Learn Spanish the way Diplomats do

Spanish language schools have proliferated in Latin America, Spain, and the United States in recent years. The "globalization" of business, the passage of NAFTA and its possible extension throughout Latin America, have heightened interest in learning Spanish and attracted all kinds of people to what is potentially a very profitable business. Unfortunately, many Americans lack the background to critically evaluate the claims of language learning providers. Language learning/teaching is very different from other kinds of education and has, sadly, not historically been given much emphasis or importance in the U.S.

We have prepared the chart below to help folks who might be a bit confused by the plethora of schools, classes, and self-study programs that are available, and all of which, of course, claim that they're the best. While we believe these are important considerations, they are not all-inclusive nor can we give you a simple way of making your decision based on a "score". We do believe, though, that the more information you have the better the decision you will ultimately make.

Question	Why is it important?	Considerations to weigh
How long have they been in operation?	With "globalization", and the passage of NAFTA, teaching Spanish has become a growth industry. As with all growth industries, it attracts all kinds of people. Thirty years ago, Cuernavaca, Mexico had two language schools--today it has nearly 30. One town in Guatemala with a population of under 30,000 has over 60 "language schools". It strains credulity to believe that all of the language schools that have sprung up in recent years are of equal quality. The same is true of self-study programs and classes in the U.S.	We don't want this to be a "Catch 22". Just because a school is fairly new doesn't mean that it's not good. Indeed, high ratings on some other factors may outweigh this one. But this is something you should take into consideration.
Is their website or brochure written in good English, without serious spelling or grammatical errors?	People who don't place enough importance in language to even assure that their advertising is written decently in the language of their target market are not terribly likely to be very serious about how they teach Spanish.	There is no excuse for language "professionals" not to write their promotional materials in good English.
Do they provide details of a structured program to help students achieve real proficiency? What evidence is there that this program works?	Teaching another language to adults requires a lot more than simple knowledge of the target language; and people who aren't experienced language learners have little by which to judge the content of what they're getting. Look for an organization that provides details of what they teach, and how they teach it. For an example of a thorough program description, click here.	Beware of vague and generalized descriptions. Such statements as "We use the direct/communicative method" or "We've developed our own program" without a lot of additional information may be danger signs.
Can they relate what they do to an accepted proficiency scale?	Knowledgeable language professionals should be familiar with at least the ACTFL proficiency scale, and/or the ILR (FSI) scale. This is a good question to ask; since it will both reveal the extent of the professionalism of the prospective provider as well as indicating that you know something about language proficiency. (See our proficiency page.)	Knowing what proficiency consists of is crucial to helping students achieve proficiency.
Do they make prodigious promises?	Unfortunately, there is no quick, easy way to learn another language. But we've all seen programs or schools that promise astounding results with little effort in days or weeks.	Yes, you can learn Spanish, it can be fun, and it doesn't need to take forever. It is important, however, that you be realistic--and that you choose as your guides in the journey to proficiency people who are also realistic.
What do former students say?	This is obviously a consideration, but with some caveats. Former student recommendations can be a valuable tool, but need to be evaluated alongside of all the other information you can gather. Self-assessment of language learning and language knowledge is notoriously unreliable, and proficiency not objectively measured may be illusory.	While the experiences of former students is important, their comments should be weighed carefully. Student comments are more likely to reflect the experience they had with their teachers and host families [if they studied abroad] than an informed, critical analysis of the quality of the learning experience.
Who's recommending the school, and what are their qualifications?	If you're looking for a program or school through an internet search, you're most likely to be seeing recommendations from people with a financial interest in your choice. There are several organizations that represent numerous schools, and assert that they've visited all these schools to ensure that the schools meet their high standards.	Recommendations are generally as good as the recommender. Anyone recommending a school or schools should be willing to tell you who they are, and provide enough information for you to make an informed decision whether they really know what they're talking about or not. To read a little about the person behind Platiquemos, click here.