Client Testimonials
Some testimonials from our Cactus Tailor-made clients in North America
First off, I was thrilled with my classes. Jaime was flexible when I needed to change one of our class dates, and he was just a great person. His teaching was creative, and his ability to convey the nuance of the language was fantastic. I'm a big fan of Cactus now and will recommend it to anyone looking to learn a language.
Beginner Spanish, New York, November 2012
My class was wonderful. Cinta is a fantastic teacher and I feel that I have learned a lot. She tailored my lessons perfectly to suit my needs. The Skype sessions are extremely convenient! Thank you for allowing for that option. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this experience. Thank you so much for a great, great, GREAT class!!
Elementary Spanish, New York, October 2012
I think Juan really understood our strengths and weaknesses very early in the process and worked with us to benefit us as much as possible. His communication was very smooth and precise. He was also extremely accommodating in the timings since we were running on a very tight schedule.
On the academic front, he gave us a lot of custom made exercises for class work and homework and discuss in detail to solve our doubts. This was really helpful because this made the course really interesting and pushed us to work hard. I believe he put in a lot of hours before class to be prepared what to teach and how to teach.
I think the most important aspect was that he was very analytical in teaching us since he understood that we like to analyze the different nuances and irregularities. This made the course aligned to our way of thinking and made it interesting.
To summarize, the experience with Cactus and Juan was far more enriching and valuable than what I did last year from another institute for French.
Beginner Spanish, New York, October 2012
I was really pleased with my lessons with Ju. She packed so much in. My new teacher here (in Brazil) is amazed how much I have learnt in 20 hours. Ju really helped with giving me sense of what Brazilians really say and also in explaining the culture and customs.
Graham Johnston, Consumer Head at Chartis Europe Ltd, who relocated to Brazil
...very impressed by the introductory speech Graham gave to the team in Portuguese.
Graham Johnston’s new colleagues at Chartis Europe Ltd in Brazil
Diana is an excellent teacher. She is punctual, pleasant, well prepared, patient, and displays a high degree of professionalism. She reviews material when appropriate and creates many diverse activities - listening, reading, writing and speaking. Most importantly, I feel she is listening to me and what I discuss as my priorities. She is very observant and prepares follow-up materials when she feels more review is necessary. I was involved in the BC school system for over 22 years, first as a classroom teacher and later as an educational and curriculum consultant. I had an opportunity to observe hundreds of teachers and Diana is a fine example of what I would classify as "top notch". The Cactus team has, from the outset, been very hands on in its approach to my progress. I have received weekly emails checking with me about all aspects of my learning experience. I will definitely continue with more lessons. Linda Smith
Spanish Elementary, Vancouver, June 2012
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed my Russian sessions with Yuli. She’s lovely and was very instrumental in motivating me to regain some level of competence. I was able to apply my learning to my recent trip and I will be writing about it soon.
Meryl Pearlstein, MDP Publicity
Business Russian, New York, May 2012
In May I attended a one week tailor made course in Business English at Cactus. My goal was to prepare for several meetings that I was attending during my one month stay at New York University and Pratt Institute, New York City.
I found that Cactus was the perfect match for me. For one week I started my working day at the nice Cactus location in Soho before heading on towards New York University. Every day of the one-to-one training was a pleasure and really felt that I was well prepared for my meetings because of the course. Besides from that it was great that I could choose when and where the course should be and it was perfect that I had influence on the content of the course.
Kind regards, Charlotte Aabo,
Business English, New York, May 2011
Thanks for the follow up. The classes are going great, and I'm learning a lot. My teacher Silke is very good and knowledgeable... and she is also great at motivating me to study more and more (which I really need!!). Thanks, Lucila Lessard
German Elementary, San Diego, Dec 2010
The class gave me a foundation for starting to learn the language. I gained most in grammar and pronunciation.
Portuguese Beginners, Deutsche Bank, New York, Oct 2010
Teachers are smart, funny and know what they are doing. plus they come from the country.
Portuguese Beginners, GTA Travel, New York, New York, Aug 2010
Loved the class - Cesar did an awesome job engaging/challenging the class. I think I'm going to learn a ton in this program.
Spanish Beginners, Deloitte, Toronto, July 2010
The first session was fantastic and we are all really excited for more!!!
Spanish Beginners, Deloitte, Toronto, July 2010
I was happy with the organization of the course. According to the students' feedback, they achieved their goals and were satisfied with the course.
Advanced German, Volatour, New York, Jan 2010
I'm very happy with the progress. Carolina is an excellent teacher, remarkable teaching skills, always comes to class with prepared material, examples, great explanation, she makes the class fun, always looking FWD for the next class.
When the course is over, I will have significant knowledge of the language to converse with our clients. I have Brazilian friends with whom I can practice and take it to the next level.
Beginner Portuguese, Volatour, New York, Jan 2010
We had a great first lesson with Ms Camila Santos. We were happy to know that she was a very professional and also friendly teacher. I'm looking forward to leaning Portuguese from her.
Beginner Portuguese, GTA Travel, New York, April 2010
The course is really well laid out and I am very happy with the classes. I wish to continue in the future.
Beginner Portuguese, GTA Travel, New York, April 2010
Simone is awesome. She has been very helpful in learning the language. Additionally, she is has a background in education and has educated me in the Brazilian Educational System which is why I am going to work in Brazil. I could not have asked for a better instructor.
Advanced Portuguese, Private client, Los Angeles, November 2009
Our sessions were terrific and Alessandro did a superb job! I was on vacation for the past few weeks, and Kathy has plans in the first quarter, so we have agreed to revisit our plans for more lessons in the Spring. I really want to thank Cactus for their help.
Shane Thornton, Private Client, Vancouver
Cactus was great.
I am happy overall with our lessons and progress. Alessandro is very patient with us!
Shane Thornton, Private Client, Vancouver
Fatima has been great with presenting the material and figuring out what works for me. If I have needed anything in particular, she has been great to work it into my classes.
The approach and content was so catered to my personal interests it was great. The learning tools Fatima used were always varied and interesting.
Rhonda Monaghan, Private Client, Toronto
The instructors are knowledgeable, easy to work with and genuinely care about your progress. And the course content is flexible, allowing the student to really focus on his/her needs.
The flexibility of the classes has been excellent. We have our lessons, but we're not so tied to those that we can't explore other parts of the language.
Stephen Duncan, DCI, New York City
I think Javier is great. He makes learning a language very comfortable.
Maria Mantz, DCI, New York City
It was very well organized and I always came up with new, extra ideas and she always satisfied my requests.
Reka Kaparti, Kimberley Clarke, English
The course is very good and very interesting, I'd just like to have the time to study and practice more!
Fillipo Ollivetti, RBS, Japanese
Good quality teachers, flexible timetables, fun.
Duncan McWilliams, Baker Hughes, Angolan Portuguese
Excellent, Monique often brought in useful books (technical, legal and simply fun) to make the course more beneficial and interesting.
Catherine Nelson, Legal Counsel, LastMinute.com, French
Maribel was a patient and understanding teacher who adapted the course to my requirements and made it fun. She was also flexible with her timings around my work diary.
Steve Hanlon, Barclays, Spanish
Gerhard's light touch of humor combined with an adaptable teaching style enabled rapid progress; the tutoring was an excellent investment.
Harvey Wells, RBS, German
Cactus have provided fantastic service right from the initial stage when looking at the various options for training. A friendly adviser contacted us immediately to discuss exactly what I wanted to achieve, rather than just trying to push me towards a particular pre-defined course. I thoroughly recommend that you talk to Cactus for all of your language needs.
Abhishek Sachdev, Business Analyst, Lloyds, Hindi
We had an urgent need for professional French language training - not just basic French, but an understanding of French engineering terms. Cactus were able to provide a highly qualified teacher who was not just proficient in French, but also a Chartered Engineer. The one-on-one training was appropriate for our candidate and enabled him to represent us and meet our business needs. The level of commitment and standard of service received from Cactus was very good.
Andrew King, CVF Personnel Manager, Ministry of Defence, French
We found Cactus Language Training to be well organized, efficient and flexible. They have provided friendly and encouraging teachers who have managed to work around the chaos surrounding television production.
Jane Shaw, Human Resources Coordinator, Endemol UK
The course has been great. Elizabeth has tailored content really well to our objectives, and taken us through a broad range of linguistic tone, style and vocabulary, as well as revising core grammar. As ever, wouldn't hesitate to use Cactus again.
Sue Hunt, Head of Rich Media, Google, French
Quite amazed by how much we have managed to cover in three days and also how well it has sunk in, but that is due to the teacher who is fabulous. She is giving me a real good grounding of the grammar etc whilst making it fun at the same time. Excellent teaching. Katrin really has the ideal personality for teaching and explains everything so well that it really sticks.
Sandra Garnham, Prinovis, German
Sylvia has a great teaching style, put a lot of effort into preparation, and makes every lesson meaningful. I'm the one who needs to try harder!!
Helen Daniels, T. Rowe Price, Swedish
I am delighted with the initial lesson for Italian. My level is basic, but the Tutor inspired & gave confidence, taking the time to understand what my capabilities are & requirements.
Jill Harden, Fedex, Italian
I am thoroughly enjoying the course and I commend Elizabeth for being such a wonderful teacher. Her gentle and inclusive style is very much appreciated.
Sherie Kenzie, Canadian High Commission, French
Cactus has provided us with a great way to encourage team building and creativity in a fun atmosphere. The language classes have proved incredibly popular and we’re looking to expand the courses we offer.
Silvia Bartels, Head of Intelligence, Tequila
Cactus provides the perfect balance between group and individual training, ensuring our people get to grips with a new language quickly.
John Rotherham, Head of HR, International Aids Alliance
Thanks to Cactus, our business and customer communications have been transformed. Their online reporting also makes training accountable and ensures staff keep motivated and learn more quickly. We’ve been very impressed with the results and are looking to add additional languages in the coming months.
Jane-Heath Brown, Head of HR, NCsoft Europe
Everything was great. Couldn’t have asked for a better instructor so far. She is very knowledgeable in education which is my industry so she can customize what I need to ensure a successful transition.
Frank, Portuguese Brazilian, Los Angeles
In a nutshell, our sessions were terrific and Alessandro did a superb job!
Shane, Italian, Vancouver