Guatemala is one of the most fabulous places in the continent to study Spanish: excellent schools, one-on-one tuition, after-class activities (ranging from salsa, films, visits to volunteer work in social or environmental field…) and very affordable prices (from US$100 to 200 a week). Just be careful to choose a serious and reputed school.
Most language schools propose all-inclusive weekly packages with 4 or 5 hours of Spanish class and lodging and board with a local family.
The main language centres are Antigua (though very touristy, you may end up speaking more English than Spanish) and Quetzaltenango (nice provincial town set in the heart of Altiplano, with a stronger “Guatemalan” character).
Many of the schools below have academic accreditation agreements with North American and European universities; some also have US offices - consult the schools' websites for more information. The websites www.123teachme.com and www.guatemala365.com have reports and some good tips about the relative advantages of different study centers.
Antigua
APPE 6 C Poniente 40 Tel: 7832 0720, www.appeschool.com
Los Capitanes Generales 5 Av Sur 4 Tel: 7832 8769, www.loscapitanes.com
Centroamerica Spanish Academy inside La Fuente. 4 C Oriente 14 Tel: 7832 3297, www.quik.guate.com/spanishacademy
Centra Lingüistico Maya 5 C Poniente 20
Tel: 7832 0656, www.travellog.com/guatemala/antigua/clmaya/school.html
Christian Spanish Academy 6 Av Norte 15 Tel: 7832 3922. www.learncsa.com
Projecto Lingüistico Francisco Marroquin 7 C Poniente 31 Tel: 7832 2886, www.plfm-antigua.org The school also olders classes in Maya languages.
San José El Viejo 5 Av Sur 34 Tel: 7832 3028, www.sanjoseelviejo.com
Sevilla 1 Av Sur 8 Tel: 7832 5101. www.sevillantigua.com
Tecûn Umân 6 C Poniente 34A Tel:7831 2792, www.escuelatecun.com
Quetzaltenango
Casa de Español Xelajú Callejón 15, Diagonal 13-02. Zona 1 Tel: 7761 5954. www.casaxelaju.com
Celas Maya 6 C 14-55. Zona 1 Tel:7761 4342, www.celasmaya.com
Centra Bilingüe Amerindia (CBA) 12 Av 8-21 , Zona 1 Tel: 7761 5260, www.xelapages.com/cba
Centra Maya de Idiomas 21 Av 5-69, Zona 3 Tel: 77670352, www.centromaya.org Alsooffers classes in Maya languages
Educacion para Todos 12 Av 1-78, Zona 3 Tel: 7765 0715, www.spanishschools.biz
English Club International Language School Diagonal 4 9-71, Zona 9 Tel: 77632198.Also offers classes in K'iche' and Mam.
Escuela Juan Sisay 15 Av 8-38, Zona 1 Tel:7763 1318, www.juansisay.com
Inepas 15A Av 4-59 Tel: 77651308, www.inepas.org
Kie-Balam DaQ(mi12 4-46,Zona 1 Tel:77611636, www.kiebalam.co
Pop Wuj 1 C 17-72, Zona 1 Tel: 7761 8286, www.pop-wuj.org
Proyecto Lingùistico Quelzalteco de Espaiiol 5 C 2-40, Zona 1 Tel: 77631061, www.hermandad.com Also has sister schools on the Pacific slope and in Todos Santos Cuchumatán.
Sakribal 6 C 7-42. Zona 1 Tel: 7763 0717, www.sakribal.com
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Many organizations offer voluntary work placements in Guatemala.
Project Mosaic Guatemala,
3 Av Norte, Antigua (Tel:7832 0955, www.promosaico.org ), has links to over fifty groups, Entremundos at 6 C 7-31, Zona 1, Quetzaltenango Tel: 7761 2179, www.entremundos.org has excellent contacts with dozens of local development projects.
Medical and health specialists are always desperately needed, though there are always openings in other areas: social and humanitarian NGO, environmental projects for wildlife conservation…
Ak'Tenamit www.aktenamit.org Health, education and agriculture volunteer positions in a large, established project, working with Q'eqchi' Maya in the Rio Dulce region.
Alternatives www.alternatives.ca Canadian organization with numerous development projects in Central America
Animai Aware www.animalaware.org Help out in an animal welfare centre near Sumpango.
Arcas www.arcasguatemala.com Volunteers needed in Petén to help rehabilitate animals kept illegally as pets for release back into the wild, and opportunities to help out in a sea-turtle reserve at Hawaii on the Pacific coast.
Casa Alianza www.casa-alianza.org Charity helping street children in Guatemala and throughout Central America. The work is extremely demanding and volunteers need to give several months' commitment.
Casa Guatemala www.casa-guatemala.org Teachers, doctors, nurses and helpers needed to work with street children and orphans in the Rio Dulce region.
Council on International Educational Exchange www.ciee.org Large US-based organization with many voluntary programmes.
Fundacion Solar,www.funsolar@guate.net, works on environmental and social comunity projects. It needs environmental specialists, biologists, engineers and social workers/anthropologists specializing in developing countries.
Escuela de la Calle www.escueladelacalle.org Help educate and empower street kids in Quetzaltenango.
Gap Year www.gap-year.com UK-based organization with links to lots of volunteer and work placements Also publishes the Gap- Yea, Guidebook.
Habitat for Humanlty www.habitat.org/in House-building projects in Guatemala and elsewhere in Central America
Idealist www.idealist.org A massive database of links to a wide range of projects in the region - from ecotourism to human-rights work, with bath voluntary and paid work opportunities
Inepas www.inepas.org A very serious Spanish school and social aid institution
International Voluntary programs Association www.volunteerinternational.org Dozens of Voluntary opportunities throughout Central America in all fields
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