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City/State: Quito |
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Country: ECUADOR
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| Colonial Spanish School |
Vargas 661
Pichincha
ECUADOR
59322
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Program description: |
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The Colonial Spanish School offers Spanish classes for all levels. Students can live with an Ecuadorian family and become involved with social work. Study and travel with your teacher around Ecuador.
About the School:
Our school was founded in 1991 by an European and an Ecuadorian, with the aim of bringing together the best of European and Latin American culture: European gravity and structure with South American “joy of life”. This doesn’t mean that we only take European students – in fact, many of our students come from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, for example. We’d like to point out that our name doesn’t mean that we celebrate colonialism, but rather that we celebrate the heritage of Quito, the beautiful colonial architecture of the old city, for example.
Although our school is based in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, if students wish to study in other parts of Ecuador we can arrange this. In fact, we recommend this as Ecuador is a country full of contrasts and through studying in different areas you will experience the diversity of our beautiful country.
The Classes:
Tuition is usually one-to-one (one teacher, one student). We prefer teaching this way, as it gives students the full attention of the teacher and allows us to tailor the classes to fit your needs. However, we can also offer group classes.
Although we generally recommend four hours study a day, you choose how many hours you want to study per week, and whether you prefer morning or afternoon classes.
Accommodation:
Most of our students prefer to live with a host family while they are pursuing their studies, as it gives students the opportunity to practice their new language skills and forge relationships with Ecuadorian people. Many life-long friendships have emerged from these home stays. (However, private apartments and hotel accommodation are also possible.)
At a minimum, in these accommodations, all of our students are provided with:
a private bedroom in a house that is clean and equipped with natural gas,
bathrooms facilities with permanent hot water, laundry facilities, access to other, communal parts of the house, and
a friendly, hospitable family with whom we have worked for a number of years.
Students are given the option to eat three meals a day with the family. These meals are usually cherished by family and student alike. All special dietary requirements (i.e., vegetarian or vegan requests) can be accommodated.
Besides these commonalties, however, family living can vary greatly. The most important difference between families is location and family composition. Some of our families are situated in Quito's Historical Center (the old city), while others are located in the newer part of the city. The number of members of a family can also vary. Special requirements relating to lodging with a family (for instance, requests for non-smoking households or households without pets) can certainly be accommodated.
Volunteering Opportunities:
Within Colonial, we run a Charity called “Caritas Alegres”. The aim of this programme is to help disable children and young people, as we fund the program from the profits of Colonial School. This charity has different programs such as: a supporting educational program for integration; clubs, learning shops, and a space for disable orphan children. If you must know more about this charity please contact us..
Another social program we run is called “Solidarity”. The aim of this programme is to teach English to many people in Quito. Classes are free. The teachers are all volunteers who have some previous experience of teaching English. In addition to the English classes, we also provide free translations to NGOs. We hope, that by having more workers who can communicate in English, these NGOs will be able to cement strong partnerships with foreign organizations.
In addition to the two programmes we run directly from the school, we have contacts with different NGOs. These NGOs are involved in diverse areas, including work with children, human rights, women, black people’s rights, ecological projects amongst others. Volunteering is a really good way of practicing your Spanish and “giving something back” into the community here. We encourage students to consider volunteering alongside (or after) studying Spanish, and often arrange volunteering placements with NGOs.
If you’d like more information about voluntary work, please contact us by post of email, with your enquiry. It’s helpful if you give us information about yourself – your education/work experience, level of Spanish; your interests etc. This will help us to find you a voluntary placement which wil use your skills and experience and will be rewarding for you. Please note: you don’t have to be a student at Colonial to use this service. There is no administrative cost to volunteers or NGOs taking part in the program.
Weekend Trips:
Each weekend we organize a trip for our students. We believe these excursions offer the opportunity to explore Ecuador, socialize, and simply relax and enjoy a more natural and peaceful side of the coutnry. We choose affordable, safe and less-known locations where the students can immerse themselves in the lifestyle and culture of the local people.
These excursions can last from one to two days depending on the distance needed for travelling. Some common destinations include Zumbahua-Quilotoa, Otavalo-Cotacachi, Mindo, Baños-Puyo, Papallacta, Volcàn Pululahua and Volcàn Pichincha.
Students pay for their own expenses during these trips, but we have flexibility about where we go and where we sleep. Costs therefore vary depending on the budgets and interests of the students.
We aim to speak Spanish during these excursions, and encourage students to view these trips as the applied part of their learning experience.
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General program information: |
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Program open to: Everyone
Travel to site: Varies
Is opportunity more independant or group orientated: Varies
No. in group: 5
Living arrangements on the program: Apartment, Home stays (living with local families)
How long does the program last?: 1-3 Months
What are the dates of this program: the whole year
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Cost or price of this program: |
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US$ 680 (4 weeks tuition + home stay)
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Terms: |
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Autumn, spring, Summer, Winter
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Languages taught: |
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Spanish
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Other Language Schools listings from Colonial Spanish School |
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No other listings have been found |
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