I must be honest that when I looked at the homepage, Ulpan La-Inyan looked like everything I would want in a Hebrew immersive speaking program. It seemed fun, exciting, but also looked like it spoke to my level.
What I discovered as I continued down the page was something that mixes modern and traditional styles of learning, but with a pretty confusing offering, and one that not everyone might warm up to.
Ulpan La-Inyan’s Course Structure and Content
Ulpan La-Inyan boasts some very impressive statistics, at least on its homepage. At the time of writing, it states that over 5,000 students now speak Hebrew, with 102 teachers, across 126 countries, with 982 courses delivered since 2008. I was pretty excited to see what all the fuss was about.
Before we delve into the courses and what they entail, I was really impressed that Ulpan La-Inyan had a Hebrew level test available on the website. Once you click through, you’ll be asked a variety of questions and based on your answers, you are then told which course would be most appropriate for you based on your Hebrew level.
I found it wasn’t 100% accurate, as no Hebrew placement test can ever be, although when it comes to Modern Hebrew language learning it’s important to note that this can be pretty tricky in general. Just think of all the gaps in your own knowledge, which are probably different from other people’s knowledge, and then multiply that by putting everyone into one course.
This brings me back to Ulpan La-Inyan’s course offerings.
Ulpan La-Inyan offers four types of courses: group courses, private courses, courses for new immigrants to Israel, and business courses. For the sake of this review, I’ll be referring to both the private courses and group courses that I was a part of.
With private courses, you get your own private teacher available online, or in-person meetings if you’re physically in Israel, and you learn in the traditional way. Your lesson time is for you to work on whatever you see fit, and is much more tailored as in the traditional sense of language learning.
It’s a very similar model in the group courses. After taking your language placement test, you’ll be recommended to your group level. These run from Level 1A to Level 7 at the most advanced. and consist of weekly one-and-a-half-hour lessons online with other students placed in your lesson level.
Personally, I was placed at a level 2, which I felt pretty okay with despite some gaps in my knowledge that I mentioned earlier. There were seven of us in a class, most of whom were based in Israel, since the timings of the course hours are much more suited to European hours and those who are already in Israel.
While I really liked the approach of learning alongside others and focusing on conversation more than other aspects of learning a language, I sometimes felt a little overwhelmed to speak, as I’m a bit of a shy person, and felt that the course was lacking some individual or self-led activities.
Ulpan La-Inyan’s Learning Methodology
Ulpan La-Inyan’s learning methodology is based on the rather old-school technique of teacher-led learning. While I completely agree that speaking is one of the most important ways to learn a language, I felt that there could have been a few more activities that were tailored either to me, or that I could have completed by myself outside of the lesson. Of course, the instructor offered extra reading and potential homework for us, but I felt that it wasn’t the same as other online language learning systems where there’s a blend of activities and interactive tools to keep you motivated and engaged.
Otherwise, there is something to be said for learning Modern Hebrew in a group rather than by yourself. It was really inspiring to see other people giving it their all, learning Hebrew and asking questions that I was either too afraid to ask or hadn’t even thought about asking. I found the difference between taking a group lesson and a private lesson at Ulpan La-Inyan to be that I felt much more motivated and engaged when I was in my seven-person group, much to my surprise. It also gave us far more opportunities for discussion and partner work, such as pairing off to practice Hebrew dialogue, or to discuss certain words we’d just learned and use them in different contexts.
I’m not saying that teacher-led learning is a bad thing, but it is something to take into account if you find you are better off with teacher-led learning, or you know that you prefer to focus on other aspects of learning Modern Hebrew, or need different types of stimulation and activities in order for the language to stick for you.
Ulpan La-Inyan’s Unique Features
I found that the most unique thing about Ulpan La-Inyan is that it wasn’t so unique. It’s actually very old-school when it comes to teaching Modern Hebrew. That’s not to say that this approach doesn’t work, on the contrary, it is so successful because it does work and has worked, and has stood the test of time.
However, for modern learners, this might be a little lacking. Not to say, the approach might be off-putting, which is why I think that Ulpan La-Inyan could do a better job of explaining what is in its courses, because it would be a real shame for potential learners to miss out on what was a pretty good and interesting experience.
In the group lessons, the instructors taught us much more than just Modern Hebrew. They took us on a journey through the heart and soul of Israel. While the lessons were about learning a language, I also felt that I learned a lot more about modern Israel and the way it works, including historical insights, cultural anecdotes, and even discussions of current news and social issues. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have happened to the same extent had I been learning Modern Hebrew in a self-led course.
I would say then that the most unique feature of Ulpan La-Inyan’s Modern Hebrew course is just how holistic it is. It might sound counterintuitive, especially in a big group discussion, but I definitely came away with much more insight into the cultural and historical aspects of Israel, as well as where certain words came from, and how they’ve been influenced by Israel’s biblical background.
Ulpan La-Inyan’s Instructor Quality
Being such a teacher-led course, Ulpan La-Inyan’s instructors are the backbone of the course. I was initially a little worried about not being able to choose my teacher, and instead having to choose a time to learn based on my availability and my Hebrew level, but I got very lucky in this respect. Every instructor that I encountered was more or less a pretty good fit for me and knew how to lead a diverse group of students online. Their expertise, dedication, and passion for teaching really came through in every lesson. I also really appreciated how the instructors’ diverse backgrounds, global experiences, and deep knowledge of Hebrew and Israeli culture really brought a different aspect to different lessons and kept things fresh and interesting.
I will say that not all instructors’ were as engaging as the others, but that is to be expected when it comes to such a heavily led teacher-based language learning program.
Ulpan La-Inyan’s Cost and Value for Money
Ulpan La-Inyan does not come cheap. If you’re looking just to dip your toes in and try a few lessons here or there, then Ulpan La-Inyan might not be for you. A trial lesson will cost you around $50, but for a whole course of 10 lessons of an hour and a half each weekly, you’ll be looking at paying around $600 for the entire course.
If you’re looking for an in-depth, immersive Hebrew learning experience, then the cost will be a worthy investment for you, because there’s a reason why Ulpan La-Inyan gets the results it does. But if you’re more of a casual learner, or on a budget, the pricing might seem a little steep to you. I would say that I found the course worth it, and even for private lessons, Ulpan La-Inyan allows you to add several other students for a fraction of the full cost, for example adding a second student will reduce the cost for the second person by 20%, 30% of the third person and so on. This is a good idea for you if you’d like to learn with some friends, or at least not by yourself, and don’t want to run the risk of being in a group of learners with people you don’t know (as you would be in the group course).
I would say for me the price of the course was worth it, but I’m a very specific type of learner and even I had my doubts about whether this would be the Hebrew course for me. I was luckily surprised, but I was also very nervous at paying almost $600 and not knowing what I would be getting out of it in terms of the instructor and the fellow learners I would encounter in the group course.
Final Thoughts on Ulpan La-Inyan’s Modern Hebrew Course
I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed my learning experience with Ulpan La-Inyan. As I mentioned above, the price tag is rather hefty, and the potential for disappointment is high. I was surprised at how the old-school method of teacher-led learning really got the results that I’d been looking for, and how I managed to not just enjoy but thrive in the group learning environment, which was definitely a new experience for me.
However, if you enjoy more self-led study or interactive elements in your language learning, then this is likely not the language course for you. Similarly, if you’re more of a casual Modern Hebrew learner, or just want to test the waters out a little bit, I would suggest you look for other modern Hebrew language courses.