Rio & Learn Portuguese School Reviews

I had a great time studying with Rio & Learn for 5 weeks. The best part about this school are by far the teachers. They have a wonderful team of friendly, funny, dedicated teachers who are a pleasure to learn with. Shout out to Amanda V who took our class for the most lessons, she is a wonderful teacher and because of this I chose to follow some extra classes after my group sessions finished. I also enjoyed my classes with Madu and Julie. This school is a great place to meet other students, there is lots of time for socialising, and of course the extracurricular activities after school during the week are a nice way to explore what Rio has to offer while practising the Portuguese you have learnt during the day. The teaching method is good for beginners who just want to navigate Brazil and be able to converse with locals. The focus is on speaking, colloquialisms, local culture and daily life. There isn't much focus on grammar or writing, and the lessons begin to repeat themselves after a while, so if you want to get to an expert level you will need to find some extra options. I'm not a big fan of their attitude on money. For example, I first purchased a full day immersion (6 hours for €170) which came with lunch. After lunch, we went to a beach kiosk, and I was told that the immersion didn't include my coconut water or the drink for the teacher, so I paid for both. Not a big deal, but it's just the vibe that it creates after spending so much money on the day already. Also, if you buy 4 weeks of classes and want (for example) another 4 weeks, they will not give you the 8-week price even though you have been at the school 8 weeks, you have to pay the 4-week price again. Lastly the weekend activities are a huge rip-off, it's either R$200 or R$250 and you can only pay in cash for some reason which is annoying. I went to a football match which cost me R$250 and included the ticket which was worth R$70, so you end up paying R$180 for one of the teachers to escort you there and watch the game with you and the other students.

Si quieres aprender portugués, conocer gente de todo el mundo y pasear en Río, tienes que estudiar en esta escuela. Ubicación céntrica, maestros calificados y precios razonables. ¡Volveré y me quedaré!

I had an amazing experience at Rio & Learn. The activities, combined with great professors, made learning Portuguese enjoyable and effective. One of my favorite things is their methodology, since you can engage in conversations with locals, participate in several activities, and practice speaking in real-life situations. This approach not only boosts your confidence but also accelerates your fluency in the language. In addition to that I have the following and more specific comments: Positive Points: • Experienced Instructors: The teachers are not just language instructors; they are individuals with a broad cultural background, a passion for their work, and, most importantly, kind, patient and friendly people who truly care about their students. Julie, Madu, Amanda, Ana Paula, Leandra, Amandonca, Filipe, and Diogo were fundamental in my education, and I hope to maintain their friendship forever. • Location: Perfectly situated at Copacabana Beach, providing a vibrant and inspiring environment for learning Portuguese. • Rio Lives: Offers excellent opportunities for cultural activities, playing sports, and visit multiple touristic spots. So, you are basically developing you speaking skills for more than 6 hours per day. Area of Improvement: • Payment: I would like the teachers to receive allowances (or they expenses reimbursed) to go out more with the students, covering their drinks, food, and Uber (so they can return home quickly and safely). Sometimes they make an extra effort to take care of us, accompany us to different places, and spend more time with us. All of this involves expenses, and in a way, they are working because they take care of us and we practice Portuguese.

Loving my time spent in Rio & Learn! I think the group classes are great for tourists who want to learn the language in a social/fun environment, and for more advanced students potentially the private classes and immersion programs would be more suitable. The teachers are all very professional, friendly and are great ambassadors for not only the school but also their beautiful country. Easily the best part about Rio & Learn :) In addition the school organises a wide range of activities in the afternoon after class to explore the city whilst practising portuguese. Located in Copacabana right next to the beach, there are plenty of great places to eat nearby and its also easy to head to the beach after school.

Recomiendo Rio and Learn principalmente para turistas que quieren tener un mejor manejo del idioma. La escuela no solo te enseña sobre el uso del portugués si no también lo lindo que tiene para ofrecer la ciudad de Rio, ya que también organizan actividades por la tarde donde te llevan a visitar los mejores lugares para bailar y disfrutar. En mi trayectoria estudiando junto a los profesores he tenido una muy buena experiencia y he mejorado muchísimo en mi forma de hablar y expresarme en portugués, los profesores son muy simpáticos y hacen muy bien su trabajo, sus clases son bastante entretenidas y didácticas, aunque si me gustaría que mejoren un poco de su contenido a enseñar y que sea un poco menos repetitivo😉.

I highly recommend this portuguese school. They have a strong principle which does not allow all teachers speak english to keep and build the environment in portuguese. They alternate teachers in a week that students would see 2-3 teachers in order to practice. I also recommend one of my teachers namely Amanda ; she is professional. She prepares some social media posts everyday to teach us that the Brazilians use in real life : Slang words, social media updated words. Sometimes she uses brazilian portuguese music to teach. I like this way. :)

This school is fine if you are a tourist and are only going to stay for a week or two, and want something to do. If you are an exchange student, have a temporary job here, digital nomad or a foreigner that moved to Brazil, or actually want learn the language, then look elsewhere. You will never achieve fluency in Portuguese because of this school. The content of this school is terrible. It is constantly repeating itself, and not in the "this is a review" way. More in the "we didn't create enough material so here are the same exact slides with the same exact examples from last week." They want to focus on "making learning fun" and think that means leaving the school to have class in, for example, a restaurant, or a clothing store or the post office etc. They do this multiple times a week. Completely diminishes the quality of education and forces you to spend money you never agreed to. They offer a package called the "6 month Brazil student visa." After four and a half months, they told me that my course was over and when I asked for a pro-rated refund (for the month and a half of classes they refused to provide, they refused) The owner of the school is not Brazilian, barely speaks Portuguese and is pretty much invisible to the students, even though his office is right next to all the classrooms. He runs on a customer model of "fast in, fast out." The new director follows this model and plays fake nice to get you to like her and the school. Most students that I have talked to leave dissatisfied and the teachers are treated very poorly by the administration. (the school has a 1.5 rating on Glassdoor) Two weeks of group classes costs more than the monthly salary that the teachers earn. The reason this school has such good reviews online is because within the first week you're there, the administration pushes you to write a review. The reason I am giving 2 stars, instead of 1 star is because the teachers are very good, knowledgeable and skilled at teaching. They are there to correct pronunciation, grammar mistakes, and make the best out of the terrible content that they are provided and asked to teach.

My time at Rio&Learn was absolutely amazing! All the professors were great and the morning classes really helped me to improve my Portuguese. The afternoon activities were my favorite part. I got the chance to explore the city and make so many new friends while learning Portuguese - the perfect combination! I really recommend this school and I will definitely go back in the future!

Really recommend this school to anyone who comes to Río de Janeiro. They'll welcome you with open arms as soon as you start your course here; the clases were very interactive and engaging to all levels, and feels as if I've made a new family here

I am so glad to do Rio and Learn. The teachers are all so kind and thorough each week, paying good attention to how well I get it and are patient. Sabrina was my teacher this week and was so helpful and fun…. It helps so much when I review and practice between lessons.

I’ve been an online student at Rio & Learn for 3 months now. During this time, many of the teachers have become distant friends. The school is well-organized and at the same time, the teaching style is relaxed and encouraging…exactly what I needed as someone a bit shy to make mistakes. I highly recommend for those wanting to deep-dive into Brazilian Portuguese.

The professors are amazing and wonderful. I took one on one virtual classes for five weeks before my trip to Brazil to meet my in laws. The teachers tailored the lessons to simple phrases, travel and basics. Loved the course. The scheduling was easy and the all the professors, Dani, Sabrina and Igor were wonderful. Price is affordable if you’re paying in USD.

I can recommend Rio & Learn. It's not your standard language course as you would expect from an adult education center. You are forced to speak Portuguese almost exclusively right from the start. This is a bit unusual at the beginning, but it is exactly the right way to learn the language effectively. The teachers show an extraordinary amount of patience with their students. 😊

I highly recommend Rio&Learn for anyone interested in learning Portuguese. The school has a fantastic team of teachers who are not only friendly but also highly professional. They go above and beyond to create a positive and engaging learning environment. One of the things that impressed me the most about the school is their commitment to making the learning experience enjoyable. The teachers always come up with creative and fun activities to reinforce language learning. From interactive games to group discussions, they ensure that every RioONLINE activity is dynamic and engaging. Teachers take the time to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for students to grasp the language. Recomiendo ampliamente Rio&Learn para cualquier persona interesada en aprender portugués. La escuela cuenta con un equipo fantástico de profesores que no solo son amigables, sino también altamente profesionales. Se esfuerzan al máximo para crear un ambiente de aprendizaje positivo y atractivo.Una de las cosas que más me impresionó de la escuela es su compromiso de hacer que la experiencia de aprendizaje sea placentera. Los profesores siempre proponen actividades creativas y divertidas para reforzar el aprendizaje del idioma. Desde juegos interactivos hasta discusiones en grupo, se aseguran de que cada actividad de RioONLINE sea dinámica y atractiva.Los profesores se toman el tiempo para explicar conceptos complejos de manera clara y concisa, lo que facilita que los estudiantes comprendan el idioma.