Help to care for abandoned dogs and cats that have been rescued from the streets of Santiago. Volunteers are urgently needed!
Santiago de Chile
Programs Abroad
CHILE - Spanish Course in Viña del Mar 
 |
Country: Chile Location: Viña del Mar Minimum Stay: 2 weeks Start dates: All year round Price: from 2 weeks, 430 USD |
| More Photos... |
School
Our partner school in Viña del Mar is located in the center of the city just a few blocks from the beach and the famous outdoor stage (the Quinta Vergara) where the annual "Festival de Viña" takes place. The nice neighborhood offers many activities during the day as well as at night. There are many restaurants, cafes, bars and shopping malls to go to. You will also find a huge variety of outdoor activities such as water sports, horseback riding and excursions to the different national parks. At night, you can go out and explore the pubs and clubs that are full of students. The city and its neighbor Valparaíso are home to a large concentration of university campuses making the atmosphere exciting and lively.Course
The Spanish language courses are designed to help you meet your Spanish goals in a short period of time. The Spanish classes focus on Spanish conversation, grammar, reading and writing. The teaching methodology was created by the Spanish school itself and reflects their many years of experience teaching Spanish to foreigners.The Spanish classes take place year round and start every Monday. You can choose among different kinds of courses as they are all available for any Spanish level. The courses are divided into 12 different levels of proficiency to ensure successful learning. There are four divisions in each beginner, intermediate and advanced students. To make sure your knowledge meets the corresponding class level and to determine your current language skills, you will take a brief placement test before starting the lessons on your first day.
Each Spanish lesson lasts 50 minutes. At the end of your Spanish program the school provides you a certificate of the completion, which also states your achieved level of Spanish. University students can also get credits!
You can choose among the following courses:
Group Course: If you want to get in contact with students from all around the world and study with them together in a group, then choose the group course. It consists of 4 Spanish lessons each day, 20 lessons per week. Each group has a maximum of 7 students to ensure an effective learning approach. (There must be a minimum of 3 students to build a group. If there is only 1 or 2 students the amount of hours will be reduced by 50% and you will get private respectively semi-private classes)
Intensive Course: The intensive course is the perfect fit for you if you want to learn the language faster and more intensely. The course is made up of the group course mentioned above and 5 additional private lessons in the afternoons. This schedule allows you to repeat certain topics and work on your personal weaknesses.
Private Course: If you want to have 100% individualized attention to learn the language, then you should participate in a private course. The course is customized to your needs. This is an excellent option for professionals or students who want to learn as fast as possible or focus on specific vocabulary. The course consists in 10 lessons per week, while the hours can take place in the morning or afternoons. It is also possible to book 20 hours per week.
Accommodation
We want you to feel as comfortable as possible while you are staying in Viña del Mar. Living with one of our carefully chosen host families gives you the opportunity to practice your Spanish, explore the local culture and get to know the Chilean way of life. The family provides you with a private room, bathrooms are mostly shared. You will also have access to the kitchen and common rooms. Upon request, you can book you room including half board (breakfast and dinner). Keep in mind that you are never too old for a home stay as many students are older than their host "parents".If you want to stay with other international students in a student residence or in a shared apartment instead with a host family, we can arrange this for you as well. You will have your own room, sharing the kitchen and bathroom with the other residents. There are no meals provided.
Volunteering
Do you want to experience the life as a volunteer and use your Spanish knowledge in real-life situations while getting to know new cultures?If so, you should dedicate your time to a volunteer work project. You can perfectly combine your Spanish course with volunteering and just dedicate the afternoons to your volunteer work. You can also schedule the volunteer experience after the Spanish course is completed and work full time with flexible hours.
Volunteers are mainly placed in social projects dedicated to child care, education, elderly care, or assistance to homeless or sick people. You will get to know different social backgrounds which will definitively open your personal views and give you an experience that lies beyond the ordinary traveler's reach. Your commitment can change people's lives!
 Social commitment is in great demand! Experience a different side of life in Latin America and help giving hope to some people!
throughout Chile
|
Prices
| in USD |
Group Course |
Intensive Course |
Private Course |
Single Room | Single Room (no meals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | 430.- | 630.- | 630.- | 440.- | 236.- |
| 3 weeks | 640.- | 940.- | 945.- | 660.- | 390.- |
| 4 weeks | 850.- | 1,250.- | 1,260.- | 880.- | 520.- |
| Additional week |
205.- | 305.- | 315.- | 210.- | 120.- |
Enrolment fee 75 USD. Check-in accommodation the sunday before the course starts, check-out on Saturday after the course has ended (extra days can be booked).
No classes on National Holidays: 2013, Jan 01, Mar 29, May 01,May 21,Jun 29, Aug 15, Sept 18 - 20, Oct 31, Nov 01, Dec 25.
| Additional service | Price and Description |
|---|---|
| Airport pick-up | USD 35.- Airport Santiago - Busterminal |
| Volunteer Placement |
USD 95.- Half-day volunteering* |
Please also see our full-day volunteer work positions in Chile...
What’s included:
- Orientation kit
- Local support
- 24h-Emergency Number
- Free internet access at school
- Quality Spanish Course
- Teaching material
- Evaluation test
- Free tutorial lessons
- Refreshments, coffee and tea at school
- Activity calendar
- Language Certificate
- Accommodation as booked
- Airport pick-up (if booked)
What’s not included:
- Flight
- Medical Insurance
- Local Travels
Location
Viña del Mar is located to the northwest of Santiago (1.5 hours by car) and has about 300.000 inhabitants making it the fourth largest city of Chile. The city is famous for its palm-lined and picturesque bays, sandy beaches and attracts thousands of national and international tourists all year round because of its glamorous beach flair.Try your luck at the famous Casino and maybe you will get the chance to increase your traveling budget in one of the oldest gambling establishments in South America. Viña del Mar also hosts the "Festival de Viña" that takes place every year in February and is one of the most famous music festivals on the South American continent. The city also hosts the annual national Film Festival.
When you are in Viña you shouldn't miss the flower clock at the entrance of the city. And you should definitively make a trip to the neighboring city of Valparaíso. It is the complete opposite of chic Viña del Mar, but the UNESCO city is definitely worth exploring.
The combination of city, beach and countryside provides Viña del Mar with a very unique character. You can lie out and relax or go for a swim at the sunny beaches of the Pacific coast or participate in some of the outdoor sports such as water-skiing, horseback riding and trekking through one of the nearby national parks. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes and a big shopping mall as well. If you love entertaining nightlife Viña del Mar is your place. There is a little bit of everything including cabarets, pubs, piano bars, discos, etc.
Source: Google Maps
 Chile is truly a country like no other in South America. This long and narrow country embraces the Pacific Ocean on the coast to the east, squeezed by the Andes Mountains and Argentina to the west, and borders Bolivia and Peru to the northwest. Chile takes great pride in being the longest country in the world with an incredible length of 2,700 miles a width of only 115 miles. Due to the country’s vast length, a wide range of climatic zones and weather conditions exist with an average daily difference of thirty-eight degrees between northern Arica and southern Patagonia.
While the country’s total population adds up to about 16 million, almost 6 million or 40% of Chileans live in the country’s capital of Santiago. About 85% of the country's population live in urban areas, while an incredible 15% of the population are responsible for agricultural productions of oranges, avocados, flowers, melons and numerous other products. Moreover, the relatively small central valley around Santiago dominates the country in terms of agricultural resources. If your Chilean travels take you outside the economic and cultural side of Chile, you will find landscape variety in forests, grazing lands, spectacular volcanoes, rocky and sandy coasts, and shimmering lakes. With a little extra local knowledge, you might be lucky to discover the labyrinth of fjords, beautiful inlets, remote islands and historic glaciers. Chile’s most known attractions for adventurers and culture seekers alike are Easter Island, Robinson Crusoe Island, the southern region of Patagonia and famous Altiplano in the north. Further, within a two-hour radius from Santiago are spectacular beaches, glacial hiking, climbing, biking, surfing, wine tours and much more. From the world’s driest desert in the north, endless coastline in the west, majestic Andes in the east, smoking volcanoes, virgin forests, lakes, fjords, rivers and glaciers in the south, there is something for everybody in Chile. The best time to travel to Chile depends greatly on what you hope to see and do. If your mission is to play hard in the southern region, the most accessible months to the backcountry of Patagonia are December through March. The months of November through February are fantastic for long days, hot, dry weather and empty city streets in central Chile. For skiers, along with rain in the city, snow begins to fill the mountains again from July through September. In northern Chile, the Atacama Desert is easily accessible all year. March is a general all around ideal month to explore Chile from north to south because this is the transition time from summer to the winter cold and rainy seasons. We believe you’ll find Chileans are generally quiet but welcoming people. They are very proud of their amazing country and love to talk about its endless variety. The Chileans are very kind, helpful and will soon consider you to be their “amigo” so you will never feel lonely.
|
Photos
|
|
|
|
|
|
