A retired teacher of German, Spanish and English, I find myself at Language School PRIVET, Kaliningrad. Study abroad experiences both as student and teacher have been some of the most rewarding of my career. I therefore wanted to report that the professionalism of the staff, quality of instruction and hospitality of my Russian hosts greatly exceed expectations. With one foot in its Prussian past, "Koenigsberg" is perhaps the perfect point of entry for Germanophiles and historians. As a Floridian, I appreciate the beautiful Baltic beaches . In short, I highly recommend Kaliningrad to all seeking to immerse themselves in Russian language and culture.

Three visits to the Privet Language School in just over one year speaks for itself! A customised two week course concentrated on phonetics and understanding spoken Russian. Gained experience in the Russian language with a variety of excellent teachers. My Russian definitely improved during my stay. Again, stayed at Galina’s flat again (high recommended) and so was surrounded by Russian cuisine, cooking and Russian TV in the evening. Olga Levitskaya arranged for me to have four squash lessons with a squash trainer at the Konigskvosh Club, in addition to me playing several times at the Club’s Спарринги МИКС (Club Night), and a participating in a squash tournament. I am looking forward to returning to the Privet Language School in 2024.

I have been taking Russian language lessons for a couple of years, always in Ukraine, since the recent situation, I decided to take lessons in Kaliningrad, because I realized it's quite easy to travel from Berlin to Kaliningrad with many options available. So I contacted the Privet Russian school, and I was so glad because they organized my travel, stay, and visa support just perfectly. I took 14 days of individual lessons, the teachers were excellent, and teached me with patience and kindness. The school management took care of everything else, so I felt very welcome and safe in mother Russia. I recommend the Privet school very much, and hope to come back soon. 

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable and beneficial two weeks at the Privet Language School in September 2022. The manager, Olga Levitskaya, did an exceptionally good job assisting me with my visa application, insurance, travel arrangements and transfer so that everything ran smoothly. My lessons were tailored to my specific requirements, i.e. to improve my conversational Russian. My three teachers (Inga, Olga and Marina) provided a range of classroom activities. This was complemented by Olga and myself taking a one-day trip by train to the seaside resort of Svetlogorsk allowing me to practice Russian in real-life situations.

I had booked for 14 days, but unfortunately had to leave Kaliningrad after 9 days because of Corona. I liked the school very much. The teachers, the manager, the headmistress are extremely nice, friendly, helpful. I had private lessons, at this time of the year there is less activity than in the warmer months. The lessons have helped me a lot in my understanding of the Russian language. My accommodation with an elderly lady, Gallina, was very pleasant, she cooks well, my room was bright, warm, tidy; talking to Gallina was a bit difficult because my Russian language skills are very limited.

Very friendly people and atmosphere, professional teachers from whom you will, besides grammar, learn a lot about the history of the language and of the region. The schedule is flexible and if you have some plans they always find a solution; also, they give you lots of advice on what to do in and around Kaliningrad (a very interesting city btw!), including a map and discount on tours booked at various agencies. I can really recommend this school and I hope to come again soon! Thanks for everything!