Does an expensive Spanish school always guarantee a better quality experience? In this article, we compare the most and least expensive schools that we at UniSpain offer: Malaca Instituto and Hispania Valencia, respectively. Malaca Instituto is widely considered to be the best private Spanish school in the country, whereas Hispania Valencia is known to be a cost-effective option. Of course, it is not one of the cheapest schools in the country, because we only work with the best schools in Spain. However, amongst the established schools with good reputations, it is definitely one of the most economical choices.
Classes
Both schools offer typical Spanish courses, such as standard, intensive, long-term and DELE preparation courses.
Malaca Instituto offers its students an innovative selection of courses, such as a ‘superintensive’ course which comprises a total of 30 hours per week along with smaller group sizes. The school also offers mature classes- a fantastic idea for those that do not wish to study alongside teenagers and students. Additionally, there is a broad range of specialized Spanish courses: from Spanish for teachers, to Spanish and cookery or dance, and even Spanish and internships. It also offers students the chance to learn more about Hispanic culture with its Hispanic studies course.
Hispania Valencia also provides an impressive assortment of courses for specific purposes, including Spanish for tourism, law and catering,
amongst others. Again, students are not limited to learning only the Spanish language; there are options to study Spanish and Latin American literature, cinema, art and history.
Both schools have class sizes of a maximum of 10 students. Hispania Valencia offers students more flexibility: they can select their own class hours and change as they wish.
Reputation
Founded in 1971, Malaca Instituto possesses over 40 years of experience. It has won the STM Industry Awards Super Star Award for the best Spanish school worldwide a staggering five times (in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013)– meaning that it forms part of their Hall of Fame as a Superstar school. Incredibly, it was the first Spanish school to achieve this.
Although it is a relatively newer school, having been founded in 2002, Hispania Valencia is still perceived as a strong contender in the Spanish teaching market. In 2014 it was shortlisted for a Super Star Award for best Spanish school, and in 2013 it won an Education Stars Award for Best Language School in Spain (as voted by students).
Both schools are accredited by many institutions, including the Instituto Cervantes (the authority on Spanish language teaching) Fedele and Eaquals, amongst others.
Facilities
Malaca Instituto boasts 25 classrooms- all equipped with air conditioning and audiovisual equipment. There is also a computer room, library, student lounge, restaurant, bar, various terraces and even a pool! Not to mention a sports and dance room which provides students with free classes.
The facilities of Hispania Valencia include 15 classrooms, a library, a student room and a computer room, as well as two terraces.
With regards to accommodation, Hispania Valencia offers a choice to stay with a host family or in residences and shared flats with either single or double rooms.
All of the above are also offered by Malaca Instituto, but with more of a choice and more luxury options. Two types of apartments are available: Type A, which are only 10 minutes from the school and come with air conditioning and a swimming pool, or Type B, which are slightly further away and with less mod cons and so accordingly less expensive. The Club Hispánico is a luxury on-site residence, with a choice of single, double and triple rooms, as well as executive rooms, all equipped with private bathrooms, free WiFi and a cleaning service.
Activities
Both schools offer a variety of cultural and recreational activities, including sports, cookery and dance classes. Students are given guided tours
of Valencia and Malaga respectively, which include visits to each city’s cultural attractions.
You will never get bored at Malaca Instituto: sports activities take place every single afternoon and there is a cultural talk every Thursday. Students can choose adventure activities such as kayaking and hiking. There are day trips arranged to towns within the province of Malaga, as well as weekend trips to other cities in Andalusia such as Seville, Granada, Cordoba, amongst others.
The activities offered at Hispania Valencia are similarly varied: students have the opportunity to go on weekend excursions to Spanish cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Mallorca, as well as day trips to places within the province such as Calpe beach and Morella. However, the downside is that in winter, the weekend excursions do not take place, and daily activities are reduced to 1-2 times per week.
It appears that you get what you pay for in both cases: Malaca Instituto is the luxury option, perfect for those that want an all-round experience with extra facilities and extracurricular activities to enjoy whilst studying. Hispania Valencia is a great option for those on a tight budget that do not mind passing up on the extras whilst studying Spanish in Spain. Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed to have a great time!
