I'm planning on going to Spain for at least a year to live in Europe and study Spanish. Does anyone have good (or bad!) reviews of schools in the country? There are so many I'm having a hard time telling who is better, or most effective! Especially because I only have the web to base all this off of. Any first hand experiences will be greatly appriciated!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
You will need to have the schooling set up before you go, since you can't stay longer than 90 days without a student visa. The 90 limit applies to most of western Europe, and is a total (not 90 per country). Perhaps you could get some advice as to good schools from your local university foreign language department.
Posted by
Boston
380 posts
Anna, What are your goals as far as studying Spanish? Do you need college credits? Is this just for fun? If it is the latter, you could look at the schools that are certified by the Cervantes Institute. This is the Spanish equivalent to Alliance Francais for French and the Goethe Institute for German. They would have met the government standards. The curriculum is standardized. There might be a Cervantes Institute in Sacarmento or nearby in California for you to get started and give you an idea of how the schools are run. Or they might be able to recommend schools for you. Go to Notesinspanish.com It is a website by a British guy, Ben, living in Madrid. He might be able to give you some advice. If it is the former, then you could look at American universities that offer a year abroad.
I envy you. I want to do what you are planning. One of these days...
Posted by
OP
Sacramento
2 posts
Thank you for the replies! I don't necessarily need college credits from the school, although that would be nice, but I'm going because I think it is a good way to learn the culture and language while traveling. I'm having a difficult time picking a language school out of the dozens available in every city! I'm thinking I will just go over for a few months with one school, and sign up for others in different cities after I am already in Spain.