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| Address |
Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School
6 Avenida Norte No.39
Antigua
(+502)-7882-4575
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Registration
Write to the school
Location Map
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| Rank |
87% |
| Prices |
225 USD for 20
hours per week including host family
130 USD for 20 hours per week without host family
Study one hour daily more or less: add or subtract about USD 15 per week.
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| School Size |
5-20 students |
| Openings |
This school currently has openings! |
| Summary |
Located a few steps from La Merced church, Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School has students learning in a Japanese - style garden with little bridges over narrow fish ponds. Trees have grown and the ambiance is nice and shady, which makes the hot summer months pleasant. Hillary Clinton, Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson have supposedly studied here. The heart of the school is the big cafeteria - kitchen - bar, where students - mentored by Caty and Letti - learn how to prepare delicious local dishes. The best school for Guatemalan lifestyle and social networking in Antigua. Host families are carefully sought out. Internet gratis.
This school was founded in 1972 by Juan and Caty Galindo.
Total immersion in Antigua: good if you avoid other tourists while studying Spanish. |
| Registration |
It is always recommendable to register, at least two weeks, in advance in order to get first choice teachers and host families and in order to help the school plan their staff. The student coordinator is efficient in answering any of your questions.
From January to April and from June to August this school tends to fill up quickly. |
With a timely registration, the school can assign you the best teacher from its list. (Contact us for group discounts). |
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| Teachers |
There are 15 fixed teachers who earn about $43 per week, plus benefits. Teachers are required to have a high school title and are being trained during 3 months. They have 7 to 20 years of experience. The director has a good sense for choosing teachers for the students, when you have 20 hours one-on-one with a teacher it′s very important to have a good match with the teacher.
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
Spanish language teachers in Guatemala are mostly young people like University students who do this job for very little salary (US$30-$60 per week) and are trying to continue their education. Teachers in our recommended schools have undergone a formal training and know how to make students enjoy learning. By enrolling in advance, you are likely to get a better teacher. This holds especially true during high season.
If you are not happy with your assigned teacher, don’t hesitate to ask the director for another teacher. How to get a good teacher.
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| Methods |
The school uses much the same methods as other Spanish Schools in Guatemala. Upon arrival, students talk to the student coordinator, who in the course of conversation gains insight into the student′s status and where to start the training. He then gets a teacher who fits him or her. The school recommends you to study during 6 hours each day, studying grammar and vocabulary in the morning and practicing conservation during the afternoon activities, using a different teacher in order to get accustomed to different manners of speech (this only costs $20 per week extra). Students progress at their personal speed and are not slowed down by conventional methods.
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
Spanish Schools in Guatemala promote the most effective 'one student one teacher' method. You spend your time talking and listening with your own personal teacher. This is why Guatemalan schools are probably unmatched in the world. Go to a good school, and get the grammar right, too.
A typical school day:
8:00 to 10:00 Grammar and exercises
10:00 –30 -minute break for coffee, tea, and socializing with teachers and other students
10:30 to 12:00 - Conversation, pronunciation, reading comprehension
After 12:00 - lunch with your host family
Afternoons: previously scheduled activities and homework
(See your curriculum of learning Spanish)
Most schools offer a diploma stating the amount of time studied and the level of Spanish attained (minimum of two weeks).
See more information about diplomas and university credits.
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| Materials |
Teachers assemble their own materials like "minidialogos", the textbook "Spanish One Year", and materials in other languages. The school uses blackboards.
[Show Details] |
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School's specific Information:
There is a library with books in various languages for students use.
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General Information:
At most Spanish schools in Guatemala, teachers write examples and grammar on paper; at others, blackboards are used. And at some, students receive a notebook for their own use. Teachers generally have to supply their own teaching materials. The most widespread book is AMSCO “Spanish Three Years” (Nassi, Levy), a very helpful grammar and exercise book in three levels, written in Spanish and English. A few schools have good libraries, video collections, and many have board games like Scrabble and others, to make teaching more entertaining.
If you are not an English speaker, you may want to bring grammar- and exercise books in your language. In any case a good and small dictionary is very helpful for homework.
(See recommendations on good Spanish Textbooks.)
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| Location |
Located a few steps from La Merced church, the school has a travel agency in the front and a Japanese - style garden with little bridges over narrow fish ponds in the back. Avocado trees have grown and the ambiance is nice and shady, which makes the hot summer months pleasant. Hillary Clinton, Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson have supposedly studied here. There is also a big kitchen - bar, where students - mentored by Caty and Letti - prepare delicious food. |
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
Many schools have big halls or patios in a pleasant environment, with tables that seat two. You can often hear teacher-student conversations from nearby tables. Some schools have separate cubicles for each teacher – student team. Most schools have small patios or gardens to relax and get to know each other at break time. Some schools also have a cafeteria or even kitchens where students and teachers meet to cook local or food from their home countries.
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| Activities |
Activities change each week: preparation of local food, Salsa and Merengue classes, tours to Macadamia and Coffee farms etc. Local foods prepared at this school taste exquisitely because Caty and Letti are gourmets. Caty teaches students some neat cookery tricks. You will make the best guacamole in your hometown.
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
During afternoons, a school staff member takes you to the most beautiful places, interesting projects and Maya traditions of the
area, where you have the opportunity to practice your newly learned Spanish and get to know teachers and other students. These activities make your stay a real holiday. Some activities like weekend trips have an additional cost.
Note: small schools have fewer activities during low season.
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| Host Families |
Host families are well sought out and earn $75 to $95 per week. A host family where you enjoy a private bathroom costs $30 per week extra. An example is Doña Araminta Díaz, an elderly widow who has been highly acclaimed by her guests. She has two rooftop apartments and, even more important, a very good cook to spoil the guests. |
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
Generally host families provide each student with their own private little room and three meals a day/six days a week. On Sundays, most families provide no meals. There is nearly always hot water and electricity. It is recommended that you bring your own towels, soap, shampoo and other personal care from your country or you can buy it here. Your host parents help you with any problems and encourage you to talk Spanish. It is pretty interesting to see how people live in Guatemala.
A word on food:
By looking at what families earn at different schools you can assess the quantity of food given. The range is from US$30 to $85 per week. If you are in a $35 host family, please do not complain about beans every day. Just eat out now and then.
If you do not want to stay in a host family, we recommend you to visit www.guatemalastory.com for a list of good hotels in Guatemala City, Antigua, Atitlan, etc.
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| Volunteering |
The director, Caty, has contacts in and around Antigua and can tailor a volunteer job to your needs or interests. Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School provides you with contacts to social institutions like "Nuestros Aijados", "Ventanas Abiertas" (San Miguel Dueñas), "Bendición del Cielo" (Alotenango) and "Familias de Esperanza", among many others. |
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
Most schools have only loose contact to volunteer social projects or have only poor projects on their own.
If you want to volunteer, it is best to rely on PMG (Antigua, Rio Dulce and Cobán), or Entremundos (Quetzaltenango) or other non profit organizations in order to find an organization that suits students' interests.
More information on volunteering and jobs in Guatemala.
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| Airport Pick-Up Service |
Upon request private transportation is available from the airport . This is recommended. The cost is US$ 30 per person (groups: please negotiate). Airport pick up of this school is reliable.
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School's specific Information:
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General Information:
If you don?t want to worry about closed banks on the airport, late night hotel search or unsafe zones of Guatemala City, take advantage of the airport pickup service of your school.
For hotels in Guatemala City please see www.guatemalastory.com.
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How to get there 
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Send yourself an e-mail with information on how to get to Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School.
Located few steps north of famous 'La Merced' Church
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Lynda Wrigley
lyndawrigley@telus.net
12 / 2009 |
In Nov. 2009, I went to Guatemala as a volunteer interpreter for a Vancouver based surgical team, arriving in Antigua a few days in advance to get my head back into Spanish at Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School. I'm a professional woman with a background in 2nd language teaching and was very pleased with the wonderful reception & professional instruction I received at Don Pedro. On the strength of a short notice email, a corteous driver met my plane promptly & gave me an entire "lesson" in Mayan culture during the drive to Antigua in a modern van. I was delivered to my homestay where a tasty dinner awaited me along with 3 other students. Director Cathy Galindo did an admirable job of trying to get me up to speed for my work at a clinic in the highlands. When my team members arrived, she arranged for Spanish coaching for several of them. I will be returning to Guatemala regularly & will make a point of returning to Don Pedro whenever I can. I would not hesitate to recommend this school. Lynda West Vancouver, Canada |
Johanna McGlauflin
josiem51180@comcast.net
07 / 2009 |
Hello, I took classes at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School in Antigua, in July. I studied at the school for 5 days. I had an excellent teacher, her name is Sandra. I didn′t have any study materials. We mostly talked and I took notes in a notebook which worked very well for me since I was mostly interested in conversation. She did give me a few handouts that were helpful. My host family was fabulous, better than I could ever have imagined. Their names were Vinicio and Deli and lived across the street from the school. The afternoon activities that the school took us on were amazing. We went to a Mayan village, a coffee plantation and macadamia farm, these were some of the highlights of my trip to Guatemala. I have already recommended the school and host family to a number of friends, one of whom is planning to go in next year. Kind regards, Johanna McGlauflin. |
Nora & sons
levesqun@friscoisd.org
06 / 2007 |
Hi, we did go to Guatemala; my daughter went to Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School in Antigua. She took 5 hours a day of Spanish and did very well. Her teacher was great. Thanks, Nora |
Anne Groombridge
annegroombridge@yahoo.co.uk
01 / 2007 |
I have recently returned from studying Spanish in Antigua Guatemala, and I would like to recommend my school as one of the very best in Antigua. I studied at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School in Antigua. It is located right next door to La Merced Church, in a central and convenient location. My teachers were wonderful; I studied there for four hours per day for two months. The total immersion method was used to great effect, and we studied all four areas of language (speaking was most important, but we also concentrated on listening, reading, writing at one time or another). The teachers were patient and well versed in their subject, and they always corrected when necessary without ruining the flow. I stayed with a Guatemalan family the whole time I was there. They were also wonderful, and really made me feel a part of the family! The meals were wholesome and the food plentiful. The house was clean and tidy, and I enjoyed my interactions with them immensely. The added bonus was that I always had the opportunity to practice what I had learned in class, thus furthering my ability to speak the language. They were also very patient with me! The activities provided by the school were really good fun as well. I enjoyed the salsa dancing lessons (given by a professional dance teacher) every Tuesday evening and also the weekly fiesta on Thursday evening. During these fiestas, we had the opportunity to continue speaking Spanish with the many people who attended; both students and friends from outside the school. The administrators were wonderful as well. Caty Galindo, the Director, did everything she possibly could to make my stay with them as productive and comfortable as possible. She cooked for the fiesta each Thursday evening and her cooking was a real treat! It was fun to sample the local cuisine in this way; ′carne asada′ with ′chirmol′ and ′guacamole′ was a real favourite! The environment of the school is very beautiful and well taken care of as well. It is an easy, relaxing place to study. I really looked forward to going to class each morning. Now that I am back in England I find that I am missing the school and the lifestyle there very much. I hope that I have managed to convey my delight with my studies at the Don Pedro de Alvarado Spanish School. Please let me know how I can formally nominate my school for a place on your website. Thank you very much! Sincerely, Anne Groombridge. Cheddar, Somerset, UK. |
Abe
ebergler@shaw.ca
11 / 2004 |
I went for 5 weeks and changed schools once a week. Week 1 I was in Centro de Espanol Don Pedro de Alvarado I had a very good teacher and the ambiance was good. The office is marginal, I don′t know if they even have a copier; the only test I wrote was hand-written by the teacher. All the teachers had copies of instructional material, one copied from the other. The activities you mention on your site were not all in place: They just had a once a week evening meal where they invited Spanish speaking students. That was good. They also had other activities, but never enough subscriptions to actually do it. Overall: 75% that week I stayed with a friend and not homestay. |
Daniel Kaiser
10 / 2003 |
I decided for the Spanish School Don Pedro de Alvarado. For how long did you study? 2 months Did you get a good teacher? I had several teachers, some of them were really superb others less. How was your family? I stayed at 3 different families, 2 of them were great. I had a superb time in Antigua Guatemala and I really can suggest studying Spanish in Guatemala, especially if someone wants to start a trip in Latin America because it′s very cheap to study and to travel in Central America. If somebody wants to stay for a longer period in Guatemala he/she should try to get a Volunteer job which is also a superb experience and you can improve the knowledge of Spanish. |
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