Learning a language is a great way to exercise your mind and increase your ability to communicate when traveling. Around the world there are many language schools you can enroll in for a week or two and formally learn the basics in either a group or one-on-one sessions. The cost is fantastically low and perfect for a budget traveler who’d like to delve further into the local culture.
But what about when you return home? How can you continue to learn the language you fell in love with whilst away without it costing a fortune?
This is the issue I was faced with when I returned to Australia earlier this year. Traveling South America and forming both a need and a love for the Spanish language, I’d spent 2 weeks at Spanish school whilst in Ecuador and loved the experience. With plans to return to Ecuador later this year and knowing I needed to increase my Spanish language knowledge and fluency, I looked into Spanish schools here in Adelaide, Australia, and unfortunately I was shocked!
Every time I come back into Australia or travel to any first-world, westernized society from somewhere not as advanced or wealthy, I arrive with a naïvety that things will only be slightly different and a little more expensive than whatever country I was just in. Why this exists within me I do not know, but it’s something that happens every time and always comes as a surprise to me.
So when first looking at Spanish classes in Australia, I was thinking the costs would be a little more expensive than the affordable USD$10 per hour I’d paid in Ecuador for one-on-one classes, but nothing too exorbitant otherwise how would anyone learn?
My naïvety once again caused a huge and unpleasant surprise for me. I quickly discovered that the average costs of language classes with a school here in Adelaide was AUD$70 per hour for a minimum of 30 hours, plus AUD$200 administration fee! WTF!
How is this an achievable way to learn a language? Is this why so many Australians who don’t come from families where English is a second language have basically no second language skills at all? Other than learning at school, is there no chance to learn a language at an affordable price? I live overseas on a maximum of AUD$50 a day, I certainly can’t afford AUD$70+ per hour!
My search then lead me to community education centres such as the WEA Adult Learning centre here in Adelaide. Offering 8 – 10 week group courses for a more affordable AUD$300 price the community centres were somewhere I could afford to learn. However I had already attended one of these courses a few years ago to learn French before I set off on my first round the world adventure. And whilst the classes were enjoyable and I learnt some basic words and phrases, I found it difficult to learn in a group setting. Thinking about this and especially as I had just completed two weeks of one-on-one Spanish classes in Ecuador and had learn so much, group learning wasn’t what I wanted.
So what was I to do? I wanted to have one-on-one classes with a Spanish teacher but could not afford to pay the crazy expensive Australian price. Thankfully my solution came from the school I had already attended in Ecuador.
Simon Bolivar Spanish School offer Skype classes for students such as myself who want to learn Spanish in a one-on-one setting but aren’t in Ecuador. So after inquiring via email I signed up and am so thrilled that I did, it has been exactly what I’d been looking for.
For the price of USD$13 per hour for classes bought in 10 hour blocks, I am now learning Spanish twice a week at 6am through Skype on my laptop and it’s awesome. Due to the Ecuador/Adelaide time difference I need to schedule my classes first thing in the morning my time so that it fits with my teacher’s daytime schedule. Yes studying Spanish at 6am is often difficult as my brain is often not overly switched on at that time of the morning, but I’m making it work for me.
My teacher is an Ecuador local who has been teaching English for years and is really organised and prepared for me every lesson. I’m learning Spanish in a formalised and logical way, which means my language knowledge and speaking, listening, reading and writing fluency are getting better every week. Learning Spanish through Skype was exactly what I was looking for and I am thrilled with the outcome so far.
I’m planning to continue learning for the next couple of months until I depart Australia, and will likely keep when I’m out on the road, as the Spanish language is so broad I think it would likely take years to have a complete understanding. But that’s okay. My teacher is flexible with the learning schedule, and if for some reason there is a lesson she can’t help me with, the Simon Bolivar school arrange another teacher to take me for those classes.
If like me you’re looking to learn a language seriously and also like me can’t afford to pay a fortune to do so, consider Skype and online classes. It’s working brilliantly for me!
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