Brasshouse Languages

Negative experience: I attended an IT course and had a very difficult experience regarding communication and how my situation was handled. I have a long-term disability and provided medical certificates covering my absence. Despite this, I was removed from the course without a formal warning, meeting, or clear prior discussion. I only found out through reception staff rather than being contacted directly, and I was not clearly informed about any requirement for additional updates during my medical absence. Because my absence was related to my disability, I felt that the way the situation was handled was unfair and may have amounted to discrimination. I felt unsupported throughout the process. I hope the college reviews how students with medical or disability-related needs are communicated with and supported, to ensure clearer and fairer procedures in the future.

Negative experience: I studied several foreign languages there but last time I was there, 2019 - 2021, I got abused so horrifically that I wouldn't advise anyone to even set foot into that place! Someone had mentioned to the tutor that I was at risk of redundancy, the tutor in turn got me booked in with the counselor - all without asking me whether I actually wanted that - so before I knew it, I was sitting in front of a counselor still hoping to get some useful advise as to how to avoid unemployment and subsequent destitution. Next thing, the counselor, the appropirately named Luna - Luna the Lunatic - "advised" me to, I cite: "go to your GP and pretend to be severely mentally ill and completely off your rocker, then you get sectioned and you won't have to worry about what to live on and paying bills and all that". I have to say, Brasshouse - I've come across some severely unstable people in Birmingham but your staff top anything I've ever encountered! Is this what you class as appropriate advice to someone worried about redundancy and unemployment??? My formal complaint got thrown out of course with a total denial that this ever happened and false accusations about my mental health (note: no history of mental illness here - unlike your staff...) so I left, not prepared to pay an absolute fortune just to get abused like that! For this, the prices are through the roof, more than what I would expect to pay for a fulltime college course and yet it's only two hours per week for the language courses, and only a few weeks per year as they don't even go by the academic year. Almost all courses are online now as the heavily promoted move from the building at Sheepcote Street to the library resulted in nowhere near enough space. The building at Sheepcote Street is still empty by the way, ten years after that move and yet that building was perfect for a language school. Worse than a bad joke - stay away, folks, you'll learn more online and you don't get abused! I know one cannot learn a language online as one needs proper tutoring but you won't get that with the Brasshouse anyway, all you get is a bit of messing around online and you'll get abused on top, and for that you pay an absolute fortune! And no don't tell me to "contact us on this and that email" - you know fully well that I made a formal complaint at the time, in 2021, about your Lunatic Luna, only to get falsely accused of lying and to get subjected to false accusations about my mental health!!!

Negative experience: I wish I could give them 3 but for all the potential they have but waste because they don’t want to put any efforts, they don’t deserve it. The staff is the opposite of welcoming and friendly. They won’t give you any information and no thank you or bye. Unfortunately as you can’t do anything on their website and they don’t answer emails, you Ill have to go in person. The teachers: I can only speak from my experience but be careful. Some of them are just random people who speak the language and followed the brasshouse teacher training. They won’t have any qualifications and thus, aren’t always very good. My class didn’t follow any program or book even tho it is supposed to. They also don’t disclose any bio about the teachers so you don’t know what you will get and you have to pay, of course, the full amount before the first class. Moodle and website: horrible. Good luck to find any information on there. The website, their new and old one are awful. It doesn’t contain any useful info, just broken links and fluff. Price: honestly, it’s not expensive, especially if you are have a discount. Overall, if you have to pay for a class, i will think twice or even four times, as it’s just not that good. They will ask for feedback but won’t change a single thing.

Negative experience: This place is a complete circus Only one student allowed on a computer per day, reception staff clueless and giving wrong info, about 50% classes get cancelled. Reception thinks being enrolled means you’re not actually a student—makes zero sense. Equipment barely works, and the principal’s roaming asking why you’re even there. Feels like they want your fees but not your attendance. Total joke.

Fantastic experience: Language I was one of the students learning English .

Positive experience: The language courses are so good and excellent value, but the admin side of things seems like a bit of a disaster :( Every term it's the same ordeal with access passes not working/not available, and simply enrolling in your course is far more painful than it should be. Good luck ever getting through on the phones, or getting a response to a message! There are always huge queues at the start of each term as students have to be issued guest passes as the full passes are never ready, and this continues for weeks. They even forgot to charge me once! I am sure the staff are doing the best they can with the tools available, but this system is in desperate need of modernization.

Negative experience: Pathetic service : Birmingham Council again for you : waste of time

Fantastic experience: Доброго дня всім раджу курси все чудово подобається вчитель Таснім завжди у всьому допомагає курс pre entry люблю сюди ходити уроки проходять і ігрової формі рекомендую шкода що тільки 2 рази на тиждень ходив би кожен день чудово що ми всі різні я з України дякую всім вам Ihor Kolodko

Negative experience: Won’t ever bother Hiding my name. Forgot my ID at home after coming from the office. The lady behind the desk asked for my details which took literally two seconds. Told her it was an accident after she complained for doing her job and told me that my response was “attitude” after saying it in the most calm way. I’m an adult and was treated like an absolute child. She’s the manager behind the desk and ought to talk to customers with a greater deal of respect when no offence was even given to her. Even asked for a plastic cup of water the previous to have a drink which there were plenty of on the customer desk for the water dispenser . She told me off saying even for asking. Customer service is just atrocious here. Just not impressed.

Negative experience: I have had a horrific experience here. Became a target of hate on both the Podcasting course (Kanas Wong) & Digital Photography course (Mark Holloway). Both tutors made vulgar remarks in every sentence. Kanas included a case study & a presentation with implied nasty innuendos / sexual remarks. Some students were also instructed to make nasty vile horrific remarks over 5 weeks! I have made 2 complaints both have been deliberately ignored! Neither tutor taught the course properly & Mark Holloway made sure I didn’t receive the learning like the rest of the students! Mark displayed an unhealthy obsesstion with Chinese dolls! I had my enquiry about courses ignored. The marketing manager also made inappropriate nasty digs. Management knew the game they have been playing. I have been a target of hate crime & abuse by University of Birmingham, Birmingham MPs, Conservative & Labour government, corrupt police. The follow to my review a year later has is a way for Brasshouse / Adult Education Service to cover up the horrendous abuse which took place. Nothing was done at the time or afterwards!

Fantastic experience: It in the library really nice place to visit

Fantastic experience: I learnt a lot, it was very fun and engaging. The teacher is very high quality. The material given is clearly developed over time. It is a safe environment. The guidance is professional. The administration staff are experienced and polite.

Fantastic experience: I was learning Chinese there last year . Such an amazing experience and competent teachers . I’ve learnt so much each term. Now I’m confident enough to talk to native Chinese speakers . Thank You to my teacher and the lovely staff at the front desk who always helped me with any query .

Fantastic experience: Everything about this place and its staffs are great

Negative experience: Tried to register last year and was told they didn’t have any spaces. Tried again this year well in advance however their phone went to answerphone as no one picked up and I therefore emailed them and never received a response. Really poor service! Do they have anyone manning the phone and responding to emails?

Positive experience: They provide awesome language lessons and more.

Positive experience: Been going here for years, teachers are great- I had Luc and Lucy. Its very sad that its closed but the online sessions have been good. Not enough students so the classes get shut down since its government subsidised. Shame really, until next time!

Negative experience: Went for a Russian course found the teacher to be extreamly rude & was bullied by her. I would not recommend anyone to join this course at Brasshouse. It is a waste of money & you will loose a lot of motivation. I would recommend Pimsleur or Micheal Thomas rather than being bullied every lesson & comming home disapointed. Also remember this is not a free course so I expected a lot of respect. So do you learn basic Russian on the beginners course? NO! You will be learning just how to read on the beginners course, if thats a A1 level for beginners, then thats another reason to avoid this place as reading is easy & its waste of money for 3 months straight, if you are only focussing on reading & not speaking. They dont even cover grammer & explain grammer so for it to be a extra helping class its pointless aswell. Even if they focus on speaking respect rate is very low sadly.

Positive experience: Great customer service experience. I will soon start my german classes online

Fantastic experience: A great place to study in peace and learn new things depending on your own pace. The teachers are very friendly and they offer great help through-out the week whenever you need it. The tutors do not behave like at secondary schools or colleges. I have been studying for 5 years at Brasshouse and I am deeply upset at its departure in August 2016, so it can merge with the useless Library of Birmingham.

Negative experience: no esol course

Negative experience: Extremely rude staff on reception. Do not expect to he treated like a human being. Dreadful.

Negative experience: Been calling all day and no on is answering, what a great first impression!

Positive experience: Great for learning

Fantastic experience: Excellent way of teaching. Very enjoyable and the teachers are very dedicate. Lovely!

Fantastic experience: Currently learning mandarin there. Great teachers, very respectful staff. It's been about 6 months in now and I've had no issues. For the price of the course, I'd definitely reccomend it.

Positive experience: Birmingham City council why have you closed down (August 2018) what was a vibrant department for English language? Only four years ago when I studied a teaching qualification here there were many international students coming to improve their English and spend money in Birmingham ; up till recently I worked examining here and there always seemed to be demand for English language studying and exams. What is the rationale for closing this service and what message does it send to the world that the second city of England cannot provide an English language service for visitors and immigrants?

Fantastic experience: Teachers of the languages are excellent! Lessons are fun, detailed, interactive and properly paced

Negative experience: (Updated 15/10/2018: After a year Brasshouse language still refuse to fully refund, i.e. £7,820.00, and apologise what they have done to us so far. And now they tried to delete my comment for fifth times. What they have done is an arrogant act and show no respect to the students. So DO NOT come to this language school, as this absolutely waste your time and money, and ruin your dignity!!!) After a miserable journey with Brasshouse Language, I think I should write something to express my feeling. First and the foremost is the Brasshouse always mentioned 'respect', that learner should respect tutor and staff. What I want to emphasize is respect is a mutual act, the prerequisite of earning respect is you behave yourself, then you can earn your respect. Employing delaying tactics, saying something with contradiction and having bias towards learners certainly is not a good way to earn respect from others. Yes, I am describing you, Paul J. Henderson, former deputy Head of English in Brasshouse Language. Secondly is the British always mention gentleman, sadly a Brasshouse Language tutor, Nick Johnson, harassed my sister in front of me. He absolutely overstepped his professional boundary between tutor and learner, intervened the relationship between learners. Come on man, this is ADULT Learning Centre! This is not a kindergarten! Then the method of allocation of learners into classes is the funniest I have ever seen. After the allocation, some learners can go to any higher level class by their will. Then what is the point of having placement test prior to the class? We have submitted our IELTS results but they just ignored our result and our will to get into the IELTS class, then putting us into the normal English class, which is merely a joke! Pauline Desch, do you know what is IELTS? It is a shame that Brasshouse Language have IELTS course but do not recognise any IELTS result. Moreover, the most unacceptable thing is another tutor, Raheel Mohammed, complain me openly (which I have done nothing at that particular moment) in the classroom and then ask Paul J. Henderson to send me off from the classroom, and then defame me I have done something not appropriate and complain the tutor. Come on, what the hell you are doing? Is this the usual way Brasshouse Language staffs dealing with the learners? Learning here is totally a waste of money and time. Though the thing that make me furious is Brasshouse Language only does not discriminate learners from CERTAIN countries, as stated in the written reply from Pauline Desch. As an language centre with so many international students, it is a helpless truth that Brasshouse Language will discriminate learners. I think this is also the reason why Birmingham always mentions it is a multicultural city, because discrimination exists! It happened! It really happened! And Brasshouse Language is an associate of the Birmingham City Council. I except discrimination only happened in uncivilized and barbaric city, maybe Birmingham can redefine my stereotype, or maybe the truth prevails. After our incidents, staffs from Brasshouse Language, Birmingham Adult Education Services and Birmingham City Council promised they will investigate the incidents. But till now nearly 100 days they do not have proper response. 100 DAYS!!! What kind of incident your sides need to spend so much time to investigate? Do I need to borrow you a microscope to facilitate your investigation? We wait for so long time, what we get is SIX reference number from Birmingham City Council. It seems that your side put so much effort on the rubbish bins issue to empty the rubbish bins, such that you all can hide in the rubbish bins to evade your responsibility. You all are well paid of it! Do you all really care our incidents and investigate seriously, or just get rid of our incidents as rubbish? In conclusion, do not come to Brasshouse Language, as they show 'the power of language', taking advantage of learners' low fluency of English and bullied you without mercy. It is a shame that they are working in education sector!

Negative experience: 已經沒有英文服務

Negative experience: It used to be so good but not anymore. I took 3 courses first one was 3 years ago, it was so useful however recently took 2 courses to improve my writing English , was absolutely wasting of time and money.The new teachers don't have enough experience.

Positive experience: Unfortunately, Brasshouse Languages doesn't offer any part-time English summer programme! :(

Negative experience: Simply saying, in this language institution, racism is rampant. not from other students in class, from teachers and staff

Negative experience: This school is not so good. The English teachers are not English, there are only few English teachers but they teach in bad way. They never correct you when you speak. You pay a lots of money but your progress are not so quick. And of course the fault is yours it's not the teacher!!

Fantastic experience: I did a CELTA with Brasshouse and was also a teacher here before travelling abroad. Brilliant place with many excellent teachers and staff

Fantastic experience: One of the best environment to study

Positive experience: its good collge

Fantastic experience: Though I went there with a lot of knowledge already in Mandarin, I started from the first course and it was great to be reminded of particular things as the teachers were very helpful with every question I had. Would and have recommended people.

Positive experience: Clases de inglés un poco caras pero muy buen ambiente y se puede aprender mucho. También hay clases gratuitas

Positive experience: I think this place for really learn

Fantastic experience: Good school

Fantastic experience: Incredible language center! All the teachers are highly experienced and make you feel so confident when learning English. I strongly recommend it .