Good news for all our returning students and those thinking of joining us next year. Our course fees for 2010 will remain the same as 2009.

Course fees are now up on the website www.espaname.es

If you need any further advice on fees or charges, we are here to help you. Please get in touch via the website.

It’s not just children who get nervous on their first day at school, I must admit to a few butterflies myself when I started at IH Valladolid. A new country, a new city, an unfamiliar language, a new academy – all a bit daunting!

I remember having to try to communicate in my rather basic Spanish as soon as I walked into reception. The staff have so much experience of foreign students that they soon put you at your ease as you fumble around for the right verb ending. A big welcoming smile is the same in any language!

I managed to explain why I wanted to learn Spanish and soon found myself in a classroom doing a level assessment. The level tests are a vital part of the learning process; they enable the teacher to place you in a group with the same ability level. There is nothing more demoralising than sitting through lessons that are too difficult or that you did last year in your night classes.

The assessment over, I was given a guided tour by my new teacher; lovely light airy classrooms overlooking the historic Plaza Mayor (all with air conditioning!), bookcases full of extra resources to borrow (graded books and films in Spanish) and a computer room with free Internet access. No parallel rows of desks here, all the seating is arranged in a semi-circle to encourage communication and interaction. The walls were filled with student work and extra language resources. I couldn’t wait to start!

For more information on Spanish language courses at International House Valladolid and Santander go to www.espaname.es

Type “Spanish lessons in Spain” into a search engine and you’ll be overwhelmed with millions of entries. (119,000,000 results last time I tried!). You need to be certain that the language school you choose from this overwhelming selection will provide you with the highest quality tuition to justify your travel, accommodation and tuition costs.

One way of ensuring your money is turned into a long term investment and not an expensive mistake is to choose a school that is accredited with EAQUALS, the only widely accepted European quality standard for language teaching provision. It provides external quality control comparable to the British Council’s scheme in the UK. International House Valladolid & Santander is a full member of EAQUALS (The European Association for Quality Language Services)

International House Valladolid is also a member of the Instituto Cervantes (with whom it is about to undergo another rigorous inspection in the next few weeks) which sets and monitors standards in the teaching of Spanish.

Membership of these schemes ensures:

• Teachers are observed and evaluated in regular inspections to ensure they provide effective, well-planned and enjoyable lessons
• Teachers are all highly qualified, have access to extensive teaching resources and participate in training and development programmes.
• All legal requirements in respect of student welfare, health & safety, staff pay & conditions are scrupulously checked.
• All published information is checked to ensure it is clear and accurate regarding courses and services offered.
• The curriculum provides balance and variety and is based on recognised European professional frameworks. Lesson plans are designed to encourage progress among learners.

International House Valladolid & Santander are also members of The International House World Organisation, a leader in the training of language teachers around the world.

For more information on Spanish classes at IH Valladolid & Santander contact www.espaname.es and for further information on EAQUALS go to www.eaquals.org and on Instituto Cervantes www.centrosasociados.cervantes.es and on International House World Organisation go to www.ihworld.com

Valladolid has many claims to fame; it is the birthplace of kings, a former capital of Spain, it was home to the great writer Cervantes towards the end of his life and Christopher Columbus died here in 1506. Perhaps most relevant to today’s language student however is the fact that Valladolid is the cradle of the Spanish language, famed as being the city having the best spoken Spanish in the world.

With a reputation for being the place where the purest Spanish is spoken, it is hardly surprising that the city has become a specialist centre for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language and attracts thousands of “language tourists” every year from all over the world.

In its ambitious tourism strategy, the regional tourist board of Castilla and Leon plans to double the 30,000 foreigners who come to the region to learn Spanish each year. It quotes International House Valladolid as one of its centres of excellence, confident that the school provides the kind of quality language tuition on which to base its reputation as THE city in which to learn Spanish.

To find out more about Spanish classes at International House Valladolid and Santander see www.espaname.es To find out more about Valladolid and language tourism see www.valladolid-lenguayturismo.org

Another beautiful sunny day in early September, just perfect for sitting in one of the many lovely terrace cafes surrounding the historic Plaza Mayor where the IH Valladolid Plaza Mayor school is based. I joined one of the students, a girl from Birmingham, England who had been studying Spanish and asked her for her impressions of the IH Spanish course.

“This is my second time here” she said. “I came last year for an intensive four week Spanish course and loved it so have returned this year for a course of private lessons. The first time I came I was a bit apprehensive about lessons conducted entirely in Spanish, but actually it helps to improve your fluency as you only have to think in one language. We get lots of time to speak in the classes which is really what I was after and why I came to Spain. Being part of a multi-lingual class ensures you don’t slip back into your native tongue as Spanish is the only common language you have to talk to each other in”.

“This year I decided to come back to get some one-to-one help with particular grammar problems, verb tenses mainly, and all the classes have been tailored to helping me overcome my individual issues and improving my fluency. I decided to come now as the fiestas are about to start here. There is a great atmosphere with processions, fireworks, stalls of regional foods and wines, concerts and other entertainments. You can see the preparations from the classroom window as the Plaza Mayor is the focal point for the celebrations.”

For more information about private classes or intensive courses in Spanish contact www.espaname.es