Chose Spanish schools to suit YOUR specific needs!

It is easy to chose Spanish schools - except for the range of courses, facilities and locations available. One-to-one tuition, for example, has many clear advantages. This is certainly the BEST way to learn Spanish and worth looking for Spanish schools which offer it
  • You learn at your own rate.
  • You can select topics of interest to YOU.
  • You will constantly communicate with your teacher who can correct errors and help you improve speedily.

Unfortunately, this works out to be a pretty expensive package in most Spanish schools.

If finance is a major issue,
it might be worth you while to look around and see if you could find some qualified Spanish speaker who might like to do an exchange with you: you could teach them English in exchange for Spanish lessons. If you go down this road with an informal arrangement like this rather than chose Spanish schools, you need to have your objectives established very clearly in your mind.

Otherwise, you might just end up wasting time. But, this formula could work well if you were prepared to organise and do most of the work yourself and just access your 'teacher' for confirmation about areas of doubt. Language teaching is exhausting: don't expect your impromtu teacher to be more interested that you are yourself.

Chose Spanish schools that offer a combination

You can combine One-to-One and group courses - most do
Such a combination is not only a very effective way of studying and can also reduce costs. Grammar, for example, can be learned just as well in a group as in a one-to-one situation. But, when it comes to practicing conversational skills, one-to-one beats group-work hands-down. So, if communicative Spanish is what you are looking for, this an important consideration if you chose Spanish schools.



Chose a Spanish school to suit your needs

h3>Business and business related courses in Spanish schools Business courses are mainly aimed at people with a prior knowledge of the language who need to acquire skills to use Spanish confidently in their business environment. Topics such as business-correspondence, presentations and telephone-training will be specifically stressed. Groups are usually small, about 6 students. Business students are usually highly motivated which makes progress more certain in the group.

If you chose to study Spanish for business, it would be wise to draw up a clear list of your precise needs. Talk this through with your School and make sure you both have the same thing in mind.

Spanish for tourism, medicine, flight attendants, lawyers etc
Some schools even offer business courses for specific fields such as: tourism, airline attendants, secretaries, lawyers, doctors, IT-specialists etc. These courses focus on specialised vocabulary and help you use this vocabulary with role-play and work simulation. These courses also work out more expensive, usually, but may well be worth the investment and you will make great progress and find it motivating to learn Spanish for some specific purpose. (You should have at least Beginners Spanish completed before you consider these courses).

Other courses and facilities in Spanish schools
Other than the previously introduced courses,

  • special courses for students
  • senior citizens or study years and
  • internship-courses are being offered.

Other considerations when you chose Spanish schools

  • How many hours of class per day is best?

    The number of lectures chosen mainly depends upon your goals. Four hours is adequate in most situations. Then, you can sightsee and enjoy the fun and excitement of Spanish life for the rest of the day. You can also spend time studying privately.

  • But, if you have special needs e.g. you want to pass an examination or you need Spanish for work, then, you might be wise to consider a more intensive courses. This will cost more, obviously, but if this is what you need, in the long term, it is the best investment.

  • Class sizes: Generally it is obvious, that the smaller the class size, the bigger your learning progress is going to be. Communicative Spanish is difficult to practice in bigger classes. (Unfortunately, the bigger the class - the cheaper the course when you chose Spanish schools).
  • What if I'm travelling on my own?

    This is probably the ideal. Most of your fellow-Spanish students will also be on their own, so you will have ample opportunity to make friends. The snag with going to learn Spanish with a pal is that the temptation to waste time speaking English might be overwhelming! This would seriously hamper your progress.

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