SAN DIEGO SPANISH CLASSES * THE SPANISH INSTITUTE — Local services in Carlsbad

Loved my teacher but this school is very shady. I signed up under a promo rate (1 class a week for $99/month). After a while the other student left the class. Despite being in my class for 7 months I was suddenly put in another class with another teacher & started back at day 1 so I wouldn’t be in a “private” class. They didn’t make an effort to ensure I was at the same level as the other students. When I contacted the school, they canceled my monthly plan without replying to my email. I had to text them to finally get a reply.

They have good teachers but HORRIBLE customer support & interactions. Until this week I’ve never needed to communicate with the school in the 7+ months I’ve been a student. Yet in one week I went from a happy student to a former one.

Interesting reply from the school, especially since I have all the emails I sent saying I was fine with being in another GROUP class. As a student I am not responsible for maintaining enrollment or ensuring there are other students in my class. If this school can not ensure classes are full that is a reflection of this organization. My job as a student is to log onto the zoom link. I always expected to have other students. The low enrollment is their problem not mine

It’s a precarious position this school put itself in by lying on their reply. Libel is illegal and we both reside in California. I have copies of everything. My emails, and this reply should they change it.

TLDR: they will not honor any promo rates. If you end up being the only student in your “group” class they will accuse you of “taking private classes and taking advantage of the system” and will move you into the wrong class or cancel your rate so you’ll pay more. Just avoid them. Which is sad cuz they do have good teachers. Alejandra and...

The Spanish Institute is as close to an immersion level course as one can get without actually traveling to a Spanish speaking country. I started Jan 2018 in the Basic level Spanish class, which assumes that you possess little to no exposure to the language, though I did have some Spanish from high school. By summer I was able to progress to Monica's lower advanced class. I went from struggling with basic verb tenses and conjugations to being able to speak confidently about food, culture, and even politics and current events in the space of 5 months.

I credit two factors for my fairly quick progress. One is that unlike many other language courses that overemphasize grammar and vocabulary, Monica first encourages all her students to speak Spanish as if they were in an immersion environment, even in the basic class. 70-75 percent of class time is devoted exclusively to group discussions in Spanish only, with the rest of the time focused on grammar. I could literally feel my brain rearrange itself after each class, to the point that I would instinctively speak Spanish to my very confused wife when I get home.

And the second factor? Monica's classes are fun. So. Much. Fun. Monica creates an open and relaxing environment that has none of the stress of a classroom. My sides hurt as much as my brain did after each class from bouts of uncontrollable laughter (all while communicating exclusively in Spanish might I add). Every language should be taught and modeled after the Spanish Institute's model, with an emphasis on speaking, small class sizes (5-6 people limit to each session), and...

I’ve learned a lot of Spanish grammar and vocabulary from taking a college class and lots of self-study, but when faced with a native Spanish speaker, I really struggled with confidence and actual conversation. Since taking the conversation class with Moni in November, my confidence is much better. I’ve also learned useful conversational structures and expressions, whereas on my first class meeting, I was afraid to open my mouth to speak! I look forward to my conversation class every week, as they are fun and informative. Moni creates a safe space for everybody, no matter what your level is. I feel like I am on a bicycle, and my conversation classes at The Spanish Institute are like my training wheels. I’m inspired to watch even English programs on Netflix with the audio changed to Spanish. This past week I finished two seasons of ‘The Politician,’ watching almost exclusively in Spanish. I’m excited to rewatch it and use the expressions in class. Moni helps a lot in clarifying my usage, tweaking as necessary. I really like it when I learn new idiomatic expressions from her that make me a more creative and native-sounding Spanish speaker. I need to ask her again how to say “eye-popping” next week. ¡Muchas gracias, Moni! ¡Le agradezco...