Intensive Spanish Course

Tandem Santiago - Escuela Violeta Parra

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Course description

4 lessons daily (45 minutes each) from Monday to Friday, minimum 2 weeks with a total of 40 lessons. These classes emphasize on the acquisition of the Spanish grammar and are recommended for people who have lots of possibilities to practice outside the school. Our Spanish Group instruction is divided into seven levels, each level of 1 week duration. This very thin grid guarantees those students who have previous knowledge a good level placement, which on the other hand means few time sitting and repeating known contents. Before starting your Spanish Course we will send you a placement test, which helps us to find the right level for you. It is very important for us that we get this test back at least 5 days before your course begins. Please note that the course price is subject to seasonal fluctuation.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary and Grammar

Class schedule

Course duration
1-52 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 45 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday

Class times

Lesson
09:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Lesson
11:30 AM - 01:00 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

All levels, beginner to advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level. You may also take this test before your arrival in Santiago.

Class size

Average 4 students
Maximum 8 students

Student age

Age range 16 years old and older
Average 29 years old
(22 in the summer)

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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Photos

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reviews

Reviews

89% recommend

based on 18 reviews
5 stars
10
4 stars
6
3 stars
2
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Very good."

Assunção de Maria Sousa e Silva, student from Brazil

Important course for my learning in Spanish.
School with competent, welcoming teachers who use an effective methodology for mastering the language.
Native teachers who helped me speak more easily.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
2 Sep 2024 - 13 Sep 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great atmosphere for learning spanish"

Jonas Bachmann, student from Switzerland

The classes were very familiar, a lot of speaaking. There were a lot of acivities besides the school, some paid some free where you could visit the life in santiago and acitivties closeby.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
1 Apr 2024 - 5 Apr 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Friendly, welcoming and professional school"

Caroline VAN DER HEIJDEN LE GALLIC, student from France

The location is ideal in a quiet safe little street.
I liked the yellow and blue house when I arrived.
I liked the warm smile of Jasmin when I arrived the first morning and that same smile every day.
I felt welcomed in a very nice way.
I had already taken the test so I was given my textbook and received the indications of my class room.
I liked both my teachers very much. Ivana for one week and then Alejandra for the 4 other weeks.
I liked meeting all the new students on the first day at the little welcome reception after class.
I liked that activities were offered at a reasonable price on the weekends and free activities during the week.
It all felt like home away from home.
I liked the classes and the lessons and especially all the opportunities to interact in Spanish.
I absolutely made enormous progress during my stay and even though I’m not fluent , I dare to speak to other people in Chile.
I liked the way Astrid took care of us during our activities and how she made us feel comfortable in the activities-group. She has a wonderful personality and knows how to spread a fun atmosphere.
All in all I had a great time.
What I did not like was my experience with the family and fortunately I only had asked for one week.
I think II am too old for such an exchange. Airbnb was better for me which I did afterwards.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
4 weeks
Date of study
13 Nov 2023 - 15 Dec 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great introduction to Santiago."

lykke olsson, student from Sweden

It was good. I met a lot of great people and the teachers were very pedagogical. Also the activities were well organized. I would recommend taking the course to anyone coming to Chile and Santiago.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
10 Jul 2023 - 4 Aug 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Excellent and I can't fault it."

Rebecca Waters, student from UK

I had excellent teachers and the school's facilities were brilliant. I can't fault this place. I'm very glad I took the Intensive course, I only wish I'd stayed for a second week! The location is in a really cool and safe area of Santiago, with an excellent cafe round the corner.

There was nothing I didn't like. Can't rate the social activities as I didn't partake but there was something on offer every day.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Date of study
30 Jan 2023 - 3 Feb 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Wonderful experience"

Julia Ruby Baldwin, student from USA

Tandem Santiago was a great experience. Very small classes, good instructors. A bit heavy on grammar but that's to be expected. Would highly recommend.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
10 Jan 2022 - 28 Jan 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Good school"

Priscilla Belle, student from Brazil

The classes at Tanden are good, in general, but I felt a little about the leveling of the class. Despite this, the teachers with whom I had very good contact, each in a different style. The school supplies are good. I didn't stay in the accommodation near the school. The school has activities, but I did not participate much.
The location is great, close to the subway and in a very good neighborhood.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
17 Feb 2020 - 28 Feb 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Been through disappointed and frustrated but the outcome is good"

Hsin-Yuan Ho, student from Taiwan

The system of how to sign student level is bad,I felt been wasted 3 weeks due to put in wrong class,the school doesn't have good sense how to treat student from total different language system(like mandarin,japanese or korean).

I'm very surprised that them do not teach pronounce at all,even after finishing 10 weeks classes I'm still confused about "P,R,L",during 10 weeks classes,only 1 professor told me what letter I should pay attention when I speak,I even heard other student speak terribly wrong, but teacher did nothing about that,it's barely understandable his Spanish at all.

Teacher changing a lot,due to their way of selling class,in 10 weeks I been through 5-6 different teacher and different class,different classmates,it makes my learning unstable too,so if for students prefer class and teacher all the same all the time,I STRONGLY RECOMMEND DO NOT CHOSE THIS SCHOOL, but if student who like change a lot, then it's good ,every week you might see new people.

When there is national holiday ,they only offer one option to re-do class,without consider students might have other thing to do can not attend class out of the time we expected(for example afternoon),so I missed around 4 classes because they put in that time I was unable to attend and didn´t leave me another choice.

I established good grammar knowledge in this school,teachers in Tandem Santiago are really good and having professional grammar sense of Spanish those are the thing really hard to study by yourself,after taking classes here I finally understand what is happening when I watching Spanish TV.

If you report a problem they usually fix it quickly,I feel they care about your problem if you come to them which is good,as an asin I tend to observe what happend and response slowly,but when I go to their director to complain things ,I feel be heard.

It's hard to say if I recommend Tandem Santiago because it really depends what you want from learning,for people just want have a good time to learn not much but basic sense I feeling this is not the right place,and for the price I paid and too many bad experience I been through,if it's my friend I'd not recommend him or her this school.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
9 weeks
Date of study
4 Mar 2019 - 10 May 2019
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"I have a place to return to Chile."

Mai Osaka, student from Japan

Everyone at Tandem school is wonderful.
Thanks to them, I was able to live comfortably in Santiago.
There is an environment where you can interact with many people.
I was able to know not only the language but also the culture of Chile.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
4 Jun 2018 - 29 Jun 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"A decent learning experience, though it could have been more intense"

Ümit Roman Öztürk, student from Denmark

The class sizes are at a comfortable level of 4-5, so there's plenty of opportunity for each student to participate and be thus be put through one's paces.
I at first voiced concerns that I felt I belonged at a higher level than I was put in for my morning classes, but was told the class would soon move up a level. Although this was in fact the case, I still couldn't help but feel wrongly placed, being in a beginners class with 3,5 years of prior skills. Perhaps a different kind of placement test could be administered on site, rather than the same one once more.
In the end, the morning classes became a repetition of what I had once learned in school. However, having realised that I had forgotten much of that, perhaps that wasn't so bad after all. One-on-one lessons were sufficiently challenging as well as rewarding. A minor bone of contention: I asked both my tutors to give me a reading assignment for homework, so that we could discuss the text the next day - as this is good exercise for me - but we never got around to that.
In fact, both for morning classes as well as one-on-ones, I think more homework would not have been amiss.
The school's location is superb and comfortably close to a metro station on a main line, close to city center. The building itself is quaint, if a bit dated. However, the use of gas heaters indoors did not really sit quite well with me.
I was quite fond of the weekend excursions and even the dance lesson, but fail to see the point of the movie screening, if I'm honst.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
15 May 2017 - 26 May 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Perfect!!"

Giovanna Dimes, student from Brazil

Fantastic school! They were all very receptive and attentive to the students. The teachers were excellent. I would recommend it 100%.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
2 Jan 2017 - 13 Jan 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Fine but not what I expected."

Julie Davis, student from France

My experience was fine. Nothing special to say about it.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
14 Mar 2016 - 8 Apr 2016
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"This is absolutely what you need if you just joined Chile!"

Kateryna Lysenko

I took a basic course of 60 “trial” lessons, because, of course, it all depended on your needs. Tandem was suggested by my friends who passed courses for starting their careers in Chile. The place is well-located, near the metro station, and inside you will find everything you need: water, coffee, snacks., and others. There is also a nice room outside for time-off and chat; it is really comfortable and worth the money you pay.

This place has different activities. If you are new here, I really suggest you take excursions to see Santiago; these are different depending on the time of the year. I did not need to rent a room, so I can’t give my advice on this, but some of my classmates were happy with their renting.

The teaching process was the most important thing for me. In Tandem, there were different teachers. During my classes, we changed teachers twice. I do not know exactly why. Each of them was professional but in different ways. After 1 week of classes, you will fill out a questionnaire for Tandem, and there was an option for where I preferred to change my teacher. As you can see, Tandem is a flexible team, and they really care for your opinion. This option for changing teachers also helps to keep all teachers qualified to make classes more interesting, alive, to keep the cooperation during class time, and to create a good atmosphere. I liked it. For me, it was really helpful for start my first steps in Chile.

I want to mention that at the end of my classes, I received some job offers and I passed successfully. Nowadays, I work in Santiago, so I guess, with my own experience I can say you "just do it".

What did I not like? Well, everything cannot be 100% great. That is impossible. It was just the really small things that bothered me, which I even do not remember now. It all depends on your attitude, desire to study, and your own motivation.

Kind regards,
Kateryna

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
60 weeks
Date of study
12 Oct 2014 - 6 Dec 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"I had a great time at Tandem and I really improved my Spanish."

Simone Plet

I had a really good experience at Tandem. The teachers were really nice and tried their best to help me improve my Spanish.. which I did! I learnt a lot.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
5 weeks
Date of study
19 Jan 2015 - 27 Feb 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"Tandem Santiago had the absolutely best language instruction of the 5 language schools I've attended."

Dr. Deirdre D. Johnstonthe tes

Tandem Santiago has a phenomenal staff who ensures a rich language, cultural, and social immersion experience.

The language classes were fun and challenging. The teachers were well-prepared and organized, and explained new information very clearly. The curriculum and materials were outstanding. I made tremendous gains in comprehension, speaking and grammar in a short amount of time. The staff was attentive and helpful to housing and tour needs, and the cultural activities offered by the school were engaging. I recommend this opportunity to colleagues, family and friends; enrolling in language school and living with host families is a great way to immerse oneself in a new culture. You can attend classes in the morning, do sightseeing in the afternoons, and have fabulous dinners and conversations with your host family in the evening.

Tandem Santiago's program offers an educational and economical vacation for families, singles, or couples of all ages.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
2 Feb 2015 - 13 Feb 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"Important experience to start your language-learning process"

Felipe de Padua

I liked the classes and the teachers. There could have been more activities. I liked hanging out every Friday night with other students and going out with them, but not that many would attend; The school should make the activity more attractive for students to come.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
49 weeks
Date of study
11 Jan 2015 - 25 Dec 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"It's good but that's it. Nothing special."

MAO CHENG LI, student from Taiwan

The class goes really fast.

They will teach you half the book within one week, and after two weeks, you will start the intermediate class.

I recommend to have take the class for one week and pause during the next week.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
8 Jun 2015 - 3 Jul 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Better than I expected!"

Marcelo Henrique Fukai, student from Brazil

The classes were great! I loved the teachers! They were very helpful and joyful, the location was really good, it was near a metro station and it had a lot of restaurants nearby. The school activities were also very interesting, I had the chance to go to a museum and a vinery. The housing was a downside. It was not very clean and at my first week I was at a room really small.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
2 Feb 2015 - 20 Feb 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
housing

Housing

Tandem Spanish offers the following housing types:
homestay

Family Homestay - Double Room - Half Board - 2 students must book together

Included
weekly
Location: In the city center of Santiago
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Distance to school: 10 - 30 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Restriction: 2 students must book together
Included
Family Homestay - Shared bath
double room with half Board ( breakfast and one warm meal daily)

We strongly recommend this option for adaptable student who want to get in touch with the culture and normal Chilean middle class people. As family homestay we understand a private room in a household of one or more Chileans who provide service of meals and who will share part of their time with you. These houses are carefully selected and proved to be excellent campanions, which provide the student an insight into real Chilean family life. Even when some of them live alone, their circle of family and friends will always be around offering possibility to interact in true social contexts. Best for practicing the language and getting in touch with the people and culture.

Family Homestay+Bath -Double Room - Half Board - 2 students must book together

Included
weekly
Location: In the city center of Santiago
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Facilities: Private bathroom and wireless internet
Distance to school: 10 - 30 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Restriction: 2 students must book together
Included
B: Family Homestay - Private bath
Single or double room with half board (breakfast and one warm meal daily)

We strongly recommend this option for adaptable student who want to get in touch with the culture and normal Chilean middle class people. As family homestay we understand a private room in a household of one or more Chileans who provide service of meals and who will share part of their time with you. These houses are carefully selected and proved to be excellent campanions, which provide the student an insight into real Chilean family life. Even when some of them live alone, their circle of family and friends will always be around offering possibility to interact in true social contexts. Best for practicing the language and getting in touch with the people and culture.

Family Homestay - Single Room - Half Board

Included
weekly
Location: In the city center of Santiago
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Facilities: Wireless internet and free internet
Distance to school: 10 - 30 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Included
Family Homestay - Shared bath
Single room with breakfast and one warm meal daily.
We strongly recommend this option for adaptable student who want to get in touch with the culture and normal Chilean middle class people. As family homestay we understand a private room in a household of one or more Chileans who provide service of meals and who will share part of their time with you. These houses are carefully selected and proved to be excellent campanions, which provide the student an insight into real Chilean family life. Even when some of them live alone, their circle of family and friends will always be around offering possibility to interact in true social contexts. Best for practicing the language and getting in touch with the people and culture.
apartment

Shared Apartment - Single Room - No meals

Included
weekly
Location: In the city center of Santiago
Housing type: Apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, wireless internet, and free internet
Distance to school: 10 - 30 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Included
Shared Apartments

Generally you share with one Chilean flat owner and maybe one or more foreign language students. Single or double rooms available with shared bathroom. You can make use of the kitchen, living room and washing machine. The change of sheets and towels and the weekly room cleaning are inlcuded services. Mostly walking distance from school.

Private apartment - Single-person room - No meals

Included
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Tarapaca 876, Santiago, RM, Chile
Location: In the city center of Santiago
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, heating, 24/7 supervision, garden, and sports facilities
Distance to school: 15 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
Included
Comfortable brand new apartment in 17th floor of safe modern 26 floor building in Downtown Santiago just a few blocks behind the San Francisco Church). Building has 24 hour working reception, gym, and outside swimming pool on the roof with incredible round view of the City and the Andes. Self-service laundry inside. Apartment size: 38 m2

• 1 bedroom + bathroom with shower and short tub
• living room with American kitchen, sofa convertible to bed in the living room Equipment:
• King size bed (1-2 persons)
• Smart TV - Internet/WiFi
• Fully equipped kitchen with fridge/microwave electric oven, 2 cooking plates
• built-in closet- electric heating- Nice view from roof
• free use of fitness room
• paid self-service laundry in the building
Location: excellent central location near city center, Cerro Sta Lucia, Bellas Artes and Lastarria quartiers- both with a big number of pubs, galleries, restaurants, boutiques, only 20 minutes from the school. Excellent bus und underground connections (underground stop UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE only 5 minutes away)
Only 4 underground stops from the school away.
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged $100 when you register.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Santiago based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Tandem Santiago - Escuela Violeta Parra staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

Ask a question
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