Learn Dutch in Maastricht

Fantastische ervaring: Well-structured classes with good balance of reading, writing and speaking practice. Excellent value too! After taking three courses with 3 different instructors I can also say that the teachers are all top notch and are passionate about helping students learn Dutch!

Positieve ervaring: I started learning Dutch at Learn Dutch in Maastricht and completed six courses in total, progressing from A1 to B2. I can truly recommend this school – especially the teacher Pip, with whom I had four of the courses. She's extremely well-organized and follows the textbook thoroughly, step by step. Her lessons are structured and clear, and as a student, I always felt that everything was planned out, from start to finish. Everything is written out on the board, explained immediately and thoroughly to make sure everyone understands. She has a bit of a perfectionist style, which I personally really appreciated. One thing that stood out in her classes was her strong progressive views. Sometimes I felt a bit uncomfortable with the way she spoke about the Netherlands – saying, for example, that she’s not patriotic or doesn’t really feel Dutch because of the country’s colonial past. She also mentioned that she doesn’t see the Netherlands as a very open-minded country. While I respect personal views, I found these opinions a bit much at times. I also took two courses with Koen. They were okay, with a fun, relaxed atmosphere and lots of jokes, but in comparison to Pip, I felt I learned much less. The lessons were often a bit chaotic, sometimes finishing 10 minutes early, and I didn’t experience the same level of progress. His strong left-wing political views were quite noticeable during the classes, along with a heavy emphasis on climate and environmental issues, which at times felt a bit overwhelming. He was also criticizing Netherlands and calling tourist attractions like Giethoorn or Keukenhof overrated). He might be a great fit for people who want casual classes and a fun vibe, but not necessarily for those looking for more structured, serious learning. I also had a class with Jeanny but decided not to continue, as her teaching style didn’t really work for me – though it might suit others better. Regarding Selma, the school director – she’s very professional, flexible, and responsive. Any questions or issues were always handled quickly and with care. The only slightly disappointing moment was her initial reaction to a somewhat inappropriate joke made about Christians – her reply that “this kind of humor is common in the Netherlands” felt a bit dismissive. That said, the issue was acknowledged, and I received an apology, so it was handled in a respectful way. All in all, I would recommend it.

Negatieve ervaring: This place is a SCAM. Not one single "teacher" here is qualified to give you a real certificate of any kind, but they do everything they can to avoid mentioning that part until you have their fake piece of paper in your hand. The "teachers" here also do not help you to improve your Dutch as an individual paying customer. You either keep up with the class or you get completely left behind. While I understand that one person should not hold back an entire class from continuing their lessons, you should also make sure that everyone is up to speed and has an understanding of the language because they are paying customers after all. The people at this so called "school" also blatantly lie by telling you that the Dutch government are making their language requirement for citizenship a higher level which is not true at all. They just tell you this so that you buy more classes. In all reality, the classes don't matter anyway considering they aren't even a real language school to begin with. The materials they have are pretty decent but at the end of the day, their fake piece of paper will not help you get a job or do anything in an official capacity. The teachers here are actually quite rude to the struggling students as well which doesn't make you want to learn at all.

Fantastische ervaring: I attended my A2 class at Learn Dutch in Maastricht with teacher Jeanny. It was a fun, fruitful, and interesting experience. I really appreciated the variety of materials and teaching techniques used in the school. Every class had engaging activities that helped improve our speaking skills and also gave us a chance to get to know our classmates better. Jeanny was incredibly knowledgeable in both Dutch and English. She could answer all our questions clearly and easily translate things into English when needed, which made everything much easier to understand.

Fantastische ervaring: 11/10!!!