Study at One of the Top 3 Spanish Universities

The one piece of advice I’d give to anyone thinking of studying abroad in Spain is to think carefully about whether of not your language skills are up to the level needed to attend dozens of classes and then the final evaluations in Spanish. Our small group were offered a free two week Spanish course on arrival before we started university, but I’d chosen to study in English.

I consider myself quite good in Spanish, but I wasn’t too sure whether I was at the level needed for studying at University.

The University that I attended for my semester, the University of Cantabria, offered dozens of subjects with the classes and exams in English.

For me, the average week involved four hours of lectures per day, Mon-Thurs. Two hour lunches and strolls along the beach in Santander. Dinner with the ‘family’ at Spanish times (8pm).

Attempting to cut the Jamon. Youtube tutorials didn’t really help!

Unwinding at the weekends with a meal in Puente Viesgo. We also managed a couple of weekends to Rome and Dublin. Brilliant!

Going to study abroad and being so far away from home, my biggest fear was not having anyone to chat too and maybe feeling a bit isolated.

As it happened, my fears were unfounded because, as well as Andy and Denise, I shared my ‘home’ with two other students from the States. Obviously, we all took the opportunity to practice our Spanish whenever we could. We were placed in a lovely village with plenty of bars, stores and restaurants where we could chat with the locals. I didn’t understand everything (local dialect).

I’d say that, if you are browsing this website just thinking about studying abroad, you probably have fears and doubts. Forget them. Go for it. I promise you, you will love the experience!

After growing up in Spain and then later teaching in Great Britain, it became an ambition of mine to teach the Spanish language and share its amazing culture and history with as many people as I could.

I started 'The Spanish Course' with my wife, Merche, in 2004 and since then we've created so many wonderful memories with our students. Football matches, tortilla making nights, visiting castles, museums or simply sharing family meals together. I've loved every minute. Receiving students from all over the world into our home is a wonderful experience. It made me realise that the world is really a small place but an amazing one and we all need to enjoy it while we can.

A few years ago we had a student, Mike, from Dublin staying with us. He was obsessed with improving his Spanish level and stayed three times with us in total. He was great at playing the guitar and had spent some time busking around a few European cities. We had many sing-a-long nights listening to him on the guitar.

Anyway, recently we received an email from him out the blue and it seems he's in South America on tour with a Queen tribute band. I bet he didn't think he'd be doing that when he grew up!

I would choose the total immersion program that we offer at our home. I would spend four months at the Universidad de Cantabria, studying my chosen subjects in Spanish whilst living with us at our 18th century family home just outside Santander. Its the best way by far to improve your Spanish level and get some credits at the same time.

We offer 2 programs were students can study their chosen subjects in Spanish or English at one of the top 3 universities in Spain whilst living 'at home' with either a Spanish or an English family. All this situated in Cantabria, one of the safest places in the whole of Europe and voted 2nd best destination 2018 by Lonely Planet. I'm really proud of what our company offers and believe we offer real value for money when compared to other Study Abroad providers.

I believe that the biggest factor in being a successful company is being 100% committed to our students, understanding their needs and differences whilst remembering that every one of them is unique and special. It is also important to offer a top quality service and welcoming students to live with our family is the best quality anyone could offer.