Can you work and study Spanish in Spain?

Studying in Spain

• Hi, I work in Germany. I am considering taking a one-year time-out to live and study in Spain to learn Spanish, primarily. I am looking for a small, non-tourist city in Spain, where "high-level" Spanish is used, instead of some dialect. The city should have a university where I could enroll or take classes. I am definitely looking for a nice city/town, but I definitely want to avoid any tourists whatsoever. Large cities therefore don't qualify by definition. The smaller, the better. I prefer the answering party to be from Spain or at least know the country very well. I was considering taking a low-budget flight over there and simply look around, but that still is a very costly undertaking, and hard to do while working a 9-5 job. Research over the internet is tedious, I am looking for someone with real experience, someone who can share an insider's tip on great parts of Spain that are mostly unknown. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Hello awayand-ga! I spoke with my uncle who lives and works in Spain. He immediately thought of several locations, including one in particular that seems meet your needs the most. He said that Spain is full of tourists, and that university towns, because of their rich educational and cultural traditions, tend to draw a disproportionate number of them. So, you may never be able to completely escape all of the tourists, but Salamanca is probably the ideal place for your purposes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SALAMANCA ?The province of Salamanca [is] situated in the South-west corner of Castile & León on the borders with extremadura and Portugal. . . . The city is large enough (180,000 inhabitants) to be able to offer the advantages of a real city, but at the same time it keeps the intimacy of a village. In Salamanca, the inhabitants speak the "purest" Spanish in Spain?Castilian. For this reason Salamanca is enormously popular with people all over the world who want to learn Spanish.? http://www.aboutsalamanca.com/ Here is some information about the Spanish language program at the University of Salamanca. ?The first Spanish language course for foreign students was established more than 30 years ago and since then approx. 150,000 foreign students have participated in the Spanish language courses arranged by the University. The University is recognized as one of the best Spanish language schools in Spain. . . . Salamanca University arranges both short and long-term Spanish language courses from 2 weeks to a full year. The short-term Spanish language courses are arranged throughout the year and begin the first week of each month. The long-term Spanish language courses are divided into 3 semesters of approx. 10 weeks each starting in October, January and April. In both the short and long-term Spanish courses you can choose between 15, 20 or 25 class hours per week. The 15-hour course is the basic Spanish course, which only covers Spanish grammar and communication. In the 20-hour Spanish course apart from the Spanish grammar and communication students can also select one of the following subjects for the remaining 5 hours per week: Spanish Culture, Spanish Literature, Contemporary History of Spain, Written Practice. For the 25-hour language course students can furthermore select between History of Spanish Art, Oral Practice and Business Spanish. (Students at beginner's level will have special communication and Spanish language classes). Facts about the programs: * Maximum 15 students per class * Minimum age 18. * 5different levels * Certificate given at end of course. * Books and study material as well as medical insurance are all included in course fee.? http://www.unispain.com/Salamanca_University.htm Here is the link to the university?s Spanish language program website. http://corintio.usal.es/home.aspx?IdIdioma=55 There are also smaller, Spanish language schools for foreigners. Here is a link to the don Quixote school. http://www.dq-salamanca.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - OTHER POSSIBILITIES My uncle also mentioned a couple of other cities that would be good places to learn Spanish, and while they may not exactly meet your other requirements, they may be places to at least consider. * Jerez de la Frontera: This area is a lot more ?touristy? than Salamanca, and the nearest university is in Cadiz, about 30 minutes away by bus. The University of Cadiz does offer Spanish courses, but they are only available in the summer. http://www.uca.es/ * Seville: He says this is a beautiful part of Spain with an excellent university, but that it has many tourists there year round. I looked at the university and wasn?t able to find any courses dedicated to foreign students wanting to learn Spanish, so this one is probably lower on your list than the others. http://www-en.us.es/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I hope that you find this information useful! It looks like Salamanca is the place for you! And, if I might put in a personal plug, since it?s so near Portugal, I think that adds to how good a place it is. You see, I?ve lived in Portugal and it is SUCH a beautiful country, so rich in culture. I cannot say enough good about that gem of Europe. But I digress. :) Salamanca seems to be a great fit for you. I hope that you have a wonderful experience with your new adventure! Researching this answer and learning about these neat programs sure can tempt a person. If you have any need of further clarification, please let me know how I can help. Sincerely, Boquinha-ga Search strategy: Speaking with my uncle who lives and works in Spain Online search Search terms: Salamanca Salamanca University Jerez de la Frontera Cadiz University Seville Seville University