Standard Course plus 5

Centro Catalina Spanish School Cartagena

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Course description

Standard Course plus 5

Our school proposes this course to the students who will like to improve rapidly the language and to put it in practice, but besides that, the student will like to learn about other cultural themes regarding Colombia and South America in general. This option will allow the student a full integrity of the different aspects of the language which transmits a very interesting sock-cultural legate.
The objective is to allow a real conversation about different themes like history, politic, traditions, gastronomy, literature, etc. This standard course plus 5 is composed of 20 Spanish lessons in a group in the morning from 09:00 am until 12:40 and in the afternoon an individual private lesson with a teacher that will be sheduled when you are here at school (5 lessons a week).

Course topics

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

Class schedule

Course duration
1-52 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
25 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 50 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday

Class times

Morning session
09:00 AM - 12:40 PM
Afternoon session
04:00 PM - 04:50 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

Elementary
Pre-intermediate
Intermediate
High intermediate
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 Cartagena de Indias.

Class size

Average 5 students
Maximum 8 students

Student age

Age range 18 years old and older
Average 30 years old

Certificate

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

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reviews

Reviews

92% recommend

based on 13 reviews
5 stars
6
4 stars
5
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Die Klassen waren unterhaltsam, lehrreich und vielversprechend."

Sebastian Brunner, student from Switzerland

+Die Klassengrössen waren optimal
+Die Lehrpersonen waren angenehm, offen und zu meist motiviert
+Die Ausstattung der Klassenzimmer waren in Ordnung
+Die Location liegt in einem zentralen und ruhigen Ort (Obwohl eine Bausstelle im Nebengebäude war)
+/- Die Aktivitäten waren meist interessant jedoch etwas redundant für die Personen, die etwas länger vor Ort sind (Animator ist relativ neu und braucht noch etwas Erfahrung oder Unterstützung)
-Bei Personen die länger vor Ort sind kann es vorkommen, dass Schulstoff wiederholt wird, weil es zu wenig unterschiedliche
Klassen-Niveaus existieren (Auch gar nicht möglich aus Sicht der vorhanden Ressourcen).

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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
8 May 2023 - 14 Jul 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"High quality Spanish school with great activities and courses for all kinds of Spanish levels."

Vivian Barth, student from Switzerland

I stayed there for 4 weeks and achieved Level B1 after just starting with the Spanish language. The teachers were all very young and extremely friendly. Apart from the great classes in the morning with 5 to 9 students (9 was a bit too much) I also had class in the afternoon which helped me a lot to improve my speaking skills. Now I am able to have a good conversation in Spanish and use my learnings. I would recommend Centro Catalina to everyone who wants to learn Spanish and enjoy the Caribbean breeze with a good Colombian vibe. The afternoon/evening activities were very nice and I could connect with other students as well as practicing my Spanish.

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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
6 Feb 2023 - 3 Mar 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Friendly interactive course with a motivated group"

Nicolas LIBERT, student from France

Friendly interactive course with a motivated group

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
Social activities
School location
Date of study
15 Aug 2022 - 19 Aug 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Only for beginners"

Deborah Linn, student from USA

Do not attend this school if you already know some Spanish and are looking to learn more. Let's start with the fact that there are no books so you don't know what you are studying, where you are going, or where you have been. Classes are basically conversation. I found that beginners with no Spanish progressed rapidly for about two weeks. Those of us with more experience, to a person, felt that we learned little and were frustrated. I started in class with two young men who had been studying intensively at the school ( morning and afternoon) for 6 weeks. They were just starting to conjugate irregular verbs in the preterite (simple past), In 4 weeks at other schools I had already done the present, preterite, imperfect, conditional and future tenses. I went to more classes to learn more about the imperfect and conditional, and made that clear to the teachers. That did not happen and in fact I think I speak less now than before I went to Centro Catalina. This is not the fault of my teacher who was great. It is the system.

With respect to accommodations, as it turned out, my roommate and I were the only students with air conditioning (other than a few who did home stays and paid extra for it). I don't think I would have survived without it. Our apartment was lovely, with an ocean view and a pool. But the location wasn't great. It was not near any other students and we were the only students in the building. Also, the internet did not work for most of the time we were there and we had to complain every day before it was fixed. Further, the apartment was poorly maintained. All it would have taken was a screwdriver and some WD40 to fix most of it, but in the time I was there the lock to my roommate's bedroom broke and she was locked out, the handle in the shower broke, most of the cabinets needed tightening, the lock to the front door stuck several times, the tv never worked and one plug stopped working.

What the school excelled at was activities. Due mostly to their social director the school was fun. There were tours, tastings and David had weekly BBQs at the School-owned house. David went out with the students most nights dancing, drinking, seeing the sites and truly made the school seem like a family. Further, it was a great group of students from around the world.

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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
12 Jun 2017 - 23 Jun 2017
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Fantastic school in heaven"

Aude, student from France

I'm really happy with my experience at Centro Catalina. The school is very well organised, has plenty of students (in March, we were between 25 and 40 students) to split into small group with homogeneous levels. Teachers were really good, structured and organised. The team is lovely. The school is well located in the touristic centre of Cartagena (perfect spot for an extended stay, with beautiful historic city, fab weather, lovely fruits). I studied there for 2 weeks but could easily have done 3 or 4 if I had time. Some social activities are offered for the afternoons.

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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
13 Mar 2017 - 24 Mar 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The staff made you feel like family, while remaining very professional. A great environment to learn in."

Jean-Robert Ouellet, student from Australia

The instructors were very knowledgeable, professional, and really made you feel welcome. The planning of the lessons was very logical and was a good mix of new material and repetition/games to help cement in the material previously learned.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
5 Oct 2015 - 9 Oct 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Excellent Spanish school"

Guilherme de Oliveira Magalhães, student from Brazil

I studied Spanish for three weeks, and in my opinion, everything was perfect.

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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
6 Apr 2015 - 24 Apr 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 school than in Bogotá, nicer atmosphere, nice teachers, cozy, cozy, nice school cat, and happy people"

Martine Guadalupe Graven

Everything was perfectly arranged. It was in a good location, very central. They had a nice patio where a hammock was present, and there was a canteen where you could get fresh orange juice every day. The staff was very cheerful, very kind. They had a house cat which created a warm feeling. The classrooms were fine. The teachers were good. They wanted to help with everything. What I did find annoying was that some teachers did not speak English. It was hard when you did not understand what she explained.

Furthermore, the family was very sweet. Less than in Bogotá, much less involved. Everyone had his / her own life. They spoke no English and my Spanish was not at the right level for the right to speak so it was hard to communicate. The mother of the house was super sweet. It was a nice apartment, good room, and good facilities. Everything was all right.

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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
9 Mar 2015 - 20 Mar 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great"

Isabelle peillon

I liked Wilson very much. He was a good teacher and was very friendly. I learned vocabulary and verbs.

I liked Ray because he was friendly, but he did not speak too much. There were many exercises. The better it was for all.

Juliet was a very good but very shy teacher. David was very sympathetic and he organized many things.

The one thing I did not like much was the North Sea because there was noise as the windows were open. The building is a bit far too. It was very windy by the windows. There was no hot water at the shower, but the cleaning lady was very friendly and the kitchen had many things.

I plan to go back next year but not to the North Sea.

A thousand kisses to all,
Isabelle

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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
23 Feb 2015 - 20 Mar 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Nice activities, not a good structure of learning"

Karina Soares Cavalcanti, student from Brazil

Well, the staff is great, and so is the location and the school. I really loved the activities that the school provide, such as bike riding, movies, etc.
But I don't think the test is efficient, 1 page of test and 3 questions are not able to fit me in the right level, and even after when I moved level, I don't think the teacher was pay attention if I was on the right level, less or more advanced of the other students.
The first teacher I had was amazing, really dynamic and with several activity that made everything so easy and efficient.
The others teachers don't seem like they have a methodology to teach, each day treats a different thing, and I had the same subject repeated over and over again.
Spite of the messy line of learning, I had my Spanish improved a lot.
Other thing that made me very uncomfortable at school, is that there were a lot of students from the same country that kept speaking in their own language at school, in class, in activities. You never know if they are talking or laughing at you, besides, how can we practice if they are always speaking other languages?
It should have a policy of Spanish only at school.

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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
6 Oct 2014 - 17 Oct 2014
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It's a great possibility to study Spanish in Cartagena!"

Andrea Heller, student from Switzerland

I had a great time in Cartagena with the teachers, the class and the several activities I joined. My homestay family was just lovely and I can only recommend of doing that wich helps you to improve your speaking Spanish. Cartagena as well is a lovely city and you can easily spend a few weeks there without getting bored. Overall a great experience!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
21 Jan 2013 - 25 Jan 2013
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It's a great experience, which gives you much more than ordinary language school at home."

Lukasz Gogolinski, student from Poland

School has a very good and safe location. It is right in the old city and not too far from house location. There are many choices when it comes to transportation in Cartagena and they are not too expensive. School and teachers left overall an excellent impression. They were always very pleasant, accommodating, often with a great attitude and smile on their faces. My special recognition and thanks to Mr. Andres and Mr. Jorge for their professionalism and friendly approach. There were plenty of different types of activities each week, something for everyone. Hosting family was very welcoming, friendly and helpful. The only suggestion is to have in option (additional charge) an AC in the room when choosing a hosting family.

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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
2 Sep 2013 - 27 Sep 2013
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great teacher but too few levels to chose from."

Hege Isaksen, student from Norway

The teachers of the school are great! Sindy especially! They are welcoming, nice and very good at their jobs. I am a teacher myself and it is clear that they know what they are doing!

There are too few levels and that means that a lot of people of very different levels are put together in the same class. When I was there we had a group of Americans from a college there to do a summer course. Their grammar knowledge is very good as they have been studying spanish for a long time at college. They do, however, have no real training in language use and it became quite frustrating trying to have real speed conversations with them. Maybe this could give an idea as to what you could do in terms of differentiating.

The housing I have already reviewed before I left the school. My host mother was unwelcoming, gave us hardly anything to eat for breakfast and we (me and the girl I shared family with) were not satisfied.

Cartagena is a beautiful city and I loved it. Would be happy to come back if I could be more challenged in the language next time.

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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
1 Jul 2013 - 18 Jul 2013
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

Centro Catalina Cartagena offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast

NZ$ 355
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: Outside the city center of Cartagena de Indias
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast (6 meals per week)
Facilities: Laundry, computers, tV room, and air conditioning
Distance to school: 15 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Saturday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 355
Accommodation in a Colombian host family:

To stay with a host family is the best way to get a total immersion in the Spanish language and the Colombian culture. Centro Catalina helps you find an appropriate host family, where you will feel at home.
apartment

Shared apartment - single rooms

NZ$ 481
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Avenida Santander, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar 0000, Colombia
Location: Outside the city center of Cartagena de Indias
Housing type: Shared apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, free internet, tV room, 24/7 supervision, sports facilities, and other
Distance to school: 15 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Saturday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 481
Accommodation in apartments:
The Catalina Team can help you find an apartment, in a good and secure neighborhood. You can share the apartment with other students or rent it on your own.

Private apartment - Single-person room - No meals

NZ$ 679
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Avenida Santander, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar 0000, Colombia
Location: Outside the city center of Cartagena de Indias
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, tV room, 24/7 supervision, and other
Distance to school: 15 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Saturday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 679
Accommodation in apartments:
The Catalina Team can help you find an apartment, in a good and secure neighborhood. You can share the apartment with other students or rent it on your own.
hotel

Hostel - Single-person room - Breakfast

NZ$ 572
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Calle de la Tripita y Media, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar 0000, Colombia
Location: In the city center of Cartagena de Indias
Housing type: Hostel
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast (6 meals per week)
Facilities: Telephone, computers, tV room, 24/7 supervision, and other
Distance to school: 5 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Saturday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 572
Accommodation in a Hostel:

For a less expensive accommodation we suggest you stay in a hostel. The majority of the hostel in Cartagena are situated a 5 minutes walk away from the old town.
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.

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 Cartagena de Indias 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 Centro Catalina Spanish School Cartagena staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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