Spanish schools and their programs

Spanish schools are the main conduit for foreign students coming to Quito. There are well over 100 of them in the capital alone. However, some of the larger universities, such as the Catholic University or the San Francisco University, also offer courses.

Type of Teaching

Most teaching in Quito is done in small groups or one-on-one. This system is the most common since it gives teachers a chance to adapt to an individual or a group's needs.

Length of Study

There really is no set limit to the time one can spend in Quito learning Spanish. Some students stay for a few weeks just wanting to learn enough to get by on their travels, others will spend four to seven hours a day in classes over the course of several months with an eye to perfecting their Spanish for professional application.

Spanish and Volunteering

A popular combination offered by nearly all the schools is Spanish classes along with work in an organisation dedicated to social work - whether humanitarian or ecological. Volunteering is a great way to enrich a student's time in Ecuador, and means they will get to know the reality of life in the country with all its problems, as well as be part of the solution.

Certificates and Exams

The majority of the Spanish schools in Quito are authorized to award Spanish language study certificates since they are recognised by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education.
For those seeking to acquire a certificate of language proficiency recognised internationally, since 2004 it's been possible to sit the DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera, Spanish as a Foreign Language Diploma) exams in Quito, which are sponsored by the Spanish Cervantes Institute in collaboration with the University of Salamanca in Spain. There are a number of schools in Quito which prepare students for the DELE exams.

Personalized Programs

Given the wide variety of interests expressed by students, Spanish-language schools in Quito have developed a whole range of course especially adapted to students' needs. These tend to focus on certain professional areas such as business, health, environment, law and so on.