Academia Iria Flavia

The teacher was the best I’ve ever had! Everyone was really polite and helpful. I appreciate the fact that the courses were really individual, we were only 2-6 in class. The location was perfect, right in the centre.

My experience of Academia Iria Flavia was a very positive one. All the staff and teachers were very friendly and the atmosphere is a wonderfully warm one every time you step into the building to attend class. The teaching standards are high. The teachers are professional, knowledgeable, and amicable. I enjoyed the mix of learning the language in class, and having the more immersive experience of two cultural activities a week. Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful, historic, and vibrant city! A great place to learn Spanish.

I liked the style of the class with a lot of worksheets. The teacher was great and
Could explain very well, it is located near the center of the city. I also liked the
Activities like visting the parks of Santiago.

I was only there for one week, in the intermediate class. The instructor was excellent, both in her explanations of grammar and in her ability to keep conversations going in Spanish, especially since we were only 2 students in the class. I didn't attend activities this time. When I studied at Iria Flavia before, the activities were excellent. Location is great. I did not use the housing.

AIA is very thorough in their presentation of materials and in pushing students through the European requirements for language instructions. The instructors are quick to explain how and where each lesson fits.

The housing was excellent, about 2 - 3 km away, depending on the route walked. The autobus was about 400m away for visiting other pueblos, cities, and beaches. The Cathedral and all the incredible architecture was 2 km away.

I arrived in August and stayed through September, so the weather was overcast with more rain than in July or October, but this make me more appreciative of the sun! For painting and moody atmosphere, my pictures were improved with the leaden sky -- ghosts, spirits, suspense were always on the edge of being captured by the lens. The location in Santiago de Compostela was fantastic for afternoon and weekend excursions - both in-land and to the coast and bus were frequent. The train was a little farther away but faster for certain routes.

Complaints: I am not a student looking for any type of certification. Being old without a second language means I need lots of repetition, lots of speaking, and lots of interaction. Although I had individual instruction for 4 weeks, the approach did not vary very much for the 2 weeks I was there, and there were 2 or 3 other students.

I would not recommend this school to an individual beginning to converse in Spanish. I would thoroughly recommend it for advanced students wanting certifications.

The location was nice, well situated and easily accessible. The classrooms were well-equipped although I prefer having a real desk than a folding table on a chair. The facilities were as you should expect them to be - tidy and clean. I liked the "new way of teaching" the school adapted, and of course each different personality of the teachers (I had different ones).

What I didn't appreciate was the fact that you had to pay for lessons you couldn't attempt, and apparently I wasn't the only one..

Both teachers for morning and intensive afternoon courses were very good - enthusiastic, patient, encouraging - and helped to create a warm and supportive learning atmosphere. I personally would've appreciated a bit more drilling in chorus and individually since I've only had very positive experiences with drilling improving oral skills - but am aware that drilling isn't done much anymore in foreign language instruction - a pity.

I took advantage of several of the evening and weekend organized tours, which were also good. I stayed at a hotel I booked myself.

What was a bit unfortunate was the somewhat cramped rooms at the school with no room to relax in in between classes and little time to get a drink or a bit to eat since there was no cafeteria available and the breaks were very short.