Colonial Spanish School

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 7-12 months

Description: Our philosophy is to treat both staff and students with respect, and to learn from cultural differences. We encourage an atmosphere of support, openness and understanding. The courses include not only the Spanish language but also South American cultural awareness. We believe that it is important not only to teach you the Spanish language, but also to help you understand and acclimatise to South American life. And of course, we want you to have fun in the process!

General Information About the Courses
Tuition is usually one-to-one (one teacher, one student). We prefer teaching this way, as it gives students the full attention of the teacher and allows us to tailor the classes to fit your needs. However, we can also offer group classes.

Although we generally recommend four hours study a day, you choose how many hours you want to study per week, and whether you prefer morning or afternoon classes.

Our teachers: Our teachers are our most valuable resource! Each teacher has been selected carefully by our academic director not only for their extensive teaching experience, but also because they embody the objectives and principles of the school.

Each teacher has studied Spanish language and literature to a high level. In addition, they are all qualified to teach Spanish as a second language. We permanently supervise our teachers, and on Fridays we have teachers' seminars so that we constantly share experiences and continue learning as teachers. We recommend that you change teacher each week, so that you experience a range of different accents and teaching styles. Of course, if you find a teacher that particularly suits you, you're welcome to stick with them for the full course.

Highlights: Colonial Spanish School is a small sized school situated in central Quito, between the new and old parts of the city. You'll only have a short walk to the post offices, banks, money exchanges, internet cafes, embassies and major hotels and hostels. We are also very close to the main tourist area, where you will find cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs.

The school was founded in 1991 by an European and an Ecuadorian, with the aim of bringing together the best of European and Latin American culture: European gravity and structure with South American 'joy of life'. This doesn't mean that we only take European students ' in fact, many of our students come from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, etc. We'd like to point out that our name doesn't mean that we celebrate colonialism, but rather that we celebrate the heritage of Quito, the beautiful colonial architecture of the old city, for example.

Although Colonial is based in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, if students wish to study in other parts of Ecuador we can arrange this. In fact, we recommend this as Ecuador is a country full of contrasts and through studying in different areas you will experience the diversity of our beautiful country. Colonial Spanish School is licensed by the Ministary of Education, so we can give you certificates of competence when you successfully complete a level. (In order to get a certificate directly from the Ministary, you must study at least three months). We are recommended by The South American Explorer's Club, Reise Know-How, etc.

Qualifications: no necessary

Cost in US$: 20 spanish lessons + home stay US$ 184 per week

- one single room
- 3 meals per day
- laundry service

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Within Colonial, we run a Charity called Caritas Alegres. The aim of this programme is to help disable children, as we fund the program from the profits of Colonial School. This charity has different programs such as: a supporting educational program for integration; clubs, learning shops, and a space for disable orphan children. If you must know more about this charity please contact us.. Another social program we run is called Solidarity. The aim of this programme is to teach English to many people in Quito. The teachers are all volunteers who have some previous experience of teaching English. In addition to the English classes, we also provide free translations to NGOs. We hope, that by having more workers who can communicate in English, these NGOs will be able to cement strong partnerships with foreign organizations. In addition to the two programmes we run directly from the school, we have contacts with different NGOs. These NGOs are involved in diverse areas, including work with children, human rights, women, black peoples rights, ecological projects amongst others. Volunteering is a really good way of practicing your Spanish and giving something back into the community here. We encourage students to consider volunteering alongside (or after) studying Spanish, and often arrange volunteering placements with NGOs. If youd like more information about voluntary work, please contact us by post of email, with your enquiry. Its helpful if you give us information about yourself  your education/work experience, level of Spanish; your interests etc. This will help us to find you a voluntary placement which wil use your skills and experience and will be rewarding for you. Please note: you dont have to be a student at Colonial to use this service. There is no administrative cost to volunteers or NGOs taking part in the programme.

Age Range: 16 -

This Program is open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Colonial Spanish School's Mission Statement: Our main aim is to provide high quality Spanish language instruction and cross-cultural education in an atmosphere of respect for the individual. A secondary aim is to contribute to a greater understanding among people of diverse cultural backgrounds

Year Founded: 1991