What makes Instituto Hemingway unique?
Anyone who has studied a Spanish course at Instituto Hemingway will able to tell you how much of a unique and fulfilling experience it is. Our aim is to provide a happy, creative, and inspirational learning environment. We pursue excellence in our learning. We also offer completely free leisure and cultural activities that are complementary to our Spanish courses. We make learning Spanish easy and fun.
“What is the best way to learn Spanish and why does it have to be so hard?” I tell them that learning any second language is hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun at the same time. Regardless of when you begin learning Spanish, the best way to do so is with engaging materials, talented teachers and an opportunity to develop everyday conversational ability utilizing the four skills — listening, speaking, reading and writing
The atmosphere and environment in and around the language school helps many students achieve what they came to achieve and also to experience many things that, prior to visiting Spain, they would have never even given the slightest thought to. A Spanish course at Instituto Hemingway is an experience no one would like to miss out on!
What most inspires you about Ernest Hemingway?
Hemingway's inspiration comes in large part from the life he led. For example, his inspiration for The Sun Also Rises was from a trip to Spain. And many of the characters in his books are inspired by real people. The settings of his novels are also based on places he himself lived. He lived in Spain, walked around Bilbao and Pamplona and many friends among local people. In addition he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and bullfighting all activities that show up over and over again in his novels. In other words, he enjoyed very much every single minute he spent in Spain and this is what we want for our students. To learn Spanish while enjoying the culture and having fun participating in all activities we have available for our students.
What kind of services does Instituto Hemingway include?
We offer a wide range of services for all ages and citizens. Our students can join us any Monday all year round, no matter if it’s a Spanish course, internship, job, online courses, culinary arts or volunteer experiences. We also offer accommodation services (premium apartments, shared apartments, homestay, or student dorms). Students choose the amount of time they want to stay in our program. Visa help and health insurance is also provided.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I wanted a job where I could have more contact with people from all over the world and at the same time travelling. This job has a perfect combination of both where travels come to me through our students. They come to our School to learn Spanish, but I enjoy very much listening to them about their home countries and cultures.
How have your past careers helped you in your current role?
My background in psychology helped me a lot to connect emotionally with the different profiles of students and their personal reasons that made them come to us. We always say that apart from a Spanish School we are humans. People that need to be listened to and helped if needed, and to enjoy the experience of being in Spain.
Group picture with our students
What led you to Instituto Hemingway?
I loved learning languages and travelling to different parts of the world. At one point in my life I decided that I was ready to launch our project with my School friend Alfredo Orive. I think that the quality of teaching has been one of our main goals since the creation of the school in 1999. Ourr objective is to develop and improve the knowledge and practice of Spanish through quality teaching, which is always at the forefront in methodological materials and utilising the most recent innovations and research. Our classes are small, intimate, and facilitate a strong bond between the teacher and student.
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
I begin most days by coming into the office early to make sure everything is ready for our first students. I like being in constant interaction with our team and answering all potential questions of each student; both present and potential. I also attend a weekly board meeting with all teachers where we evaluate the progress of each student. So about 50% of my time is spent working directly with clients, and 25% of my time is spent working with my interns. Another 25% is spent working directly with the school administration, attending and helping run meetings related to student progress and curriculum development. The rest of my time is spent completing paperwork on my clients, meeting with teachers to check in on particular students’ needs, and setting goals for the following week. You will see this adds up to more than 100% of my time: I always strive to go above and beyond for my clients.
How do you support students before, throughout, and prior to their time with Instituto Hemingway?
We ensure 24/7 local emergency support and education in all pre-departure orientation materials to help participants prepare for the challenges of living in a new location. We help them with visa issues if needed and with an orientation upon arrival.
When students return home, what do you hope they have learned and gained?
I hope they have improved their Spanish in a significant way, promoting greater awareness and understanding of language and the culture. We honestly think that our way of teaching and leisure activities all help make an impact not only in their improvement of Spanish but also in a personal way. We always say that learning a language is another soul you get, another way of feeling, living, and sharing. We have made many friends through our students in all these years.
Where do you hope to see Instituto Hemingway in five years?
I hope to see us celebrating our 25th anniversary and matching the progress that Bilbao has made so far in terms of quality and hospitality, tourism, and improvement. We do want to welcome more and more students following the goals we created since our foundation as well.
