New year, new opportunities! At UniSpain, we have added some excellent and exciting new Spanish language schools to our offering. Whether you’re considering a gap year, a DELE course or just two weeks of fun in the sun while learning the lingo (or dancing flamenco), one of our Top 5 new schools is bound to be a sound choice for you. Let’s have a closer look…
#5 – Escuela Delengua in Granada
This Granada school, Escuela Delengua, is fun and young. It is also well-priced if you book slightly longer courses. To boot, you’ll be walking distance from the incredible Alhambra Castle in a historic district, which is full of Andalusian and Moorish architecture, shops, delicious tapas restaurants and nightlife.
The school is well equipped with WiFi, a computer lab, a library of books and DVDs, and it also has accommodation in the same building. The teachers are all young, degree-qualified native Spanish speakers, and create fun, intensive lessons where participation is highly encouraged. The school also organises social events and outings that are geared to get you chatting away in Spanish in a relaxed environment, from day one.
Courses run from 2 weeks to 12 months, and the lesson length is 45 minutes. The Intensive course at this school consists of 20 weekly lessons and prices start at 247€ (£203 or $336) for two weeks. But if you choose a longer course, at higher intensity, you’ll get increasing value for your money. For example, for a four-week course including 20 Spanish classes and 10 weekly one-to-one lessons, you’d pay only 1088€ (£894 or $1480).*
#4 – Babylon Idiomas Madrid
This is a great school in every sense. The Babylon Idiomas chain is well-established and has won two awards for Best Language School in 2008 and 2011. Its location is also top notch: you’ll be walking distance from Puerta del Sol (Madrid’s epicentre), the Prado Museum and the Gran Via. You cannot get more central than Babylon Idiomas Madrid, and from here, you’ll have easy access to all of Spain’s capital city by foot, metro or city bus.
This school has modern premises with six classrooms, WiFi and computers for student use, and the native degree-qualified teachers are carefully recruited and chosen for their knowledge as well as for their friendly and positive personalities. There is a very active after-class schedule of fun get-togethers, dance classes, wine tasting and socialising – all part of the program and there to help you pick up Spanish as pleasantly and quickly as possible.
This school’s prices are very reasonable. Courses begin at two-weeks and you can stay for as long as you wish. The 20-hour Intensive Course, including 20 weekly 50-minute Spanish lessons, and lasting two weeks, would cost you only 288€ (£237 or $392). If you want to extend your stay to two months, you’d still only pay 1152€ (£947 or $1568).*
#3 – Instituto Mediterraneo Sol Granada
Our third new favourite school is also based in Granada. The Instituto Mediterraneo Sol is a well-run language school with an impressive 20 years of experience in its field. Plus you just cannot beat Granada for versatility – the city has everything from culture and history, to buzzing student life, tapas, skiing and flamenco. Not to mention, once again, the amazing Alhambra Castle, which is an absolute must-see.
Apart from five modern classrooms with WiFi and audio-visual equipment, the IMS teachers all have a CAP teaching certificate, apart from being native Spanish speakers and having a Spanish linguistics degree. There are plenty of free activities like cultural talks, debates and international dinners and you can also opt for excursions to the Sierra Nevada ski resort, and other paid-for activities organised by the school.
There are three different intensive courses available. Prices go up on a sliding scale, and you’ll get more value the longer you book. For example, a two-week “Intensive I” course comprised of 20 weekly lessons is priced at 361€ (£297 or $492), but a four-week “Intensive III” course with 30 weekly lessons costs 936€ (£769 or $1273).*
#2 – Babylon Idiomas Sevilla
Another Babylon Idiomas school takes second place on our Top 5 New Schools list: Babylon Idiomas Sevilla. One of the reasons why we love this school is that you can do a Spanish + Flamenco course here. Seville is also a very romantic old Andalusian city.
Like its Madrid sister-school, Babylon Sevilla offers a good range of courses, and employs highly qualified native Spanish teachers. At the Seville premises, you’ll additionally enjoy a student common room with WiFi, a kitchen, and an outdoor sun patio. Granada has a small city centre, and because Babylon Sevilla is located right in the historic quarter, you’ll be able to walk to all the important cultural monuments, shops, tapas restaurants, flamenco tablao bars and nightlife venues.
The prices are exactly the same as Babylon Madrid’s, so for example, a three-week course consisting of 20 weekly Spanish lessons, costs 432€ (£355 or $588). A two-week high intensity course comprised of 30 lessons per week costs 391€ (£321 or $531).*
#1 – AIL Madrid
Our number one new school is AIL Madrid. This school simply offers so much detailed attention to their students that we think they deserve to be on top of the list.
First of all, AIL Madrid has a nice range of course programmes, from Intensive Courses, to DELE preparation, Business Spanish and specialist courses like the 50+ Course and School Revision Spanish Courses for both UK and US students. But AIL Madrid also knows how to get creative: how about a Rural Spanish Course that takes you all over Spain’s mystical Don Quijote Country?
Now, to the nitty gritty – this is where AIL Madrid really exceeds expectations. Firstly, the school compensates for every single lesson and after-class activity missed due to bank holidays, regardless of the time of year. Not many schools in Spain do this, and it means that you’ll get total value for money for the time you book, even if it falls on Easter or during local holidays.
Secondly, this school gives students some added extras, like a 24-hour emergency telephone number, free Spanish mobile phone hire and a dedicated Student Care team. Combined with the school’s location, right in the chic, central Barrio Salamanca, you’re in for a very comfortable stay.
Prices start from 323€ (£266 or $441) for the standard two-week intensive course, which includes 20 lessons of Spanish per week. The courses can be built up to any number of weeks, and you can add additional lessons and subjects to your course. For example, if you book 20 Spanish classes per week, plus 5 one-to-one lessons, during a period of four weeks, this will cost you 1216€ (£1001 or $1660).*
* Prices subject to change, quoted in January 2014.
Spanish Language School Comparison – Babylon Idiomas Madrid vs. Babylon Idiomas Sevilla
