If you are looking for a good language school in Spain, that has a solid reputation, very reasonable rates and located in an exciting destination city, you need not look any further.
The Sampere language school in the heart of Madrid offers great value for money, especially on slightly longer-term Spanish language programmes, plus an excellent variety of courses and an emphasis on lots of cultural and free-time activities. It also employs excellent teaching staff, has over 50 years’ experience in teaching Spanish to foreign students, and is situated only a short walk away from Prado Museum in the city’s famous Salamanca district.
All in all, an excellent choice if you are looking to study Spanish in Spain.
Getting there and around
The school is very easily accessed both from abroad, as well as within the Madrid city limits. The international Madrid Barajas airport serves all of the world’s major airlines, and both city buses and underground Metro lines have stops very close to the school itself.
The school, its teachers, facilities and students
Sampere is a chain of Spanish schools with three schools, one in Madrid, one in Alicante and one in Valencia. Founded in 1956, the school has built a sound reputation and is experienced in offering Spanish as a foreign language to students from abroad.
The Madrid branch is pretty big compared to many other privately run Spanish schools in the country – it usually caters to about 50 Spanish language students at a time and its yearly student intake is around 2000. There is a good mix of nationalities, with about half the students coming from various European countries and the UK, a quarter from the United States, and the rest, from all around the globe.
There are 25 classrooms, a common room area for students to hang out in, a library and a video room, and of course, WiFi. The school has been recently refurbished, so you’ll definitely find the facilities very modern.
Special Offers Sampere Madrid
UniSpain is currently offering a 10% discount on all courses longer than 8 weeks at any Sampere schools. Click here for more information and to book!
The teachers, lessons and class size
The teachers at Sampere all have a university degree in Spanish philology, and frequently attend on-going training courses to keep their teaching techniques up to date.
Sampere has its own language teaching method, which has been developed over several decades. The school uses Spanish language books, focuses intensely on conversation, as well as audio-visual and real life materials. This all-round immersion system makes it learn Spanish both fun and easy for students.
One of the great things about Sampere Madrid is that the class sizes are very small, with a maximum of 9 people in each one – usually the average classes work out at 6-8 students. The lessons duration of 45 minutes, however, is slightly less than in some other schools, but this may be preferable to some students who find shorter lessons increase their focus and concentration.
The courses take place from Monday to Friday, excluding Spanish national, and Madrid regional and local bank holidays. Morning lessons run from 09.00 to 10.30, and 11.00 to 12.30, and afternoon classes are held after lunch time, from 14.30 to 16.00 and 16.30 to 18.00.
Course length ranges from two weeks to a full year. Students are divided into seven different proficiency levels, which, combined with small class sizes, is advantageous: there is a high likelihood that you’ll be matched with classmates who will help you to progress at the right pace.
Another bonus is that books are included on the course, you will not have to pay for them separately.
School Activities
Not all schools offer as much in terms of cultural and extra-curricular activities as the Sampere Madrid. The school’s ethos is based on language learning both in and out of class, and the teachers and other staff regularly encourage students to join in activities that help them to learn Spanish in real life situations outside the school, and help them to get know Madrid, as well as gaining a good understanding of Spanish culture.
The types of extra activities depend on the course you have chosen and the length of your course, but these can include:
- 1-3 culture classes per week
- Guided tours to famous Madrid museums like the Prado once a week
- 3 monthly day excursions to Toledo, Segovia or other cities of historic interest in the area
- Business Spanish for some professional courses
- 4-8 salsa lessons for those on combined Spanish and dance courses
- Night-life events, Spanish cuisine tours and organised events and parties at the weekends
With some activities, like concerts, tours and museums, students need to bear in mind tickets, transport and other elements may not included and may need to be paid for separately.
Range of courses
The Sampere School in Madrid offers a huge variety of courses. The most popular courses are the Intensive courses (see below for more information), and the school also offers Super Intensive and Intensive Plus course options with more Spanish classes added on. Students can also do DELE training and exams through the school, Spanish language teacher training, and university preparation.
There is also a wide selection of age-specific courses, from youth programmes for varying ages and a 50+ course for mature students who wish to study with others their own age.
Finally, students can also take part in exciting activity-led courses, one of the most popular being the Spanish and Salsa course with 4-8 salsa classes per week held by a professional teacher and of course organised trips out to salsa clubs in the city.
Intensive courses
The Intensive course is probably the school’s most popular course and it is well rated by students. It is available for all levels, from total beginner proficiency to the most advanced Spanish speakers.
The course always takes place from Monday to Friday, and consists of 20 weekly lessons, held for a group of up to 9 students.
The goal of the Intensive course is to develop Spanish speech, listening comprehension, reading skills and writing in Spanish. These four elements are structured with grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary training.
Because Sampere’s philosophy is to get students communicating quickly, the classes aim to increase overall improve fluency, build vocabulary and boost the students’ confidence in expressing themselves in Spanish.
Start Dates
Students who already have a certain level of Spanish, can start a course practically any Monday of the year, bar Christmas, Easter or Bank Holidays. There are specific starting dates for complete beginners, however, so get more information from UniSpain on these.
Prices
The Sampere Madrid prices begin at 409€ for a two-week intensive course, including 20 Spanish lessons and 4 culture classes each week. But as you add more weeks on, the prices quickly become more attractive. For example, a 6-week course will only cost you 1078€, and a full 12 weeks only 1674€. Find out more.
Accommodation
If you wish, accommodation can also be arranged when you book the course through UniSpain. Shared student flat prices (single room) begin from 300€ per fortnight, and a single room with a host family during two weeks (including two meals per day from Monday to Friday and all meals at the weekend) is 410€. Longer stays are very welcome, so check all the available prices by clicking here.
Ready to jump on a plane?
Overall, the Sampere Madrid school offers good tuition, as well as super value and lots of fun activities – everything that a student of the Spanish language could hope for. But if you are not convinced yet, why not visit UniSpain’s website and try to compare Sampere Madrid with the other Spanish schools available in Madrid? You can also use it to check out over 40 different accredited Spanish schools in Spain, including eight public Spanish universities that have an SSL program for foreign students.
¡Bienvenido a España! We hope to meet you soon!
