CONTENTS

1. PLEASE READ!

2. TYPES OF COURSE

3. COURSE PRICES

4. ACCOMMODATION

5. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

6. ROUTES and EXCURSIONS

 

PLEASE READ!

As an exciting stage in your journey with us we are really pleased to offer the chance of boosting your Spanish by learning with our partner school in Valladolid, a historical city in the heart of Castilla. This academy is one of the most renowned Spanish academies in the country with many years of experience. You will be able to turbo-charge your Spanish not only through the intensive courses on offer but also through the experience of living and eating with a Spanish family throughout your stay. In addition to that, you will be fully immersed in Spanish culture in one of the most historically important cities in Spain. To really make the most of such an experience we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you have a reasonable level of Spanish before you embark on this adventure. Around about the level where you could pass a DELE A1 exam or above should be fine. In our system that would be to those who are at Block K or higher. That is, we recommend that you are at a place where you are beginning to gain confidence with the use of past tenses.

 

TYPES OF COURSE

The following types of course are currently on offer:

GENERAL SPANISH: Courses cover the six levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 established by the Common European Framework Reference for Languages.

DELE PREPARATION: Courses cover the six levels above and prepare pupils to take the corresponding DELE exam. This may be taken either in Spain or in the UK

BUSINESS SPANISH: Courses are orientated towards those pupils, who for professional reasons, wish to focus on Spanish for Business. In these courses pupils study Spanish from the perspective of the work place and daily office life, including commercial correspondence, how to write a CV, how to write formal letters, the area of customer support etc and any other aspect of Business Spanish in which the pupil wishes to improve; special attention is given to pronunciation and fluency.

COURSE PRICES

All pupils that register with our partner school will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of 50 euros, This covers the cost of teaching material, course certificate, library access, videoteca and internet

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Intensive courses

Various intensive courses are offered which differ by the number of classes taken per week:

Combined courses

Alternatively, pupils can opt for combined courses where they can learn Spanish through a mixture of group and individual sessions:

One:One - One:Two

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is provided in the homes of Spanish families, with an individual bedroom. The best way to understand the Spanish culture is to live and spend time with a typical Spanish family; to be in constant contact with them, observing their customs, and of course practicing your Spanish as you inevitably compare cultures.

The families that accommodate our pupils have been inspected and selected by the academy staff. The majority of families have considerable experience at accommodating our pupils

If you wish, you may also stay in one of many local hotels in the locality. However, if you do so, you will have to arrange the accommodation yourselves. In addition, the linguistic experience is not likely to be as fruitful. In short, we THOUROUGHLY RECOMMEND the family option.

Accommodation terms: Spanish Family

The price includes sheets, blankets, towels, electricity, gas, water, laundry [once a week].

The centre will take full responsibility for the family. Any incident, complaints, request to extend stay or any other question related to the accommodation will be addressed via the administration at the centre.

Change of accommodation requires the approval of the centre. The centre admin will analyse the reasons and provide the pupil with alternative options as quickly as possible.

The centre is responsible for the payment of the family. If you wish to extend your stay you should make your request via the centre administration.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

In addition to the Spanish classes our partner also offer the possibility of experiencing Spanish culture via various guided activities in and around Valladolid. These include as excursions, visits to museums, exhibitions and cultural events. Two types of cultural activity are on offer to pupils:

Type A

• Cooking Workshop: Including materials and of course the final tasting :)

• Wine tasting: For over 18's. Includes wine

[Type A activities are for groups of 5 persons or more and take place in the academic centre]

Type B

• Guided open top bus tour of Valladolid with stops in key venues

• Organisation of lunches, afternoon tea or evening meals in local bodegas. Price of meal not included.

• Sports activities: football, basketball, tennis, pádel, beach volley, rugby

• Guided visits to art exhibitions, including painting, photography and sculpture

• Art workshops in local museums

• Guided tours of local museums [art, science and sculpture]

• Guided tours of famous houses [Columbus, Cervantes, Zorilla]

• Guided tour of the "Casco Viejo" [old part of town]

• Theatre visits [does not include entrance fee

• Guided tour of Valladolid University Library

• Watching Spanish films together

• Boat trip along the River Pisuerga on the "Leyenda del Pisuerga"

• Take the "Rios de Luz" tour through Valladolid at night. This is a route of illuminated iconic buildings and monuments in the historic part of town

ROUTES AND EXCURSIONS

Routes [More local: within Castilla y Leon].

Routes can be undertaken for groups of 8 or more people.

Route 1: Wamba - Santa Espina [monestario*] - Urueña

Route 2: Olmedo [Parque temático Mudejar*] - Villas romanas - Ávila

Route 3: Bodegas La Seca* - Salamanca

* Doesn't include the price of entry

Excursions [Further afield: beyond Castilla y Leon]

Excursions require a group of 10 or more people and depends on the availability of the vehicle. The cost will vary according to the number of pupils on the trip. A guide can be provided for an additional fee.

Excursion 4: Madrid

Excursion 5: Santander

Excursion 6: León