Private Spanish academies: what to expect and how to choose

Key rules

• Accreditation: Check a school in the Instituto Cervantes directory yourself; a logo on the school's site proves nothing.
• Placement: Walk away from a school that gives no oral interview or promises a level without a test.
• Lesson length: A lesson can be 45 to 60 minutes, so ask whether stated hours are lessons or clock hours.
• Teachers: No licence is legally required to teach in a private academy, so ask about degrees and Spanish-as-a-foreign-language training.
• Extra costs: Registration fees and materials are often charged on top of the course price.

Start with the five things that matter

Choose a school on five points: whether it places you at the right level, how many real hours you get, how big the class is, who teaches, and whether its accreditation is genuine. Price comes last, once those fit. The decision box and checklist below help you compare schools side by side.

Level: a good school tests you properly

A reputable school places you with a written test of grammar and vocabulary, plus a short oral interview with a teacher. This checks speaking and listening against the CEFR scale, which runs from A1 (beginner) to C2 (near-native). Complete beginners may be placed on their own word.

Warning signs are no oral part, placement by self-assessment only, a promised level without a test, and classes that mix very different levels. A good school re-checks you in the first days and lets you move group if the level feels wrong.

Hours: check what a "lesson" is

Standard group courses usually run about 4 to 10 lessons a week. Intensive courses usually run about 20 to 30 lessons a week, often four or five lessons a day, Monday to Friday.

A lesson can be 45, 50, 55 or 60 minutes, depending on the school. Ask whether the advertised hours are short lessons or full clock hours. Otherwise two courses that look equal may differ by an hour or more a week.

Class size: ask for the maximum

Group classes normally have a stated maximum of about 8 to 12 students, and an average of 6 to 10. Up to about 10 to 12 works well. More than about 14 to 15 is a lot for a course built around speaking.

Many schools quote only the average, so ask for the maximum as well. No law limits class size in private academies, so this is down to the school.

Teachers: what to expect

A good teacher of Spanish as a foreign language usually has a university degree (philology, languages, education or linguistics) and specific training in teaching Spanish to foreigners. That might be a master's or a teacher-training course of 100 hours or more. Experience teaching adults, often a year or more, is normally added.

No state licence is required to teach in a private academy. Ask the school what its teachers hold, and treat a vague answer as a warning.

Accreditation: verify it yourself

Instituto Cervantes accreditation means the Instituto Cervantes inspected the school against its published criteria. These cover staff qualifications, curriculum, facilities, safety, student information and complaint handling. It is re-inspected from time to time.

It is a quality check on the centre. It does not guarantee a good individual teacher, a price, or that you will pass an exam. It does not make the school an exam centre or give you student visa rights.

Do not trust a logo on the school's website. Go to the official website, open the centre accreditation section (Acreditación de centros) and search the directory by country, region or city. If the school is not listed, ask the Instituto Cervantes directly.

Price: what to compare against

Standard group courses of about 4 to 6 hours a week typically start from roughly the mid-hundreds of euros per month. Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia cost more than smaller cities, and longer bookings cost less per week.

Intensive courses of about 15 to 25 hours a week usually cost several times a standard part-time course per week, with discounts for multi-week bookings. Madrid and Barcelona tend to be dearest.

Registration fees and materials are often charged on top. Ask what is extra before you compare totals, and check current prices on the websites of several schools.

Choosing between options

Which type of Spanish course suits you?

• Standard group course: You live in Spain or work during the day and can give about 4 to 10 lessons a week, typically 2 to 4 sessions.

• Intensive course: You want fast progress and can attend 20 to 30 lessons a week, usually four or five lessons a day, Monday to Friday, at a higher weekly price.

Pick the format whose real weekly hours you can keep up, then confirm you were placed at the right level by a written test plus an oral interview.

Checklist

• Take the school's placement test and oral interview, and walk away if it has no oral part or promises a level without a test.

• Ask whether you can change group in the first days if the level feels wrong.

• Ask how many lessons you get per week and how long each lesson is, since 45, 50, 55 and 60 minutes are all called a lesson.

• Ask for the maximum class size and the average, and aim for a maximum of about 10 to 12 students.

• Search for the school in the Instituto Cervantes accredited-centres directory at the official website instead of trusting a logo on its website.

• Compare the weekly price of a group course at several schools, using about 4 to 6 hours a week and a mid-hundreds-of-euros monthly price as your starting benchmark.

• Ask which registration fees and materials are charged on top, and whether longer bookings get a discount.

Frequently asked questions

Does Instituto Cervantes accreditation guarantee I will pass an exam?

No, accreditation is a quality check on the centre and does not guarantee you will pass an exam. It also does not make the school an official DELE exam centre, give you a student visa, or vouch for each teacher. It is time-limited and re-inspected from time to time.

How do I check that a school is really accredited by the Instituto Cervantes?

Search for the school in the accredited-centres directory on the Instituto Cervantes website (the official website), in the section called Acreditación de centros. Filter by country, region or city and check the name and status instead of trusting the logo on the school's own site.

What qualifications should my Spanish teacher have?

A good teacher usually has a university degree in languages, philology, education or linguistics, plus specific training in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. That means a master's or an accredited course of around 100 hours or more. Experience teaching adults, often a year or more, is usually expected. No state licence is legally required in a private academy, so ask the school.

What class size is too big for a group Spanish course?

Classes of more than about 14 to 15 students are too big for communicative teaching, while up to about 10 to 12 is fine. Many schools quote only an average, so ask for the maximum as well. Accredited schools generally cap classes at around 10 to 15.

References

1. cervantes.es