Easy Languages

Program

Destination

Salamanca was awarded the European Cultural Capital in 2002 and the entire has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. It is a beautifully maintained Medieval university town and one of the most youthful cities in Spain. The city is known for its social life, which overflows from the many cafés and sidewalk restaurants. Known as the “Golden City” for the distinctive sandstone from which the many palacios, the Cathedral and the numerous churches are made, the city is often compared to Pádua, in Italy and Oxford in the UK.

School

Located in the old walled part of the city’s centre, the main school building dates from the 16th century and is U-shaped with 5 floors. The inner courtyard is visible from all the windows of the building. The decorations and structures on site are linked with an adjacent church also from the 16th century, Las Bernadas.

Situated behind the church, the sports facilities include a soccer field, basketball court, a handball court, a volleyball court, an in-line skating rink and more. Students are transported to a nearby swimming club where they enjoy water facilities. Salamanca’s warm summers are just right for enjoying the swimming pool, the outdoor cafés and sunbathing areas.

Courses

The programme has been designed for complete linguistic and cultural immersion for students aged between 5 and 18.

Students take 4 Spanish lessons per day and participate in a programme of supervised activities and excursions specially devised to practice their language skills.

• Lessons
  Lessons are available to all levels, from beginners to advanced. Students are given a diagnostic test when they arrive and are placed in the appropriate class level.
  
  To ensure quality teaching, classes remain small (12 students maximum) and all teachers are native speakers of Spanish, and fully qualified.
  
  Lessons cover the important points of learning a language: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, writing and speaking comprehension. At the end of the programme, participants receive a certificate signed by their teachers, with details of what they have achieved.
• Activities
  The activity programme is a good opportunity for students to speak and practice the language while enjoying fun activities and spending time with their friends. This programme includes supervised activities such as sports, competitions, movie nights, disco nights and shows.
  
  In addition to the activities, a supervised excursion programme provides:
  
  • Full-day excursions to Avila, Segovia, Ciudad Rodrigo and other historical cities of interest, including La Alberca and Alba de Tormes
  • Half-day excursions to local sites of interest such as the Salamanca Cathedral and the Conchas Palace.
• Optional Sports Programmes:
  
  • Tennis: 10 hours of tennis instruction per fortnight
  • Horse riding: 9 hours of horse riding instruction per fortnight
  • 
    These activities are not always possible in combination with some of the activities offered at the camp, on account of timetabling potentially coinciding. You may only sign up to one sport per week.
• Sport Programme (tennis, horse riding: available to native Spaniards)
  Students also have the opportunity to take part in a Sport and Activities programme (without language tuition). In Salamanca, we offer tennis and horse riding.
  
  Students have training and/or matches in the morning, and then follow the activity and excursion programme in the afternoon.
• Permission to leave grounds
  Camp personnel and directors are aware that many of the senior student participants have a certain level of freedom at home and count on being able to meet with their friends and spend some afternoons off-campus. For this reason the programme directors permit 3 unescorted off-campus trips per student during each two-week session. The hours permitted are from the afternoon snack time until 11:30 PM. Only those students aged 15 and and whose parents have given advance, written permission, will be given permission to leave school grounds.
  
  The specific days that the unescorted, off-campus trips are permitted are established by each school’s director.
  
  Those students who are not of age and those who do not have the required written permissions are not permitted to leave the centres without supervision under any circumstances. The breadth and depth of the scheduled classes and activities are planned to maintain their interest and to fill their time as it is.

Accommodation

• Residential housing
  Students may choose to stay in a residence, in a double room complete with shelves and washroom. Bathrooms are shared between the two floors of the building. Full board is included.
• Staying with a host family
  Students can stay with a host family with full board if they are older than 14. This does not allow for weekend activities with the programme as the student will then spend this time with the family.
  

• Laundry
  Our programme also includes a laundry service once every fortnight. To facilitate this the student should bring their own bag for their washing, and should ideally have their clothes labelled with their name.

Prices & Dates

Dates 2012

Trips are from Sunday to Saturday, courses start on Monday. Student’s arrival is scheduled on the following dates: 01/07, 15/07, 29/07

Prices include:

• All enrolment fees
• Courses (20 lessons per week, morning or afternoon)
• Accommodation in residence
  
• Full-board (3 meals per day)
• Cultural excursions, sports and activities

Prices do not include

• Travel to Spain
• Airport pick-up

Practical Info

At the school

• Healthcare and Medical assitance

Each location has an infirmary and a nurse/emergency medical technician on-site to ensure the health and well-being of the students. If your child has any special medical needs, allergies, special dietary needs or other requirements you only have to notify us in writing, preferably at the time of registration, and we can notify the on-site health care staff. Your child’s prescription medicine should be sent with him/her. Any medicine or off-site care needed for injuries acquired while at camp are not covered by the programme costs.

• Pocket money

On arrival students may deposit their money in the camp bank at the school and withdraw as needed. The counselor responsible for the student will note deposits and withdrawals and keep an eye on student’s spending habits to help them budget their money. If you anticipate that your child will need additional money, it will be your responsibility to assure delivery of these funds as the school cannot receive or deliver money to students at our camp sites.

• Telephone

Your child will be able to contact you through telephone booths available at our camps. However, if your child brings a mobile, we will allow its use only during designated times. In addition, each camp has an answering machine where you will be able to leave messages for your child, and an emergency number in case you must contact the camp director. These numbers will be provided to you one month before your child’s arrival.

• Uniform

A uniform is available (optional) with the camp’s logo. We recommend purchase of the uniform package as a means to avoid concerns over what to pack, clothing that might be damaged or lost, etc.

The package consists of 6 T-shirts, 1 sweatshirt, 2 pairs of shorts, and a baseball cap. We recommend that you order this package at least 10 days before the student’s scheduled start date as it cannot be ordered/purchased on-site. The package is delivered to the student during the first days of camp and the counselor helps the student mark all items with his/her name

Transport

• Arrival airport: Madrid
  A payable transfer is available from the airport to accommodation.

If you prefer, we can book your flights for you. This must be made clear at the moment of enrolment.

If you intend to book your own flight, try to arrive the Sunday before the start of your course and leave the Saturday following its end.

Visa Information

EU residents do not normally need a Visa to enter Spain.

Citizens of other countries, such as the USA, Brazil, Japan, Korea, etc, can stay in Spain without a Visa for up to 3 months.

If you intend to stay for longer than 3 months, you will need to apply for a Student Visa (type D) before arriving.

Students coming from such countries must acquaint themselves with the visa application procedures involved at their local Spanish Embassy or Consulate.