lot of language problems come about through lack of confidence. If I make a mistake now, I can hear it myself. I feel more at ease at work.
Tatyana Zimakova – Gemeente Den Haag
“Gained lots of self-confidence.”
The teachers made me feel at home, so that I felt safe to open up and be vulnerable. The contents of the lessons were always clearly adapted to my needs, and I was able to email the teacher straight away with feedback from what I experienced in practice. Overall, this course has been a truly worthwhile investment in myself. I’ve gained loads of self-confidence!
Corrie Vergeer
“Genuine, individual attention.”
In my job I have a lot of contact with overseas clients. Sometimes I just didn’t have the skills to express exactly what I had in mind. Now I’m able to communicate much better, and on a more personal level, and I’m much more confident. We practised all kinds of real-life situations in the lessons: phoning customers, giving workshops, writing emails. The teacher’s enthusiasm was really infectious!
Ruben Baartman – Gildeprint
“Make the most of my talents.”
I got a new role at work this year, which meant I needed to brush up my English. I really appreciated the variety of teaching methods: first a video, then a game or a role play… perfect if you are easily distracted. What impressed me? The way the teacher put herself in my shoes regarding my working context, and translated that into English.
Simone van Egdom – Ormit
“I could ask the teacher anything.”
It always felt as if I had to think for too long about how to express certain things. Now, since taking a one-to-one course at Babel, I’m able to speak almost without thinking about it. The course was completely in English, which is pretty intensive, but it’s the most effective as well. I particularly enjoyed the one-to-one contact. I could ask the teacher anything and got very focused feedback.
Willem van Duuren – Rabobank
“A relaxed atmosphere.“
There’s a relaxed atmosphere: you feel free to speak out and make mistakes. That was really important for me. The courses are fast paced, but I actually really liked that about them: my confidence in speaking English has grown a great deal. And it’s a shame to lose all you’ve learned by not using the language much in practice, which is why I chose to schedule some follow-up courses as well.
Robert Jan Verkade – Eend
“Feel the benefit years later.”
In 2012, the St Antonius Hospital asked Babel to organise a course for PhD students on Writing in English for Publication. It was such a success that the course is still being run. The doctors’ assistants and nursing staff are always very positive, especially about the enthusiastic teachers and the contents of the lessons. Students expand their vocabulary and learn to construct sentences better.
Noortje Koppelman – St. Antonius Ziekenhuis Nieuwegein
“They deliver on their promises.”
I achieved my goals and I’m even considering scheduling some follow-up courses. But most of all I have been impressed by Babel’s friendly, professional way of dealing with clients. Lessons are scheduled around my needs, and they always deliver on their promises. The lessons themselves are very varied. I would definitely recommend Babel to anyone looking for a tailor-made course.
Jan Brands – Sigma-Aldrich Chemie BV
“Motivation all the way through the organisation.”
Since taking an intensive Business English course, I’ve been able to write and speak much more easily in English. One recurring element in the course was the ‘beautiful conversation’ – a conversation where I had to explain the difficult side to my work. In between we practised vocabulary and grammar. This might sound boring, but I can assure you that this course offers plenty of variety and challenge!
Anton de Boer – De Boer c.s. Organisatieadviseurs
“Emphasis on exactly the right areas.”
I really appreciated the one-to-one teaching and I got on well with the teacher. He used a range of techniques to help me learn in a playful way, learning a lot of new things without really realising it. Looking back, the course placed emphasis on exactly the right areas: listening skills, grammar and reading. I’m writing my first report in French and it’s going slowly, but it’s nowhere near as hard as I thought.
Ramona Grimbergen
“I’ve had so many compliments.”
I’m a native French speaker and I often used to get comments from Dutch people that they couldn’t understand me. But since doing a speech therapy course I’ve had so many compliments! Five hour-long lessons were all that it took to cover everything I needed, such as speed of speaking, articulation, the sounds of Dutch and breathing. I’m not afraid of speaking Dutch anymore.
Isabelle Geigner
“Well worth the investment.”
I very much enjoyed my one-on-one course in Creative Writing. The teacher responded well to my needs: how do you start a story and how do you build on that afterwards? I’d never looked at it the way the teacher explained it. He also adapted the lessons to my learning style and there was a lot of space to ask questions. It’s quite an investment, but it’s well worth it!
Greet Schoonderbeek
“In leaps and bounds.”
The focus was on written communication and holding conversations. It was very useful to refresh my grammar, and this, together with speaking and listening skills exercises and learning words, made the course perfectly balanced. The best thing about it is the flexibility. No fixed coursebooks but a flexible programme that’s adapted to your learning needs. My German has come on in leaps and bounds.
Sander Wilson – Lloyd’s
“I’m still reaping the benefits now.”
Babel knows how to get down to business – they move fast! The teacher made a good estimate of my level and planned the course accordingly. We practised terms that crop up often in my work; I learned how to conduct a conversation in Spanish and I received material to study at home. There’s still three months to go on the project, but I’m sure that by the end of it I’ll be speaking fluently.
Bas Faaij – Stork