I am going to learn some Spanish in Madrid and Barcelona, I hope. Until now I looked at a few websites of language schools but cannot quite make up my mind which to choose. On the message board I read about Enforex and find it rather discouraging. Does anybody know about Estudio Hispanico?
It is going to be my first course, but I know a bit of Spanish anyway and I would like to learn some more tenses than the present. Please give your judgements.

Hey Annette, SKIP BARCELONA, it is NOT the place to go to learn Spanish. Don't get me wrong, it is a great city and I have been there at least 7 times. Go see it but don't go there to learn Spanish.

My "Learn Spanish" section at http://www.multimadrid.com/learnspanish has a link to a page with some Spanish language schools in Madrid.

Don't get discouraged about ENFOREX by what you read on that ENFOREX THREAD, there were both good and bad reviews of it there so maybe you would like it.

=elemadrid= (aside from being my main sponsor ) is a serious, high quality school and a nice place to study if you are over 20 yrs. old (they do not accept anyone under 20), see http://www.elemadrid.com/english.htm for details.

Never heard of "Estudio Hispanico", can you give us their website address here?

As for learning more than just present tense, all schools give you a "test de nivel" (level test) on or before your first day to see where you should be placed but you can insist on joining a higher level clas to learn more in depthe tenses.

Also, don�t forget about the imprtance of practicing and living Spanish outside of the classroom as well as in.

One of the best ways to do this is via an intercambio with Spaniards (believe me, there are plenty who who would LOVE to have an intercambio with you). See my Spanish intercambios offered on my classifieds section at www.multimadrid.com/classifieds (just look for the "*intercambios" category in the menu at left (it is the "spanish offered" link)

Saludos,
jer...

What a coinkidink ! Just this afternoon (after posting the above message) I got an e-mail from Estudio Hisp�nico asking to be added to my list of Spanish language schools in Madrid, so they are now there as well.

I am going to have to go check out their school here, super spy mission

Maybe I will fake that I do not speak Spanish and have them show me around the school as a prospective student

Saludos,
jer...

Hello jer,

So, have you checked out Estudio Hispanico. I am also interested what are they like. I have plannes on comming in December but it is so hard to find the school which is working through all of December.

PS. You have done such a great thing with your site, keep it this way!

I know you recommend learning Spanish in Madrid, but my instructor recommended an interesting school. It is called La Janda and is located in Andulacia (Vejer de la Frontera). The prices are fabulous and the village quaint. Anyone familiar with this place? I wonder if the weather in April is nice? With the airfares still pretty low, I am considering it....

Jer, since you have your picture posted... I suggest you send in an undercover operator on your spy mission!

quote:

Vejer de la Frontera...Anyone familiar with this place? I wonder if the weather in April is agradable?

I was in Vejer in April '88, the weather was perfect. It was the perfect place to de-stress after 2 weeks of independent travel in Morocco.

I don't know if it has grown much, but back then it was so small that the only place to stay was renting a room in a private home. If you are interested in nightlife, it would not be what you want. :z: However, if you were going there to study and take in the life of small town Andalucia, it would be great.

Hey all.

Hey jelena, have not had a chance to investigate the folks at Estudio Hispanico.

quote:

"Jer, since you have your picture posted... I suggest you send in an undercover operator on your spy mission!"

Hey espe3, nah, I just go without the chopsticks in hand and fool them

TonyG, I hate to play devils advocate here (only like to do that on other message boards ) but could your instructor be on the "take" (ie commissions on anyone he/she sends to that school in Vejer de la Frontera. I have been to Vejer de la Frontera (as well as most of the "..de la Fronteras" ), beautiful but in my widest dreams I can't imagine a Spanish language school being able to survive there. I found the La Janda website (www.lajanda.org) so I'll be a monkeys uncle!!!

I am still going to stick to my guns and recommend that one studies Spanish a bit further North, Madrid & Salamanca would be my top choices.

I can see how the call of Andaluc�a could tempt students to take classes there as well Andaluc�a is absolutely AWESOME! I am sure that La Janda and Vejer would be a wonderful experience, just not the best place to learn Spanish in my opinion.

Paul, I agree with you 100%. I was in Vejer in July (hot!) of 1997 but that was to be expected during the summer. I think that April would ba great there. Vejer has grown quite a bit but also retains the charm, as you say, of "small town Andalucia".

Saludos,
jer...

Jer,

I would love to know why you recommend studying further North. I think Cartagena has a lot going for it:

1. It's cheap, which means if you want to have a base for three months while you learn enough Spanish to operate independently, you can do it without blowing all of your dollars or pounds or whatever on rent.

2. No one here speaks English and there are very few foreigners, which makes immersion unavoidable (unless you try really hard).

3. We have the best weather in all of Spain. It was too hot today for me to wear a jumper, and it's the very end of November.

I would love to hear from anyone interested in coming to Spain to learn Spanish, especially if you:

1. Know nothing or very little of Spanish.

2. Intend to stay for a year or more.

I have in mind an all-in package of 20-30 hours of classes with a qualified native teacher (max 4 or 7 like ELE) that includes accommodation for a lot less than ELE charge. I know they are famed for their professionalism but I also know that not everybody's made of money, and my plan is to create a small school/settling-in service that feels like a pair of comfortable shoes, if you get my drift.

I have a network of incredibly helpful people who will help people settle in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Granada or Sevilla.

If you are thinking of coming I would love to hear from you what you are looking for, what you feel would be important to the success of this kind of business.

I would also like to hear from anyone qualified in the teaching of Spanish to foreigners. Even if you're not from Murcia and would come here to teach, I would like to know what you make, why you choose to work where you do, and other helpful pieces of information like that.

All input welcome!

Cheers,

Duncan

hey Duncan, thanks for the insight!!! Good to have a man working for us in that part of Spain

My recommendation of Madrid and Salamanca stems mostly from the neutrality of the accent as compared to much of Andaluc�a but to tell ya the truth I had not given Murcia much thought.

Saludos,
jer...

That's alright jer, no one gives Murcia much thought...