IH Barcelona is one of the longest established, most successful language schools in Spain. Over the last 30 years, thousands of people from all over the world have learned Spanish with IH Barcelona.

The range of Spanish courses IH Barcelona offers increases all the time so whatever your interests or needs, you're bound to find a course which suits you. IH Barcelona also offer a wide variety of quality accommodation options so whether you come for 2 weeks or 6 months, you know you'll have somewhere comfortable to stay.

The school is situated in the centre of Barcelona, one of the world's most beautiful and exciting cities. Come and discover Barcelona and learn Spanish with IH.

About International House

IH Barcelona was founded in 1972 and has since grown into a major centre for language teaching, teacher training, study tours and related activities.

There are four main areas of activity in the school:

• Teaching Spanish to students from all over the world.
• Teaching other languages (English, German, and French) to the local population.
• Training teachers of Spanish and English.
• Sending students from Spain to study languages abroad.

More than 3,000 students learned Spanish at IH Barcelona last year, on the different courses that offered. As the school also has a large out-going program, (they send more than 200 students to study language courses in different countries each year), the school knows s from experience what sort of issues tend to concern students most, and this helps IH Barcelona to ensure that the students who come to study Spanish at the school are given the necessary help, care and attention.

IH Barcelona currently has around 1,200 local people studying English, German or French in the school, so there is plenty of opportunity for our students of Spanish to meet native Spanish speakers, make friends and improve their fluency outside the classroom, in the bar, at social events, etc.

The quality of all our teaching is guaranteed by the fact that IH Barcelona only uses fully trained native speakers who have been carefully selected to match the high standards set by the school. Regular courses and seminars held in the school, combined with frequent visits to and from other schools, help to ensure that these standards - and our reputation - are constantly upheld.

The International House World Organisation

Founded in 1953, International House is a network of more than 130 schools around the world, all committed to the highest standards in education and business.

A key aim of International House is to raise the standards of language teaching around the world. One important way in which this is dones is through Teacher Training courses for which International House has a world-wide reputation. IH trains their own (as well as many other schools') teachers to enable language students to learn the language of their choice simply, quickly and efficiently in a rich linguistic and cultural environment.

To ensure that every school maintains the high standards that are specified in the Affiliation Agreement, an external assessor visits each school every two years and conducts a thorough investigation into all aspects of the school's activities. These visits ensure that the unparalleled reputation International House enjoys for the quality of its services is safeguarded.

IH España

Four of the 20 IH schools in Spain - IH Barcelona, IH Madrid, IH San Sebastian and IH Seville - specialize in teaching Spanish to students from all over the world.

All four schools share a common philosophy: they all want to offer courses which exceed our students' expectations, and they all want to maintain high standards of efficiency when dealing with agents such as A2Z Languages.

The School

The school is situated in the center of the city - less than 5 minutes walk from the Plaza Catalunya, which is the central square and communications hub of the city.

The school occupies 5 floors of a large corner building, which has a distinctive, triangular shape (somewhat similar to the famous 'flat-iron' building in New York).

The school building

The building dates from the beginning of the last century and has many attractive features: a very decorative street entrance, lots of natural light, high ceilings, a marble staircase, etc.

The school's facilities include:

• 35 air-conditioned classrooms, all with natural light
• An "electronic classroom" with Internet access
• A library and study center
• A cafe which is open all day providing hot and cold food and drinks
• A terrace where students can relax in the sunshine
• Bathroom facilities for disabled students

The school's main reception area is located on the ground floor (floor B), just inside the street entrance. The Spanish reception is located on the first floor (floor C).

Why IH Barcelona

• IH Barcelona offers a wide range of courses and accommodation options, as well as an entertaining and varied social program
• The location of the school is ideal, and the building is well-equipped and comfortable
• The school has many years of experience - the school was founded in 1972
• Students can meet Spanish people without even leaving the school
• IH Barcelona belongs to the International House World Organization, which since 1953 has been dedicated to the goal of raising the standard of foreign language teaching

• IH Barcelona has obtained the CEELE seal of quality, granted by Alcalá de Henares University

• All teachers are trained by IH and carefully selected. The teacher training courses are certified by "UB Virtual - University of Barcelona"

• IH Barcelona is officially recognized as a center collaborating with the Madrid Chamber of Commerce

• IH Barcelona is authorised to accept students under the terms of official study programs - the Swedish National Board of Student Aid (CSN) and the German "Bildungsurlaub" - and US students who wish to obtain credits for our courses and do so
• And last but not least - IH Barcelona is in Barcelona!

Methodology

The main objective of most of our Spanish courses is to improve the students' communicative skills. The emphasis of classroom activities is therefore the development of the students' abilities to speak and understand spoken Spanish. For this reason, classes are conducted entirely in Spanish and students are given plenty of opportunity to practise the sort of language they are likely to need outside the classroom. We don't just want our students to "know" Spanish, we want them to be able to use it!

Due attention is also paid to grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing skills, and a wide variety of materials is used including published materials from many sources as well as materials which have been written by IH Barcelonas' own teachers.

All materials that the students need to work with are provided free of charge. This includes a Spanish grammar book which is given to students at the beginning of their course.

Students who attend private classes will have course materials designed specifically to meet their particular needs.

The teaching and the course program are carefully supervised by the Director of Studies, who is also responsible for ensuring that students are placed in the appropriate levels and that their progress is satisfactory.

While the atmosphere in the classroom is generally relaxed and informal, students should be prepared to work hard and participate fully.

The Students

Students at IH Barcelona come from all over the world. The majority of them are European, although there are always Americans studying with at the school as well. The school always has a number of students from Asia studying with them as well (especially Japanese) and the school even has some Brazilians who come all the way to Barcelona to take courses with at the center.

The majority of the students are young professional people who need Spanish to develop their careers. But IH Barcelona also has a large proportion of students who are still full-time students in their own countries as well as an increasing number of people who are simply learning Spanish as a hobby.

The percentage of students from each region of the world is as follows:

Students of Other Languages
IH Barcelona also has a large number of Spanish students studying English in the school, so there is plenty of opportunity for students of Spanish to meet native speakers, make friends and improve their fluency in the bar and at social events.

Students' Manual
At the beginning of the course, students are presented with tourist maps and information to help them find their way around the city. They also receive a 'Students' Manual' which, apart from introducing them to the school, provides them with current information on restaurants and bars, local transport, night life, museums and other cultural attractions.

Intensive Courses

Our intensive group courses consist of 4 hours tuition per day, from Monday to Friday. Classes normally take place from 09.30 to 13.30, with a twenty-minute break for coffee taken halfway through the morning. There is also a social program of visits and activities in the afternoon.

During July and August, some intensive courses may be scheduled to take place in the afternoons-evenings, from 16.00 to 20.00. Students who attend afternoon classes are able to attend a special social programme of visits and activities that takes place in the mornings.

Intensive Courses are offered at all levels from complete beginners to very advanced. There is a maximum of 12 students per group and the minimum age for these courses is 16 years old.

Start Dates

The courses beginning on April 17, May 1, June 5, Sept 11 start on a Tuesday, as the Monday is a public holiday.

Students may enroll for as many weeks as they like.

Spanish Host Families

Family accommodation is available throughout the year.

Most families live near the school and are rarely more than 20 minutes away by public transport. Very occasionally, a family may be up to 30 minutes from the school as some of the most elegant districts of Barcelona are on the edge of the city.

All host families are carefully selected by the Accommodation Department at IH Barcelona and all agree to fulfill the following conditions:

• To provide students with single rooms (unless a couple both attending courses, or individuals, request to share), which are comfortably furnished, have adequate heating and lighting facilities and a desk or table where students can work
• Not to accommodate persons of the same nationality or speaking the same language, unless specifically requested by the students concerned
• To provide basic laundry facilities and to change bed linen and towels weekly
• To make a daily bath or shower available
• To provide an adequate continental breakfast and - for those students who are being accommodated on a half-board basis - a substantial dinner at night
• To provide students with a door key so that they can let themselves in and out
• To treat students as family guests and generally behave in a friendly and hospitable manner

All the host families live in flats, as there are practically no individual houses in Barcelona. Apartment buildings (both old and modern) are rarely more than 8 floors high. A typical flat will have 3 or 4 bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room and living room. Some flats have terraces; almost all of them have balconies.

It is difficult to describe a typical family as there is such a variety; some are young couples, some have children still living at home, others - perhaps the majority - have grown-up children who no longer live at home, but who often appear for lunch on Sundays! Lunch is usually eaten quite late - around 2.30 p.m., and dinner is usually at about 9.00 p.m.

Social Program

IH Barcelona organizes a varied program of social activities for our Spanish students. These include a "Welcome" party, visits and excursions to places of interest in and around Barcelona, video films in Spanish, concerts by local musicians, and "exchange evenings" at which students can meet and talk with some of the other students at the school who are learning English, French or German. IH Barcelona also take students out in the evening twice a month to experience some of Barcelona's unforgettable nightlife. All these activities, including local transport costs, are included in the course fee.

The Social Program is changed every two weeks so that students staying for longer periods will not have to repeat specific activities. All students are given a copy of the Social Program planned for the following 2-week period when they arrive.

IH Barcelona also organizes full-day excursions to towns and places of interest outside Barcelona. These excursions are organized twice a month during the summer months and once a month during the rest of the year.

Please note that for these full day excursions outside Barcelona IH Barcelona charge a supplement of €15 to help pay for the cost of the coach and guide.

Barcelona has fabulous beaches within 15 mins of the centre

A typical 2-week social programme might be:

Nightlife - for which Barcelona is justifiably famous.

IH Barcelona will also help students plan their own social activities if they want to do something extra like go to a swimming pool or gymnasium, go to a movie, go and watch Barcelona football club, etc.

Culture Courses

Gaudí's "La Pedrera". Barcelona is a wonderful city for art and culture.

These complementary conversation and Spanish culture courses are designed to give students the opportunity to study for more than the standard 4 hours per day. They also provide a change of focus and approach and the emphasis in these classes is on providing opportunities to develop speaking skills. Students look at a different aspect of Spanish culture each day.

Popular subjects include:

• Spanish art in the 20th Century: a look at a range of artistic styles including those of Picasso, Dalí, Miró and Tapies.
• The Spanish media: Press, Radio, Television and Internet and the language that is characteristic of each media form.
• The Spanish Civil War: the causes, most important episodes and many consequences of this tragedy.
• An introduction to the History of Spanish Literature - from the Middle Ages to the present day
• Flamenco: a course which looks beyond the music and dance to the culture of flamenco.
• Spain's most popular fiestas - the Easter Processions, the Fallas, San Fermin, etc.
• Spain's cultural diversity - the languages, gastronomy, geography and folklore of each of Spain's regional cultures.
• Spanish social customs: students are given an insight into the Spanish way of life and invited to compare Spanish social customs with those of their own countries.

The courses run from 14.30 to 16.00, from Tuesday to Friday*, so there is a total of 6 hours tuition per week. This timetable has been chosen as it means that students taking an Intensive Course in the mornings (from 09.30 to 13.30), will still have an hour for lunch (from 13.30 to 14.30), and they will also be able to participate in the social program, which starts at 16.00. The minimum level of Spanish required to participate in these courses is Lower Intermediate.

Prices

The following include 4 classes per day, books/materials, cultural activities, accommodations with a local host family and 2 meals per day.

Program Prices