Escuela Montalban

I love this school and have been so many times.

The teachers are wonderful - kind, clear and will help you learn the Spanish culture and language very efficiently.

En la recepción tienen una bandera republicana y también un pequeño letrero con los colores de la bandera republicana que dice: "referendum". No se a que viene eso. Como se puede fiar uno de un centro de enseñanza tan analfabeto? Tanto les molesta españa y nuestra constitución, que por cierto, les ha acogido con brazos abiertos?

Teachers and staff were really friendly and caring. BUT there are big differences between the teachers and they don't really seem to be following any guidelines. If you are a C1/C2 i would take 101 classes. The activities are repetitive but I loved the Tapas Tour:)
The shared flat was nice and the school didnt have any problems with me booking veeery last minute!

Located in the centre of Granada the school offers a variety of activities to do during the break between the Spanish lessons or after your classes have finished. The classes are very small which provide an excellent working atmosphere as well as an ambience of familiarity.

I was really happy when I got the confirmation for my two-months internship from the Spanish school Escuela Montalbán. My work consists of translation and web design of the school’s web site. Furthermore, I could calculate costs and complete data bases. The school offers a perfect opportunity for people who want to do an internship in the administration area. It never get’s boring.

In addition to my internship I got offered language courses in order to improve my Spanish. When you are in the classroom it does not feel like lessons. The hours of class are filled with humour and exiting topics to talk about. You will not notice how one and a half hour will pass by. Of course, the educational part is not missing, and you will see progress like I did after one week only. Complex topics are explained very clear and the teachers do their best to make a complex topic transparent.

Let me tell you about accommodation now. I shared a flat with students from all over the world and different ages. It is an unforgettable experience which I totally recommend to everyone. Meeting new people -for some people- might cost some overcoming but people who travel in order to learn a language are nice. Another advantage is that you get quicker in touch with new people and create a friendship which lasts beyond your stay here.

Apart from the fact that Granada is a fantastic city for university students because it offers historical heritage as well as a good night life, Granada has a lot of parks where you can you can just hang out or have a good time with your friends. Some parks are really easy to reach but for some you have to make a little effort, but it is totally worth it. When you are in Granada you definitely should not miss the park Carmen de los Martires. From there you can see the town from the birds-eye-view and the park has a lot of beautiful flowers and fountains. It is right next to the garden of the Alhambra.

The garden of the Alhambra is called Generalife. It is composed of the Lower Gardens, the Generalife Palace and the High Gardens. Nowadays the denomination of the Generalife is commonly accepted as the Garden or Gardens of the Alarife, meaning the garden of the constructor or architect. First you will see the New Gardens of the Generalife, which connect the Generalife with the Alhambra, integrating them with nature.

The language school Escuela Montalbán in the center of Granada is a cosy and matey place. It is situated in a small building on two levels with three small class rooms each. You get to know all the staff very quickly as there are about 15 people working here and some of them are – good for them – on holiday as it is high summer time at the moment.
The first and third week I took part in regular courses with only three students plus, of course, the teacher. We had two classes per day starting with a grammar class followed by a conversation class. The school’s administation goes to great length in organizing the courses concerning the students‘ language levels. They really strive to form courses consisting of people with a similar level of Spanish in order to make the classes effective and useful. I also took private lessons during one week which I can recommend because it is super-intensive and very effective when the teacher concentrates fully on you.
As far as I am concerned, I do not only study at this school but I also do an internship under supervision of Margret Fortman who is the school’s marketing and public relations manager. Therefore I review or write texts for the school’s website. I have to admit that these texts are in English or German (I am from Berlin) as my Spanish is by far not yet good enough for professional purposes.
When I arrived I was classified level A2 in Spanish, certainly an accurate classification in theory but in daily life I felt like level zero basically. That has significantly changed in only three weeks thanks to the lessons I took and thanks to the teachers that gave them. All teachers are professional, highly motivated, kind and funny at times, too.
As I enjoy biking a lot, I bought a bike second hand and so I am exploring the city and the countryside in my spare time. The landscape has flat terrain when you go along the river Genil that flows through the city into the plains and there are of course hills and the Sierra Nevada. A mountain range that goes up to about 3000 m (9000 ft). And for all of you who like biking, too or who are into a little challenge: To the second highest peak leads a path suitable for bikes with an average gradiant of only 5 percent.
The learning gradiant is for sure higher at Escuela Montalbán.

I took a week's Spanish conversation classes at Montalbán with one private afternoon conversation class too. I had two great teachers - I was in a group of eight in the mornings with Adela and we had good fun practising our conversation skills. We were all of a similar level in conversation and got plenty of directed practice time on the things we needed to progress. On one afternoon I had an hour and a half with Maria, purely to practise conversation which was enjoyable and helpful.

I found that Montalbán's strengths are the division of grammar and conversation which for me meant I could just choose to work on conversation which was what I felt I needed right now. It also allows people to be set into different level groups for conversation and for grammar so if you are much stronger in one area than the other you can work at your level for each subject. Some reviews have commented on the fact that the grammar sessions do not 'lead in' to the conversation lessons but this is why, so it depends what your priority is on this.

I did find that for a one week course Montalbán was quite expensive as there is a high administration fee which would be diluted if you were to book several weeks in a row. I have given it five stars and I will probably return at some point for another course.

Teachers and staff were really friendly and caring. BUT there are big differences between the teachers and they don't really seem to be following any guidelines. If you are a C1/C2 i would take 101 classes. The activities are repetitive but I loved the Tapas Tour:)
The shared flat was nice and the school didnt have any problems with me booking veeery last minute!

J'ai beaucoup aimé la façon dont cette école enseigne, toutes les leçons passent par des jeux, de cartes, de plateau, ce qui rends l'apprentissage plus distrayant et plus payant, on apprends sans s'en rendre compte, sans avoir le sentiment de travailler de façon scolaire et ennuyante. Les profs sont très sympa, l'école et bien placée, Je la recommande vivement

I was 3 months at Escuela Montalbán in Granada doing an Intensive Spanish course, which included 2 classes of grammar and 2 conversation classes per day. I started from the very beginning and improved my Spanish very quickly thanks to a professionalism of the teachers and very well selected groups. In fact, I was able to communicate with other students with the same level of Spanish, which helped us learn Spanish more efficiently with a help of a teacher and have fun as well.

The staff of the Spanish school was extremely friendly and helpful, especially Paco. In the first day they helped me with my accommodation, informed me about different possibilities and important places in the city, and helped me get my debit card in a bank, which was incredibly important as well.

The accommodation was provided by the school. In the apartment I lived with 4 Spanish persons, who helped me boost my Spanish and experience Spanish culture and traditions. They were very friendly, kind and open-minded.

On the one hand, teachers were very professional and provided well-structured content. On another hand, they were very funny making a lot of jokes. Thus, they delivered a great combination of serious and funny content, which helped us feel comfortable and learn Spanish in a great atmosphere.

Another important part of learning Spanish language and culture took place outside of our classes. The school organized different social and cultural activities in the evenings and on weekends. In the first week we went to the Arabic bath, which helped me relieve stress from the first days of my adaptation to a new country. Moreover, I discovered an incredible art-form, which was born in Granada and called Flamenco. The flamenco show included very emotional and expressional music and dance. I fell in love with it and would love to experience it again. Another incredible activity was a tapa tour with the teacher Marisa, when almost all the students went out together to explore the tapas culture in different local bars. There is a tradition in Granada to give tapas for free when you order a drink.

I would definitely recommend this school to everybody, who wants to learn Spanish and discover a great culture of the beautiful Granada and Spain in general.

I went to this school forabout 3 months, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to learn Spanish but at the same time have an amazing experience! The teachers here, are just amazing. They always find ways to keep classes interesting as well as make sure that you book progress as fast a possible. Besides the school, Granada is also just a beautiful city to spend some time in. Whether you like culture or you are more of a nightlife kind of person. Granada has it all. AND have i mentioned yet that with every drink you order here you get your meal for free!

I trained in TEFL so my experience of the language teaching at the school is from a different perspective.

I also think I may have been unlucky with the week I enrolled, as I was told I had joined at a different part of the course compared to other students who had been there for longer, and I was not in the same 'rhythm' as them.

Overall, the teachers are very nice people, it feels like a family there and the classes are a good size and casual.

However, the lessons were not planned in a very dynamic way and not many modern language techniques were used, particularly for grammar lessons.

The lesson was solely the teacher writing grammar rules on the board while we copy, then a tonne of gap fill exercises. This went on for 90 minutes every morning! He didn't try and mix it up or make it interesting, it was the same process everyday single day.

Despite this, the most useful part was that he spoke in Spanish the whole time when telling us the rules, which was good for listening skills - but this is minimum standard practise anyway in language teaching.

The speaking lessons were more enjoyable, but the grammar we were taught in the morning was not used and it was a very 'free' practise - which is good for some, but I would personally prefer for there to be some link between what we learn in the morning and what we practise saying afterward.

Despite this, I had a good time on the last day, as the school organised a really good trip to the Alhambra's, there was a great tour guide that spoke in Spanish for the whole tour and who was excellent at illustrating the place with words. He pitched it at a good level for the group and did some good storytelling.

I had the best time during my stay in escuela montalban!:)

Spanish lessons were always really interesting, we had some grammar exercises everyday but what I liked most was that there was a strong emphasize on the speaking part. I really liked all of the teachers that I had classes with. They used all kind of different activites to keep us active with a lot of games for speaking spanish which was really great because it get you so enagaged into game that you don't realize when you speak spanish! Hahaha:) Also all of the classes were in spanish, which might sounds scary for some people but actually it's the best way of learning so don't be afraid! Teachers know how to explain everything with a little bit of acting if needed ;)

If you want not only learn spanish but also have a nice time after classes escuela montalban is a perfect choice. Every week they organize a lot of cultural activities, you can go to cinema, see flamenco show, go to the beach.

I would highly recommend going for tapas tour with Marisa which is usually happening on every monday evevning! She is one of the teachers and she knows all the best places in Granada to go for tapas and delicious tinto de verano!:) It is a great way of getting to know other students just at the beginning of your stay and practising spanish! And usually most of the students participate in this activity - it's completelly free! You just pay for the drinks you order - which is around 2 euros per drink (+ free tapa)!

Well and Granada! Another great thing about escuela montalban is that it's located in Granada, one of the most charming cities in Spain! Really, I was in few places in Spain but Granada made such a strong impression on me. Beautiful streets, Albaicin, Sacromonte, Alhambra - ach so many beautiful places! Also Granada is not so big, so you can just walk almost everywhere and don't be afraid to be lost!:) Och - just don't forget to book ticket for Alhambra in advance - because they tend to sold out pretty quickly!