Language School Programs – Ages 14+

Study Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese or French in countries around the world!

Greenheart Travel offers language school programs for adults and teens in cooperation with language schools in Argentina, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and Spain.

These programs are ideal for students, teachers, retirees, and anyone who wants to learn a new language or improve existing foreign language skills. Join participants from around the world in experiencing the in-depth language acquisition that occurs while studying a language in the country where it is spoken.

My host family is fantastic. I have learned as much German with them as I have at school. Actually, I can't believe how much I have learned in just a few days, both at the house and in school. -Javier Marquez, Greenheart Language School participant in Munich

Host Family Accommodations
Greenheart Travel programs focus on the homestay experience, as it is by far the best way to improve your language skills and gain a firsthand understanding of another culture. By living with a family, you are given the opportunity to share in meals, conversation, and the daily life of the country visited.

Host families are carefully selected and screened. Most families have worked with the schools for years and because the families have been excellent, the schools use them on an on-going basis. Language School host families are paid a small fee for hosting. Your family may be a couple with or without children, a single parent, or a single person interested in other cultures. During the summer months, other Language School participants may be sharing your homestay with you.

The families know from experience what hosting is like and will make you feel welcome. You will be able to come and go as in your own home, but you should expect to follow a few host family rules such as mealtime arrangements. You are expected to keep your room neat and required to notify the host family, as well as the school, of any weekend excursions you are joining or other program changes.

You will be sent your host family details, including name, address, and telephone number about a week prior to your departure. Often you will have placement information earlier than that. You are encouraged to write or call your family before arrival in order to introduce yourself. For all schools except Cuernavaca, you need to arrive at your host family’s home the Sunday before your classes begin and depart the Saturday after your classes finish. In Cuernavaca, you will arrive the Friday before your classes start, and depart the Saturday after classes end.

Host families are located near the schools and most families are within 10–25 minutes walking distance. Occasionally, participants will need to take public transportation (subway or bus), which is very inexpensive. Travel time is about 10–15 minutes, occasionally 30 minutes or more.

Teaching Methods: The Focus is on You
Our partner schools use the communicative teaching method. This means the schools are conversational and student focused. The emphasis of the standard course is on conversational practice in practical situations. Grammar, reading, writing, and listening are covered, but developing communicative skills is emphasized. Cultural elements such as regional ways of thinking, varying contexts, and current expressions will also be covered.

All the teachers are native speakers who are qualified for language teaching. Many of the teachers have been with the respective school for many years. The director of each school plans the group activities and supervises classroom progress. The teachers continually work to keep the classes enjoyable and student centered. The teachers often join participants on activities and excursions, so a strong rapport develops between participants and teachers.

Because you will begin speaking the language of the country from the very first day and will be continually practicing your language skills, you probably will be surprised and pleased with how quickly your language ability improves. Typically, a four week language school program is equal to a year of college language instruction.

We recommend about fifteen minutes to an hour of daily self-study outside the classroom. Additional time will only improve your skills! You will also be continually practicing your language skills in every day activities. The wonderful aspect of language immersion is learning automatically, whether you are conversing with your host family, strolling down a Parisian side street listening to the vendors, or discussing world events at cafes in Madrid.

Classes/Course Work
On the first day of class, you will take a language placement test in order to determine your language proficiency. You will be placed in a Standard Course class that is appropriate to your ability level. The Standard Course includes 20 lessons per week. Lessons are generally 45-55 minutes long with breaks in between classes. Typically, 20 lessons per week equal about 15 total hours per week of classroom instruction.

Lessons are lively and varied. On some days overhead projectors, video and audio-visual materials will be used. Role playing, debates, reading menus, working with newspaper articles, and listening to songs will occupy other lessons. Subjects will take into account everyday situations you will encounter, vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, body language, and intonation. Often, a variety of teachers will work with your class so that you experience pronunciation and intonation differences between native speakers.

Materials and Certificates
All study materials are included in the cost of the program*. At the end of the program, all study materials will belong to you. When you have completed the course, you will receive a Certificate of Participation indicating the course you have attended and the level of language attained.
*Excluding Florence

Activities and Excursions
Total immersion in a country requires an understanding and appreciation of the culture. The organized activities and excursions at your school are designed to give you a more thorough understanding of the art, history, politics and ways of life in the country you are visiting. The teachers and director of each school usually organize program activities and excursions several times each week. Many of these activities and excursions are included in your program cost, excluding entrance fees.

Typical Activities and Excursions

• Welcome gathering
• Evening outings
• Music or dance lessons
• Cooking lessons
• Cinema
• Historical walking tours

Optional Activities and Excursions
Optional activities and excursions are also scheduled during the week or on weekends. Optional activities and excursions will be announced at the school and participants are welcome to join, but it’s not required. Instead, you may explore on your own or sight-see with other participants. Full day excursion costs vary from $10 to $50 depending on the excursion. These fees are paid directly to the school after arrival and are not covered by the program cost. Please see each destination for a list of typical activities and excursions.

Program Length
Language programs typically last for 3 or 4 weeks, year round, starting every Monday.* Arrival date is Sunday before Monday classes (except in Cuernavaca where arrival is the Friday before Monday classes). Departure date is Saturday after Friday classes. You should select your start and end dates based on these criteria, and indicate the dates in the upper right hand box on the first page of the Short Term Programs Application.

*There are specific start dates for complete beginners. Contact us for details.

Program Includes

• Host family accommodations*
• Half board (2 meals a day)
• Standard language course
• Program activities+
• Full accident and health insurance

*Except Valencia, which offers residence hall accommodations only, and Beijing, which offers accommodation in shared apartments.
+Excluding entrance fees

Program Does Not Include

• Round-trip air fare
• Optional activities and excursions
• Spending money

Deadlines
The application is due 6 weeks prior to your date of departure. We may be able to accommodate applications on shorter notice. Please call us in such cases.