Praktikum oder Freiwilligenarbeit

I chose the school for a last minute trip in Valencia (booked Saturday for a start on Monday) based on a quick Google search and was amazed by the classes and the activities organised after class. Probably a third of the students were working professionals and I didn’t feel « too old » as there were quite a few students older than me!

I enjoyed my classes at the Taronja school. I had nice teachers (Ne, Sa, Ya) and learned a lot of Spanish. I got a lot of attention from the teachers, the interns and the organizing staff. There are a lot of younger students (18-30) but I am sure middle-aged or older students have a lot of fun as well. I felt a little bit like back in school 18 years ago. I enjoyed this feeling.There are many activities during the week. You get the chance to talk a lot of Spanish (if you want to talk Spanish). I can't understand most bad recommendations. If you want high-educated native speakers with classes of 4 persons and the very same Spanish level someone has to tell me a country in Europe where you get this below 800 Euros a week! The price-performance ratio is very good, in my opinion. I am sure for the money you pay you get a Spanish boost and a good time (I can't say anything about the accommodations, because I stayed somewhere private). I sometimes have the feeling that in the eyes of foreigners spanish teachers and staff are expected to work for small salaries (instead of a fair salaries). Maybe this is something to reflect on and everybody is free to invest in private lessons. The new school building is very, very nice! I strongly recommend this school (also for students older than 30)!

Brilliant school, good activities Absolutely brilliant, I've attended other schools to learn Spainish, and by far is the best. Good teachers, good learning pace, lots of vocab work and lots of opportunities to practice speaking. Classes are good mix of grammar, and practical things to say and there out of school options are by far the best. If you're learning in Valencia this is the school I recommend to study at by far!!

As a retired teacher (university) I was very impressed with the techniques used by the instructors. The classes are engaging; the teachers are motivating and supportive. I enjoyed the diversity of students in the classroom ( countries and ages). At the beginning of each week learning outcomes are presented. Then each class starts with a review of the days learning outcomes and ends with a recap of achievements-- theory, activities, and new words. Each class offers ample opportunities to practice new skills with a wide range of activities. Everyone has numerous chances to speak in every class with carefully crafted activities that are inclusive and fun. The small group size adds to the comfort for those of us who are intimidated with learning new skills.
Classes are pitched at each student's level based on a written assessment. However, during the morning of the first class each person can assess how comfortable they are with the material. They can then move to a higher or lower level class that will more closely meet their personal learning needs.
The school also offers a wide range of activities which further engages learners with more ways to practice language skills as well as to learn about the culture of Spain. I will do another post about my decision to study in Valencia

Aprender Español en Valencia Esta escuela es una lugar muy estructivo. Los profesores son pacientes, divertidas y estan explicando la lengua español muy bien. La escuela organiza actividades culturales después las lecciones. El deficio está en la centra de la ciudad y es muy preciosa, hay muchos restaurantes cerca de la escuela. Me encanta mucho esta escuela.

I am a retired language teacher (at high school and university level ) and as such I feel I can offer a qualified opinion on the teaching method of the Taronja staff. I am pleased to give it 5 stars. All lessons were well prepared, engaging and fun. All staff members were supportive yet challenging. I was pleasantly surprised not to feel my age as a handicap among students largely much younger than me. I had fun with them and met many other older students as well. As to the activities offered by the school, there were so many of them that you could pick and choose. My husband (studying at a different level than mine) and I, did exactly that. We didn't go to all but enjoyed what we had chosen. We enjoyed the cooking class, the songs, the movies, the Saturday excursion. I saw a critic among the reviews concerning a bull fight and I thought that was totally out of line. If you disagree with an offered activity that is part of the culture you are supposedly trying to learn about, just don't go. But don't blame the school for offering other people with different values than yours a chance to experience that activity! Anyway, we had such a good experience that we are seriously thinking about going back to study in Taronja next spring for a couple of weeks at least. Well done Taronja staff, the whole team, teachers, office staff, organizers. We loved the school, we adored Valencia. We will be back. Thank you all so much!