Spanish is a world language and is an official language in 22 countries. In several other countries, such as the USA, there are millions of Spanish speakers, often of Hispanic descent. In 2003, this amounted to 45 million people in the USA alone. You can probably just guess from these figures how many people you could speak to in their native language after learning Spanish in a school on your language travels. An estimated 388 million people. So it's really worth taking a language course.
To refresh your knowledge of Spanish or to learn a completely new language, you can attend a variety of language schools in Switzerland and abroad. Language courses are particularly popular in Spain, as this country is not too far away and the standard of living is more similar to Switzerland than in many parts of Latin America.
However, if you are drawn beyond the borders of Europe, there are a considerable number of countries which, in addition to language learning, will introduce you to a completely new culture and way of life that we Central Europeans are not familiar with. The experience you gain in a foreign country will certainly enrich your life immensely and give you a much better feel for the country, the language and the life of the locals than any language course in Switzerland could. More and more language schools are offering Spanish language courses in the following countries, among others:
- Spain
- Cuba
- Guatemala
- Costa Rica
- Argentina
- Chile
- Bolivia
- Mexico
- Ecuador
- Panama
- Dominican Republic
- Colombia
Within these individual countries, there are also a large number of cities that could be suitable for a language study trip. This means that it won't be easy for you to decide on a single language school in which to learn Spanish. However, we give you a little help in "How do I decide on the right school?".
Each language school has its own course types and course programs, which can vary greatly in terms of orientation, designation, duration, number of lessons, group size, admission requirements and many other points. It is therefore only advisable to compare the individual schools once you have researched the subject a little and already know which country you would like to study in. The course model is certainly an important criterion in the selection process, but not the only one.
Despite the variety of countries and options, it can be said that there are some basic similarities when it comes to course orientation. For example, you will find standard courses almost everywhere, which cater for everyone from beginners to advanced learners of Spanish. These standard courses usually comprise 20 lessons, sometimes more, which are completed per week. If you would like to study the language more intensively, intensive courses offer the perfect opportunity. In a language course comprising around 30 lessons, you will be trained more intensively and can therefore make faster progress.
In addition to these two types of Spanish courses, many schools also offer further education courses that combine standard courses and private lessons. You will benefit from sociable lessons with your fellow students and consolidate what you have learned in the Spanish language course during a few private lessons with a private teacher. In this way, your linguistic expression is encouraged and all your questions and problems can be discussed in detail.
In some places you will also find other Spanish course models that prepare you for upcoming language exams, for example, or offer you one-to-one tuition or a combination of language training and leisure activities, such as Spanish and dancing, Spanish and culture or Spanish and cooking.
It is not always easy to find the right Spanish language school for your needs. The choice of providers and offers is very large, so you should first obtain information documents from some of the schools you are interested in. This will give you a good overview of all the possible courses and allow you to choose the one that suits you best. Once you have found a model that interests you, such as a standard course, you can now start looking for the schools that offer such a course. First of all, compare the duration and number of individual lessons. It then makes sense to take a closer look at the size of the course and the minimum age in order to narrow it down further.
Next, take a closer look at the language school. Where is it located? Is it far away from the sights, the city center and the beach? If you have already decided on a city, the number of suitable schools will already have been minimized and you will be able to make a targeted selection. What accommodation is on offer? How far are they from the school and the places of interest? What are the school and accommodation facilities like? What qualifications, training and further training do the teachers have?
You should answer all of these questions in order to quickly and successfully find the right language school for your language travel in Spanish. You can also find out which other points will make your search easier and are important in our guide "How to choose the right education provider". (see navigation point "Education help" above. You can find clear information and numerous offers for language courses to learn Spanish at Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch. Order free online documentation on the various travel offers and book your language vacation!