My Spanish Spot: Diversity Is Core To Any School

People say that learning a new language is like discovering a new culture. That’s maybe the reason why language courses abroad are so popular with so many people. Often, they’re seen as special kind of holidays where learning takes place not only through studying, but, more importantly, through experiencing. Because it is only when we immerse ourselves completely into experiences showing the multifaceted nature of a certain culture that we actually get to understand the language through which it manifests itself.

Today, our guest educator is showing a different perspective to language learning through cultural immersion abroad: one that takes place off the beaten track. Read our interview with the recently established My Spanish Spot to discover the rewards of learning Spanish in a small Spanish town, and more…

ETN Focus: Please tell us a bit more about My Spanish Spot?

My Spanish Spot: My Spanish Spot is located by the Mediterranean Sea, in the city center of Castellon. It’s a perfect place to acquire Spanish language while discovering the city and its beautiful unspoiled surroundings. We cover all CFR levels and offer an official Spanish exam to be taken in the same center (SIELE). We have agreements with University Jaume I and Private university CEU San Pablo. Basically, we cover all education levels, from primary to university. With ERASMUS+ PIC Number 916242504, we offer internships in the most prestigious companies, covering all fields, from hospitality to engineering. We also offer cooperation programmes for students from outside the CEE or those that having finished their studies, want to enhance their CV.

Our school offers from accommodation to activities, from Spanish classes to university courses, to students, workers or professionals. We welcome people who need to have a better CV, or people who want to get the most out of their holidays. Our school is preferred by parents who want to see how their kids enjoy in a safe environment while learning a language. We also receive people over 50 who want to keep on the learning track. To all of them we offer the best, and they will find that our staff will be by always by their side. Choosing My Spanish Spot means you will always feel you are having the time of your life!

ETN: You are a small and relatively new school. What is your unique proposition for students who are looking to take a Spanish course in Spain?

MSS: My Spanish Spot was born as an answer to the people who wanted to learn Spanish in Spain, but discovering at the same time the real experience of Spanish way of life, far from the topics and the crowds. We offer a select atmosphere, with highly-qualified staff only focused on making your staying with us a unique learning experience. Brand new installations in the city center, covering all the students needs and over 20 years’ experience on the education field, make My Spanish Spot the choice for students who really want to discover not only the Spanish language, but also the Spanish culture. Each student matters to us, so our programmes adapt to what the student needs and we offer tailor-made courses. We do not make our students fit into a programme, we create a programme for each one.

ETN: You offer a range of study “experiences”. What is special about those?

MSS: As mentioned before, we offer a personalised programme to each student. Our courses are not just inside of a class, but involve a complete learning experience. The classroom is just one part of it. All our experiences include cultural workshops, adapted to the student level. We create real communicative situations outside the classroom, where students can use the structures they’ve learnt in class. We see the learning process as a line. Students are given input and after, using the resources given, we ask from them to produce language. It is not a matter of memorizing, but a matter of using it. They do not learn a language, they live the language itself.

For example, if in class we teach vocabulary about food, and how to make questions in Spanish, in the afternoon, we go to the traditional fish market, and we ask the students to find out the price of some products. This way, they feel they can use what they have learnt. They interact with Spanish people but they feel “safe” as their teacher is always at hand to help.

ETN:How important is diversity for your school? What kind of international students are you looking to attract?

MSS: I think diversity is core to any school. Students in class exchange experiences and being from different countries and backgrounds gives students a great opportunity to discover the world through their classmates.

We would love to get international student from all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. However, at the moment we mostly get students with ages between 16 and 25 and European, although we are closing agreements with some Hong Kong Universities.

ETN: What strategies and tools do you use to promote your school and raise your visibility to prospective students and their families?

MSS: Being a new company, social networks are core to our school. We have profiles on the main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn…). This helps our potential customers to have daily updates about us. Through our social networks, we not only give information about our school but also about activities, cultural events, and language tips. We are promoting exchange of information and creating new friendship links among students.

ETN: Do you work with student recruitment agents? If so, how do you support the agents you work with?

MSS: Yes, we do have some agents, but for us agents are a part of the team. We give them all the promotional material needed, our programmes, and we’re always open to suggestions. We rely on our agents and we want them to rely on us, too.

Of course our agents get a commission, but confidence and respect for the other are by far more important to us.

ETN: What in your experience is the biggest challenge when working with international students? How do you handle cross-cultural differences in your classes?

MSS: Our goal is that all our students learn Spanish at their own pace, while we support them throughout the learning process and give them tools to improve their communicative skills.

One of the main challenges a teacher faces is making the students aware of their latent language knowledge. Reinforcing this knowledge makes all students feel curious about the language itself.

Having students from different cultural backgrounds makes classes more enriching for them, but teachers always bear in mind their typical native language mistakes. They’re helping each student to be aware of those errors and supplying the needed support.

ETN: You are located in Castellón de la Plana. What makes your town a good destination for learning Spanish?

MSS: Many students prefer to go to bigger cities in Spain, but once they’re there they realize life is more expensive. They spend most of the day in public transport as distances are huge. People are not as friendly as in smaller cities and most of the time it’s packed with tourists, so it’s really difficult to find locals to talk to!

Castellon de la Plana is the opposite to all mentioned above. Students will feel at home even being abroad. Castellon is a welcoming city, with two universities and a vivid cultural life, near the beach and stone throw from the mountains. Students can be one day discovering a subterranean river beside a medieval castle, and the next day doing scuba diving in a preserved natural area. Castellon is as safe as a village and as lively as a city.

ETN: Finally, what is your vision for the future? How do you see your school in 5-10 years from now?

MSS: We want to be the referential school for students who want to live the Spanish experience out of the topics. We want to show our students the real Spain, more than Paella, beach and Sangria. A cultural experience they will enjoy, and a learning time they will never forget.

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All images courtesy of My Spanish Spot.