Finding a place to learn Spanish in Buenos Aires was not as easy as other cities I've traveled through. There are soo many different Spanish schools here, so it doesn't make the process any easier. I first started my search by looking for private tutors on Craigslist (there´s many btw). I had classes with 2 different private Spanish tutors. I thought this would be the best way, seeing that my Spanish was intermediate. And I didn't want to be mixed in a class of people at different skill levels. The results were dismal after having one domineering Spanish tutor who actually got mad when I made the same mistakes while speaking. And the other who just listened to me babble, and did nothing to correct me; I decided having the structure of a Spanish school was the way to go.
I was searching online and checking prices and found nearly all the Spanish schools were very similarly priced (USD$150-190 for a 20 hour week, WARNING: check the school exchange rate for the real price). So I decided to go to 3 Spanish schools and talk to each of them. I first went to LV Spanish Studio for their weekly free conversation class. All be it, the class was free, it had 5 people in it from very different skill levels. And in the end I didn't get much out of it. But I spoke with the owner and the workers and it seemed like it was a little hectic and cramped, and our conversation teacher didn't standout to me. But they did offer the typical Spanish class schedule of 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, resulting in the typical 20 hours per week.
The next place I went to was El Pasaje Spanish School. This place was organized, and had a completely western front desk staff. This is nice especially if you're just coming into the country and don´t speak a lick of Spanish. They have many different levels of Spanish which they teach, which is great. And after I took their level test, they told me I could start the following Monday (normal start date for most Spanish schools). But I would have to start in the level below what I was qualified for. Reason being, there was no openings in the level I was tested into. I was speaking with them about this and they said I could go for the level ahead of my current ability, but that didn't feel right. I then asked for the amount of hours they offered and it was only the standard grueling 20 hours a week. But there needed to be 2 to 3 students in a level for them to make that particular course available. This place was nice but it didn't make me pull the trigger and signup on the spot.
I decided to try a new approach. This time to find a Spanish school I used logic mixed with other peoples experience, rather than randomly looking at different schools. So I took a look at Trip Advisor for reviews of Spanish schools. There I found Verbum Spanish School . The only thing that made me go check out this school were their reviews, which were 5 stars for quite a few reviews. They didn't have any pictures on the Trip Adviser or website, so I had no idea what I was getting into. So I went and popped my head in, and I was surprised. The school was a very clean orderly, it had the best facilities out of the schools I visited. The lady working the front desk was very helpful and approachable. She was packing up to leave for the day, but she stayed with me 30 extra minutes while I showed her my level test. Turns out my level was open and available at Verbum. And it only had ONE student in it?! I was impressed they kept classes open even with one student. And what I especially liked was that I could studying there for either 10, 15, or 20 hours a week. From experience I know that 20 hours a week melts my brain. For me, (not everyone) 10 hours a week is just right to leave me with time to study and memorize and have the energy to actually speak Spanish. So I ended up going with Verbum Spanish for 10 hours a week and so far I'm very happy with the choice I made.
So this is a little about my quest for a Spanish school in Buenos Aires. I recommend you do your homework before choosing a Spanish school, and find a school with a history and proven track record. Hope this helps someone.
I was searching online and checking prices and found nearly all the Spanish schools were very similarly priced (USD$150-190 for a 20 hour week, WARNING: check the school exchange rate for the real price). So I decided to go to 3 Spanish schools and talk to each of them. I first went to LV Spanish Studio for their weekly free conversation class. All be it, the class was free, it had 5 people in it from very different skill levels. And in the end I didn't get much out of it. But I spoke with the owner and the workers and it seemed like it was a little hectic and cramped, and our conversation teacher didn't standout to me. But they did offer the typical Spanish class schedule of 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, resulting in the typical 20 hours per week.
The next place I went to was El Pasaje Spanish School. This place was organized, and had a completely western front desk staff. This is nice especially if you're just coming into the country and don´t speak a lick of Spanish. They have many different levels of Spanish which they teach, which is great. And after I took their level test, they told me I could start the following Monday (normal start date for most Spanish schools). But I would have to start in the level below what I was qualified for. Reason being, there was no openings in the level I was tested into. I was speaking with them about this and they said I could go for the level ahead of my current ability, but that didn't feel right. I then asked for the amount of hours they offered and it was only the standard grueling 20 hours a week. But there needed to be 2 to 3 students in a level for them to make that particular course available. This place was nice but it didn't make me pull the trigger and signup on the spot.
I decided to try a new approach. This time to find a Spanish school I used logic mixed with other peoples experience, rather than randomly looking at different schools. So I took a look at Trip Advisor for reviews of Spanish schools. There I found Verbum Spanish School . The only thing that made me go check out this school were their reviews, which were 5 stars for quite a few reviews. They didn't have any pictures on the Trip Adviser or website, so I had no idea what I was getting into. So I went and popped my head in, and I was surprised. The school was a very clean orderly, it had the best facilities out of the schools I visited. The lady working the front desk was very helpful and approachable. She was packing up to leave for the day, but she stayed with me 30 extra minutes while I showed her my level test. Turns out my level was open and available at Verbum. And it only had ONE student in it?! I was impressed they kept classes open even with one student. And what I especially liked was that I could studying there for either 10, 15, or 20 hours a week. From experience I know that 20 hours a week melts my brain. For me, (not everyone) 10 hours a week is just right to leave me with time to study and memorize and have the energy to actually speak Spanish. So I ended up going with Verbum Spanish for 10 hours a week and so far I'm very happy with the choice I made.
So this is a little about my quest for a Spanish school in Buenos Aires. I recommend you do your homework before choosing a Spanish school, and find a school with a history and proven track record. Hope this helps someone.
