If there is one piece of advice I could give those who are thinking about coming to Chile, this would be it: your high school Spanish ain’t gonna cut it. It’s not just the excessive use of chilenismos (Chilean slang), or the way Chileans tend to drop the “s” and “d” sound whenever possible, or the speed of speech…it’s all three of those things put together!
Don’t let this get you down – there are plenty of schools and institutes in Chile where the teachers are specifically trained to teach the language to non-native speakers. Here’s a list of some of the top schools in Santiago:
COINED Spanish School
www.coined.cl
Address: Almirante Simpson 014, Providencia, Santiago (Baquedano metro)
Contact: [email protected]
Services: intensive courses, private courses, group courses, daily activities, weekend excursions, internships, volunteer programs, specialized courses, network of schools worldwide
Escuela Bellavista
www.escuelabellavista.cl
Address: Calle del Arzobispo #0605, Providencia, Santiago (Salvador metro)
Contact: [email protected]
Services: intensive courses, private courses, group courses, Skype courses, daily activities, weekend excursions, internships, volunteer programs
Ecela
www.ecelaspanish.com
Address: Roman Diaz 297, Providencia, Santiago (between Salvador and Manuel Montt metros)
Contact: [email protected]
Services: intensive courses, private courses, group courses, daily activities, weekend excursions, conversation course, schools in Viña del Mar, Argentina, and Peru
Natalis Language Centre
www.natalislang.com
Address: Arturo Burhle 047, Providencia, Santiago (Baquedano metro)
Contact: [email protected]
Services: intensive courses, private courses, group courses, online courses, morning/afternoon/evening courses (non-intensive), school in Valparaiso
Tandem
www.tandemsantiago.cl
Address: Triana 853, Providencia (Salvador metro)
Contact: [email protected]
Services: intensive courses, private courses, group courses, daily activities, weekend excursions, internships, specialized courses (wine, law, business, etc.), network of schools worldwide
Have you attended one of these schools? How was your experience? Leave a comment and let us know.
