Spanish Classes

The focus of the curriculum is communicative language teaching. By communicative we mean language that is used in real life situations parallel to those in which the student is likely to find him or herself. Both the grammar and vocabulary foci are determined by the student?s needs and the order in which the particular structures and content will be useful to him or her. The programs tend to deal with immediate needs first, before moving on to more complex situations, structures, and vocabulary. The four skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) are integrated into the program from the beginning, enabling the student to develop his or her spanish skills in a broad rather than narrow form. As always, we can adapt both the length, content, and design of the course to fit individual student needs.

Special services

The spanish centre is available for all of your language needs. Some of the services we can provide include translation services (english to spanish and spanish to english, and other languages), bilingual interpreters, tour guides, and bilingual "companions" for difficult situations such as doctor?s office visits and complaints in public services offices. We can also provide more intensive courses, immersion and partial immersion programs, and can arrange "homestays" for clients who are either not residing in mexico or who are visiting before moving. Our services can be expanded according to our students requests. Let us know what you need!

Arranging courses

The spanish centre wishes to speak with each individual program participant before he or she begins coursework. This enables us to provide an adequate assessment of the student?s needs, personality, interests, and language level in order to select the appropriate program of study and instructor. Potential clients may arrange for personal visits from our trained staff if located in the monterrey or mexico city areas. Clients located in other areas will receive personal visits if at all possible. Otherwise, assessment will be provided via telephone or e-mail. Please contact our office to request information regarding our services.

Scheduling of courses

Scheduling is generally flexible and may be determined by the student. This enables the students to select a schedule which will work well with other commitments he or she may have. The location of the course can also be determined by the client. Many people find it comfortable to have their instructor come to their home or office. Individuals or groups wishing to take courses at our facilities should make arrangements in advance in order to ensure availability of classrooms. Students participating in the immersion and partial immersion programs will be required to follow a set schedule, although programming does allow for some options. Please contact our office for more information regarding these programs.

Materials

A wide variety of material is available and is selected to fit each particular case. Material is provided to students via the spanish centre and payment for material is expected upon receipt. As the material varies according to student needs, prices for material vary as well. Occasionally material has to be back-ordered and for that reason, advance enrollment is always encouraged.

Cancellations

In order to cancel a course, we require two weeks? Notice. If two weeks? Notice is not received, the client will be billed for the full two weeks. Sporadic cancellations (in case of illness, family emergency, etc.) Are required to be made with 24 hours advance notice. Cancellations not made with 24 hours advance notice will be billed at the regular course rate. Clients are asked to keep cancellations to a minimum of three per month. Classes taken to make up for cancellations will be deducted from the total number of cancellations. All cancellations exceeding three per month after deducting the made up classes will be billed at the regular rate. The two week cancellation policy applies to immersion and partial immersion programs as well. Due to the nature of immersion and partial immersion programs, sporadic cancellations are not permitted.

Attendance to class sessions

Attendance to class sessions is expected and essential for progress. If for some reason you can?t attend, please notify our office as early as possible so that we may notify your instructor. You are welcome to notify your instructor personally as well, but please do not forget to call our office. This allows us to keep billing information current. Attendance to class sessions in the immersion and partial immersion programs is required. Students exceeding one absence will be dropped from the program. Unusual circumstances, such as chronic illness or a death in the family will be considered on a case by case basis.

Payment

Billing for all coursework is done one month in advance. Cancellations are then credited on the following month?s bill. Full payment for all material is expected upon receipt. Immersion and partial immersion programs require a 30% reservation deposit and 50% advance payment of the homestay. Upon arrival, the deposit will deducted from the total due, and the balance paid. Homestays are payable directly to the spanish centre. The two-week cancellation policy also applies to both immersion and partial immersion programs. Unfortunately, no portion of the homestay payment is refundable. Payment can be made at our offices with either cash or check. Clients located outside of the monterrey area may deposit into our account in their local currency. For clients paying in the form of deposit, we will require the details of the transaction (date, amount, receiving and sending bank) in order to process the payment.

Special services

We are able to provide a variety of special services designed to meet a variety of needs. If you require another service, please contact our office for further information.