Spotlight: Why study Spanish in Spain?

Do you live in Spain and would you like to improve your Spanish? Are you and your family going to relocate to Spain and you wonder how you will make yourselves understood? There is a huge offer of linguistic courses available which adapt to all abilities, situations and purposes. And the best thing is that combining classes with the experience of living in Spain is a unique opportunity to learn Spanish.

The educational offer of Spanish in Spain can be differentiated into two areas: public centres (public universities and Official Language Schools) and private centres (also universities, as well as language centres).

The Instituto Cervantes is a public institution founded in 1991 by the Spanish government, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and which is present in 88 cities in 45 countries through its centres, classrooms and extensions. The headquarters is located in the ‘Cervantes’ building on Calle de Alcalá in Madrid.

At the international level, the Cervantes Institute would be the equivalent of the Portuguese Camões Institute, the Italian Società Dante Alighieri, the French Alliance Française, the British Council or the German Goethe-Institut; all of which are institutions dedicated to the cultural and linguistic promotion of their respective countries.

FEDELE is the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish Schools for Foreigners. Its objective is to promote a status of quality and professionalism of the companies in the Spanish language teaching sector in Spain. There are currently six associations in FEDELE that represent over a hundred centres in 18 Spanish provinces.

Since 2013, there has been an agreement of collaboration between FEDELE and the Cervantes Institute, the purpose of which is the promotion and dissemination of the Spanish language, where FEDELE is recognised as its territorial business representation in the sector of teaching Spanish as a foreign language.

A few facts about the Spanish language

Spanish every year has more weight in the field of study, business and finance. With more than 572 million Spanish speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world.

Spanish is the official language of 21 countries, the second in international communication and the third language of communication on the Internet.

It is a growing language: more than 20 million people are currently learning Spanish and the number of Spanish speakers will grow to 754 million in 2050.

According to the report ‘Spanish, a living language’, by the Cervantes Institute, the contribution of all Spanish-speaking countries to world GDP is 6.4% and sharing a language doubles trade between countries.

What does FEDELE offer you as a Spanish student in Spain?

As a student of Spanish in one of the centres certified by FEDELE, you will get to know the wide cultural diversity of Spain, its gastronomy and the wide range of leisure activities that the different points of the Spanish geography can offer you, as your handling of the Spanish language improves and your confidence in communicating grows.

The Instituto Cervantes signs an accreditation contract with those centres who obtain a favourable report, certifying compliance with the established technical-academic criteria and the legal requirements necessary to carry out teaching activities in the sector.

FEDELE has approved a declaration of rights and duties of Spanish language students in Spain and has created the role of Student Advocate. This system is an absolute novelty in worldwide language programmes and places FEDELE among the most serious and respected organisations with its students and agents.

The quality of teaching and overall experience is determined mainly by the quality of the courses and teaching staff. FEDELE’s Spanish teaching centres have qualified teaching staff with theoretical and practical foundations applied to the courses. All FEDELE schools comply with international standards and best practices in the management of their Spanish courses and language certifications.

FEDELE schools offer small classes to enhance student interaction, participation, and motivation. The centres usually have a wide range of accommodations that you can rent during your stay: shared or individual apartments, dorms and host families. Students will be able to consult or book transfers from the airports or stations to arrive at their centre. Your studies can be combined with activities where you can learn about the culture or gastronomy, for example, and make practical usage of the classroom lessons.

What type of courses are available?

The choice is as diverse as the diversity of the students and there are courses that adapts to a wide range of situations and purposes: intensive, individual or groups, online, practical lessons, thematic courses: culture, sport, business. Preparation for university entrance exams or to sit the DELE (Spanish as a Foreign Language Diploma) or CCSE (Spanish Constitutional or Sociocultural Knowledge Test to obtain Spanish nationality), summer camps, courses for 50+, family courses, dance, cooking or cinema workshops. Whatever your linguistic needs, there is a Spanish course that’s right for you.