This was the worst program I unfortunately was recommended so I could move to Spain…read more Do not get me wrong, I loved my time there in Spain and I'd move back in a heart beat. This program, however, is a complete scam and I don't understand how Richard keeps tricking people into giving rave reviews. And no, he's NOT asking for genuine feedback. He literally sent out an email BEGGING people to post positive reviews. He wants fake positivity to drown out people with very legitimate concerns and issues. I decided to join Canterbury English many years ago, because the website advertised guaranteed school placements and a student visa so I could both live and work in Spain. I got my visa will few issues, but the website completely lies about the school and class placements. CE would send out emails every morning offering classes, and it's on a first come first serve basis. I responded to just about EVERY single end for the first several weeks, and I was only given ONE class, of which the clients never responded to me. The only way I was able to survive was by getting placed at legit schools through my OWN effort. I essentially paid well over €2000 for the student visa, Richard didn't do anything but offer a marketing class telling us all to find jobs ourselves, essentially. And don't even get me started on the Spanish classes. The teachers changed constantly, Richard fired the only GOOD Spanish teacher we ever had, the link only worked sometimes, and the classes were scheduled during times when most of us were working. I wrote my experiences in another review a few years ago, and Richard responded by sending out a mass email implying I was a Nazi and blaming my poor experiences on me not trying hard enough. I still have the email. And two years later he even tried to offer me a refund if I took the review down because he said it was hurting his business. You know, if you want to encourage people to use your company to get a student visa and study Spanish but make it clear you don't have guaranteed classes or school placement, I wouldn't be writing this review. But to this day Richard still lies on his website to con people into funding his life. He's a liar, a gaslighter, and a manipulator. If you still want to use CE just go into it eyes wide open, though I'd recommend legit programs like BEDA. STAY AWAY, DONT GET SCAMMED

Canterbury provides a great program to work and live in Spain as an English teacher. Due to…read morebureaucracy and challenging visa process, it is nearly impossible to work in EU unless you're from one of the EEA countries. But thanks to CE, I decided to quit the career I had back home which wasn't satisfying me anymore and moved towards a completely new direction in a beautiful country. Taking the TEFL Certificate with the program fee and the moving expenses are not cheap, but I believe it's worth it. Since I moved here I work part time, I go to the Spanish classes of CE and then work in the afternoons. At this point it's up to me to decide if I want to have more classes and make some extra income or enjoy my 3 days off per week and explore Spain. Madrid is a beautiful city to live in, it has developed public transport system. Housing is not the best as it's the capital and a popular tourism destination, the rents are high, but in return you find yourself in a city where it has all the social life, culture, art, history. I didn't have many language issues like I had in my previous travel to Spain 16 years ago. Overall I am happy to be here and recommend it to everyone who is considering!

Such a great way to learn Spanish! The teachers are very friendly and welcoming. They are well…read moretrained in how to teach a language to a foreigner, and have numerous ways to explain different concepts, which helped me better understand the material. The teaching style involves a lot of talking out loud and there isn't any busy work; they really just want to help you improve and know the language, not just memorize phrases. They move quickly through the material and my speaking abilities advanced greatly since I first started just a few months ago. The environment with other students is very comfortable and it's located centrally and easy to get to. So sad to be leaving soon! Thank you Cronopios for making every day fun!

I learned a lot, in a professional environment with a human face: I appreciated very much the…read morecompetence and friendliness of the people who work there,thank you again!!!

My 2 children had a memorable and amazing time at this summer camp. They attended for 3 weeks this…read morepast July and want to go back. The staff is fun, friendly and I can't say enough good things about this place. My children did arts and crafts, ate lunch at the park, played games, etc all while being exposed to Spanish. I highly recommend it!

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend: La Aventura Española because they are an extremely professional…read moreand well organised operation and the quality and clarity of the teaching is superb. I learnt more in two weeks with LAE than I have in 6 months going to weekly classes in London! The group activities are also a lot of fun and a great way to learn more about the culture. I found Karmen and the team to be extremely helpful in so many ways. They were great with regards to making sure I had all the necessary information about prices, group sizes, class times and which level of Spanish I was at. Some people in my group had to cancel at the last minute and I was immediately offered one to one lessons at no extra charge. This kind of service is difficult to find in my experience. I'll definitely be going back for more lessons when I'm next in Madrid. Great job guys!!

I volunteered for two weeks in 2 locations of Fundacion Tomillo ( one is in Calle Albunuelas and…read moresecond location in their after school program in Colegio Carmen Cabezuelo) "Great" Features 1. Staff (Ana, Coral, Margarita, Javi and many more) are very friendly and nice. 2. The organization was willing to have me volunteer with them for 2 weeks and I first contacted them by email 3. The students ages between 10 - 27 years old are motivated to learn English 4. The mission of the organization to help low income , high risk youth is very inspiring 5. I enjoyed my time especially with the 10-14 y/o group - they are fun, happy, playful and willing to learn 6. Great place to volunteer even for travelers like myself that stayed in Madrid only for over 2 weeks. "Not So Great" Features 1. Long distance between the 2 locations I volunteer to, kinda far from each other so long commute between Metro stops and just a short time in between classes in different locations

My husband and I have taken classes at Academy don Quijote on 4 separate occasions, 4 weeks at a…read moretime. I cannot express to you how amazing the people and process are at this school. I want to describe a wee bit about their process. So, each week is sequenced and when start, they get you in a class as close to your level as possible, so it could be a High A2 or a low b1, or a middle A1. The professors have set goals through the weeks, although I have noticed that if no one is leaving in a particular week, they may go faster or slower to accommodate the class. The professors also allow for the class to veer off topic. You have to remember, if you are speaking Spanish, you are learning Spanish. For me, I have taken details notes in every class and in the corner of each page of notes is a list of vocabulary words that I learned that day. VERY helpful. Their grammar lessons are excellent as well. I just finished a 4-week stint with them, and we focused on the Subjunctive. it's hard, but we learned about the subjunctive while discussing lots of different topics, in addition to reviewing grammar rules. I want to highlight some of the professors for you too-- Virginia- she is wonderful, she is intense; keeps the class moving quickly forward while ensuring no one is left behind. Alberto, I was lucky enough to have him for two different classes, A2 and B1, he is an avid reader and has so much additional knowledge that he brings to the table. He is a natural born teacher and can break things down into bite size pieces for you. Sergio- he adds a competitive piece to the learning. He had us conjugating verbs on the white board in a race. VERY fun. he also challenges you to question yourself, rather than just correcting you. Alesandra- she is Peruvian and brings an elegance to the classroom, she teaches Castillano but gives you the color of another country's dialect of Spanish. We had a long talk about what it means to be polite in Spanish. VERY helpful. Elisa, so much fun, she brings her whole self to the classroom, and I live for it. She can also break down the grammar rules in a way to assist in learning, comprehension and application. Ask her how many languages she speaks. Eva- i was lucky enough to have Eva for the past two weeks. She has a warm and caring passion for teaching. I feel like she truly enjoys teaching, more subjunctive work, which is highly confusing, but we worked so much on trigger words for desires, hypothesizes and subject changes that it clicks on when to use the subjunctive. If you are looking for a school to take lessons at. this is the one. Trust their process. it works.

The worst place and experience ever! The staff were the worst. They promised field trips, they had…read morenone. The accommodations were not acceptable! No air conditioning! Madrid in the summer is 100 degrees! The staff refuses to refund for anything! I payed for flamenco classes but it's not at the school. So they expected my child to take a train at night!! It has been an awful experience! Worst of all, is the the staff. They are not allowed to call you. They can only email you. It is the most screwed up administration I have experienced. I would never recommend this school to anyone from the States! They refuse to refund me. Never again!

Like anything, Paraninfo has its pros and cons. Be aware that if you are an English speaker…read morelearning your second language, you will likely be in a classroom with individuals learning their third or fourth language. There are very few people who have not already mastered the art of learning a language. Pros: Neomi in the office is an excellent communicator and makes it easy to figure out what will work best for you. If you have any questions, just ask her. The teachers are very well prepared and understand the curriculum well. There is a great opportunity to make friends in class. Cons: They don't do a great job of placing students at the right level. Highly capable Spanish speakers are mixed with lower level Spanish speakers creating frustration on both sides. The teachers aren't great at managing the class. A spirited student can dominate the class and take away from the learning experience. They cater to priests and nuns, this can be frustrating to a more liberal person who believes in human rights - the religious classmates tend to be very conservative. Language classes are expensive, one suggestion is to audit a class before signing up.

So happy to have come upon Elena Agata Ceramics…read more My daughter really wanted to do pottery after visiting the Sargadelos factory in Galicia this summer. We researched different locations around Madrid for children's pottery workshops, taking into account the setup/environment and the style of the teachers. I felt most confident about the workshop at Elena Agata's. For us, it was a super positive experience. The space itself is intimate and personable, a reflection of how they run the workshops. We arranged a two-hour workshop for five 8-year olds to mold and decorate a bowl. While too young to use the pottery wheel, this activity was great at getting the children engaged in something creative. The duration was perfect for younger attention spans and the children really enjoyed it. Ben and Elena are relaxed and very good at handling children. After the class is over, it takes a few weeks (and two firings of the ceramics the children make) to get the final product. More notes to mention: They can offer classes in English as well as Spanish, as they're pretty much bilingual. They do adult classes as well. They had a HEPA filter running during the class and the door open for great ventilation (we have a family member undergoing treatment so appreciated this accommodation). They have a site online where you can purchase their ceramics. Highly recommended. We will be back.

Hey, I went to MTHI while on vacation and had two different Thai massages with two different…read morepractitioners. Pros: * The space is really nice and very clean and professional. * Each client has their own private room, which makes it feel more comfortable and private. * One hour is more than enough for a full treatment. Cons / Notes: * The massage style is NOT traditional Thai. Both times it felt much closer to deep tissue or even rolfing, not the stretching and rhythmic pressure you'd expect from Thai. * When I asked, the therapist explained they "have to do half-half," meaning they mix Thai with European deep tissue techniques. * If you want authentic Thai massage like in Thailand, you need to specifically ASK for a Thai therapist from Thailand and state clearly that you want traditional Thai. Overall: I'd give this place four stars as great environment and professional service, but important for customers to know the style is hybrid unless you request otherwise.

After 2 weeks of traveling around Spain, sleeping in bad postures on cheap hostel beds, sleeping…read morewhile sitting in trains, carrying luggage through cobblestone, squeezing my traps while stressed driving in unfamiliar narrow city streets, I was in need of a massage. I first went to Hammam Al Andalus, but the massage was not deep/firm at all and I had difficulty communicating with the masseuse. At Mthai, the receptionist spoke English, and even accommodated my last minute request to switch to Thai style full body (from head neck shoulders) with the same gender. Lucy did a fantastic massage and I was healed from all the damage of the trip. Thanks so much!!