About the school
Accredited by the Instituto Cervantes for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language, the Luis Vives Spanish School has been teaching Spanish to foreigners in Madrid more than 20 years.
The school is located in the heart of Madrid, in the middle of the historic centre, next to Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Palacio de Oriente, in the emblematic neighbourhood of Madrid de los Austrias. The school is within a walking distance from the vast majority of monuments, museums and tourist sites. Our address is Calle Arenal 18, 1º Izquierda, 28013 - Madrid.
It's very easy. If you are staying downtown and are a fan of walking, you can come on foot. You can also reach the school by Metro, hopping out at Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3) or Ópera (lines 2 and 5) stations— the school is within a 5 minute walk from both stations. If you come on the Renfe Suburban you will have to stop at Sol station. Multiple city bus lines (L44, L75, L133, L146, L147, L148, among others) have stops nearby too.
Before I register
Don't worry, the process is very simple! You can sign up to our courses in person at the school secretary office, filling in the following contact form or giving us your email address. We will need a copy of your identity document or passport, along with your compliance with the terms and conditions of the student contract. You do not have to pay in advance for the course or pay any amount to pre-register, unless you wish to do so. The first day of class you will make the corresponding payment to formalize the inscription.
You can pay directly at the school secretary office, in cash or by debit or credit card (Visa or Mastercard). It is also possible to pay by bank transfer. Once the registration is official, we will provide you with the bank account number so that you can make the transfer.
To book a place, simply send us a copy or photo of your passport to spanish@luis-vives.es telling us the course you want to sign up for and the starting and ending dates. On the first day of class we will make the registration official by paying and signing the contract. If you wish, you can pay part of the fee in advance to make sure you get a place in the course you are interested in.
Very easy! You can take our placement test online. We will correct it and get right back to you with the results. Or, if you are in Madrid and would rather take it face to face you can stop by the school.
There are no age limits in our school, the only requirement is to be willing to learn and have fun learning. Most of our students are between the ages of 17 and 30, although there are always students from other ages. For example, summer courses often have more teenage students (14, 15, 16 years) while winter courses are attended by adults from very different ages (even students over 65 years old).
It depends on your level of Spanish. If you are an absolute beginner (level A1), courses start on specific dates. If you already know some Spanish, you must complete our placement test and as soon as we have the results, we will let you know which course is best for you. Generally speaking, you can start a course any Monday of the year. However, don’t hesitate to ask us about other possibilities.
No. Although you can, you do not need to pay for the course in advance, you can pay along with the first lesson. Nevertheless, in case you need a certificate of registration or letter of acceptance to apply for a student visa, you will have to pay a small amount by bank transfer in advance. This will remain as a deposit, in the custody of the school, and the 100% will be given back to you once you have completed your course.
The minimum recommended age to sign up for our general Spanish and selectividad + Spanish courses is 16 years old, since they are aimed at adults or pre-college students. However, we may accept registrations from students under 16 if their parents or legal guardians state that the minor is mature and motivated enough to join the school. The individual or shared private lessons are another good option for minors. These lessons are totally customized, and the teacher will be able to adapt perfectly to the needs of the students. Regarding courses for closed groups contracted as such (e.g. groups of students on a temporary visit to Madrid) there is no age limit.
Many different things have to be considered in order to find the course that better suits your needs: your level of Spanish, your goals, the time you have available, whether you need a student visa or not, etc. We offer many types of courses that can be adapted to your needs. For example, if you plan to spend a long period of time in Madrid (more than 4 or 5 months) and want to improve your Spanish at a good pace while enjoying the city, the semi-intensive 10 (10 lessons per week) might be a good course, or the semi-intensive 8 (8 lessons per week). If you are going to spend just a few weeks, or two or three months, and you want to make the most of your time in Madrid by improving your Spanish as much as possible, the intensive course 20 (20 lessons per week) is your choice. If you work in the morning, or study at the university, do not have much free time, already speak some Spanish and would like to improve it, the best option would be either our extensive 6 (6 lessons per week) course or our extensive 4 (4 classes per week) course which are held in the afternoon. If you want to learn Spanish in Madrid and need a student visa, due to the requirements of the consulate you must choose a course of at least 20 hours per week, therefore, your options would be our intensive 20 (20 lessons per week) course, intensive 30 (30 lessons per week) course or the cultural immersion. As you can see, we offer a wide range of possibilities. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any doubts or need help to choose a course, we'll be happy to help you.
The fee for the course comprehends the following:
- The placement test.
- The enrolment fee.
- The books, provided that you take an intensive or any other course with a minimum of 4 weeks.
- All lessons of the course.
- Extracurricular, cultural and leisure activities, which we organize every week. This comprehends the costs of organizing the activities and the accompanying teacher or tutor. Students only have to pay for transport (metro, bus...), good and or drink they may buy, entrance fees, etc. For some activities, there is an extra price for participating, which will be specified beforehand (e.g. Spanish cooking classes, introduction to percussion and flamenco dancing, etc.). Detailed prices for each activity are published on your class bulletin board.
- The certificate you will receive at the end of the course.
Transfer from the airport: If you wish, we can pick you up at the airport and take you to your accommodation. We can also take you back to the airport when you leave Madrid.
- Round trip transfer: 75 euros.
- Round trip transfer: 120 euros.
Once registered
At the end of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance or, if you have completed the level, attended 85% of the classes and taken the final exam, you will receive a certificate of achievement, with the grade obtained. Although we are an accredited centre by the Instituto Cervantes for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language, our certificates are private. If you need an official certificate, you must take the DELE exams (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) organised by the Instituto Cervantes or SIELE (International Service for the Evaluation of the Spanish Language ) promoted by the Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Buenos Aires. If you wish to take the SIELE exam, you can do so at our school, as we are an authorised examination centre.
It depends on the type of course. For example, if you are studying in a course semi-intensive 10 (10 lessons per week) to move to the next level, you will need 10 to 12 weeks. If you are studying on a course intensive 20 (20 lessons per week), you will need 4 or 5 weeks to move up to the next level.
In our classes the teachers use Spanish, as we are firmly convinced that it is the best way to help you learn to speak it and achieve your goals regarding the Spanish language. However, all our teachers are multilingual and speak other languages (English, French, Italian, Portuguese and even modern Greek...) so don't worry if you have to ask a question and don’t know how to do so in Spanish.
In case your arrival in Madrid is delayed due to reasons beyond your control, you can request via e-mail a postponement of your date of incorporation to the course. The coordinators of the Centre will evaluate your case, and if the circumstances allow it, they will offer you a solution adapted to your needs.
In Luis vives Spanish School we follow the official school calendar of the Community of Madrid. There are no classes on holidays and non-school days, but you don't pay for them either.
If a zombie apocalypse, an alien invasion, or any other natural disasters were to happen... 🙂 No, seriously: if a teacher is ill or some exceptional circumstance occurs, it may be necessary to cancel a class. However odd this would be, the class would be recovered at no extra cost for the student.
If you think that the level we have assigned you does not match your knowledge or you feel you don’t belong in that group, you can talk to the teachers or the academic coordinator in the secretary office. We will try to offer you the solution that best suits your needs (change levels, change groups or some other alternative). Do not hesitate to tell us what you have in mind, we will always be at your disposal to help you study and achieve your goals.
Each class lasts 50 minutes. If you sign up for a course semi-intensive 10 (10 lessons per week) in the morning, you will have 2 lessons per day from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 11:40. intensive 20 (20 lessons per week) in the morning, you will have 4 lessons per day from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 to 11:40 and from 12:00 to 13:40. You can find more information about the schedules in the description of the courses.
According to the terms and conditions of the contract, if the course is cancelled cancellation occurs within a period of 15 calendar days prior to its beginning, the centre will return to the student the amount paid according to the contract, retaining only 200 euros as registration fee, plus all those expenses arising from the management (bank fees, postage, etc.). If such cancellation occurs within 15 calendar days of the start of the course, or once the course has begun, the centre will not refund the student any money. If the cancellation affects a course that requires a certificate from the school in order to apply for a visa or residence card, as well as other advantages that could be obtained through this certificate, the student will be able to get a refund as mentioned above if the following conditions are met: he or she will present the official documentation from the Spanish Consulate or Embassy of his or her country (or corresponding official body), with date, signature and stamp, in which the refusal of the visa (or corresponding service) is expressly indicated, or the student's waiver of the application for this visa (or corresponding service) is accepted. The starting date of the course will be considered to be the one determined on the issued certificate of studies. No cancellation will be accepted unless it is made in writing.
In the event that you cannot come to class one day, you will have to inform your teacher so that he or she can inform you about the contents taught during your absence. Luis Vives Spanish School does not refund any unattended classes or lessons. Private classes will be rescheduled, provided that the cancellation has been communicated at least 24 hours prior to its starting time.
All you need to bring with you on the first day of class is a notebook and a pen or pencil to take notes and, of course, a big smile and the will to have lots of fun. 🙂
If you plan to travel during your Spanish program, you must notify the secretary's office when you register or pay your monthly fee and we will tell you how to make up the classes you miss.
Additional Services
At Luis Vives Spanish School we do not directly arrange accommodation for students. We collaborate with different agencies depending on the type of accommodation (shared flat, host family or residence). If you need help finding accommodation for your stay in Madrid, send us an email with your preferences and we will get you in touch with our collaborating agencies so that they can help you find the accommodation that suits you best.
If you need a student visa the first thing you should do is find out about all the requirements at the Spanish embassy or your nearest consulate. Remember that the processing of a visa requires some time and varies depending on the country and the consulate where it is applied from, so we recommend that you start preparing everything 2 or 3 months in advance. If you need a confirmation letter (certificate of enrolment) from the school to apply for a visa, we require the following:
- Copy or photo of the passport.
- Acceptance and conformity with the conditions of the contract.
- Indicate the exact dates of the beginning and end of the course, which will be added to the registration certificate.
- Payment of the net amount of the course deposit by bank transfer. This amount remains as a deposit, and is 100% returned to the student at the end of the course.
First of all, we recommend that you check all the necessary requirements at the Spanish embassy or your nearest consulate. Remember that processing a visa requires some time and varies depending on the country and the consulate where it is applied from, so we recommend that you start preparing it well in advance. An au pair visa usually requires proof of enrolment in a full-time study programme, i.e. 20 hours per week. Therefore, the courses we offer that meet that requirement are the Cultural Immersion or the Intensive 20 course (20 lessons per week) or the Intensive 30 course (30 lessons per week). Due to the schedule that au pairs usually have because of their host families, we suggest the cultural immersion program, as it is usually the one that best suits their needs
Yes, every Friday we organize different cultural and leisure activities such as visits to museums, monuments and landmarks, walks through historic districts, tastings of tapas and traditional dishes, Spanish cooking courses, sports and many more activities. If you want more details, take a look here.
The courses we offer and enable obtaining a student visa are the Cultural Immersion the Intensive 20 course (20 lessons per week) and the Intensive 30 (30 classes per week), as they are the only courses that meet the minimum amount of weekly hours required.
According to the terms and conditions agreed to in the contract, in case your visa is refused you will receive a refund, retaining only 200 euros as registration fee — plus all the administrative expenses (bank fees, postage, etc.) provided that you notify us in writing of your inability to attend the course at least 15 calendar days in advance. If such cancellation occurs within 15 calendar days prior to the start of the course, or once the course has started, the centre will not refund the student any money. In order to return the advanced payment for the visa, the student will have to communicate in writing the cancellation due to the refusal of the visa and attach the official document of refusal (with date, signature and stamp) issued by the Spanish Embassy or Consulate. The official document of refusal must clearly state the name of the student, his or her passport number and the requested visa.