TORFL Preparation and Exam (20+10)

NovaMova is located at the heart of Kiev. The lessons are well-organized and taught; the entire staff is always intent on providing you with the best experience possible, by helping you get in the right language level but also with every day issues (I was helped in purchasing a local SIM card, getting a tour of the area, and also in choosing a laboratory for my covid test). The premises feel a bit cramped, with a tight hallway and a rather small break room; however, it seems they are looking for a new location. My Russian greatly improved and all lessons were tailored around the specific difficulties and proficiency levels of the students. Excellent choice.

I liked the classes very much. The school was extrem flexible and the schedule fits very good to my personal needs. All 4 different teachers, where very motivated and had a very modern style of teaching.
My host family was very nice and friendly. It was more like visiting friends. I had a very very good time in Kiev.

In the end I think it was a very good investment and I'm happy about the experience.

Overall, I had an enjoyable time in Kiev and especially whilst attending the language course at NOVAMOVA. The vast choice of extra curricular activities helped me discover another side of Kiev - the cultural side. As a young chap, I found it quite strange but yet the maturity of the environment motivated me to stay in a studious state of mind. It was interesting since it was the first time I was learning for myself and not just for a higher education examination. I recon the memories that will stay with me the longest is staying with an extremely welcoming family (Maxim and Lena Novak, whom I still stay in touch with). I thank NOVAMOVA for putting me in contact with them. Furthermore, unfortunately, the current situation in Ukraine prevents me from coming back even if I hope to come in the near future.


I will never forget this.

I found the school on the internet, and I decided to try it. The first time I had individual lessons and I decided to stay with a local family. Perfect choice; I was a beginner and with individual lessons I made the first steps in the Russian language. The family was excellent.
The second time I was there I decided to take the minigroup class. My Russian level was much better and cooperating with other students from other countries would have been interesting and challenging. This time I also made a good choice; I had a very good time. I stayed with another family. They tried to help me spend time in conversation; I really appreciated it!



I don't remember exactly the dates, but I have been there two times - once in 2012 and once in 2013.

What I liked:
the teachers were pretty good, the family was really nice, very old, beautiful city, the food in restaurants was fantastic.

What I didn't like:
the temperature in September was cold, I asked to be in a host family in the center and I was like one hour by walking, far from school. The school said by the metro you are near, but for me the center means to do everything by walking, otherwise it's not the center. Near my host family: no bar, no disco, no shop, nothing to do. I didn't change places because my host family was such nice people that I stayed with them but the place was really not in the center.

Overall, I really appreciated my trip, I met a wonderful girl from Kiev and I visited a lot of places with her.


a+
simon

The teachers and non-academic staff all know what they are doing. Everything is done very professionally. They are clearly proud of their school and happy to work with students. The setting is quite informal, but students have to work hard also. The teachers all have their own style. This means they are respected by their management and this creates a positive atmosphere in the classroom. The groups are small, so it almost feels like you are being tutored privately. For those who really want to sink their teeth into learning the languages, individual lessons are available.
In Kiev, there is a daily schedule of activities. These also include things like singing, cooking, and conversation club. In Odessa, the activities appear to focus around more adventure trips, but with the Black Sea nearby and with lots of tourist activities organized in the city every day, there is plenty to do.
This makes the course, in both cities, an ideal situation to mix going on holiday with learning a new language. The location of the school is, both in Kiev and Odessa, as close to the center as you are ever going to get. In Kiev, it is right next to the golden gate metro station and situated amongst hotels and foreign embassies. In Odessa, it is just a stroll down the road from the main boulevard (well Esplanade really) and the city gardens.

NovaMova International Language School is an incredible institution that provided me with a great first study abroad experience during my 10 week stay in Kiev (Kyiv), the capital of Ukraine. Having decided to study abroad through the School of Russian and Asians Studies (SRAS), I was informed that SRAS does not actually have a staff member on the ground in Kiev to support their students there, because of the quality of the staff at NovaMova. Upon arriving in Ukraine I was immediately impressed by how helpful and friendly the faculty and staff at the school were - always willing to be as accommodating and supportive is helpful in getting students settled in with their host families, oriented within the city, and connected to fellow students and the broader social scene. My instructors were very good and rather strict, adhering to a serious immersion program that allowed me to expand and improve my Russian language skills very quickly and easily. The teaching methodology and homework used by the school were very effective, and I was also given study resources to prepare for the official TORFL exam, which I passed twice at two different levels (A2 and B1) during my summer. I can confidently say that a big part of why my summer in Ukraine was so enjoyable and personally rewarding was thanks to the great experience I had at NovaMova.

All I have to say about Novamova school is that they are excellent!!
I had all the facilities to move since the first day I arrived. I was with a charming family who helped me with every question I had. The first day Svetlana came with me at school to show me the way. At school all teachers were really professional, as well as kind. They taught me about different subjects of Russian language and they adapted their lessons to my needs. The school also helped me with the typical tourist questions, not only organizing excursions but also explaining to me the bests places to visit and details about those places. I was in the beginners level so that their help was really necessary for me. I improved mainly my oral comprehension and also my grammatics. When I came back to my country I noticed the change!!

I was a part of NovaMova's program for 9 weeks. In that time I had 2 different group lesson teachers, and 4 different individual lesson teachers, all of whom were excellent, well trained, and knew both their curriculum and job quite well. They also had very different strengths and teaching styles - which was a little confusing to get used to, but definitely helped my Russian to improve as they focused on different areas.

The location was excellent. My husband and I rented an apartment in the suburbs on the left bank of Kiev, so my commute was one hour each day, but Novamova is located very near a central subway top in the center of Kiev, which made it more convenient to find housing (we simply needed to be near a subway line). The neighborhood Novamova is in is old and beautiful, and one of the best parts of my stay was walking from the subway to Novamova each day. The facilities were more than adequate, classrooms were equiped for their purposes, and neither too large nor too small.

I joined in the movie club one time; however the one time I went there was no conversation before or after the movie. Afterwards I found a youtube channel of Russian films with subtitles and watched films on my own at home. It was not worth staying late to merely watch a movie (with no conversation) if I can do so at home. I also stayed for "speaking club" one time, but there were no other students present that day, so I went home.

One small issue which required adjusting was the class structure, the fact that they are "best fit" which worked out ok since with the help of the private lessons I was able to catch up. The 4th and 5th week my class was about 2 weeks behind me which was ok for practice but did not allow me to advance as far as I would have if there was a class my level. Up until last week of classes it was on par, but as new students were added the class had to slow down for the final week.

Overall I learned that much of Russian education is repetition and practice, so the program did allow me to do that. My vocabulary more than doubled in my 9 weeks of study and my understanding has improved. As far as the challenges, as an educator I completely understand that it is almost imposible to create a class perfect for each person. Overall we (my husband and I) are pleased we invested our time and money into the Novamova program.

This was my second visit to Novamova. The first time I was in a pure beginner class. This time I had to join a class that was slightly too advanced for me, but the teacher somehow managed to keep me up to speed. Well nearly, I was definitely bottom of the class, but I enjoyed the experience of doing more advanced grammar than I was familiar with.

The classes are always full of interesting people (well all three of the others were interesting) and the teachers are good at goading us into conversation.

The school is located near The Golden Gate in a street with some nice cafes. I was housed in a good apartment just near Arsenal in a Tsarist period apartment block. I liked staying there very much, even though the landlady forced me to speak to her during breakfast (this is too early for me to speak in any language!). There was a bit of excitement one night when the derelict building next door went on fire.

I didn't join in with as many organised activities this time as previously but some of us students organised our own entertainment, going to watch Arsenal Kiev vs Vorskla Poltava in the original Dynamo Kiev stadium. There was some drinking on occasion too. One thing that is good about going to Kiev (as opposed to Moscow, for example) is that the prices are very good indeed, even in the tourist hot spots. Also you don't need a visa (somebody somewhere probably does, but UK people don't).

My experience can simply be described in one word: "Fun".

I did not learn as much as I would have liked, but I guess that is to be expected. Learning a new language is not like memorizing dates you read in a history book. It needs to be developed through time, usage, and experience. In Russian, adding an adjective, gender, or even a preposition, will change the spelling of the noun. Russian is harder than most languages. But I want a challenge; something different; something new.

I took 6 lessons a week and wish I could have afforded more. Now that I know some basics, I can practice at home and return again and take 10 or even 15 classes a week. Said again, languages take time. Many months or even years.

For housing I chose a private apartment over a host family because of my lifestyle. Though a host family would help me with culture and language practice, I like my own space and enjoy night life. I like to walk the streets at two in the morning and eat at 24 hour restaurants and night clubs.

Though private apartments are overpriced through the school, it is highly recommended for first-time visitors to Kiev. They all have great locations and so does the school. It makes it very easy to get around the city. And getting a private apartment or host family, you can get a good airport transfer though the school and help you get settled in. It's worth it to get adapted.

The teachers and staff are very helpful. Any questions I had about the city or where to buy something were answered. I look forward to my next visit which is to be expected. Learning a new language is not like memorizing dates you read in a history book. It needs to be developed through time, usage, and experience.

The classroom was very good, students from all over the world, I met new friends from different countries. The teachers are very talented, high level, educated, very polite and have too much passion to teach you and make sure you understand the lessons very well...They have too much passion to teach us. The school in the center of the town, everything available around, the school has a lot of different activities, around kiev, very exciting, movies, theatre, opera, museums, I stay at family host, very nice woman, polite, helpful, very clean place, but there was one problem through my visit to kiev, that I could not find small bad or wrong thing to talk about the school or the family host, and believe me. All excellent specially Oxanna, a wonderfull woman she cares for everything, and all the stuff. God bless you all and me.

Kyiv is a great city to have such a language program. It is big enough with plenty of attractions and with a great Metro and bus system you can get out of town if you wish or get around town with great ease with just a little knowledge of the written alphabet. Юлия Р. was terrific and Поехали was a perfect book for my level. The classes with her and the other two students was a joy each day and I actually looked forward to the class and did not dread being called upon to check my homework. Татияна В. also is an excellent teacher, with a very good command of English, very helpful, friendly though maybe a little quiet and low key but this is not a criticism just her style. I wish I had directed the class more to my liking as we concentrated on grammar which I clearly needed but it would have been more useful to spend the time just speaking. This is not Tatiana's fault but my own as I did not say anything nor redirect. At my level probably it was better to spend the time on the grammar as we did. Maybe next year I will try a student coach if I can find someone who would be comfortable working with an "older" individual. The location, the classrooms could not be better given the city and cost of the program. My " принимаюшая семья" were very nice people along with there older daughter. Unfortunately, which I was not made aware of was the fact these "grandparents" were taking care of a 4 yr old child. Typical of all 4 yr olds she wanted to play at all hours and wanted to get into your room as well as play with your computer or any electronic item. As a result I had to be on guard every minute and be sure the door was locked when I had the computer or electronic dictionary out otherwise it was impossible to deal with. We had temper tantrums each and every day most of which were centered around going to bed . Fortunately I could study at the school Saturday morning otherwise one could not have done any studying at the home. Sunday was more problematic but fortunately I found a public library at the Luyanskaya Metro station. Unfortunately I was accosted one Sunday and robbed of some small cash. I did not bother reporting this to anyone as I did not want to upset the school, the family and especially since no one was hurt physically I was fine with it though shaken up for the next 4 hours or so. This could have happened anywhere including back home in Los Angeles. (MIght make new students aware of the "found money on the street scams as reported by the US Embassy as this was a take off on that scam. Unfortunately, these guys were big and I was not about to fight them or try to run given there age and me having a large backpack at the time) On a lighter note I had a terrific experience seeing three Russian plays at the Academy of Russian Drama Theater on several Sundays in the Teatralna area. Any overall I had a terrific experience. I have done 3 different programs in the past three years and this was the best to date. I definitely will consider returning next year for another 6 weeks if I can swing it with my work schedule at the hospital and if I do not go to St. Peterburg instead. Sincerely, Pavel Boris!

I had just 2 weeks classes in Kiev. My teacher was good and especially rigorous to me. Therefore I learned much these 2 weeks. The school and the surroundings are very nice. People from the school and generally from Kiev that I met were very pleasant. It was a great motivation for me to learn the language in order to be able to communicate more with these people.
My housing was in order. My hostess was very friendly. Although our interests did not fit well, it was a good experience.
Next time I would not choose this kind of accommodation, but not because I do not believe that this is good option for other pupils.
I enjoyed cultural offerings of Kiev, really good and diverse offerings.

The classes were great, I really can't fault them. The teacher was patient and explained things well. The pace was fast but somehow didn't seemed too forced and there was a relaxed atmosphere in class with plenty of time for questions and discussions. When I got home my regular teacher said that my progress was amazing and it sounds like I was there for 2 or 3 months, not 2 or 3 weeks.
I loved Kiev and had a great time there. It's quite cheap to live there, I ate out pretty much every night.
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The classroom was fine though it was in a different building to the main school so I think we lost a bit of the atmosphere of being around lots of similar people and my group didn't really get involved in any of the additional activities as a result.
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The housing was okay but to get slightly better facilities is really expensive. I would have liked more details of where I would be staying up front. I really had no idea what to expect. Once I was there the hostess was very helpful in showing me where various facilities were, including the best places to shop etc. Maybe an information sheet with this on in various languages would be a good idea, but as I knew a little Russian already I was able to get by.
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The airport transfers were more expensive than they should be. It would have been cheaper to get a taxi but the taxis in Kiev are a bit of a lottery too, unfortunately.
We were given photocopies of the materials we needed but I'd have liked the option to buy the textbook to help me to keep things a bit more organised.
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I'd also like to see information about what you can do with the language as a career or alternatively what you can do practically after certain lengths of study at the school. A big motivating factor for me was the realisation that I can actually progress to the point where I can really use the language rather than learning purely as a recreational activity.
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Well it seems like my complaints outnumber my compliments, so maybe I should just say that I went to NovaMova to have a good time and to learn Russian. I was able to do both to an extent far greater than I anticipated. I've already started making plans to go back and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else instead.

To be honest, I can't find anything that I didn't like about Novamova. It was a great experience. My teacher, Natasha, was great and I really enjoyed each class. I have been studying Russian for years and Novamova had the best class I've ever taken. Thanks!

The teacher I had (Oxana) was just fantastic. She made the classes interesting, and tried to involve everyone in the teaching experience. It would be even better if more media was used (Songs/ situational role plays in more detail/ group assignments - just to mix it up a bit) but on the whole quite fun. I found the one on one after class tutorials exhaustive as it was a full day, but absolutely necessary, as the classes went along at a quick pace.
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As for the housing, I think this is what let me down a lot and unfortunately put a black mark against the organization. Even though the housing organizer was a nice guy, and the room was given reasonable- only until I had a chance to stay in the place for a short while did I notice it had not been cleaned properly in a while. There was a lot of hair on the carpet in my room, and dirty in the corners -ingrained dirt that had not been addressed for a very long time. It needed a really good once over. I was specifically told by the manager of the rooming - that the place would be cleaned once per week. This never happened in the 3 weeks I was there -not even once. The Sheets were changed weekly - which was fine -but that's all. Also I didn't actually have a bed -but a sofa bed which was not exactly that comfortable in honesty (Quite hard in the middle).
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What annoyed me the most was the fact that I had found out that the room organizer knew BEFORE telling me- that the rooms in fact would NOT be cleaned weekly -and yet he said that they would. I found this out through another teacher at the school. This I found rather nasty, and didn't appreciate. Its a real shame because its such a contrast to the good work that Nova Mova does in their teaching, but as housing is an integral part of the service, the responsibility should stop with NovaMova. In addition I heard some horror stories from my class mates about the accommodation in the host families being absolutely terrible (I don't know many details, except my good friends there had to swap houses).
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Would I go to Nova Mova again ? Yes. I would - but I would definitely not use their accommodation services.

I had a fantastic teacher, who I am still in contact with. Zhenia made every class fun and easy to participate. The facilities are perfectly located in the heart of Kiev and easy to reach if you choose the downtown living option. I was living in Podil which was a twenty minute walk from the school, and I loved my stay there. Also the staff at NovaMova is extremely helpful, and is always available for questions.

I chose homecooking and although my house keeper was a lovely person, she was not the greatest cook, and I got food poison towards the end of my trip. I would therefore suggest not to take the meal option and to eat out.

Some of the activities were also more expensive then what they would cost if you would plan them for yourself. But these negatives should not make anyone shy away from choosing NovaMova, as it is an excellent school.

Good quality and service.
Super-friendly.
I had really appreciated your approach and your program.
Teachers and all the other people in the school were always ready to support and help me, a lot!
I never felt alone or like a foreigner.
Thanks!!