hello, i understand its possible, as with most countries, to study the native tounge with private schools in spain. However, is it posible to do so any other/cheaper way?

Does the spainish government,local governments,citycouncils(i dont know proper titiles) etc provide language lessons to euro nationals in order to improve communications for the increase in immigration.

Here in my home town of plymouth adult education provides many languages to study at resonable rates, even cheeper if ones in receipt of certain benefits, throughout the academic year. Another example sees Japan's government run cultural centres which provide very good lessons for increadibly good rates.

Basicaly id like to study spainish in spain and i have time rather than money. Not a bad commodity altough id still like to spend it wisely. Obviously accomadation, food etc is another kettle of fish. However im free to visit an part of the country and it would be nice to stay for a while to pratice what i learn.

any advice welcomed, ta scott.

If the Spanish government to operate such a scheme then I've not heard about it. I've always paid the going rate for my lessons


Jo xxx

Hi,
Yes, there are free courses - here is one - http://www.universia.es/html_estatic...cia/igfbd.html
It is on the outskirts of Madrid.
Here is another free one in Badajoz, but for people who are working.
Another in Malaga for unemployed people, again free http://malaga.anuxi.es/cursos-para-d...n-malaga-vbqH-
Some of the courses may be out of date, this is simply a first search on what is available.
There are lots of free courses in the cities but small towns and villages don't have the same facilities, that is not to say they don't have courses.
It is just a matter of deciding where you want to be and looking for courses in that area.
The only problem you may find is that most of the courses offered are advertised in the same Spanish language you are aiming to learn, which will make it virtually impossible to find out what is available. A catch 22 if ever there was.

Our village is lucky, we have not one but two courses going, free, provided by the Ayuntamiento (maybe with some Junta contribs, not sure) - however given funds are tight they've recently re-titled our group (the more advanced of the two) 'culture, history & environment of the region' to justify us being there cos they wouldn't fund the same people learning Spanish for a second year but it's still basically us learning better Spanish via another route Hope the powers that be don't read this & pull the plug cos it's not only a good teacher with interesting subject matter but an immersion way of improving your language.
Which is a waffle route to say yes there are some places, but you'd have to be living in the village & provide all the usual suspects of address, NIE, blah, blah & I suspect empadronamiento too.

As you might suspect, the quality of the free courses tends not to be as good as the private courses.

For example, they tend to bung everyone together in the same class, regardless of their level. I went along to one of these free classes once and there were 3 TOTAL beginners (couldn't even say the alphabet) sat alongside Upper-intermiate/Advanced students. It must be an absolute nightmare for the teacher! Still, if it's free it's difficult to complain!

On the other hand, the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas offers an almost free course. Something like 75 euros per year to cover materials. They offer a quality course and divide students up into their appropriate levels. Trouble is you might be too late....I think you apply about March time in order to start in September, and there is no guarantee you will get a place. Each candidate is assessed and the courses go to the most "worthy".

our local Ayuntamiento runs courses


they use to be free, but now they charge 25 euro a year!

all nationalities, all levels together with a teacher who speaks only spanish & is therefore unable to explain anything in the student's own language

this 'total immersion' approach works with kids, but most adults want a bit of explanation

Yes this is the snag the OP may find. When I lived in Madrid I saw free courses for migrants often advertised in the free papers. However I doubt you'd be able to sign up for these if coming over from the UK.
A slightly more expensive option (but still a lot cheaper than the mainstream schools) is to look around the cheaper schools in Madrid once you get there; you can get daily classes starting from 60 or so Euros a month. They do this by hiring new and trainee teachers at low wages - but they're still native speakers with the correct qualifications, they just lack a little experience, plus you'll be put in the correct beginners class. From memory a school named "William's School" in Malasaña, Madrid offers very cheap classes (but with native teachers) in lots of languages. You can find a list of other language schools (listed under the study option) at http://www.madridinsider.com/. This site also has a link to a fairly low price way to get accommodation in Madrid, which would be your next dilemma.
Another option (and getting to be more expensive) is using Cactus languages. They used to look around different websites of language schools to find the best priced deal. However I've just looked and the prices are not low at all, but anyway here's the link:
http://www.cactuslanguage.com/en/lan...ain/madrid.php
Good luck - que tenga suerte!

EDIT: Always factor in the fact they'll charge you an enrollment fee - the Matricula (typically 20 or 30 Euros) to start your course; even the cheap schools do this. Annoying, but once you're booked on the course you won't have to pay this again.