Spanish School, Guest House & Backpacking Accommodations & Spanish immersion group trips and volunteer program, Orosi Valley Costa Rica- Montana Linda

As Hostel, Guest House, Tourist information, restaurant and of course Spanish School owners since 1997
we have come to know first hand about the needs of the average traveler and the importance of
Spanish Language Education to the student.

Level

Level in relation to student / teacher ratio that the school offers

The student's present level of Spanish
Does the student have any learning disabilities
Can this level be improved in a multi student classroom
What would be the maximum number of student in the class that would still be feasible for improving their level.

Example:
A beginner student can be in a group setting but an intermediate student
with or without learning disabilities would not gain as much out of a group class.

L2	Location

Location of the school

What type of climate or surroundings will help develop the Spanish Language skills.
What is the community surrounding the School like. Does the town speak English. Has the town become overly populated by foreigners. Finding a town where there is mainly Spanish speakers will make the push to practice Spanish an everyday occurrence.
A smaller town that allows students to feel safe is the next step. The chances of getting out and practicing your Spanish is highly unlikely if you're afraid of getting out and about.

Example:
The beach might seem like a great place to study but between the heat and temptation of the
local party atmosphere, after class studying is mostly put aside for more "interesting distractions"

L3	Learning

Learning Burn Out

What is the obligated length of the study program offered by the school. Many Spanish Schools here in Costa Rica offer a discounted price ONLY AFTER 4 weeks of study.
The average student can only absorb about 2 weeks of new information before overload begins, causing the student to feel frustrated which in turn affects the performance in the classroom. The best package is a 3 week program including 2 weeks of new information and 1 week of pure conversational practice.

Example:
Most schools do not give refunds once the program has begun, which means if your having an overload of info, your classes will not be as productive as could be. Choose a shorter program and then add once you see how the learning cycle is going.

Price

Prices are normally based on what accommodations you are choosing... homestay family or hotel.
Many Costa Rica Spanish schools offer homestays included in their prices. Please always remember to inquire about the family distance to the school. Many in-city schools have their families located in smaller outskirts which can be a 1/2 hour bus ride away from the school. This then has an extra travel costs to and from the school each day that are not normally included in the package price.
Please becareful to check that the tours included on the site's pages are actually included in the price quoted. Many have small notes saying that overnight lodging, park entrances and food are not included.

A more expensive price does not mean better learning program

The Costa Ricans are wonderful people and love working with Foreigners and will always do their best. That's how every school can offer a great personalized service and great teachers.

Helpful Notes:

*CO means Classes Only ie no accommodations included. LS means Low Season and HS means High Season*

After spending about 4 1/2 full working weeks in investigating, printing, rechecking and compiling the info of the above chart, we have, as owners of a Spanish School, come to notice how hard it is to see all the details needed to make the right decision.

So what do you do to choose the right school?

Know your LLLP facts about each Spanish school, check guide book write-ups like the Lonely planet and Let's go, review word of mouth message boards and most importantly choose based on your budget.

Remember: For every few hundred dollars saved you can extend your travel time ... Don't pay too much!!

Most Spanish schools do not replace or refund any classes missed due to government holidays.

Many Spanish schools charge a deposit fee. Please make sure you are aware of the deposit system... does it come off your final bill or is it extra then the quoted price.

Many Spanish Schools sites have 2 price quotes: with homestay and without homestay. Please remember that WITHOUT homestay really means the price of JUST CLASSES with hotel accommodations normally be quoted separately. Be sure to read the OPTION and INCLUDES descriptions carefully.

Most schools will not refund anything after your course has started so book less then more just to be sure.

Are you in doubt about class sizes? Look at the websites photos. They are almost always showing at least 3 students per teacher.

Please remember that credit card payments in CR normally have an extra charge of 7-15%.

Thinking of studying in different areas in Costa Rica
Use this chart to help you make the right decision

Click here to see chart

"DOWNLOAD HERE" your own workable excel version of our
Spanish school comparison chart.
Try sorting top columns by:
Location in CR
Price etc

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Montaña Linda & Otiac A.P. 83-7100, Paraiso, Cartago, COSTA RICA Tel: 506 2533-3640, Fax: 506 2533-1292 E-mail: info@montanalinda.com & otiac@ice.co.cr Please remember to dial the international code usually (011) from the States and Canada and (00) from Europe or else you will be calling a French speaking house in New Brunswick, Canada.
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