Spanish Language Schools in Santo Domingo?

J

JustMarla

New member
May 8, 2003
5
0
0
Hi,

I'm thinking about coming to the DR to take Spanish language courses. I've seen a few advertised (IIC - Santo Domingo, most notably) but I wanted to know if any of you knew of any others with good resonably priced programs that I could look into.

I'm a single black american woman, do you think it would be preferable for me to find a homestay situation or should I look into renting an apartment? I plan on staying for 2 - 3 months.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
K

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
IIC also has a good program in Sosua. You could get inexpensive accomodations here.
 
R

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
You can try Amerispan

http://www.amerispan.com/study_spanish/ProgramDetail.asp?Program_ID=3536

they have live in Spanish in Santo Domingo with quite intensive and to me fairly priced lesson plans. Worth a look to get a baseline price and you do get to live in with a family which immerses you better than a lot of classes and then living alone in a hotel. Cheaper by far too.

Well, $1,750 US for a month of private lessons and living.
 
J

JustMarla

New member
May 8, 2003
5
0
0
Thank you.

Is Sosua difficult to get to from Santo Domingo?

I took a look at the Amerispan site too, thanks for the link.
 
M

mkohn

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,151
4
0
If you take the bus from Santo Domingo, you can go through Santiago to Puerto Plata. Then it's a short cab ride ( or you can take a guagua, etc.) to Sos?a. I think it's about 4 - 5 hours.
mk
 
Robert

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
http://www.hispaniola.org - US$1450 for 1 month (3.5hrs per day)

or...

For those prices you could get private one on one tuition 4hrs a day. The going rate is around RD$200/hr (US$8).

20 days x 4hrs = 80hrs x US$8 = US$640

And I'm sure you could negotiate with your private tutor on those rates.
 
K

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
JustMarla, getting to Sosua from Santo Domingo is very easy. Caribe has buses leaving every hour from early morning to early evening from Santo Domingo to Sosua. The bus makes a stop of about 15 minutes in Santiago and about 5 in Puerto Plata. From Santo Domingo on these airconditioned buses takes about 4.25 hours.

In selecting a school/program, you might also want to think about what you would like to do when not studying. If you are interested in spending time on the beach, then Sosua is a better choice than Santo Domingo. If you want to be in a big city, then Santo Domingo is the place.

With respect to a private tutor compared with a school program, I tend to favor the latter because it has a well organized curriculum. Additionally, being in a class with other students who are at the same level as you are can be very beneficial.
 
J

JustMarla

New member
May 8, 2003
5
0
0
I think I'd do better with a more structured school program, especially since this will be my first trip to the DR.

I did the "unstructured thing" in Sevilla last year and ended up spending most of my time drinking wine in tapas bars instead of meeting with my tutor.
 
C

Carla

New member
Jan 24, 2003
28
0
0
casa goethe

I started my spanish in casa goethe, they have one school in santo domingo and one in sosua.depending on the teacher you benefit more or less, but they always have a nice crowd of students and learning is fun.they also offer accomodation, seems expensive though
 
E

ecibjkub

New member
Jan 26, 2008
10
0
0
Another option might be spanish programs offered by Community Service Alliance. These classes are personalized and 1:1 and also offer homestay with local families. You might also get involved in community service projects and other activities, which would greatly enhance your experience in the DR!

You can check out their site and see what you think: Community Service Alliance - CSADR
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom