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Featured AIL Student – Franco

Franco Imperial, Student in AIL Madrid

Franco
The Philippines
28 years old
“I like Spain a lot and I’m not planning on leaving. This is my country now!”

When and why did you decided to study Spanish?
I started taking Spanish classes when I was 18 years old, just before going to university. I wanted to learn another language and I chose Spanish because of its similarities with my native tongue, Filipino.

You arrived in Spain two years ago to do your Master’s degree. Why did you choose Spain?
I wanted to do my degree abroad, and I chose Spain because it gave me the opportunity to perfect my Spanish skills. Spanish is spoken by loads of people world-wide, which means being able to speak it makes communication on both a personal and a professional level so much easier.

Why did you sign up for classes at AIL?
I was captivated by Madrid and Spanish culture, so after I had finished my Master’s degree, I didn’t want to leave and I started looking for a job here. I was hired by a Spanish banking and consulting company, and after confusing “hipotecas” (mortgages) with hypothesis I realized I really needed Spanish business classes. AIL Madrid was the one that always appeared when searching for the best school in the Internet, so when Steven from AIL’s Student Care Team confirmed the school offered a Spanish Business programme, I signed up almost immediately.

What was your experience like with your teachers?
My teacher, Andrea has always been able to answer all my questions and she is very knowledgable. I benefited enormously; not only did she follow the books, but she used real-life materials filling in “grey areas”, which has been SO helpful.

Would you recommend AIL Madrid?
Of course! I have already recommended AIL Madrid to my American friends who want to come to Spain and learn Spanish. I think AIL can offer a lot to people with busy agendas; I can schedule my classes whenever I need.

Do you want to meet another AIL Madrid Student? You can get to know Sandra, who started as a total beginner, in our Spanish Language Students section.

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Featured AIL Student – Roy

Featured AIL Student – Roy

Hi! My name is Abhinav, but you can call me Roy. I’m from Calcutta, India, and I decided to come to AIL Madrid to take the Intensive and Evening Spanish Course.

My story

I need Spanish because of my work here in Madrid and I chose to enrol at AIL Madrid because a friend who was already taking classes told me that it was the best option. He was totally right! The thing that I love the most about AIL it’s the flexible schedule and the fact that the Student Care Team members like Martin or Steven always have a solution for any problem that I may have. Right now, I’m only taking the Evening Spanish Course, but previously I have also taken the Intensive Spanish course.

My teacher

I have been at AIL for more than a year already, and I love all my teachers. We not only learn theory, but we also practise a lot of speaking which is great because it’s exactly what I want. I have also had the opportunity to meet many friends from all over the world which is fantastic. We always try to speak in Spanish between ourselves inside and outside the classroom and that’s great for practice.

Spanish and me

When I started to learn Spanish, I found the subjunctive difficult, but now… it’s what I love the most! I know this it’s hard to believe, but I promise it’s the truth! What I’m recently struggling with is direct and indirect style, but that’s ok, because I love a challenge. For people who are considering taking up Spanish lessons, my advice would be to think out of the box and just don’t be afraid to take the first step!

Do you want to read another AIL Student experience? You can get to know Junko, a semi-intensive Spanish course student, in our Spanish Language Students of AIL Madrid section.

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Featured AIL Student – Peter

Peter, Feature AIL Madrid Student

My name is Peter and I’m from the United States. I decided to come to AIL Madrid to take private and group classes in business Spanish.

My story

I chose to enrol at AIL Madrid as it offered not just group classes in business Spanish but also private lessons. Subjects like finance and business can be very specialised and every student has their own specific interests, so having personalised classes was really important to me.

My teacher

My teacher Marina was phenomenal and very intelligent. She was the only teacher I worked with during my time at AIL and taught me for both my private and group classes. Through these classes, I also got to meet other students from places like China and Turkey. I found the different perspectives of the international class really interesting.

Fun after class activities

Although AIL offered a lot of cultural activities after class, I was studying for my DELE exams and so I only went to one cultural workshop about Cervantes. The activity taught me so much new vocabulary and I ended up having an ‘aha!’ moment the next day when I overheard one of my newly learned words used by my host family! I think the cultural activities are a nice way to learn Spanish in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Why study Spanish

I’m not young, so I know that for others it’s a lot easier to learn a new language. It is challenging and at times I think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Yet, on the days where I can speak really fluently, or when people can’t detect my American accent in Spanish and ask where I’m from, it’s amazing. For people who are considering taking up Spanish lessons, my advice would be to just do it!

Do you want to read AIL Student opinion? You can meet Rachel, a night Spanish course student, in our Spanish Language Students section.

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Featured AIL Student – Junko

Junko is studying a Spanish course in AIL Madrid

Hello! My name is Junko, I am from Japan and I am an AIL Madrid Student currently taking a semi-intensive B1 Spanish course.

I chose to start learning Spanish a year ago after my husband and I moved to Madrid for his work. I tried out three or four other language schools before coming to AIL Madrid and out of all of them, I like AIL’s atmosphere the most!

My favourite thing about the school is the other students you get to meet there. I enjoy talking with the students who come from places like China, France and the US, and I also get on well with my classmates. They are younger than me, but the age gap isn’t an issue and I always find it interesting to hear what they have to say.

As I have a busy schedule, I think the ten weekly hours of classes offered in the semi-intensive courses are a good amount for me to learn Spanish from. The teachers at AIL are really friendly and they always bring up interesting topics for us to discuss in class. I find speaking to be the hardest part of learning Spanish, but my teachers are patient and always let me finish all of my sentences when I am speaking in class. Since starting the Spanish course, I am now able to talk to native speakers, take calls and organise local services to fix household problems on my own. I used to work in the Ministry of Commerce in Japan, so I am also excited by the idea of being able to use Spanish in my work in future too!

Do you want to meet another AIL Madrid Student? You can get to know Sandra, who started as a total beginner, in our Spanish Language Students section.

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Featured AIL Student – Sandra

Sandra, our featured AIL StudentHi! I’m Sandra, a twenty-year-old AIL student from Sweden. I started learning Spanish as a total beginner at the start of September this year.

My Story

I chose to take Spanish lessons mainly for my family. My mother’s side of the family is Venezuelan and don’t speak any English. To make communicating with them easier, I decided to start learning Spanish. I went online to find the best language school in Spain. After reading so many amazing recommendations, I decided to study Spanish in AIL Madrid.

My Life in Madrid

I have been in Madrid for two months now. Living in a country surrounded by people who speak the language, I’m amazed at how much my Spanish has already improved. Everyday tasks like ordering in a restaurant, asking a local for directions and talking to store cashiers have become great opportunities for me to practice what I learned in class. I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the language. I can now speak Spanish better than some of my friends who have been studying it in Sweden for years!

My Teachers

The teachers in AIL Madrid are also so warm and welcoming. It really helps when learning Spanish as a beginner. My teacher, Olga, takes the time to make sure we understand everything in lessons. She always helps us with our problems, so no one ever hesitates to ask questions.

The teachers participate in all our fiestas and activities too. This means that most of the time, they don’t even really feel like teachers!

My Future with Spanish

I will never regret my decision to come to Spain. After I finish my time here, I’ll be able to speak Spanish for the rest of my life! If you want to spend your money on enhancing your ‘life backpack’ of skills, I would recommend learning Spanish at AIL Madrid.

Do you want to discover another AIL Student experience? You can read about Peter’s, a private and group classes student who wanted to focus in business Spanish, in our AIL Madrid Spanish Language Students section.

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Featured AIL Student – Rachel

Rachel is studying Spanish in AIL MadridHello! My name is Rachel and I’m from Brighton in the UK. I’d like to share my incredible experience studying Spanish in AIL Madrid with you.

My story

Until just recently, the only language I could speak was English. Having promised myself that I would learn another language, I took advantage of a short break between jobs to work as a teaching assistant in Madrid. I work during the day, so I was looking for a language school that could offer me night classes. Most of all, however, I wanted somewhere where I would feel at home.

I came across a perfectly timed night Spanish course for me at AIL Madrid, a language school with great online recommendations. My first class was fantastic! My teacher, Edu, was incredibly friendly and I got on really well with the other six people in my class.

The most difficult part of learning Spanish can be having the confidence to start a conversation in it. However, the atmosphere of the classes at AIL were perfect for practicing. We all helped each other and no one ever laughed if someone made a mistake (and we made plenty at the start!). Edu was also really attentive and always took the time to respond to any doubts we had.

If you want to learn Spanish or simply improve your current skills, my advice would be to apply to AIL. Everyone is so kind, so I always feel at home there. My Spanish has improved dramatically. When I first arrived in Madrid, I never dared to speak to my Spanish friends. Nowadays, they have to ask me to stop – once I start speaking in Spanish, there’s no stopping me!

Do you want to meet another AIL Student? You can get to know Junko, a semi-intensive B1 student, in our Spanish Language Students of AIL Madrid section.