Instituto Superior de Español
Guayaquil N9-77, Quito, Pichincha 170130, Ecuador
Instituto Superior de Español
Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is located at 2800masl in the Andes mountain chain, which stretches the length of South America, from Colombia to Patagonia. To the West of Quito towers the majestic Pichincha Volcano, a sleeping giant that humbles and inspires on a daily basis.
Our neighborhood is home to a vibrant food and crafts market and is filled with a variety of small restaurants and stores serving local delicacies and selling a random collection of merchandise. Conveniently located in Quito, students can access the north (airport, 10 minutes) or the south (Historic Quito, 15 minutes), with ease from the 10 de Agosto trolley bus stop, located just a 1 minute walk from our front door.
A 10 minute walk east of the Instituto Superior de Español is the famed Mariscal, a lively center for tourists with bars, restaurants, shops, and clubs to rival any capital. There is something for everyone in the Mariscal, from Salsa clubs to homely English pubs, and often live local music at weekends.
Spanish Classes:
Study Spanish for 4 hours a day or more in morning and afternoon sessions. We offer group and individual lessons, with weekly monitoring.
Host Families:
Many students choose to live with local families. This is the best way to immerse yourself in Ecuadorian culture, and a great way to practice Spanish in a friendly environment. All of our host families are located in safe and quiet neighborhoods in close proximity to our school (within 15-25 minutes walking distance).
Each student has a private bedroom and receives three high quality Ecuadorian meals per day (all food and drinks are prepared to the highest standard and water is boiled or bought). You will be provided with keys to come and go from the house as you please.
Many of the families have been working with the Instituto Superior de Español for many years. Some families host more than one student at a time.
Weekly Excursions:
Historic Quito prides itself on its churches, museums, and art galleries, from Pre-Incan gold collections to Oswaldo Guayasamìn's world-renowned artwork. In addition, Quito hosts many cultural activities with traditional music and dancing. You can spend the afternoon strolling through the Parque La Carolina - the perfect place to people watch, enjoy a book, join in a soccer match, or visit the Botanical Garden.
Explore Quito and its surrounding points of interest with weekly excursions organized by the Instituto Superior de Español. Take a guided tour through Quito's historic old town and marvel at the colonial architecture and countless churches. Ride the Teleférico up Volcan Pichincha, and experience a breathtaking view from 4,050 meters. Visit the Mitad del Mundo, located 23 km North of Quito, where you can bounce between the hemispheres whilst performing scientific experiments.
Weekend School Excursions:
The following are some weekend excursions offered by the Instituto Superior de Español:
Cotopaxi National Park and Volcano
Less than two hours' drive from Quito stands the impressive Cotopaxi Volcano at 5897 meters above sea level. Cotopaxi is the highest snow-capped volcano on earth and attracts hundreds of visitors each year.
It is a playground for lovers of the outdoors and of adventure, with limitless opportunities for climbing, trekking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Explore Cotopaxi by bike. Bike on dirt roads through a variety of landscapes and enjoy the incredible view of 8 different volcanoes.
In addition, the Instituto Superior de Español can help you arrange your excursion to summit Cotopaxi, which requires specific climbing gear and acclimatization to the elevation.
Mindo Cloud Forest
The area known as Mindo, which encompasses the watersheds of the rivers Tandayapa, Nambillo and Mindo, is located approximately two hours from Quito and is world-renowned as one of the most bird diverse areas of the planet.
Its cloud forest environment is truly diverse, tumbling down from the icy peaks of Volcan Pichincha, at nearly 4,800 meters, to the steamy tropical rainforest around 1,000 meters. This difference in elevation explains the incredible biological diversity of Mindo. The varying range of elevations provides a variety of niches for different flora and, fauna to exploit. Explore this fantastical region of tranquility, beauty, and fun, where vegetation drips off vegetation and where adventure follows you everywhere.
With the Instituto Superior de Español you can take a guided tour through the forest and learn about the unique diversity of flora and fauna. Swim in a waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation. Glide above the forest canopy on zip lines and get the adrenaline rush of a lifetime. Visit a butterfly farm and then tube down a river.
For early risers and bird lovers, there is also the opportunity to take a guided tour... you may even spot the famous Quetzal.
Otavalo
Otavalo, a small indigenous town of the northern Andean countryside, is located just two hours north of Quito. It has been made famous by the incredible success of its indigenous population, who sell handicrafts and quality textiles in the international arena. Lose yourself in the tapestry of rich-colored textiles and deep rural traditions, whilst looking for the perfect gifts to bring home.
In addition to visiting the vibrant market, you can hike to the Peguche Waterfall and the small village of San Pablo. Explore and learn about Cuicocha Lake and then visit Cotacachi, which is famous for its leatherwork; a weekend rich in culture, and the perfect opportunity to practice your Spanish.
Papallacta Natural Hot Springs
The perfect escape from Quito lies just 67 kilometers from the city. Here you will encounter wild, high-altitude terrain, great for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, as well as a first-class spa and hot springs resort. Relax in the hot springs of Papallacta, with pools varying in temperature. After soaking in the pools, enjoy fresh local trout. Return to Quito refreshed and ready to study Spanish.
Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
Average | 4 students |
Maximum | 6 students |
Age range | 12 - 90 years old |
Average | 23 years old |
The Instituto Superior de Español (ISE) is recognized by former students and competitors as a leading Spanish school in Ecuador, with a long and sustained history of excellence. With our flexible programs, you can combine any of our locations, giving you the opportunity to experience Ecuador to the fullest!
Our flexible programs offer you the chance to study a minimum of 4 hours per day, in the morning or in the afternoon.
With the exception of our Traveling Classroom Programs, the Instituto Superior de Español offers five different types of classes, Individual, SemiPrivate, Group, Combined, and Specialized. We arrange classes to fit the needs of our students.
Individual Lessons - One to One Spanish Programs:
These Private Spanish Lessons are a great way to make real progress in a short amount of time! This style of learning allows the student to benefit from 100% teacher focus and enables the teacher to develop a course of study that is perfectly tailored to the student 's individual needs. The Instituto Superior de Español (ISE) recommends individual lessons for beginners in order to facilitate the learning process and speed for the student. Our teachers are committed to the students; therefore, if a student needs more time in one area, more time will be spent before moving on.
Group Spanish Lessons:
Group lessons are a fun way for students to learn from the teacher and the other students. Groups consist of two to six students, who are at similar levels of Spanish. This gives the students of the group the opportunity to support each other in class and outside of class. Studying in a group is a great way to get to know other students and a wonderful way to learn Spanish!
Combined Spanish Lessons:
A perfect combination program with 4 hours of Group Classes and 2 hours of Individual teaching.
While group classes will concentrate on vocabulary, grammar exercises, conversations, reading, etc. Students will develop their level of Spanish, with grammar being one of the most important elements of their program.
Individual teaching will focus on the weaknesses of each student, concentrating on the conversation, grammar exercises, or reinforcing grammar or vocabulary skills for students who require more support in these areas.
Full-time lessons:
This is also a combination Spanish course for those who decide to embark on an intensive Spanish program. When students think about full-time or intensive Spanish courses, most of our students decide on having 6 or 7 hours of individual teaching because this allows them to speak Spanish all the time, but when students wish to participate in group classes and also have their private lessons to develop everything they learn in the morning, they decide on a full-time Spanish course with 4 hours of group classes in the morning and 3 hours of individual teaching in the afternoon.
Specialized Spanish Programs:
Because of the professional high quality of our teachers, we have developed some specialized Spanish courses according to the Student's needs, interests and career. You can study Medical Spanish, Business Spanish, Legal Spanish or DELE Exam preparation. We also offer programs for University Groups.
Instituto Superior de Español Teachers:
Because of our very well 30 years of experience teaching the Spanish language to foreigners, the Instituto Superior de Español knows that only professional teachers with university degrees are able to teach qualified Spanish classes. Only a university degree guarantees that someone may be a good teacher to teach Spanish to foreigners.
We are the only school in which every teacher owns University degrees of Latin American Literature and Linguistics. All of them are well experienced and most already give lessons for years.
Contract young people without a university degree to teach Spanish and pay them for each hour of instruction is cheap but in the law of Ecuador is illegal. In the law of Ecuador, teachers have to receive 15 full salaries per year, social security paid for each month and paid vacations. The Instituto Superior de Español is the only Spanish school in Ecuador which has 100% of teachers with a university degree (all of them have studied to be teachers) and the only Spanish school in Ecuador which pays professional and complete salaries to all of our appointees.
Moreover, our teachers are all native Ecuadorians, which enables students to have a deeper contact with the Ecuadorian culture, history, and lifestyle. The teachers may help better with solving problems if a student has got problems with his/her host family because of cultural differences.
The nationality and age mix at Instituto Superior de Español varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 23. In the summer, the average age is 23.
ISE - Quito teaches students from all over the world, including:
ISE - Quito does not hold classes on the holiday dates below. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
The Instituto Superior de Español in Quito is located just in the center of the city which is also the historical area. Our privileged location allows our students to see the colonial beauty of Quito every day of their stay in the city. The school is surrounded by churches, museums, art galleries, restaurants with many options, a variety of accommodations including our selection of local families.
We are also happy to organize activities for you to get to know more about the city while practicing Spanish, like going to the famous Middle of the World or getting to know about the culinary traditions of Ecuador and South America.
With the Instituto Superior De Español, students have the opportunity to learn Spanish and travel through beautiful Ecuador. Our mission is to fulfill all your language dreams and make your stay the best learning and exploring experience available in Ecuador.
I felt my Spanish got so much better even with only a week. Janeth was a great teacher and I enjoyed how she took the time to help me practice conversations asides from the content in the work book. the location was really convenient in Quito and people were always happy to give recommendations on how I should spend my afternoons. My only regret is that I didn't have longer to carry on learning.
Show details » Read more...Homestays are carefully selected and offer students the opportunity to learn more about the local culture in a comfortable setting while studying Spanish in Quito. These homes are often between 20 - 25 minutes away from the school by public transport. Families usually offer affordable meal plans that allow you to sample the local cuisine. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Learn more about homestay housing
Student residences are more suitable for an independent student, who is looking for clean, basic accommodation at an economic price. All students must be 18 - 85. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Learn more about student residence accommodation
We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.
Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged $100 when you register.
Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Quito based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.
Have questions? Get answers from Instituto Superior de Español staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.
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