Academia Iria FlaviaSantiago de Compostela, Spain

Location: At the end of the pilgrimage known as the Way of St. James, lies the city of Santiago de Compostela with its magnificent cathedral with the Shrine of St James. Academia Iria Flavia is a Spanish language school just over 10 minutes by foot from the cathedral and is right in the core of the city. Around the cathedral is the area known as the old town and this is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a perfect way to explore the history of this ancient city and unwind from a day of learning. There is everything that you could need for your stay around the school building including shops, bars restaurants and supermarkets.

Features of the city: Along with the old town, all the local attractions of the city, such as the Museo del Pueblo Gallego and Parque da Alameda are well within walking distance from the school entrance and it is a great base to explore all that this historical city has to offer.

School facilities: Academia Iria Flavia has a friendly environment from the start and the classrooms are set up with a television for visual and auditory learning, ample natural light and heating as it is well known that comfort aides learning. The facilities outside the classroom include a lounge, a movie room and a student support desk which are all available for students to use after lessons whilst the school is open.

Teaching style: The key principles of learning at Academia Iria Flavia is communication and this is practised by the course material being intertwined with current affairs for active discussions and real life scenarios to prepare students for language used outside of the classroom. One of the main blocks to positive communication is lack of confidence and at Academia Iria Flavia there is special emphasis on building student confidence, specifically eliminating the fear of making a mistake.

Course structure: There are some really unique workshops available at the school including creation of material, cultural resources, new technologies and educational innovation as well as theatre improvisation designed for language teacher training. The school also provides a combined package of Spanish lessons and an Internship in one of the following settings: health, tourism and hospitality, electronics, beauty and teaching. There are after school activities put on by the school to support the students outside the classroom and build confidence in Spanish in real life situations.