20 Hour Intensive Spanish Course

Nosara Spanish Institute

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Course description

Our intensive programs are structured weekly in 1:40 minute sessions, with classes every day Monday to Friday. In average, our students study with us for 3 weeks, equivalent to a total of 60 hours of instruction. The minimum study is one week, equivalent to 20 hours.

The programs are highly effective, full immersion in the Spanish language, provided by qualified instructors who are native speakers and are designed to achieve great improvements in a very short period of time.

The 20 Hour Intensive Spanish Course requires two 1:40 minute sessions per day which are either programmed both session in the morning or both sessions in the afternoon.

All students are scheduled according to their Spanish level among other criteria. The classes are super small, averaging 3-4 students, with a set maximum of 6 students.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities

Class schedule

Course duration
1-52 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 50 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday

Class times

Morning session
08:00 AM - 09:40 AM
Morning session
10:00 AM - 11:40 AM
Afternoon session
01:00 PM - 02:40 PM
Afternoon session
03:00 PM - 04:40 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

All levels, beginner to advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level. You may also take this test before your arrival in Nosara.

Class size

Average 3 students
Maximum 6 students

Student age

Age range 17 years old and older
Average 30 years old

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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Photos

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  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 20/37
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  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 22/37
  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 23/37
  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 24/37
  • Student residence offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 25/37
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  • Student residence offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 33/37
  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 34/37
  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 35/37
  • Homestay housing offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 36/37
  • Apartments offered by Nosara Spanish Institute 37/37
reviews

Reviews

100% recommend

based on 8 reviews
5 stars
7
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Great school, great teachers, great homestay and an amazing beach to learn surfing."

Sophie Pfob, student from Canada

I really enjoyed the small classes, the different teachers I was able to experience during my stay in Nosara. The school organized different activities every week where I was able to speak more Spanish, get to know more about the culture and connected with some of the locals. My homestay was great too even if it was a little bit far away from the school. From the school it is a 10min walk to the beach which is great to go swimming or watch the sunset every day no matter if you have morning or afternoon classes.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
16 Jan 2023 - 3 Feb 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Well taught and filled with love!"

Zander Pernell, student from USA

My time at Nosara Spanish Institute was very pleasant. I learned lots in just 2 weeks and would recommend anyone wanting to learn Spanish to do it here! The teachers are kind and incredibly helpful and intuitive. Plus the extra activities they host are very fun. The school is walking distance to the beach, which was a great place to go and study with newly made friends! Gracias Nosara!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
16 Jan 2023 - 27 Jan 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"An unforgettable experience"

Richard Prem Penaranda, student from Austria

The classes were great because the teachers took their time to explain everything in detail and they were amicable too. We were not only provided with excellent classes but with great trips too! The location was good too and you can not complain about the facilities. I, for one, believe that the activities by the school are what made it stand out to others. Furthermore, the housing was a completely new and unforgettable experience too and I met a lot of amazing people.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
5 Aug 2019 - 23 Aug 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Muy bien, rico asi!"

Beach or Playa

The teachers are consistently on time and patient. They are willing to go the extra mile to help students learn.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
9 Feb 2015 - 9 Mar 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"I want to go back again."

Kathy Rosebrugh

Classes were great. It took a while to settle in, so next time, I would want to stay for more than two weeks. Marilyn was excellent. She knew exactly when to push and when not. She is also very nice and fun. We had a lot of laughs in class. Stayed in Esperanza with a phenomenal home-stay family. Our home-stay hostess is a fantastic cook and her family is very happy and welcoming!

As the school is about half-way between our home-stay and the beach, I did a lot of walking. This suited me perfectly. The walk to school was mostly gorgeous, but with one terrible dusty patch of road in the dry season a couple hundred feet long. I am not a surfer, but I wish I was! The other activities were pretty low-key, but I am sure that if I had wanted a night life I could easily have found it on my own. Brock organized a couple of cool things and got us pointed in the right direction to hire taxis to go to Lagarta Lodge and took us to learn to play the Marimba.

Was really happy I did not need to buy a lot of food as breakfast and dinner was included with my home-stay. Otherwise I think food prices would be very expensive. Nosara was much more tourist-oriented than I anticipated, which has upsides and downsides.

My Spanish improved tremendously! Thank you!

Kath

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
16 Mar 2015 - 23 Mar 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"The school has excellent teachers, along with a warm and friendly atmosphere."

Jennifer Michelson

The classes were great. The location was excellent. Marcus and Jeraldo were wonderful, thorough and committed. I would love to return.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
19 Jan 2015 - 30 Jan 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"The perfect combination of theory, activity, and engaging language based discussion that makes you forget you're actually in class."

Devin Byrne

During my 3 months at NSI, I had the pleasure of learning from all 3 of the Spanish teachers at the school. Each had their own unique styles, and classes always felt small and personal, having between 1-5 people. I went from understanding random Spanish words to understanding the majority of conversations among the Spanish people in my household. The administration of the school works extremely hard to ensure that all students are matched to the appropriate class/level. In my opinion, the school offers nearly as much return as a trip/activity organizer as it does as a language school. Much of the incredible things I got to see and people I got to meet were due to activities or arrangements made through the school...

I'm incredibly grateful for the time I got to spend learning from such wonderful people.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
11 weeks
Date of study
1 Feb 2015 - 24 Apr 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"The teachers and staff are always supportive and positive, and they NEVER chuckle at your butchering of the Spanish language!"

Jaimy Honig

I have taken weekly group sessions on 3 separate occasions, each for 2 to 3 weeks, about 6 months apart. When I returned, the staff had gone out of its way to accommodate my level of "expertise" (LOL) and time-of-day preference. They really cared about the students' particular goals. Even if the sessions required review of things, I had a good hold on the teacher as she customized individual ability when addressing each student. When the other students were more advanced, the teacher brought me into a conversation that was at my level.

The location was central in the little barrio of Guiones. The facilities were comfortable. I did not go to a home stay as I own a home, so I did not need any of the numerous nearby rentals.

Marco was my teacher on all 3 occasions. He loves language and teaching. He is so smart! He also he reminds me of my son. I would be honored to have him as a teacher again.

I love that the staff tried to provide the time slot I asked for; Since I surf in the morning and at sunset, I prefer a late morning or early afternoon session for classes, and each time I lucked out.

The only criticism I have, which is actually a GOOD thing, is that weeks are very packed with new information and it is really impossible to internalize all that information during the sessions. It really takes me the full 6 months between visits to get a handle on all the vocabulary and grammar but that is because I do not speak Spanish at home... yet.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
67 weeks
Date of study
20 Jan 2014 - 8 May 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
housing

Housing

NSI offers the following housing types:
apartment

Private apartment - Single-person room - No meals

£ 496
weekly
Age range: 17 years old and older
Address: 50 meters west of Cafe Paris, Playa Guiones, Guanacaste 50206, Costa Rica
Location: In the city center of Nosara
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, air conditioning, 24/7 supervision, and garden
Distance to school: 1 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, after 02:00 PM
Check-out: Sunday, before 10:00 AM
£ 496
Just steps away from the institute and Playa Guiones, our students have access to clean rooms with A/C and bathroom. Hot water, mini-fridge, coffee maker, pool access offered plus a free bicycle rental with each rental unit. Larger studios and houses available as well, from $600.00 per week.
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. The school is also not authorized to issue documents to support your visa application. If you need a visa, you have to apply for a visitor or tourist visa on your own.

Flights and airport transfer

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 Nosara based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

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.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Nosara Spanish Institute staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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