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Academia Iria Flavia

Address:: C/ Pérez Costanti nº 18, Bajo.
City:: Santiago de Compostela
Telephone:: +34 981572888
Fax:: +34 981572032
Email:: info@ifspanish.com
Web:: http://ifspanish.com
Director:: Ramón Clavijo

Academia Iria Flavia was founded in 1994 in Santiago de Compostela. It is very centrally located, at a 2-minute walk from the historic district of the city and very close to all the major monuments.

It is a small, family-like school managed directly by the owners.

It offers 6 classrooms and an area with computers with free Internet access for students. Furthermore, there is wi-fi connection available in all the facilities.

The total number of students can reach 90; the average group size is 5 students with a maximum of 8. It is very easy, therefore, to contact all the school staff, both teachers and administrative or managerial.

Actually, relation with teachers is one of the most important values you will find while you are here. You relate to your teacher in the classroom, but also to other groups’ teachers during coffee breaks or other activities.

In order to select our teachers, we assess their training and professionalism, but also their human qualities: friendliness, capacity to create a good environment in the classroom and their liking “giving a hand” in and out of the school.

All these points sum up to reach our objective: helping you learn Spanish in a relaxed, familiar and entertaining environment.

courses offered

Individual Course

From 2 to 6 hours (x 60 minutes) a day, in order to focus only on your needs. During the first lesson, the teacher and you will establish the objectives. When the course is longer than 4 hours a day, two or three teachers will take turns.

Standard Course 20

20 group lessons per week. There is a ½ hour coffee break with the teachers every day. Minimum duration: one week.

Intensive course 25

25 group lessons per week. Same structure as the Standard Course 20, but with 5 extra lessons per week, focused on improving oral communication. Minimum duration: one week.

Intensive course 25+5

25 group lessons + 5 one-to-one hours (x 60 minutes), dedicated to work on those aspects of the language that need to be reinforced or to improve oral communication skills. This course is approved as Bildungsurlaub. Minimum duration: one week.

Intensive course 25+15

25 group lessons + 15 one-to-one hours (x 60 minutes), dedicated to work on those aspects of the language that need to be reinforced or to improve oral communication skills. This course is approved as Bildungsurlaub. Minimum duration: one week.

Spanish on El Camino de Santiago

Dates 2010

May: from 09 to 15
September: from 12 to 18
Other dates are possible for closed groups (minimum 8 participants).

Description

This itinerant programme takes place along the final stretch of the Camino de Santiago (Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago), declared First European Cultural Itinerary (Council of Europe, 1987) and Cultural World Heritage (UNESCO, 1993).

The itinerary is divided into 6 stages. In each of them we shall discover the different landscapes of the green Galicia in North-west Spain, from the mountains to the valleys; the religious architecture which has been flourishing along the Camino for 1200 years; the little stone-and-slate villages; the traditions and hospitality of Galician country folk; the gastronomy...

The programme includes accommodation in casas rurales - traditional buildings of different kinds (mainly country manor houses) refurbished and turned into charming family-run hotels-, all meals, support van to carry our luggage from hotel to hotel (and available for those pilgrims who need a rest or want to finish walking for the day) and accident insurance.

Spanish + Internship

Spanish Language course combined with an unpaid internship held in different companies of Santiago de Compostela. Internship positions are available both in private and in State-owned companies:

Tourist promotion of Santiago de Compostela.
Tourist promotion of Galicia.
Promotion of the Plgrim’s Way to Santiago.
City Museums.
Association of farming cooperatives.
Travel agencies.
Hotels.

Students applying for this programme do not have to be professionals/students in the company's field of activity, since they receive all the necessary training for the completion of their job from the host company.

You will do a real job, related to the company’s field of activity and collaborating with other students from different countries, included Spain. Most of your work will imply direct contact with people, reception and information, telephone contact, translation of documents…, which multiplies its efficiency as a tool to improve your Spanish. Furthermore, we offer you programmes of a minimum duration of 4 weeks (depending on your previous level of Spanish) where you will be able to develop your internship and attend your Spanish course simultaneously.

accommodation

With Spanish family

They are selected by the school after a personal interview. The criteria for selection are: comfort and cleanness in homes, kindness and friendliness by the hosts and proximity to the school. Half Board (breakfast + lunch) or Full Board. Lightweight laundry included. All lodgings are at a maximum walking distance of 30 minutes from the School

Student’s Residence

Very centrally located (about 10 - 15 minutes walking to the school). It is composed of different flats (each with a capacity for 4 to 7 students) with single rooms (double rooms are only available with one double bed), bathrooms and kitchen). The rooms are equipped with a desk, wardrobe and TV. Daily cleaning service. Towels and bed linen provided. Available with full board or half board (breaktast + lunch). Breakfast is prepared by the students themselves in the residence kitchen (the residence provides the ingredients: milk, coffee, bread and butter...); lunch and dinner are cooked and served to the students in the residence's dining room.

Shared apartment

Double or single exterior rooms, equipped with a desk and heating. They have a washing machine and fully equipped kitchen. Cleaning service in common areas once a week. Students must clean their own bedrooms. Bed linen and towels are NOT provided, so students must bring their own. From 4 to 6 people per flat. All lodgings are at a maximum walking distance of 30 minutes from the School

Private apartment

Up to 5 people. They have an equipped kitchen, daily cleaning service. Sheets and towels washing. All lodgings are at a maximum walking distance of 30 minutes from the School.

Hotel

We can manage and make reservations in hotels of different categories.

programme of activities

Spanish cooking workshop

After a visit to the market to buy all the necessary ingredients, we learn how to cook some typìcal dishes of Spanish and Galician cook: paella, tortilla de patatas, gazpacho, pulpo, empanada... Then, we shall have what we prepared for dinner. This activity is offered at an additional cost.

Wine tasting

In "O Beiro", one of the best cellars in Galicia. Led by one of our teachers, you will taste the most representative wines in Galicia, as well as the cheeses and cold meats which are typical in our region. The owner of the cellar will give us some tips about the most important Galician wines.

Tapas Tour

Led by one of our teachers, we wonder about the most typical bars and taverns in the Old Town. In Santiago, ir de vinos is a traditional activity for people of all ages. It means we go to different bars or taverns; in each bar, we order a drink (wine, beer, even water or soft drinks!) and taste the tapa we are offered. Every bar offers free tapas with your drink, and each of them has its own speciality: empanada, mussels, potatoes, different kinds of meat...

Film showings

In the facilities of IF you can enjoy showing of Spanish or Latin-american films. Afterwards, and provided there is some time left, an IF teacher leads an open discussion about the film.

Spanish music samplings

We select some songs, bands and singers that adequately represent the current music scene in Spain or Latin America. This activity is complemented with comments from the teacher, texts and explanations about the lyrics.

Visits to the open-air marketplace

Very close to the school, this marketplace offers a great variety of fresh products: dairy products, fish, meat, vegetables... The building where it is located surprises the visitor not only for its beauty, but also for its neverending life and colourful atmosphere.

Tour around the handcraft shops

The most interesting traditional handcraft shops in the town: pottery, goldsmithing, artisan food and drink, lacery... We can also find books on Galician topics or CDs of Galician folk music (Celtic).

Fashion Tour

A route through the most popular fashion shops in town. You will get to know the shops of the Galicia based Inditex Group (Zara, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti), department stores like El Corte Inglés, and the shops of some prestigious Galician fashion designers (Adolfo Domínguez, Roberto Verino, etc.). The cost of this activity will depend exclusively on how healthy your bank account is... or on how much you can charge to your credit card!

Natural Park of Corrubedo / Barbanza Peninsula

We go to the coast, where we can find some of the most beautiful beaches in Galicia. We visit two places of great interest: Castro Baroña (the remains of a pre-roman village, located in a small peninsula over the Atlantic Ocean) and Corrubedo (a protected Natural Park with some breathtaking sand dunes right in the sea-shore and surrounded by unspoiled beaches). Then we climb to A Curota Mount, where we will enjoy a view over the Galician coast line, from the Portugal border to Cape Finisterre.

Excursion to A Coruña

We visit the most interesting parts: the Old Town, the sea promenade and Riazor Beach, the harbour and marina, the Torre de Hércules (a Roman lighthouse which is still in use)… Afterwards we can visit the aquarium, looking over the sea, and the interactive museum Domus-House of men.

Excursion to Pontevedra

This city houses one of the best preserved (though less known) historical quarters in Galicia. We shall also visit the Provincial Museum and its impressive collection of Celtic remains: jewellery, masks, tools…

Rias Bajas and Fishing Villages

An excursion through the Rías Baixas (Lower Bays), in the South Coast of Galicia. We visit the fishing village of Cambados, where the famous Albariño wine is produced. We shall be able to visit a “bodega” and enjoy a wine tasting. Afterwards, we visit the picturesque fishing village of Combarro; the National Trust maintains and preserves this site because of its medieval streets and typical buildings like horreos (grain stores) and cruceiros (stone crosses).

Excursion to Finisterre

We visit Cape Finisterre (the legendary Roman Finis Terrae), the most westerly point in Europe, in the open Atlantic Ocean. We will also visit some villages on the so called Coast of Death, an area framed by steep cliffs, rough seas and impressive lighthouses and landscape, as well as beautiful semi-virgin beaches. This area is an unavoidable international commercial shipping route and it is famous for the numerous shipwrecks that have occurred and still occur in its waters. In Fisiterre we will also visit the Museum of the Sea.

National Park of Atlantic Islands - Cies Islands

One of our teachers will lead you to the Cíes Islands, recently declared National Park. It is placed in the mouth of Vigo Bay, in the South of Galicia, in the Atlantic Ocean. The visit is especially worth paying because of the wonderful landscape, made up of unspoiled beaches and high cliffs. There is also an excellent seabird observatory. If you want to enjoy a nice day on the best beach in the world (The Guardian), away from the noise and crowds, this is the place to go.

Excursion to the Ribeira Sacra

One of the most beautiful natural spots in inland Galicia.Along the iver Sil canyons, we visit several monasteries from different periods, which give name to this area (Sacred Bank). The excursion includes a visit to Ribadavia (with its perfectly preserved jewish quarter), a trekking route among monasteries and an optional boat trip along the river Sil canyons. Includes private bus and professional tourist guide.

Hiking around Santiago

A relaxing walk through the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela. We will get to know the beautiful Galician countryside, the little villages with their traditional stone houses, old traditional buildings like ’muíños’ (old-fashioned water-mills, some of them carefully restored and back in use) and hórreos (grain stores), We will learn about the traditional way of life in rural Galicia and enjoy some beautiful sceneries through the forests and by the riverside. It is not a hard route, but comfortable shoes and a water supply is strongly advised.

characteristics of the school

A typical week being here could be the following:

Monday

On the first day of your course, IF takes you for a guided tour to the city, followed by a glass of wine and some tapas in the old part of the town with the rest of the students who begin the course with you. We are sure it is the best way of beginning a good relationship.

Tuesday

Film showing at the school.

Wednesday

A visit to the Galician People Museum, where you can get in touch with the different expressions of traditional craftsmanship, the musical instruments from the Pórtico de la Gloria, the traditional trades (fishing nets, agricultural traditions, basketwork) and a part of the far-off past of Galicia : Celtic forts and Roman settlements.

Thursday

Trekking along the Old Path of Sarela River, in the outskirts of Santiago.

Friday

Tapas tour in the Old Town

Saturday

One day trip to the Barbanza Peninsula. There you will see extraordinary beaches and you can also visit one of the Celtic forts that you saw in the Museum.

Sunday

Take the opportunity to practise some sports, or to visit, alone or in a group, the Galician places you might be interested in. Ask us for advice.