Program Reviews

Some of the instructors we had were excellent. I was really academically challenged in several of my classes, and intrigued with the material. I have used and will continue to use a lot of what I learned in some of my classes. Although I would have rather had a separate year for a teaching practicum, doing the masters and teaching concurrently assured that I could directly apply what I learned in the program into the classrooms I was working it.

I knew I was going to be busy, but I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into. This program necessitates constant time management, and I was ALWAYS working, planning, or studying. This is definitely not the program for you if you're looking to spend a lot of time traveling throughout the duration of the program, and it's a very experience from a study abroad.

That being said, I am glad I pushed myself through the program. I grew as a student and also as an educator. I continue to stay in touch with many of my classmates, who were perhaps the best resource I had during the program.

I had a great experience with the Teach and Learn program. A majority of the classes were useful and very applicable to my teaching experience. I was able to learn a great deal about the Spanish education system. I also made great friendships from my cohort. Learning about this system helped me with my teaching experience in Spain. I felt that the workload from the classes was doable and compatible with the amount of teaching. It wasn't easy, but it was doable.
I know from others in my cohort that each experience is different. That's something that should be expected since there are so many different schools who are partnered with the program.
Overall my experience was a positive one, and I highly recommend the Teach and Learn program.

I had worked at a bilingual school for two years prior to doing the masters program at Instituto Franklin. Even so, I learned a lot about different practices to use at different age groups as well as plenty of practical advice from the professors. While I definitely enjoyed some classes more than others, all had a lot to offer and really solidified my love of teaching. The staff is really supportive and the professors are all very knowledgeable in their fields. The experience will vary on what you make of it, but I personally really enjoyed it.

The best part about the Masters programs is that the Universidad de Acalá - Instituto Franklin Teach and Learn program continues to evolve and change based on feedback from students. The most notable change since I was there in 2014-2015 is the option to pay tuition and work for the Spanish Ministry of Education, if you decide to not teach in the concertados (charter schools). If you're already in the teaching assistants program and you'd like to stay at your current school, you now have that option.

You'll enjoy a small small classroom setting. In the Teaching and Learning Spanish Masters that I did, we were 18 students. In the other Masters, I believe that they had approximately 25 students. My fellow classmates and colleagues from the practicum school from the Masters are some of my best friends and you'll walk away with unforgettable memories.

The classes were taught intensively with 5 hour classes on Fridays, which can be a bit hard after a long week of teaching, but I enjoyed all my classes and the professors were AMAZING and well qualified. The teachers want to learn your name and connect with you. They were really approachable and friendly yet professional.

Almost all the teachers have PhDs and the ones that don't have an outstanding body of academic and professional work. Some might even still be working on their PhDs, but they may work full-time for the university and teach classes through Instituto Franklin or work with other institutions. For instance, a teacher may teach at La Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (Spain's longest standing, state-sponsored language school) or write language education books for the Universidad de Salamanca--one of Spain's most prestigious institutions in publishing academic workbooks.

They keep in contact with alumni and they value our feedback. I met with Iulia and Carlos over the summer when I was thinking about transitioning careers, and they sat down with me to give me some ideas and feedback. I don't know that I would have confidently taken the steps to transition and to go from teaching to international education if it wasn't for their help.

In terms of post-grad value, I've been able to negotiate pay increases in three separate job interviews in both teaching and international education. In those interviews, the Masters was a huge selling point and I can comfortably say that it legitimized my level of Spanish and my time abroad.

I doubt that you'll find a more comprehensive Masters that allows you to work and study without going $20,000 dollars or more in debt.

*Please note that I put 10 for housing, but you'll have to find your own housing since schools are located in the autonomous community of Madrid. I had to mark it when I filled out the survey.

Honestly, when I first decided to attend UAH through the Instituto Franklin Teach & Learn program, I wasn't sure what to expect. But since I knew I wanted to work in the field of International Education, I thought it would be a very valuable experience to complete my degree abroad. I'm so happy that I made this decision and really cannot say enough positive things about the Teach & Learn program.
Instituto Franklin is constantly evaluating best practices and theories of bilingual education to make their curricula as relevant to today's modern teaching practices as possible. Furthermore, the investigations and assignments in the courses encourage cross-cultural perspectives and force students to explore how their own backgrounds inform their experiences as teachers and professionals.
In addition to all of this, the Masters program is designed in a theory-to-practice model, so all of the exploration and learning that takes place inside the Teach & Learn classroom is then put into practice and developed on by each students' personal experience in their practicum, in the Spanish classroom, and in Madrid.
Participating in this program was of great value to me both personally and professionally. As a graduate from the MA in International Education Teach & Learn program, I felt very equipped to enter the field and begin my career, given all of the practical experience that I gained as a part of this program.
I highly recommend the Instituto Franklin Teach & Learn program!

I attended the Teach and Learn program through the Universidad de Alcala- Instituto Franklin from 2012-2013 and had a very positive experience! I had just graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX with a BA in International Studies and Political Science and knew that I wanted to live abroad and gain more insight into education systems around the world. The Teach and Learn program was perfect because I could earn money through my role as a language assistant while I pursued a Master's in International Education. The masters classes themselves aren't the most challenging, but the experience of moving to a new country, taking bilingual master's classes, learning to manage a classroom, and everything that comes with those experiences make the program incredibly valuable and formative. Students develop transferable skills related to independence, flexibility, creativity, adaptability, persistence, determination, and navigation that can be applied to a multitude of career paths. Students graduate with first-hand experience in global education systems, the Spanish language, classroom instruction, and curriculum design. I am now the Director of Education and a non-profit organization in Dallas, Texas and this degree prepared me to excel in my career today. I would highly recommend the Teach and Learn program to anyone who is seeking transferable skills, an opportunity to develop their Spanish, and pursue a career related to global education!

I studied abroad at Instituto Franklin for a semester, I did the MA in Bilingual and Multicultural Education last year and I'm doing a MA in International Education this year. I always felt safe in Alcalá and have always had a lot of support from the staff. While some classes are better than others and there can be some hiccups along the way with documents (welcome to Spain..) I still feel that I have learned a lot through my experience in the program and at the schools I have worked at. Option A (no tuition and private insurance) can be a lot more work for less money in the concertado/private schools. Option B (tuition and public health insurance) is a good option if you can do it because you make more money during the months and have more free time. Option C is new for next year so I have no opinion on this yet. Some schools can be hard to acclimate to and can take advantage while others are absolutely great to work at. No matter what, you will have to adapt and adjust. I think as long as you are flexible and willing to put in the work (it is a MA program) then you will enjoy this program. Any issues that I or other students may have had with the program I feel are completely outweighed by the fact that we are paying little to no tuition in comparison to the US and I feel like I can count on the staff in the office for anything, whether it be a question, a problem or for further opportunities after the program. I've talked to many alumni that have received recommendations from the staff and gotten amazing jobs after this program. I think going through this program is a lot about what you make of it. The program can be a lot of work at times with classes, work, possible private lessons and the thesis, but it is definitely doable (I'm doing it twice) and is a huge opportunity for growth. I feel that I've grown as a person, student and teacher and definitely have a completely different outlook on the world, personal relationships, work, culture and language since coming to this program.