Spanish School - Courses in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Course Prices Accommodation Prices School Facilities Course Details Accommodation Details

Learn Spanish in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

San Miguel de Allende is located just 4 hours (by car) northwest of Mexico City . It is a colonial hill town located 6,400 feet above sea level. The climate is very pleasant year-round with temperatures in the mid-70's with sunshine almost every day - even in the rainy season (June - September).

The town is surrounded by natural hot springs, which is probably the town's most notable feature.
San Miguel has several hot springs or "balnearios" from which to choose. So bring your bathing suit, sandals, cover-up and plenty of sun-screen. From the athletic lap swimmer, to the carefree sun bather, to the therapeutic soaker. Learn Spanish in Sam Miguel de Allende, Mexico, there's something for everyone here.

For many North Americans and Europeans, living in a high desert environment is a new experience. During the day the sun is more intense than in other parts of the world (don't forget your sunscreen!) and at night the temperatures can cool off rather quickly, so bring a jacket and in winter months bring warm clothing as well. Since temperatures usually fall within a moderate range, you will not find air-conditioning or central heating in Mexican homes, although space heaters are sometimes used in winter.

Although the atmosphere is relaxed and the temperatures balmy, the dress code is somewhat conservative. In the warmer months (late March - May) you'll want to bring light cotton clothing and include at least one long-sleeved shirt and a pair of slacks. This part of Mexico is very traditional. Shorts are prohibited in churches. Also, if you are living with a Mexican family you will need a bathrobe and house shoes. (Mexicans don't walk around barefoot.)

Spanish Courses in San Miguel de Allende – Fees

Accommodation Fees

Our Spanish School in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Established in 1959, we are proud to be the first Spanish Language school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to specialize in teaching Spanish as a second language.

Our Spanish language school offers the most comprehensive Spanish Language Immersion Program in the state, and we are the only school of its kind to offer an official Diploma in Spanish as a Second Language in Guanajuato. We also offer Semi-intensive Spanish Program and a One to One Spanish Program to foreign students from around the world. Our team of experienced Mexican instructors and our housing with a Mexican family will allow you to live Spanish on a full time basis.

Forty-seven years of experience in teaching Spanish courses in Mexico have kept us updated in the latest techniques in foreign language instruction. We believe that our Spanish students need to use the 4 language skills from the start: listening, speaking, writing and reading. In order to achieve this, our teaching methods create a lively and interactive atmosphere among students using grammatical and communicative activities and audio visual materials. We also offer a series of Spanish Workshops and Seminars on the Mexican and Spanish cultures, allowing students to continue listening to Spanish throughout the day in meaningful and informative contexts.

Through the use of our student-centered methodology, you will learn Spanish similarly to the way you learn your native tongue, through practice and continuous communication in Spanish. Our aim is for you to function effectively among Spanish speakers anywhere in the world.

Housed in a magnificent 18th century Spanish Colonial building, our school has 12 classrooms, a patio and beautiful gardens. We are located in the heart of San Miguel de Allende, 3 blocks from the main square.

Our Spanish Courses in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Our approach and methodology is communicative, intended for our students to ultimately speak, think and react in Spanish automatically, as a native speaker would.

Our 5-level textbook, "Vamos a hablar español", was written by our faculty, and is designed for the student to develop the four basic language-learning skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each lesson is intended to put these skills into practice from the very first day.

At our Spanish school in San Miguel we strive to make learning Spanish a fun experience. In addition to 2 hours of daily structured lessons, students enjoy a regular Conversation class in which they set up debates, engage in role-play as well as different language-learning games according to their level of study. The Conversation class instructors rotate daily to expose students to different styles of speech, intonation, and personalities.

A communicative method encourages students to practice language interactively in pairs and groups, where they will have an equal opportunity to ask, answer, initiate and respond. The teacher assumes a counseling role, initiating activities, listening, helping and advising. Students are encouraged to communicate effectively and in a natural manner rather than merely produce grammatically correct forms in Spanish. Our program integrates all the contextual factors that affect what we say and how we say it, as well as give students a solid grammatical basis on which to build language.

Providing an intensive Spanish language program requires full time effort from students (except for Friday afternoons where we offer an optional Mexican cooking class and, of course, weekends). Although those not seeking academic credit are free to take as many classes as they wish, everyone is required to attend the morning program - the backbone of our Intensive Spanish Program . Beyond some review, little outside homework is required. Additionally, living with a Mexican family in San Miguel affords many opportunities for extra-curricular practice.

The Faculty & Staff of our Spanish school in San Miguel, Mexico are exceptional. Something that has always characterized the atmosphere at the Academia is the casual warmth and friendliness of the people that work here. They are genuinely interested in students' progress and are willing to go that extra mile.

Our team of experienced language instructors also have a diverse rang of professional backgrounds, from Pedagogy and Psychology to Nursing, Interior Design, Accounting, etc.

We also offer Spanish Diploma courses for those who wish to gain entrance to Spanish speaking universities. This course includes 100hrs of professional internship. Please contact us for particulars.

Core Curriculum

Vamos a hablar español I
A groundwork course for beginners in the use of Spanish, covering simple statements and questions, presentations, personal information, affiliations, family; expressing courtesies, agreement, disagreement, handling survival situations. Present tense. (ACTFL Novice, FSI I)

Vamos a hablar español II
Narrate/describe in present and past tenses, fully participate in casual conversations, give instructions, simple reports. Handle complaints, emergency situations, get out of trouble, make comparisons. (ACTFL Low Intermediate, FSI II)

Vamos a hablar español III
Defend opinions, hypothesize, tailor language to situation. Giving orders. Future and subjunctive tenses. (ACTFL High Intermediate, FSI III)

Vamos a hablar español IV
Narrate in detail with precision, interviews, simultaneous interpretation, brainstorming, special fields of interest. Use of the subjunctive. (ACTFL. Advanced, FSI IV)

Vamos a hablar español V
Native speaker level. Able to understand all situations, and make self understood to anyone. Broad and precise vocabulary. (ACTFL Superior, FSI V)

Spanish Conversation
A part of each of the five levels of language learning, conversation classes are conducted by a different teacher every day for the express purpose of forcing the student to use the language, to listen and follow others, and to increase the scope of the vocabulary.

Español Uno-a-uno

Our Individual Spanish Program is offered for those who have an urgent need to communicate in Spanish but have limited time at their disposal. You may begin this program at any time and on any level.

Please note study materials cost $28 per 4 week session.

Student Resources and Excursions

Each session we offer our students a selection of fun field trips to historical cities and landmarks. Some of them include: Querétaro, a city famous for its opal quarries and Baroque architecture; Guanajuato, a major silver mining center in the 18th century which is known for its underground streets and mummy museum; the Atotonilco shrine, now a world landmark for its unusual frescoes, is still visited by over 6,000 Catholic pilgrims every weekend; and very near there - our favorite natural hot springs where we go for a swim. Also, on Friday afternoons we offer a traditional Mexican cooking class conducted by an expert Mexican mama.

San Miguel has a very well-stocked public library with an extensive collection of books in English. You can become a member by leaving a $100.00 peso deposit (about $10.00 US) which will be reimbursed to you before you leave. In the afternoons you can participate in a conversation exchange in Spanish with people who are learning English. The library also offers an ongoing weekly series of films. It is located 3 blocks from the school.

There's more:

• There are many Internet cafes in town that are very reasonably priced.
• "El Colibri" bookstore carries bilingual dictionaries and other resourceful books, such as 501 Spanish Verbs, tourist guides, maps of Mexico and books on Mexican culture in general. They also have a large array of novels in English and magazines in both languages as well as articles for writing and artist's materials.
• "El Recreo" offers books only in Spanish and some videos.
• "El Tecolote" offers books in English.
• "Lagundi" offers magazines and maps.
• Swimming in natural hot springs is available near town.
• There is a lovely cacti botanical garden that preserves and sells plants. A great place for a picnic and a stroll in the countryside.

Our school offers, free of charge:

• A mailbox in which we will place any mail, email, faxes and packages you receive. In emails be sure the sender inserts your name in the subject area.
• Money exchange for dollars and traveler's checks.
• Incoming calls. We will voice you to the phone booth at any time.
• A safe deposit box for your valuables.
• The school's doctor in case of emergency.
• Additional information you may require, Carmen, Belen, and Jorge are in the office from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm, Mon-Fri.
• Upon arrival, our school will issue you the school's I.D. so that you do not carry an official I.D. or passport during your stay and get into museums for free.

Academic Calendar & Daily Schedule

Our academic school year is divided into 12 four-week sessions. That roughly corresponds with the months of the year. Daily activities are generally divided into morning and afternoon. The morning hours are dedicated to Intensive Spanish study and students are divided according to levels of ability.

Afternoon classes are open to mixed levels of ability and are focused on learning about Mexican history, literature, and sociology through a variety of activities including: lecture, writing, dancing, singing and cooking.

Standard group (20hrs) are available, for students who do not wish to take our Intensive Program. You are welcome to take only 4 daily hours of class: 2 hours of Spanish, 1 hour of Conversation and 1 Seminar to choose from. Please check our schedule below.

Learn Spanish in Mexico - Accommodation

Mexican Family Stays

At our Spanish school in San Miguel, Mexico we believe that living with a Mexican family is a vital part of language learning and affords a wonderful opportunity to experience Mexican culture first hand.

We know all of our Mexican families personally, and they have been carefully selected. They offer guests clean and comfortable rooms, a well balanced diet, and the opportunity to converse in Spanish. In many cases, students become part of the family and are invited to join in other activities, celebrations, or family outings. We often hear that being part of a Mexican family was one of the highlights of the program.

Mexicans eat a hearty breakfast which typically includes fresh fruit, eggs, refried beans, bread and tea or coffee. The midday meal, which is served between 2-3pm, is the largest. It usually includes a starter soup or salad, followed by a main course (usually meat), cooked vegetables and a light dessert. The evening meal is much lighter - usually a sandwich, "sincronizada" (ham & cheese tortilla), or tacos, etc.

Rest assured that host families will take dietary needs into consideration. (Please let us know if you are vegetarian, or have dietary restrictions, food allergies, etc.) Additionally, all water and vegetables are purified and chile sauce is served on the side so you can add as much spice (picante) as you like. Mexicans work hard in the kitchen - everything is fresh - canned and convenience foods are seldom eaten.

The state of Guanajuato is one of the safest, cleanest, and most traditional regions in all of Mexico . We ask students to respect the norms and traditions of our families. For example, students are expected to wear shoes in common areas of the house - going barefoot is not acceptable (it's also dangerous around our cobblestone streets). Additionally, students should seek permission from the family before inviting others into the home. At no time would a member of the opposite sex be invited into the students' bedroom.

If you would like to stay with a Mexican family, please select this option on the application form or let us know. We will try to place you with a family that has similar interests, professional training or hobbies to your own. Please indicate if you have special needs (allergies, vegetarian, etc.)

Upon receipt of your deposit, we will advise the family chosen to house you, thus guaranteeing you a place to stay on the arrival date you specify. All further financial arrangements are between the family and the guest. You are not obligated to remain in a home any longer than you wish to, and will be refunded by the family if you decide to leave. We appreciate your comments about your family stay, and must know beforehand if you decide to leave.

The cost for a 28-day stay with three meals is $18.00 USD daily for a double room and $23.00 USD daily for a single room. Our family stays come with full board only, but students are free to skip as many meals as they wish as long as they advise the family beforehand. Payment is due in advance and students are required to pay at least 10 days at a time. No refunds will be given for meals missed or weekends away.

When requesting double occupancy please be aware that we can not guarantee a roommate of the same age group or profession. We do our best to match compatible people. But if you have strong preferences in this regard, we recommend reserving a single room.

Alternative Housing
The school does not arrange housing outside of the family stays. However, we do maintain a list of alternatives. Please feel free to ask for our list of suggested apartments, pensions, and hotels.

Please note: All prices are quoted in $US. For the equivalent in your currency, please visit www.xe.com/ucc.