SCHOOLIN’

I guess that the school is fairly slow in November in that I had a private class three times in the week that I was in Jaen.
I was staying in Jaen for a week, and had looked for options for Spanish lessons; Schoolin' was tho only option I found.
Ruth, at Schoolin' was very helpful before my trip in describing the program, and also helping me figure out transportation to and from Jaen.
As a teacher Ruth was excellent; we spent most of the time speaking in Spanish (I'm at about an intermediate level), and she used the blackboard to clarify things. Her manner of teaching through conversation was very helpful to me, and I enjoyed our sessions.
The facility was adequate, and comfortable for two people, but would have felt quite crowded if there were many more of us in the room.

I booked a two-week study course in Spanish language skills at Jaen, Spain. My instructor was Ruth Moreno, and my class was co-ordinated through the central office of Schoolin'. Everything went very smoothly; the fee was reasonable, and when it became clear that there would not be enough students for a full-size class, they arranged a program of individual lessons instead. Jaen is a delightful city. There are a number of museums, and the Cathedral and Arabian baths are particularly spectacular. It's also close to a lot of other interesting places: Malaga, Seville, Granada, Cordoba. I was there with my son, and on weekends we travelled to a number of nearby cities and historic sites.

Most of all I can say that the instructor was outstanding. Ms. Moreno has detailed knowledge on how to improve Spanish skills, and she helped me with vocabulary, idioms, and conjugation. Aside from technical skills, she is also very energetic and imaginative in her pedagogy. I never had the sense that a moment was wasted. She carries an enthusiasm that would make anyone want to improve their language skills. As a result of the environment she created, I had no problem with my own motivation to be at class every day on time, and to take notes and learn. When we were working on the subjunctive, she showed a video of a Spanish song that focuses on verbs in that form, and printed off the lyrics so that we could go through the grammar one line at a time. The past tense is hard for me, and she was patient and helpful throughout. Fantastic learning experience. At the end of the two weeks, she drove me and my son (who was travelling with me) to a local market so that we could get a unique perspective on the local culture. We shared coffee together to mark the end of a wonderful experience.

My teacher was highly trained, warm and charismatic. I would recommend her very highly. The program in general is well organized and carefully run.

Classes - the teaching method is very 21st century , which is a breath of fresh air compared to many other couses I´ve done , we are given the self confidence and language chunks to improve in leaps and bounds and I reckon this will be the thing that most students remember most fondly about Schoolin´ .


Teacher - Our teacher Ruth is an inspiring and enthusastic facilitator who uses fun for learning , underpinned by a deep knowlegde of her beloved first language -spanish . I´ll definitely be staying in touch with her for further tips on travelling around Spain as she also has a great knowledge of the Iberian peninsula , it´s history , geogoraphy , culture and even it´s geology

location - Using the extra curricula activities and ¨experience Jaen ' sheets we were able to uncover some hidden corners of this very spanish town that otherwise would have been hidden . Furthermore Ruth´s wide ranging network of friends were more than willing to let us practice our spanish with them , always with a smile and endless patience . This was the 'homework ' tasks Ruth encouraged us to do while enjoying ourselves .

facilities - the school has everything that you need as is located close the the most interesting parts of Jaen

activities - quiz nights , futbolin competitions, treasure hunts , flamenco and sevillianas dance lessons , gastro tours (tapas in Jaen are free with every baby-lager ordered ) and even I ordered a typical oufit bespoke and great value for money .

housing - I stayed in a clean , comfotable 3 storey house dead close to schoolin' , like a hundred second walk , along with other partipants on the course , a Japanese girl , a South Korean girl and a girl from Estonia . I payed by the month and this included bills like electricity , water and gas .I had my own room and my own keys and was able to come and go as I pleased . I liked the classic Andalucian interior styling and felt like I was in the real Spain .

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Schoolin. The classes were good fun, teachers were patient and I had the opportunity to do lots of speaking as the groups were 4-6 people. I feel I improved a lot during my time there.

The staff were brilliant both in and out of the class as well as improving my Spanish they also gave me loads of great tips for places to see in Jaen and places close by.

Jaen is a really great city, small enough that I wasn't overwhelmed but big enough that it has everything you need. Great nightlife too.

I had a great time there and I learned a lot. The school was good and the atmosphere was very pleasant. The groups were small which is very important. This means that the teachers could give their attention to everybody sufficiently. And all of us had the opportunity to practice speaking a lot. By the way the teachers were really cool :)