Quick answer
An intensive group course of about twenty hours a week suits most learners, because it combines fast progress with exposure to several accents and leaves afternoons free to use the language. Private lessons win for exams, deadlines and unusual levels. The most common reason a course disappoints is being placed at the wrong level.
Schools list course formats as though the only difference is price. The real difference is which one matches how you learn and what you are trying to achieve, and picking wrong is the most common reason a course underdelivers. This is how to choose.
In this article
What types of Spanish course are there?
| Format | Hours a week | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Intensive group | 20 | Most people. Fast progress, other accents to listen to, afternoons free to use it. |
| Semi-intensive group | 10 to 12 | Longer stays, remote workers, anyone combining study with a job. |
| Private one to one | Flexible | A deadline, an exam, a specific weakness, or an unusual level. |
| Intensive plus private | 20 plus extra | The fastest option. Group for range, private hours for your gaps. |
| Crash course | 1 to 5 days | Travellers wanting survival Spanish before moving on. |
| Exam preparation | Varies | DELE, SIELE or CELU. Technique as much as language. |
| Online | Flexible | Before you travel, or continuing afterwards. |
Should you choose a group or private lessons?
Most people assume private is better because it costs more. For general learners it usually is not.
A group gives you multiple accents, longer stretches of listening, the useful experience of not understanding someone, other students’ mistakes to learn from, and a lower price per hour. You also speak less, which is the trade.
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We teach Spanish in small groups in Málaga and Buenos Aires, and online from anywhere.
See our Málaga schoolPrivate gives you every minute aimed at your weaknesses, a pace set by you, and vocabulary specific to your job or exam. You also hear only one accent and never have to fight for a turn.
The combination that works best for most: a group for range and exposure, plus one or two private hours a week aimed squarely at what the group cannot fix.
Which course suits which goal?
- You have two weeks and want to break the speaking barrier. Intensive group. Nothing else compares.
- You are working remotely. Semi-intensive, mornings, leaving the afternoon workable.
- You have a DELE date. Exam preparation, and start at least eight to twelve weeks out.
- You need Spanish for a specific job. Private, with the vocabulary agreed in advance.
- You are stuck at intermediate. Intensive plus private. The plateau is usually a production problem, not a knowledge one.
- You are travelling through next week. Crash course, and accept it is survival Spanish.
How do you know which level to enter?
Take a placement test, and take it seriously. A group half a level too easy wastes the money; half a level too hard produces two weeks of nodding. This is the single most common way a course disappoints, and it is entirely avoidable.
Most schools test on arrival. Doing it beforehand means you are placed correctly on the first morning rather than the second day. Ours is free and takes a few minutes.
What should you ask a school before booking?
- Maximum group size, not average. Eight is a class. Fifteen is a lecture.
- Are teachers qualified in teaching Spanish as a foreign language? Different from speaking it natively.
- What happens outside class? A school with no activity programme is selling lessons, not immersion.
- Can you change level after the first day if the placement is wrong?
- Are prices published? Be wary of anyone who will not say.
We run all of these formats in Buenos Aires and Málaga, and online. For the formats in more depth, see our guide to Spanish immersion programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Which type of Spanish course is best?
An intensive group course of around twenty hours a week suits most learners, because it combines fast progress with exposure to several accents and leaves afternoons free to use the language. Add private hours if you have a specific weakness or deadline.
Are private Spanish lessons better than group classes?
Not usually, for general learners. Groups give more listening, more accents and a lower hourly cost. Private lessons win when you have an exam, a deadline, an unusual level or job-specific vocabulary.
How many hours a week should I study on a course abroad?
Twenty is the standard intensive format and works for most people, leaving afternoons to use what you learned. Ten to twelve suits anyone combining study with work or a longer stay.
What if I am placed in the wrong level?
Ask before booking whether you can move after the first day. Any established school will let you, and being placed wrongly is the most common reason a course disappoints.
