TCL Spanish School (Escuela de Español) - Learn Spanish on the Costa Tropical, Spain!

Spanish Courses

Types of Courses:

Intensive Language Courses
Preparatory courses for DELE
Hispanic Studies
- Spanish Literature, History, Culture
- Commercial, Health and Tourism Spanish
Special Courses
- Senior Courses
- Teacher Training Courses
- Courses for teenagers
- Bildungsurlaub (for German employees)
- Courses for Groups
Seasonal Courses
- Spanish, Sun and Ski

GENERAL INFORMATION AND STARTING DATES

There is no inscription fee for our courses.
Our courses start on any Monday, any level, except for the Teacher Training courses and the Courses for Teenagers.
Every class has a duration of 45 minutes.
The classes take place from Monday to Friday, except bank holidays: 1st January, 6th January, 28th February, Good Friday, 15th August, 12th October, 6th and 8th December, plus two local holidays: 19th March and 24th June.
The classes will be timetabled either in the morning or in the afternoon, allowing for a lunch hour for participants staying with families with full board.
The classes will be carried out entirely in Spanish from the first day for every language level.
The school provides the participants (as a loan service) with all the necessary teaching manuals during the course.
The maximum number of participants per class is 8 (or 10 from June to September) and the minimum, 2. If this minimum is not reached on the first day of his / her course, the participant will be notified and other alternatives offered (e.g. a reduction of hours but one-to-one), always meeting his / her level and needs and without any extra cost.
On the first day of the course participants will take a placement test to determine their command of Spanish grammar and conversation and vocabulary.
At the end of the course every participant will receive the TC Languages Attendance Certificate.
The courses are completed with a daily programme of Recreational and Cultural Activities and Excursions.

TYPES OF COURSE AND DESCRIPTION

INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSES

I. Intensive Course (20 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

4 classes / day
This course has 2 classes of communicative grammar and 2 classes of vocabulary and conversation, with oral and writing practice, covering the linguistic skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

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II. Intensive Course (25 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

5 classes / day
With 2 classes of communicative grammar; 2 classes of vocabulary and conversation, with oral and writing practice; and 1 extra class of grammar review or communicative practice with new vocabulary and expressions. All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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III. Superintensive Spanish Course (30 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

6 classes / day
This course has 2 classes of communicative grammar; 2 classes of vocabulary and conversation, with oral and writing practice; and 2 extra classes of grammar review or communicative practice with new vocabulary and expressions.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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IV. Combined Course (20 group classes + 5 individual classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

4 classes in a group and 1 individual class / day
This course has 4 classes / day in a group (2 classes of communicative grammar and 2 classes of vocabulary and conversation, with oral and writing practice) plus 1 individual class per day where the contents are "tailor made" to meet the participants' learning needs and preferences.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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V. One-to-One Classes

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: Optional.

Students can choose the number of individual classes per week they wish to attend. These classes are "tailor-made" to meet the participant's learning needs and professional interests. These individual classes can be combined with all the courses we offer.

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VI. Grammar Courses (10 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course has 2 classes on communicative grammar per day, covering all the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

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VII. Conversation and Vocabulary Courses (10 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course has 2 classes on vocabulary and conversation, with oral and writing production per day, covering the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

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VIII. Preparatory Courses for the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (D.E.L.E.) (25 classes / week)

Levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

5 classes / day
The Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) are official certificates, which give proof of a certain level of Spanish competence and command, and are issued by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. There are 6 Levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.
Tropical Coast Languages offers preparatory courses for the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (D.E.L.E.) exams. This course has 5 classes / day specifically geared towards familiarizing participants with the different tests which comprise the exam:

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Use of Language
Writing

It is necessary that participants already have approximately the level of the exam they wish to take before starting this course. If this is not the case TCLanguages will advise them about their best study plan.
(Examination charges are not included in the price of the course but we can help candidates matriculate for the exam and provide them with all the information about the dates and times of the different exams, etc. because we are a FEDELE Granada centre, organizer of DELE of Instituto Cervantes in this city).

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HISPANIC STUDIES

IX. General Course (20 and 25 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

4 or 5 classes / day
The course consists of 4 or 5 classes per day of grammar, conversation, Spanish Literature and Spanish and Latin American History and Culture.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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X. Spanish and Latin American Literature (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course deals with the most important aspects of Spanish and Latin American Literature of every period.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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XI. Spanish and Latin American History (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

5 classes / day
This course deals with the most important aspects of Spanish and Latin American History.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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XII. Spanish and Latin American Culture (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

5 classes / day
The course deals with the most important aspects of Spanish and Latin American socio-cultural reality, covering the principle artistic movements, the most relevant historical events and the geopolitical factors that influence the present day situation.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course.

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XIII. Commercial Spanish (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course is designed for students, business people, or people who are interested in international business and trade or who want to improve their command of Commercial Spanish.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course. This course is also an ideal preparation for those students who wish to obtain an Official Certificate of Commercial Spanish (Certificado Básico de Español de los Negocios; Certificado Superior de Español de los Negocios; Diploma de Español de los Negocios), carried out by the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of Alcalá. Examination fees are not included in the price of the course but our school is one of the Official Examining Centres for this exam.

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XIV. Medical Spanish (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course is designed for those working in medicine, for those who wish to focus their professional career in this field or for people who would like to improve their command of medical Spanish.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course. This course is also an ideal preparation for those participants who wish to obtain the Official Certificate of Medical Spanish (Certificado Básico de Español de las Ciencias de la Salud; Certificado Superior de Español de las Ciencias de la Salud), carried out by the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of Alcalá. Examination fees are not included in the price of the course but our school is one of the Official Examining Centres for this exam.

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XV. Spanish for Tourism (10 classes / week)

Minimum Level: B2.
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
This course is designed for those working in Tourism, for people who would like to focus their professional career in this field or for those who wish to improve their command of "tourism-specific" Spanish.
All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course. This course is also an ideal preparation for those participants who wish to obtain the Official Certificate of Spanish for Tourism (Certificado Básico de Español del Turismo; Certificado Superior de Español del Turismo), carried out by the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of Alcalá. Examination fees are not included in the price of the course but our school is one of the Official Examining Centres for this exam.

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SPECIAL COURSES

XVI. Senior Courses (10 classes / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week.

2 classes / day
These courses are designed for people from 50 years old who wish to learn or improve their Spanish to be able to communicate in shops and restaurants and other "about town" situations. All the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are covered on the course but the programmed activities are particularly communicative.

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XVII. Courses for Non-Native Teachers of E/LE (20 classes / week)

Minimum Level: Option A: B1; Option B: B2; Option C: C1.
Starting Dates: see prices.
Duration: 2 weeks

The teacher training course is a two week course comprised of 4 classes / day and is offered not only for teachers with a proficiency level of Spanish but also for teachers with other levels of the language or students who want to become teachers.
This course has specific starting dates, but with a minimum of 3 participants, we are able to offer it on any date.
There are three options, depending on the participants' needs:

OPTION A: Teachers who have an intermediate level of Spanish and are therefore more interested in improving their command of the language than in teaching methodology. This course is especially interesting for Primary School teachers.
Distribution of lessons*: 1st and 2nd lessons: M1. 3rd lesson: M3. 4th hour: M4.

OPTION B: Students interested in becoming teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language, who need to increase their knowledge of the Spanish language and also need more experience of teaching methods.
Distribution of lessons*: 1st lesson: M1. 2nd lesson: M2. 3rd lesson: M3. 4th hour: M4.

OPTION C: Spanish teachers who have a very advanced level of Spanish and therefore want to broaden their range of teaching methods and their knowledge of Spanish culture and traditions.
Distribution of lessons*: 1st and 2nd lessons: M2. 3rd lesson: M3. 4th hour: M4.

Lessons / Subjects*:

M1: Spanish grammar in group classes, depending on level.
M2: Methodology of Spanish as a Foreign Language: techniques, resources, classroom management. Lessons recorded on video for later analysis and comment by the group and teacher trainer.
M3: General topics of Spanish culture (literature, history, traditions...).
M4: Conversation and round table about current affairs concerning Spain in which the teacher will act as supervisor.

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XVIII. Courses for Teenagers (20 lessons / day)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: see prices

Duration: 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 weeks
(Please, consult the school for any other duration or date).

This course is planned for teenagers between 13 and 17 years old (inclusive). It is a stay which includes: course, home-stay accommodation with full board, pick-up service (round trip), a daily program of activities, one excursion per 2 weeks, monitor with a 24 hours mobile for emergencies, TCLanguages Attendance Certificate, etc.

Minors will be accompanied from the moment of their arrival at the airport. As the airport TRANSFER* service is included in the course, participants will be met at the airport and accompanied to their place of accommodation. On the day of departure, participants will again be met at their accommodation address and accompanied to the airport.
The ACCOMMODATION for this course is HOME-STAY, full board which includes three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), in a double room. The host families will accompany participants to the school on the first day of class.
- The arrival is on the Sunday before the start of the course (from 16.00 hrs.), and the departure, on the Saturday immediately after the course (before 12.00 hrs.). Any arrival before or departure after that must be made clear to the school and the extra nights paid for.
- The host families are of total confidence and with experience. The participant's parents will receive in advance the address and information about the family with whom their child will be staying. And the Spanish family will likewise be provided with all the necessary information about their guests before their arrival, such as nutritional habits and possible allergies. The school provides host families with a 24 hour telephone number for emergencies, and information about "Home-time" for nights out and other important safety regulations.
- Students are treated as far as possible as one of the family therefore encouraging their integration into the Spanish way of life and facilitating full immersion for effective language learning.
- The school maintains close contact with each host family throughout the length of each home-stay.
During their stay there will be a GROUP LEADER responsible for:
- Being the point of reference for all students for any matter concerning the language course, the host family and all other activities during their stay. Therefore there will be an initial meeting on the first day of the course in which we will all have the chance to introduce ourselves (monitor / students and student / student) and to explain how the programme works.
- Supervising class attendance, making sure that the students are benefiting from the classes and behaving appropriately in them.
- Supervising attendance for all programmed activities. Students will be expected to attend all those activities specially programmed for them.
- Supervising evenings out and the arrival time back at the host family at night.
- Being available on the 24-hour mobile phone number for emergencies.
Before the start of course, participants will undergo a LANGUAGE PLACEMENT TEST.
Each participant will have a STUDENT CARD, with which to obtain discounts in various shops (book shops, photo shops, fitness centres etc.)
Students receive an INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSE OF 4 classes / day with a methodology especially adapted to the needs of this age group. The small groups (with a maximum of 10 participants per class) create a friendly environment between participant and teacher, making the learning experience more natural and inductive.
To enhance the learning experience there is a DAILY PROGRAMME OF CULTURAL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES organized by the school and carried out by the group leader and fully experienced teachers. These activities take place in the afternoon and are of obligatory attendance for our teenage participants. The activities include:
- Cultural Walks: Historical centre, areas of interest etc.
- Visits: The Castle and Archaeological Museum, Ornithological Park.
- Social Activities: Music, History, Literature, "Young people in Spain today", cinema, tapa tour.
- Sports: Football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, aquatic park.
- Tutorials: 1 / week (45'). Once a week, we offer extra grammar lessons, in which students have the possibility to go through the most difficult points of Spanish grammar.
One EXCURSION* per week to Andalusian towns and cities of interest such as Granada, Ronda, Antequera, La Alpujarra, Sevilla and Cordoba.
At the end of the course each participant will receive a TC LANGUAGES Attendance Certificate.

* The organization of transfers (both pick up service and excursions) are carried out by our school in collaboration with professionals with all the insurance and legal licences required for these kinds of activities.

Participants can use the extra services available in our school: free access to Internet, library, loan service of books, DVD and videos.
The school has drawn up a set of Rules of Behaviour for minors of which a copy will be sent to both parents and participants before arrival and that will have to be accepted in order to enrol on our courses. If, once on the course, participants do not comply with these rules, their parents will be informed and TC Languages will take which ever course of action they decide to be most appropriate depending on the seriousness of the misbehaviour.
Any course, excursion or activity that is not organised by the school must be authorized by the parents and communicated to the school.
It is necessary for students to bring their medical insurance (European Social Security card or private insurance). If required, our school can provide a medical insurance for the duration of the stay.

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XVIII. Bildungsurlaub Courses (30 lessons / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week

6 lessons / day
The Bildungsurlaub is a program of Spanish language and also of commercial Spanish recognised by the German and Austrian governments as Professional Training Courses.

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Courses for Groups

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday, throughout the year.
Min. Duration: 1 week

Tropical Coast Languages offers courses for groups either for adults (groups of friends or professionals coming together), or teenagers (groups of students accompanied by their teachers or monitors).

We arrange personalized programmes according to the following options:

Types of Course: There are many course options, see Course Options.
Number of classes / week of Intensive Spanish course: 15, 20 or 25 lessons / week, in open or closed groups according to each participant's level of command of Spanish.
Type of Accommodation: Home-stay (option suggested for minors), shared apartments, individual apartments, hostels or hotels.
Daily Programme of activities and excursions.
Pick-up Service from the airport to Almuñécar. The closest airports are Málaga and Granada.

SEASONAL COURSES

Spanish, Sun and Ski (20 lessons / week)

Levels: All (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
Starting Dates: Any Monday during the skiing season.
Min. Duration: 1 week

TC Languages offers a special Intensive Spanish Course in which one day a week is left free for skiing in the Sierra Nevada without missing out on any Spanish classes (20 classes/week, distributed over 4 days).

Make the most of this fantastic location where between the months of December and April you can enjoy tropical temperatures of around 20ºC at the beach and ski in the highest mountains of the Peninsula on the same day!

Please Contact us for prices.