SPANISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL ABROAD

A Spanish language school abroad is by far the best way to perfect and improve your Spanish. There's no substitute for actually visiting, and living in, a Spanish-speaking country if you want to polish off your accent, pick up everyday colloquial expressions, and, in general, get to know the culture of the people whose language you're learning. However, it's a big investment, so I should like to help you choose the most suitable Spanish language school abroad for your particular needs.

Recommended Spanish Language School Abroad

To choose the most suitable Spanish language school abroad for you specific requirements, just visit the following website:

ABT Language Services: Spanish Courses Abroad

You can be sure that all the schools included on this site satisfy the following quality criteria:

• The recommended Spanish schools have been teaching Spanish for a minimum of 3 years and have built up a solid reputation.
• The schools are accredited by the relevant educational authorities and/or are members of respected professional associations.
• The schools employ only qualified teachers of Spanish.
• The schools offer Spanish Language classes and social and cultural activities throughout the year.
• The recommended Spanish language schools have an appropriately qualified and experienced person on their staff responsible for their students' welfare.

Which Country?

The country you choose for your Spanish language school abroad should really depend on your purpose for learning Spanish - or, to be  more precise, the type of people you're going to be talking to in Spanish. If you're going to be talking to mainly Spanish people, go to Spain; if you're going to be talking mainly to Mexicans, go to Mexico; etc.

If you're going to be talking to Latin Americans of different nationalities, then you need to find a country with a kind of neutral accent. In this case, your ideal Spanish language school abroad could well be located in Ecuador or Chile - both of these countries have accents that are easily understood all over Latin America (and in Spain).

Which City?

When it comes to choosing the city or town for your Spanish language school abroad, my advice is to go for a city or town where you know you're going to feel comfortable. If you don't like large cities, don't choose a capital, like Madrid or Quito, just because it has more things to see. You'll find plenty to see and do in smaller towns, and you'll live much better and more cheaply - and you can always visit the capital one weekend, or at the end of your course.

Which Course?

Once you've chosen the location for your Spanish language school abroad, you need to think about the course. The two main variables are:

• individual v. group classes
• intensive (e.g. 25/30 hours per week) v semi-intensive (e.g. 15/20 hours per week)

As regards the individual v. group choice, it's really a matter of personal preference - some students feel better - and more protected - in a group, while others feel shy in a group and prefer individual classes. The main thing to bear in mind is that the higher your level, the more difference you will notice in progress between an individual class and a group class - at beginner level, you will notice very little difference if you go for an individual class, while group classes can be much more frustrating the higher your level.

Finally, the ideal number of hours per week to study at your Spanish language school abroad will depend upon the length of your course. If you're going for a couple of weeks only, it makes sense to try to get more classes in per week. But, as soon as you go over three or four weeks, opt for a semi-intensive course - if you try to do too much you'll find that your brain simply cannot take in more information after a certain limit. Besides, you chose a Spanish language school abroad so that you could "live" the language - and you don't do that in a classroom!

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