Why Learn Spanish?

If you want to get on in today's increasingly diverse and ever-changing commercial world speaking just English is not enough anymore, it really
pays to learn at least one other language. The obvious choice is Spanish as it is the next most widely spoken globally. Because it is the official
language in 21 countries and approximately a further 100 million people speak it as their second language by learning Spanish you'll be able to
communicate with another half billion people and thereby immediately improving your career prospects. With Latin American countries
becoming more important as trading partners and the popularity of Spanish in the United States demand for courses has doubled worldwide
in the last ten years. In view of these facts it's clear that you stand a much better chance of making a success of yourself in the job market if you
speak Spanish.

Naturally there other reasons to learn, take the Spanish culture for instance which has made such a great contribution to architecture, the arts
and to world literature. What could be more satisfying than to be able to read Lorca, Vargas Llosa, Cervantes or Garcia Marquez in their own rich
language. Wouldn't Picasso, Miro, Dali, Goya and Velasquez be much more interesting if you were familiar with their culture?

Learning Spanish in Spain is easier and faster than learning at home, it produces better results and, just as important, it's much more stimulating and fun. Studying a language in your own country whether at an institution or on a correspondence course demands a lot of energy and discipline. You have a million and one other things to do and each time before you go to your class or start your homework you have to reorientate yourself again.

During an in-country course you will be living in Spain and will be completely immersed in the culture and will hear, read and speak nothing but Spanish all day. In this way you will pick up an amazing amount quickly both inside and outside the classroom. A language is more than just grammar and a collection of words: it is the means of communication between peoples, which is why you can never really learn a language from a book - you need to be in the country where it is spoken.

When you learn Spanish in Spain studying includes not only the classroom but an introduction to the rich Spanish culture through the fiestas, the intoxicating effect of the dancers of the Sevillanas and the Flamenco, the variable and numerous "tapas" bars and cafes, the promenading and the colourful streetlife of Spain's exotic cities. Learning Spanish can be the experience of a lifetime.

don Quijote is the largest private organisation providing Spanish courses in Spain. Whatever your motivation - professional, career, examinations, education in general or just for fun - don Quijote schools, located in the centre of Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) and Salamanca, will have a course to suit you. Study programmes start regularly throughout the year for all levels from beginners to advanced.

Learning Spanish in Spain

380 million people speak Spanish around the globe. People everywhere have become aware of the importance of this language which is the fourth most spoken in the world. Spanish is the official Language not only of Spain, but also of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and most of South America. Spanish is the second language in the United States making of it the fifth largest Spanish speaking country in the world.

Cultural Heritage

In Spain the students learn to speak Spanish and at the same time they are involved in the daily way of life of a country that has got one of the richest historical heritage. The great quantity of traditions, the spirit of the people, the sense of how life must be taken, makes Spain a place that is difficult to forget.

It is curious to see how many foreigners have settled down in Spain and the variety of the reasons they give: the friendly people, the street life, the fantastic weather, the amazing and healthy cuisine.

Culture is present in everyday life and the students will have the opportunity to see worldwide famous Museums such as the Prado and Bornemiza in Madrid, Gugenheim in Bilbao, etc… Visit historical places such as El Escorial, La Alhambra in Granada, and so many gothic and romantic cathedrals. Almost every single village in Spain has got a nice church building to admire.

The Arabs stayed in Spain for 8OO years. Some of the features of the Spanish character has been marked for this. It is also difficult not to realise the strong influence that the Arab culture left in Spain specially in the south.

Overwhelming buildings such as the Mosque of Cordoba will give good example of this.

The countryside has become so popular that numerous tours take students to remote areas where magnificent landscapes can be enjoyed and contact with rural traditions will take them to other times.

Spain has produced such artists as Velazquez, Picasso and Dali. Musicians such as Falla or Granados, or opera masters as Domingo or Carreras. Spanish fashion and design is known worldwide. Students will find in Spain more bars, coffee houses per square meter that in any other part of the world. During the year there are always festivals in some place of the geography. Old traditions that are celebrated with such happiness and joy that will captivate the heart of the students.

The bridge to Latin America and the world

Spain is also a very modern country with an economic situation of constant development. The Spanish language has shown to be an extraordinary link with the economy of Latin-American countries. Trade and commercial agreements in America have increased the importance of a common language that now, almost every country in this continent shares.

Around 25 million people speak Spanish in North America and the society is aware of this.

Spanish companies have established strong roots in the Latin American economies (telecommunication, tourist, media) and the economies of these countries are booming and so the importance of Spain and Spanish in all America and around the world.

Spain is a country which has a peculiar geographical situation. Being the southern limit of Europe it is also the bridge from Africa to Europe, and owes to the language the bridge to Latin America. It is not rare to find European companies establishing themselves in Spain as a previous stage to jump on the South American countries.

Executives and workers of many international companies come to Spain to train their abilities in Spanish before they are sent to fulfil their task to Spanish speaking countries. Studying Spanish in Spain can be very useful to help the professional future of students as there are very good schools of Spanish specialised in Business Spanish or more simple ‘Spanish to work'.

Choose a Location

Apart from the cultural heritage, the weather of Spain is one of the reasons why Spain is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world. The student may choose from many locations with different weather conditions, student atmospheres, historical sites etc.

Historical University cities such as Salamanca or Alcala are places ranking top for the quality of the teaching and the wonderful university atmosphere Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia or Malaga and many more also offer great locations to study Spanish and enjoy the Spanish culture

Español como Lengua Extranjera

The Spanish Courses offered range from short term courses for students and business people to longer courses which can last a whole year. The student may prepare to achieve some of the Official certificates of The Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain which is known as D.E.L.E. There are three different Diploma according to the level achieved (Initial Certificate, Basic Diploma and Superior Diploma).

In addition to them some other important certificates can be obtained such as the Certificate of Spanish for Business from the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid and University of Alcala (Basic and Superior).

Spanish, a Language of the future

The Spanish speaking population of the world is growing and the importance of communication enhances the importance of Spanish. Many people now enjoy the possibility of communicating in Spanish after learning it and finding it to be more than a language. The cross cultural understanding is essential for the future, and Spanish, a language born and made of the encounters of cultures will ease this. To learn Spanish in Spain gives the chance to reach a different approach to life that, whether like it or not, span the view and criteria so necessary for living.

A new all time record for Spanish tourism

The primary object of the internationally recognised Swiss Hotel Management School "Les Roches" Marbella is to prepare qualified Managers for the International Hospitality Industry of the 21st Century – one of the most professional fields with the greatest future global potential.

Established since 1995 in the unique environment of the Costa del Sol, one of the main Spanish tourist destinations, Les Roches Marbella constitutes a magnificent source of well-trained professionals for the Hotel Industry. Its teaching philosophy is geared towards offering top quality service and thus offer a value added to the current Spanish tourism offer. The massive exodus of (beach) seaside leisure tourist destinations of the past has now been left behind, when quality was replaced by quantity. Today, this sector has great vision and future potential for a high quality oriented tourism base and therefore, exists a wider offer geared to those new and demanding markets.

Nowadays, the primary aim of Travel and Tourism entrepreneurs is ultimate customer satisfaction. In this sector, more than in any other, the customers’ loyalty and quality assurance will determine the success and prosperity of the business. However, it is impossible to acquire the right level of customer satisfaction in an environment where employee satisfaction is low; Les Roches Marbella stresses the vital role of Human Resources Management in the achievement of future business objectives.

A well-trained professional with the capacity of executing the various and diverse responsibilities encountered by a Hotel Manager in this sector, as well as the proficiency in the most dominant foreign languages, will guarantee the satisfaction of even the most exigent of customers.

Thus, hotel management schools and the most experienced hotel managers agree on the advantages that a complete and comprehensive education have on individuals entering this field as means of ensuring the continuity and success of their businesses.

The change in the business mentality experienced in thelast recent years has promoted the growth of the Spanish tourism sector. A noticeable growth trend, not only because of the increasing number of tourists who choose our country as their vacation destination, but also because of the increasing number of destinations available and the level of professionalism offered in the hotel sector. Last year we observed an increase in the number of tourists visiting Spain (56,178,000 visitors) during the first nine months. More than half of those who chose Spain as their vacation destination travelled to our country during the summer season (June – September). During these four months, the number of visiting tourists registered surpassed those of the previous exercise by 9.6%.