I recently completed a course of 20 hours of one on one tutoring with Nicaragua Mia. I don’t normally write reviews as I am skeptical of the independence and objectivity of most. However as the bigger schools seem to pull most prospective Spanish students because of their overriding yet underserved reputation I felt compelled to write this.

Living in Granada for 3 months and working with 50+ volunteers I would say the following as to why I believe this is your best bet for picking up the language. Firstly, the teachers and school place emphasis on conversational skills at early stage which I believe is of incremental importance when one is first introduced to a new language. By this I mean if one is able to hold a simple chat with a local after 10 hours of classes then you will be more eager and more diligent with any further learning.

Secondly the teacher I had, Katia (and her counterparts that I met) are better qualified than most to teach Spanish as a foreign language. Katia had studied the Spanish at university level at had taken a course in how to teach Spanish as a foreign language, while the head teacher had over 20 years experience and has tailored her own curriculum and exercises based on this. Many of the other schools simply don’t offer the same quality of teacher and syllabus. A fellow volunteer who attended the one of the big three schools had a 17 year old who spent a summer in Miami as his teacher. Fine to practice conversation but you will need more…You will find an abundance of locals willing to teach you the language for very slightly less than the school ( maybe USD4.00 p/h vs 4.50 p/h in the school) but same story. Usually cool guys/gals but a lack of structure, methodology and jut general professionalism in the teaching. Nicaragua Mia excels here.

Thirdly and in my view very importantly, the school makes sure you have fun while learning. All the teachers and staff enjoy a good laugh, always eager to engage in some banter with you and genuinely seem to enjoy teaching you. You will read comedy extracts in Spanish, play board/card games for last few minutes of class and the school often holds social events where you can meet other students and practice your new language.

Finally the teachers are very accommodating, allowing you to take classes where you need to and when you need to. One thing that I’ll put my hand up and say is a disadvantage is the location of the main school maybe 10 minutes walk from central park. However the teacher will be happy to meet elsewhere at no extra cost. I have postponed classes hours before they were due to begin and once again no problem, no extra cost. Another thing is the school bought me a dictionary at half the price that were been sold for in the town. The school just seems hungrier to satisfy its students and just more eager to ensure it establishes a good name.

So to conclude check the school out (I think they provide a freebie lesson. not sure though) if you don’t like it Ill be amazed. Email me actually! And if you do go ahead with classes and enjoy Spanish

Taken from: TripAdvisor