# Experience with Malaga Oficial School of Languages/Escuela oficial de idiomas



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hi. I'm thinking of enrolling in the Malaga Official Languages School AKA Escuela Oficial de Idiomas. This is to learn Spanish. A sister-in-law of one of cousins goes there to study English, and she is very happy with it. But I don't know anyone who has gone there to study Spanish. Does anyone here have any knowledge of how good their Spanish courses are - either first hand or through word of mouth? Here's their site:

ESCUELA OFICIAL DE IDIOMAS DE MÁLAGA, APRENDE INGLÉS,ALEMÁN,FRANCÉS,...


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

In case there is no one that has experience with this particular school, could people advise me as to what questions to ask to know whether it's a good school or not? I have an entrance exam on Tuesday to determine what level I should be studying at, and I'll be able to ask questions about the course then. But I have no idea what to ask, as to what makes a good school.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

I have a FB friend who has done several Spanish courses there gradually increasing in difficulty. 

So I'd say that she must be happy with them.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks for the reference, Xabiachica.  Repeat business is the best reference. 

I came up with two questions: What is the teacher:student ratio, and what are the qualifications of the teachers?


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

I briefly looked at their site which seems confusing so not much to say about it. I also have never attended the school, but I am a past attendee of many different Spanish language schools in several different countries. Since you are in Málaga, can you not attend for a week and see for yourself? I wouldn't succumb to the Spanish custom of paying for a huge stay in advance, but I might after being there a week or two if I had a good experience. 

You can also ask what their teaching methodology is, size of classes, etc. You want to hear buzzwords like "communicative approach" and "task based activities" and _not _hear things like "grammar drills". It's amazing how many language academies cannot articulate their methodology. Also ask about teacher qualifications. You want to hear things like "they have master's degrees in Spanish or teaching English, etc" Basically, some degree related to teaching adult learners.


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

You might want to ask about the teacher's nationality, to see if they are native speakers. If they are, are they Spanish or South American, and do they have a local accent. If you are upper intermediate or higher you might not mind being exposed to an unusual accent but it might make learning harder if you are still learning and not just practising.

I would also ask what nationalities the other students are typically. I mean, is it lots of English speakers, who could keep talking in English during lessons and stunting your progress, or maybe the majority will be Moroccans, who will tend to have their own clique and you might then feel excluded. I was the only English speaker in my last class and I did feel a bit ronery (cue Team America music) but it did mean I didn't get distracted so much. As I was there to learn and not to socialise, I wasn't that bothered.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

xolo said:


> I briefly looked at their site which seems confusing so not much to say about it. I also have never attended the school, but I am a past attendee of many different Spanish language schools in several different countries. Since you are in Málaga, can you not attend for a week and see for yourself? I wouldn't succumb to the Spanish custom of paying for a huge stay in advance, but I might after being there a week or two if I had a good experience.


Hi Xolo. Thanks for your advice.  Yeah, I can't get much from their site either. I really like that idea to ask to attend for a trial period. I will ask.



xolo said:


> You can also ask what their teaching methodology is, size of classes, etc. You want to hear buzzwords like "communicative approach" and "task based activities" and _not _hear things like "grammar drills". It's amazing how many language academies cannot articulate their methodology. Also ask about teacher qualifications. You want to hear things like "they have master's degrees in Spanish or teaching English, etc" Basically, some degree related to teaching adult learners.


I spoke Spanish with the teacher today who will be doing my exam. So I don't know what her level of English is, meaning I don't know if she'll be versed in English buzzwords. Yes, I'm going to ask about qualifications. I don't need a degree level to be taught, but I do want some sort of qualifications.

Thanks again!


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Helenameva said:


> You might want to ask about the teacher's nationality, to see if they are native speakers. If they are, are they Spanish or South American, and do they have a local accent. If you are upper intermediate or higher you might not mind being exposed to an unusual accent but it might make learning harder if you are still learning and not just practising.


Hi British Bestie!  I never thought to ask about the teacher's nationality. Yes, that's important to me. Excellent suggestion. Thank you!



Helenameva said:


> I would also ask what nationalities the other students are typically. I mean, is it lots of English speakers, who could keep talking in English during lessons and stunting your progress, or maybe the majority will be Moroccans, who will tend to have their own clique and you might then feel excluded. I was the only English speaker in my last class and I did feel a bit ronery (cue Team America music) but it did mean I didn't get distracted so much. As I was there to learn and not to socialise, I wasn't that bothered.


I never thought to ask the nationality of the students either. Another excellent suggestion. Thank you.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

The Escuelas Oficiales are government organizations. 
In Madrid the courses tend to be over subscribed because they are reasonably priced. Also, in recent years, although there was a huge demand because of the recession and everyone wanting to learn English, the number of courses was reduced, also because of the crisis (cutbacks in education). I'm not sure how the student/ teacher ratio is now, or the number of classes on offer. The courses used to be not of a very high standard, but I believe that, for the English courses at least, they are using better materials and have better teachers. I'm sure that as we are in Spain all the teachers will be native.


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

Hi Pesky, thanks for that info, I was wondering after looking at the website. Allheart, another thing is to ask about levels, it looks like the school concentrates on A1-B2 and maybe C1, but not C2.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xolo said:


> Hi Pesky, thanks for that info, I was wondering after looking at the website. Allheart, another thing is to ask about levels, it looks like the school concentrates on A1-B2 and maybe C1, but not C2.


Yes, there aren't many classes for C2 basically because few people ever reach that level in any second language!


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> The Escuelas Oficiales are government organizations.
> In Madrid the courses tend to be over subscribed because they are reasonably priced. Also, in recent years, although there was a huge demand because of the recession and everyone wanting to learn English, the number of courses was reduced, also because of the crisis (cutbacks in education). I'm not sure how the student/ teacher ratio is now, or the number of classes on offer. The courses used to be not of a very high standard, but I believe that, for the English courses at least, they are using better materials and have better teachers. I'm sure that as we are in Spain all the teachers will be native.


What you are describing is also true about the English classes in Barcelona, but I don't think that's necessarily true about Spanish classes in Malaga. I wouldn't be too sure about native teachers either, especially as Spain is a large country with lots of accents and dialects.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Helenameva said:


> You might want to ask about the teacher's nationality, to see if they are native speakers. If they are, are they Spanish or* South American,* and do they have a local accent.


Many South Americans (especially Colombian) speak far better Spanish than the Spanish do.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> The Escuelas Oficiales are government organizations.
> In Madrid the courses tend to be over subscribed because they are reasonably priced. Also, in recent years, although there was a huge demand because of the recession and everyone wanting to learn English, the number of courses was reduced, also because of the crisis (cutbacks in education). I'm not sure how the student/ teacher ratio is now, or the number of classes on offer. The courses used to be not of a very high standard, but I believe that, for the English courses at least, they are using better materials and have better teachers. I'm sure that as we are in Spain all the teachers will be native.


Excellent input. Thanks!  I was wondering what the emblem of Junta Andalucia on the top right of the page meant - whether they were government run or government approved. I like that they're government run. 

Yes, the cost is competitive. I'm not sure of the price yet, but will find out on Tuesday.

It's the same here in Malaga, that the classes are difficult to get into because of higher enrolment than classes offered. The teacher said there are no places for beginner classes, but she thinks I might be intermediate or advanced, and that's why I'm doing the test. There is a place for me if I'm advanced or intermediate.

I'm hoping the teacher is a native of Spain. He/she probably will be, but it's a simple question worth asking.

I'll let you know about the course material, if I enrol, and see what you think of it.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

xolo said:


> Allheart, another thing is to ask about levels, it looks like the school concentrates on A1-B2 and maybe C1, but not C2.


Yes, I found this on their website:

"_Los alumnos disponen en total de cuatro cursos (8 convocatorias) para superar el niveles Básico (cursos A1 y A2), seis cursos (12 convocatorias) para superar los niveles Intermedio (curso B1) y Avanzado (B2.1 y B2.2.) y dos para el nivel C1._"

From here: Página Oficial de la EOI de Málaga ::Los idiomas ponen el mundo a tus pies:: Â» Blog Archive Â» Nuestra escuela: enseñanza oficial presencial

So I think it's C1.1 and C1.2.

I don't know anything about these course levels. So is this the standard naming of language courses? Is this specific to a certain language course, meaning certain qualifications that have to be met? Or do most courses use this numbering system of courses?


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> I don't know anything about these course levels. So is this the standard naming of language courses? Is this specific to a certain language course, meaning certain qualifications that have to be met? Or do most courses use this numbering system of courses?


Hi AllHeart, those course levels are referring to the European Common Model of Reference for Languages (if I've written it correctly). It's the harmonized EU-wide proficiency rating for foreign language speakers. A1 is first beginner so A1-A2 is beginning, B1-B2 is intermediate, and C1-C2 is advanced. In the US it is commonly a different system. I'm not sure about Canada. There is no such thing as C1.1 in the Common Model, but I assume they have a two semester C1 class broken into 1st and 2nd sections?

Description - Diplomas de Español DELE

Just to put some perspective on this, I believe in Spain to attend a university you are required to have a minimum level of B2 in Spanish. To work for a municipality it might be C1. C2 is supposedly near-native and is beyond most language requirements. The Common Model covers a really wide range of skill levels. For English, one C2 exam is the Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE), another is an IELTS score of 8.5-9

I hope that answers you question.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

xolo said:


> Hi AllHeart, those course levels are referring to the European Common Model of Reference for Languages (if I've written it correctly). It's the harmonized EU-wide proficiency rating for foreign language speakers. A1 is first beginner so A1-A2 is beginning, B1-B2 is intermediate, and C1-C2 is advanced. In the US it is commonly a different system. I'm not sure about Canada. There is no such thing as C1.1 in the Common Model, but I assume they have a two semester C1 class broken into 1st and 2nd sections?
> 
> Description - Diplomas de Español DELE
> 
> ...


Wow, that's brilliant! Thank you so much for taking the time and making the effort to explain that.  I especially like the last para, as to how this grading applies outside of class. So it looks like this is pretty official education then. Yay! I don't know what the standard is in Canada or if there is one, because my background is sciences. Thank you again! :kiss:


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I just took my exam, and it's a yes! eace: 

They don't have any beginner or intermediate placements left, so I had to test for advanced, which I passed! Woot! I placed at level B2.1. The advanced level is really intensive. We study Monday to Thursday for two hours a day, and every other Friday for two hours. The cost is €73 for the whole first year, then €50 for subsequent years. That covers the cost of registration and the course itself. The course started last week, so as soon as I get the registration done, I'll start.

I was so excited to get accepted that I forgot ask my questions!  When I bring in all my registration forms, I'll ask the questions. But I did meet my teacher, and she's absolutely lovely. Oooooh, I'm sooooo pumped. Today is going to be another great day!


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