Instituto Franklin - UAH

I am so thankful for my experience at Instituto Franklin-UAH. I graduated with a master's degree in ESL and Bilingual education in 2025. I would like to highlight a very special person, Iulia, who not only helped me succeed in the program as a young single mom, but who also helped me navigate some very difficult circumstances while far away from home. She did not hesitate to become an important part of our support system. I truly do not know where we would be today without her!

When you are a Bulldog at Butler University, it’s hard to leave your vibrant campus life behind for a full semester. Still, choosing to study abroad became one of the most rewarding decisions of my college experience. Thanks to Calie Dickey and staff at Butler's Center for Global Education, the decision quickly became a no-brainer. I took my international business and Spanish studies from our campus classroom all the way to Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. Living life as a Madrileña, every day brought something new. Spanish language immersion was central to my goals, and living with my incredible second family as a host daughter in their home became the most impactful part of my experience. My family welcomed me into every part of their lives - their gastronomy, daily rhythms, friends and family, evening street culture, and cherished traditions. I learned that Spaniards can always find something to celebrate. During my time abroad, three things stood out: • Discomfort turned into confidence • Curiosity turned into cultural exploration • Strangers turned into family As a student at the Instituto Franklin-UAH, I was challenged in nearly all Spanish-speaking courses and connected my daily experiences with coursework in Spanish poetry and traditions. I also completed a marketing internship with local business Buceo Alcalá, where I grew as a professional in my secondary language - proving to myself that growth lives on the other side of discomfort, even amid cultural and language barriers. The International Business major in me was eager to absorb everything around me. Before I departed, even my former colleagues at Eli Lilly and Company were excited to send me off. I was later invited to visit our Government Affairs team at the international office in Alcobendas, Spain, an unforgettable opportunity to see one team working across seas. My time with Teresa Millan and her team Cristina Escudero Marquez, and Claudia Penzol López will always be cherished. Now back in Indianapolis for my final semester as a Butler undergraduate student, the golden question remains: “Do you miss it?” And while yes, I miss the adventure, the unknown, and the beauty that is Spanish living, I am grateful to be home. I smile with contentment for the life-changing memories and apply my broadened perspective to my life every day.

Studying abroad at UAH was one of the best decisions I ever made in college. I'm a semester away from graduation and can say without a doubt that the four months I spent at the university were some of the most impactful and inspiring of my life so far. My Spanish speaking ability greatly increased, I made awesome new friends, explored Toledo, Madrid, and Alcalá, as well as the Valle de los Caídos, and figured out what I want to do with my life. I cannot recommend this experience highly enough! Go get lost in castles and monasteries, find yourself in awe of the Roman ruins, and make friends with the locals in cafes and bars. Getting to know the lovely people and participating in daily life activities alongside them, even joining in all the festivities for Semana Santa, was incredible. If you have the opportunity, by all means, what are you waiting for? And if you do, please be sure to go back to the río de Henares and tell it I miss it already <3

I’ve only been here a few weeks, but it has been so much fun! I’m learning a lot about Spanish culture, and I love living with my host family. I cannot wait to continue making memories here in Spain!!

I was impressed with how easily the program and professors switched to online delivery during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. The administration team were supportive throughout an extended period of uncertainty, and I would happily recommend the program to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge within the education realm.

This program offers the unique opportunity to earn a highly affordable Master’s degree while teaching in a Spanish classroom. It’s a truly valuable chance to learn in a cross-cultural context. You can expect dedicated administrators and peers with varied and rich backgrounds.

This is a fabulous program. I cannot say enough about the support and assistance from the UAH Instituto Franklin staff. Above and beyond. You will get all the help you need to get your 101 local and government appointments and so much more. We are just completing our first course of the school year and it was great! I love my classmates, we're a lively bunch from so many walks of life. Finding a place to live was tough. You can't get your own place unless it's by the kindness of a private owner. Realty companies are bound by regulations that require you to show your last Spanish pay stubs. Finding rooms in shared housing is easier, but it was a bit tricky for me because I am a single mom and this is a major college town! I didn't know that! Hahaha. The cost of living is mostly lower than the East Coast in the US which is a relief. Over the counter meds are kind of a pain because they will only sell you like 10 at a time. Transportation is super clean and actually timely. I am having a ridiculously hard time finding doctors are the amount of doctors in the private sector are low and mostly not taking new patients -tbc. I landed a great school, albeit I teach 18 classrooms, which is totally nuts. The school itself is lovely and the staff are all super friendly, they just kind of want me to do more than what an Auxiliar is supposed to. But, that kind of seems to be the theme around here, so don't let anyone push you around. There are rules about how much an Auxie is legally bound to and allowed to do during class time. Again, the staff at UAH have been instrumental in getting this type of thing sorted out. I am loving our time in Alcalá at Instituto Franklin!

Completing a Masters in Teaching at the University of Alcalá, in the Teach and Learn Program, was invaluable to me both personally and professionally. The program upheld academic rigors that were applicable to me as a teacher and the professors and coordinators showed dedication and support to their students throughout the process. Furthermore, I deeply enjoyed having the cultural experience to live in Spain for an entire year. Coming into the program, I had 10 years of classroom experience as an educator from the US. I have and would recommend this program to any educator seeking professional development and masters credentials. Wonderful experience, and yes, I would do it again! Thank you UAH!

Excellent program! Very manageable coursework with a teaching element included that allows you to earn some money and utilize the information you’ve learned in class while living abroad. Such a great experience!

The Teach and Learn in Spain program granted me the freedom to travel, practice Spanish, and earn a Master's Degree in my desired field of study for an extremely low cost and high reward. This degree gave me the ability to teach Spanish at a notable private school in upstate New York. It has also taken me to China where I teach bilingual STEM and Science courses each summer. Most recently, it was my academic achievements at UAH that transferred to NYU where I will be continuing my studies in Speech-Langauge Pathology this coming semester. Although UAH handed us some, admittedly annoying, challenges, such as working out communication and travel flaws between the university and our school placements and finding accommodation, I wouldn't trade it for the world- in hind-sight. Also, be advised that the diploma and transcripts do take several months to receive! I give this program an overall 9/10 because the faculty are some of the most enjoyable, helpful, and understanding people you will meet. Your fellow classmates will become life-long friends. It is guaranteed that your experience living, working, and teaching in Spain will be at the top of your most rewarding career choices you will make.

This study abroad experience is one in which I learned to grow as a person. I was able to make new friendships and discover a new culture. Alcala de Henares is a wonderful town full of history and wonderful people. I would say I learned the most through my host family that treated me as their own child and through the various courses in the program. The faculty of the program are all very generous and always making sure that you are having an unforgettable experience. Through events organized by the school, I was able to visit museums and nearby historical cities. with friends I was also able to travel a lot. Overall, this experience is a unique one that I would recommend to anyone. And Alcala de Henares will always be like a second home to me.

The Instituto was phenomenal with my semester abroad. All classes were taught in Spanish, and I lived with a host family. These two aspects were wonderful for my cultural immersion and growth in Spanish. I am truly appreciative of the staff who I have grown close with over the semester. They were always helpful, attentive, and supportive of me. One unique part about this program are the excursion, which I wish I had taken more advantage of. They went to Toledo, Segovia, La Valle de los Caidos, and more. With this program I not only made friends from around Spain, but also around the US. I also grown close to the professors and staff and got to know them outside of the classroom, like at futbol games and cooking classes. Without a doubt, living with a host family was one of my biggest stresses, but I have grown so close to them over the semester, and my understanding of the Spanish culture, language, and literature was truly enriched. Yes, having classes all in Spanish was a challenge, but that helped me so much with presenting, writing, and speaking in Spanish. All of these aspects helped me achieve my semester goals abroad, and it's an experience I will never forget.

Instituto Franklin offered various options to make tuition cost feasible, offered a major in the field I was interested in and the opportunity to continue teaching English while still studying. The staff was also very responsive and made the application process run smoothly. Yet, like any program some courses are more interesting/challenging than others but overall completing the Master’s program was pivotal towards my decision in making the transition out of the classroom to the area of international education. It reassured me that working with international students and/or students’ wanting to go abroad was what I wanted to do. Also, I feel it was a good addition to my resume, after moving back to California from Spain I was able to land a job shortly after.

I had a great experience with the Teach and Learn Program at Instituto Franklin. I honestly learned a lot from the classes and internship placement at a Spanish school. After the program I felt more confident as a teacher, and wanted to pursue the profession further by obtaining by credential in the States. The University is beautiful! and all of the teachers were especially helpful. I would recommend this program to anyone considering it.

Pay is alright, classes can be interesting, it's exciting to complete a Master's abroad. Whether you're trying to prolong your stay in Spain or this is your first step into this kind of abroad working experience, this program gets the job done. That is to say, if you put your half into it, cause you're still in school!

I did my MA in Aprendizaje y Enseñanza de Español como Lengua Extranjera with Instituto Franklin. It was definitely a tedious year because we had to balance our school and work and prioritize what was important. The teachers in the program are experts in their field (at least for this degree) and I never felt like they were teaching a class without a lesson plan. All of the classes were well thought of and executed with precision and attention to detail. The teachers were understanding of students who had internship schools that were very far from the university or those whose schools overloaded them with work. The tasks and assignments given were practical and useful in the classroom setting. The only point of improvement that I can suggest is the fact that it's too fast paced and all subjects are just touching the tip of the ice berg rather than having a profound grasp on the subject matter.

The Teach & Learn in Spain program offers its participants the opportunity to gain hands on teaching experience while pursuing a Masters Degree at the University of Alcalá through Instituto Franklin. I attended the program from 2012-2013 and received a Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education. I was a Language Cultural Ambassador at a bilingual primary school in Madrid while I pursued my masters, and decided to stay an additional year teaching. My overall experience in the masters program was great. Iulia, my Program Coordinator, and all staff members at Instituto Franklin made me feel safe and supported while in the program. I was presented with plenty of opportunities to get involved at Instituto Franklin and UAH through cultural and academic events, which made my overall experience more meaningful. The courses I completed in the Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education were all applicable in my daily duties and responsibilities as a Language Cultural Ambassador. Having no prior teaching experience was a challenge at first, however, the courses and assignments prepared me to become an effective educator. I especially found the classroom management course to be helpful and relevant. In my opinion, all aspects of the program were manageable and essential. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in pursuing a Masters in the field of education, getting a hands on experience, and immersing themselves in another language and culture.

Teach and Learn is perfect for anyone who wants to get cutting edge experience and training in the field education/teaching in a global/international context. The knowledge and skills I received changed my perspective on the world and exposed me to new innovative ideas that could be applied to different areas upon returning to my home country. Apart from the academic program itself, living abroad challenged me in ways I never imagined before. Life in a foreign country honed my communication skills as well as developed my interpersonal relationship skills as well as mindfulness and awareness of other opinions and views. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is open-minded and looking for different spin on higher education.

Attending the Instituto Franklin during the 2015-2016 school year was the best educational decision I’ve made. To those students who are willing to embrace their studies, apply themselves, and work hard, you will be rewarded with incredible educational and life experience. After graduation, I returned to the United States and was immediately hired as a high school English teacher. (Full disclosure: my undergraduate degree is in teaching with an English emphasis, hence applying for a teaching position.) The administrators who interviewed me were incredibly impressed with my time spent abroad, particularly with obtaining a Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education. After being hired they told me that was the biggest reason I was chosen over the other interviewees. The school district did not require my degree to be accredited but I do plan on having it accredited soon. I plan to update this review with more details regarding that process. If you have an opportunity to apply to this program, I wholeheartedly encourage it. Not only do I have unbelievably fond memories of that school year, but I am now in a better career because of it. Shout out to Iulia, Carlos, and all the other professors who helped me achieve my dream.

The best part about the Masters programs is that the Universidad de Acalá - Instituto Franklin Teach and Learn program continues to evolve and change based on feedback from students. The most notable change since I was there in 2014-2015 is the option to pay tuition and work for the Spanish Ministry of Education, if you decide to not teach in the concertados (charter schools). If you're already in the teaching assistants program and you'd like to stay at your current school, you now have that option, which is a notable improvement. My teaching practicum school was a bit far from the city center and the school struggled at first to solve scheduling problems (i.e the Spanish education laws change every year), but the university student coordinator Iulia stepped in to help come up with solutions and the situation improved. At the university, you'll enjoy a small small classroom setting. In the Teaching and Learning Spanish Masters that I did, we were 18 students. In the other Masters, I believe that they had approximately 25 students. My fellow classmates and colleagues from the practicum school from the Masters are some of my best friends and you'll walk away with unforgettable memories. The classes were taught intensively with 5 hour classes on Fridays, which can be a bit hard after a long week of teaching, but I enjoyed all my classes and the professors were AMAZING and well qualified. The teachers want to learn your name and connect with you. They were really approachable and friendly yet professional. Almost all the teachers have PhDs and the ones that don't have an outstanding body of academic and professional work. Some might even still be working on their PhDs, but they may work full-time for the university and teach classes through Instituto Franklin or work with other institutions. For instance, a teacher may teach at La Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (Spain's longest standing, state-sponsored language school) or write language education books for the Universidad de Salamanca--one of Spain's most prestigious institutions in publishing academic workbooks. They keep in contact with alumni and they value our feedback. I met with Iulia and Carlos over the summer when I was thinking about transitioning careers, and they sat down with me to give me some ideas and feedback. I don't know that I would have confidently taken the steps to transition and to go from teaching to international education if it wasn't for their help. In terms of post-grad value, I've been able to negotiate pay increases in three separate job interviews in both teaching and international education. In those interviews, the Masters was a huge selling point and I can comfortably say that it legitimized my level of Spanish and my time abroad. I doubt that you'll find a more comprehensive Masters that allows you to work and study without going $20,000 dollars or more in debt.

Before my experience in Alcala I graduated with an undergraduate degree in education, so my experience was different than many of my peers. I knew I wanted to teach abroad and eventually earn my masters in education, so after a lot of research I chose this program and I have no regrets. It wasn't perfect, but for the cost (none!) and the experience of living in Spain while earning a masters degree, it was well worth it. Iulia and the other professors in the program are knowledgeable and easy to communicate with and I appreciate that all of our classes were small and that you get to know the people in your program easily. Moving abroad alone was intimating, but I met people in the program quickly. I did the Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education and taught at a private school in the suburbs of Madrid. I really wanted to live in Madrid center (which I don't regret at all!), but that meant a lot of commuting to work and school. It took me a solid hour to get to work and over an hour and a half to get to Alcala. Fortunately Madrid has great public transit! There were some classes that were better than others at Alcala, but overall we learned best practices in bilingual education. Some of my classes were very similar to courses I took in the US, since most of the students did not have a background in education (such as teaching methodology and classroom management). Since I had a degree in education, some of the courses felt redundant. I did learn a lot about bilingual education and linguistics, which has helped me when working with ELL students. Finding living accommodations (at least the year I did the program) was completely up to us. I stayed in an airbnb until I found my apartment, which I lived in with Spanish and German students in the center. I found out that so much of finding an apartment in Madrid is done in person and over the phone, so looking before I moved wasn't of much help. I ended up finding a place I loved and never felt unsafe in Madrid or Alcala. Teaching in the private school was at times challenging because so much of what we discussed in the masters courses was not happening in my school. Developing critical thinking skills, using technology, doing project-based learning, and differentiating instruction based on the individual needs of students was not a priority at the school I worked. Many of my peers' experiences were similar. The English teachers were treatly kindly, but treated as assistants, which meant not having as much control over what goes on the classroom as I would have liked. I made the best of it and now teach in the US where I can apply the things I learned in the actual masters courses. I am currently teaching 2nd grade in the US and only have two credits to complete to get my English Language Learners teaching certificate. Many of the credits from the Bilingual masters counted for US courses in ELL. For that alone Alcala was worth it! I am pursuing my US Masters now, which has been a complicated process. Since the Alcala courses were 1.5 hours each it has been difficult transferring them to a traditional Masters in Education in the states since the courses are usually 3.0 hours. I wish I had known this going in and had planned exactly what courses I would need to complete to get my masters once I got home. I left the program having gotten my masters accredited in the states, but did not realize that didn't mean a state's department of education would necessarily accept it as a masters. Overall, I would recommend this program to someone wanting to live in Spain and also wanting a future in education. Although getting a foreign masters has provided some headaches once I got back to the US, many of my fellow teaching friends are jealous I got an ELL certification and at least partial US masters paid for. The program was at times strenuous with teaching and being a student at the same time, but I still managed to travel around Europe, practice my Spanish, and explore beautiful Madrid.

Honestly, when I first decided to attend UAH through the Instituto Franklin Teach & Learn program, I wasn't sure what to expect. But since I knew I wanted to work in the field of International Education, I thought it would be a very valuable experience to complete my degree abroad. I'm so happy that I made this decision and really cannot say enough positive things about the Teach & Learn program. Instituto Franklin is constantly evaluating best practices and theories of bilingual education to make their curricula as relevant to today's modern teaching practices as possible. Furthermore, the investigations and assignments in the courses encourage cross-cultural perspectives and force students to explore how their own backgrounds inform their experiences as teachers and professionals. In addition to all of this, the Masters program is designed in a theory-to-practice model, so all of the exploration and learning that takes place inside the Teach & Learn classroom is then put into practice and developed on by each students' personal experience in their practicum, in the Spanish classroom, and in Madrid. Participating in this program was of great value to me both personally and professionally. As a graduate from the MA in International Education Teach & Learn program, I felt very equipped to enter the field and begin my career, given all of the practical experience that I gained as a part of this program. I highly recommend the Instituto Franklin Teach & Learn program!

I attended the Teach and Learn program through the Universidad de Alcala- Instituto Franklin from 2012-2013 and had a very positive experience! I had just graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX with a BA in International Studies and Political Science and knew that I wanted to live abroad and gain more insight into education systems around the world. The Teach and Learn program was perfect because I could earn money through my role as a language assistant while I pursued a Master's in International Education. The masters classes themselves aren't the most challenging, but the experience of moving to a new country, taking bilingual master's classes, learning to manage a classroom, and everything that comes with those experiences make the program incredibly valuable and formative. Students develop transferable skills related to independence, flexibility, creativity, adaptability, persistence, determination, and navigation that can be applied to a multitude of career paths. Students graduate with first-hand experience in global education systems, the Spanish language, classroom instruction, and curriculum design. I am now the Director of Education and a non-profit organization in Dallas, Texas and this degree prepared me to excel in my career today. I would highly recommend the Teach and Learn program to anyone who is seeking transferable skills, an opportunity to develop their Spanish, and pursue a career related to global education!

I studied abroad at Instituto Franklin for a semester, I did the MA in Bilingual and Multicultural Education last year and I'm doing a MA in International Education this year. I always felt safe in Alcalá and have always had a lot of support from the staff. While some classes are better than others and there can be some hiccups along the way with documents (welcome to Spain..) I still feel that I have learned a lot through my experience in the program and at the schools I have worked at. Option A (no tuition) can be a lot more work for less money in the concertado/private schools. Option A had private insurance and dental and it was very useful. I never had an issue with it. Option B is a good option if you can do it because you make more money during the months and have more free time. Option B gets public health insurance because they are paid through the Comunidad de Madrid. Option C is new for next year so I have no opinion on this yet and I'm not sure whether it would be private or public insurance. You are left to do a lot on your own because coming into this program you are an adult and not a study abroad student. You find your own housing and you make your own trips and experiences, although the university will help with people getting their foreign residency card for the first time (although this may take longer in the long run). Some schools can be hard to acclimate to and can take advantage while others are absolutely great to work at. No matter what, you will have to adapt and adjust. I think as long as you are flexible and willing to put in the work (it is a MA program) then you will enjoy this program. Any issues that I or other students may have had with the program I feel are completely outweighed by the fact that we are paying little to no tuition in comparison to the US and I feel like I can count on the staff in the office for anything, whether it be a question, a problem or for further opportunities after the program. I've talked to many alumni that have received recommendations from the staff and gotten amazing jobs after this program. I think going through this program is a lot about what you make of it. The program can be a lot of work at times with classes, work, possible private lessons and the thesis, but it is definitely doable (I'm doing it twice) and is a huge opportunity for growth. I feel that I've grown as a person, student and teacher and definitely have a completely different outlook on the world, personal relationships, work, culture and language since coming to this program.

I wasn't expecting this program to be amazing but I did learn a lot. Although I wish the school paid for private insurance because with the public it was inconvenience because yo couldn't choose your time well with classes but with private you can and it would really help if us students have it. It's quite affordable to purchase. Also some classes were really helpful and I enjoyed and have learned somethings but I felt like the staff had too much on their plate so therefor they really couldn't focus on us students, although they did well. They did make me mad a few time when I kept writing them a few times to correct things and they never did it. But overall it was ok.