Easy Languages

Program

How does it work?

An exchange programme is probably one of the best educational investments that at student can make. As an exchange student, participants live as an adoptive member of their host family. They go to school and discover all aspects of the daily life of Spaniards, learning how they live, think, and relax.

Students discover the history and surprisingly rich traditional heritage of Spain and have an enriching personal experience that cannot be acquired through school books. The experience is, as a whole, a powerful linguistic, cultural, and personal enrichment that participants never forget.

This program is open to motivated participants, not beginners in Spanish and between 16 and 18 who wish to take one year or one academic semester in a Bachillerato (high school in Spain) by sharing the life of a Spanish host family. It takes place in a private high school in Banalmádena, a few kilometers from Malaga, in southern Andalusia.

Destination

Benalmádena is a town of 30,000 inhabitants. Originally a fishing village with beautiful little white-washed houses, it has developed into a lively and animated town while retaining its antique charm and character. The friendly people, the sports facilities (nautical sports, golf, horse-riding…), the discotheques, the Flamenco shows and the natural beauty of the seaside make Benalmádena the perfect place to work and to relax.

Its geographical location, in the South of Andalusia, allows for easy organisation of excursions to the larger cities of the region, rich in culture and heritage: the Alhambra in Grenada, the Mezquita de Córdoba, the Giralda and the historical district in Sevilla, and more.

School

This prestigious private high school was founded in 1975. For more than 30 years, its students’ high results on the Selectividad exam (university entrance exam in Spain) have placed it among the five best high schools in the Province of Málaga.

As it is welcoming more and more foreign students every year, the establishment uses a teaching method perfectly adapted to learners of Spanish as a foreign language. If they wish, foreign students can benefit from Spanish language courses aside from their normal high school courses. The cultural diversity of the school makes integration easier for students and makes their experience even more enriching.

In September of 2000, the school moved to a more modern building only minutes away from the downtown area. Situated in a calm neighbourhood, the school has room for its own sports facilities and pool. The classrooms are bright and the school is entirely outfitted with modern conveniences. It features a large library, an art room, a science lab, a snack-bar, a small theatre, and computer labs.

Courses

The school welcomes foreign students for one trimester or one academic year of “Bachillerato”. In the Spanish school system, the Bachillerato indicates the last two years of secondary studies, and completes the four years of “Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (E.S.O.)” - obligatory secondary education. It also precedes la Selectividad exam, from which it is decided whether or not students will be admitted into universities.

This programme allows you to take courses under the same conditions as Spanish students. The courseload includes about 30 hours a week (depending on the chosen programme), with classes running Monday through Friday, from 8:30-2:30 (except in September and June when they run from 9:00-2:00).

The Bachillerato is divided into two branches: sciences and human sciences and students have the choice between these two paths.

Details

Host Family

The host families are probably the most important element of these programmes. It is for this reason that we pay special attention to their selection. Our host families are all volunteers who wish to host youths out of a desire to share their lives and culture with a foreign student. After having been selected on the basis of multiple interviews and references, the families take an active role in choosing in the student that they welcome.

They typically have a child studying at the same school as you, and they tend to live around 20 minutes from it.

Housing is arranged as a double room with full board: the family provides breakfast and dinner during the week, plus 3 meals a day on the weekend. Mid-day meals during the week are either provided at the school or at home.

Activities

The school organises activities all year long, such as: cultural visits, sports (golf, sailing, tennis, badminton, volleyball etc.), excursions to Seville, Grenada, Cordoba, Rhonda etc., Spanish film showings, workshops on Spanish art, Flamenco lessons, restaurant outings, tapas tastings and more. Everything is arranged with the goal of immersing students in the Spanish culture.

Tutor

There is an on-site counselor who is available to help the school’s foreign students. This person has experience in the field and stays in regular contact with the host families and their students. The counselor organises get-togethers and does everything possible to assure that everything goes smoothly with the host families and the school.

The staff at the school is also at your disposition should any problem arise.

Practical Info

Conditions of participation

• Must be aged between 16 and 18 at time of departure
• Must have an adequate level of Spanish
• Must have attained good school results the last three years
• Must have the willingness to make new friends and share in the daily life of a host family
• Must be able to prove that you have an interest in learning about other cultures and languages, that you are motivated, mature, and able to adapt.
  
  

Terms of enrolment

If you fulfil the participation conditions, then you should enrol as soon as possible.

You will then receive a preliminary confirmation and we will contact you for a telephone interview, during which we will evaluate your level of English. If your level seems adequate, we will invite you to pay an advance of 1000 € in order to confirm your enrolment and initiate the process.

Then we will ask you to take part in a second, more thorough interview in our offices in Paris or Brussels.

A fee of 70 € is payable on the day of this interview at the latest if an advance has not yet been paid. This fee is non-refundable and is deductible from the final balance in case of a definitive enrolment.

If the interview is favourable, we will then send you by post a folder to complete. This will require: letters of recommendation from your teachers, vaccination certificates, a letter addressed to your host family, and other documents necessary for the consideration of your application to Spain.

Enrolment deadlines

The deadline for submitting the abovementioned folder is:

• 15th March if you are leaving in August
• 15th of September if you are leaving in January

The pre-enrolment forms must be completed and submitted to our offices in Brussels or Paris at least one month before the folder submission deadline.

Candidates who do not fulfil the age or language level criteria are invited to speak with us to discuss other possible options.

Prices & Dates

Dates 2012

The school year runs from the 2nd week of September to the 2nd week of June. State examinations are normally held in the first week of July.

Students can opt for a programme lasting a complete academic year, or one trimester from September to December.

The school-year calendar, complete with exact vacation dates and public holidays, is not yet available. However, it is known that students will have one week of vacation in autumn, two weeks at Christmas, and one week in the spring.

Prices include:

• All school registration and course fees.
• Accommodation in a host family with full-board (all meals), including during all holidays.
• Airport pickup/drop off from the Malaga airport
• Guidance from the counselor and school staff 24/7.
• An orientation session on the first day of class.

Prices do not include:

• Transportation to Málaga
• On-site transportation costs
• Obligatory medical insurance
• Extra review courses on the Spanish language and optional activities