Intensive

* Classes per week:  20 group lessons / per week.
* Minimun Duration: 2 weeks.
* Spanish Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced.

Price per 2 weeks: USD 300

The Intensive program aims at developing your communicative competences in the four main skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing.

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Private

* Classes per week: 10 private lessons / per week.
* Minimun Duration: 1 week.
* Spanish Level:  Basic, Intermediate, Advanced.

 Price per week: USD 250 (10 lessons)

This course is tailor-made to your own personal needs and interests. It gives you a flexible schedule, and is perfect if you do not have much time to study and want to focus on a specific area. This course is ideal for students planning to take a specific exam, or for those preparing to be admitted in a local university.

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Video and Map      The best of the city      Featured trips      Transport       Climate

Havana is the capital, chief port, leading commercial hub, and the cultural heart of Cuba. It is the largest city in the Caribbean and has one of the greatest treasures of historic colonial reserves in the western world.

Havana strength lies in the power of its culture and history together with the beauty of its varied landscapes. The particular political situation of the country has made of Havana a city of contrasts that disclose to your eyes dramatically the very moment you put your feet on it. Havana unfolds to your eyes little by little as you roam slowly through its streets. So, the best way of getting a better feeling of this city is to get in touch with its people, who are very friendly and joyful.

Habana Vieja (Old Havana) is an area of the city of such a magnificence that UNESCO has included it in its list of World Heritage Sites. Here, time has made a pause, so narrow streets, refined colonial mansions, countless churches, historical museums, cobblestone squares, fortresses dating from 16th Spanish Colonial century, and even majestic parks are still alive and intact. A different view of the city is present in Havana's Chinatown District, one of the largest in Latin America. A city tour to Tobaccos Partagas Factory provides the chance to witness the production of one of Cuba's most worlwide-appreciated exports, and get an insight into the Cuban workplace. Some distinctive national monuments must include the National Capitol, the Museum of Revolution, and Cuba's National Hotel. At night, Tropicana is the landmark of this conutry's music and dance, with a long-lasting history of prestigious musicians, singers, and personalities having enjoyed the soul of this famous cabaret. Besides, there is an endless number of small bars, each one with their own history, worthy of being discovered. A wonderful day at the beach should include Varadero and Cayo Lago del Sur, where snorkeling and diving can be practiced.

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The best of the city

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Transport

The transport within the city is really varied. Though you'll be able to enjoy the best of Havan simply walking there are, busses, pedicab, coco taxis, bicycle taxis and even a ferry to go from Old Havana to Regla and Casablanca.

Climate

Havana has tropical climate year-round. It's a good thing that there are cool tradewinds to have a relief from the heat and the humidity. Rainfall is heaviest in June and October and lightest from December through April.
Summer temperatures average around 27C with humidity at about 80 percent. Winter is not really winter since temperatures are about 20C.

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Available Accommodation Options in Havana

Residences

If you want to live with several local and foreign students, you can choose to stay in a private or shared room in any of the students' residencies we offer you. Sharing a place with young people from all over the world is a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and make new friends as well as learning about the place in which you are studying.

Residences Features

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Cuba is an idyllic place to learn Spanish! Enjoy of an environment in which nothing seems to have changed since Fidel Castro's revolution: the classic american cars, the cigar-smoking farmers, carriages carried by horses, and the colonial Spanish architecture standing impassive to frantic modernization. Cuba treasures heavenly sandy beaches, vibrant discotheques and relaxed people.

Cuban History is reflected in its dishes, language, art and, above all, it is most alive in the music. All through the year, it seems like music bands are everywhere. The main musical expression is called Son, and it combines different upbeat rythms with classic guitar.
 

Cuba is home to more than 11 million inhabitants, thus being the most populated island on the caribbean as well as the biggest one too. Its people, culture and costumes proceed from different backgrounds and shape the country in a unique way.

The island is well-known for both its turbulent revolutionary history and its charismatic leader's: Fidel Castro. At the top of an interesting history, Cuba offers numberless beaches, leafy woods and vibrant cities.

Come and discover what made the Che Guevara to fall in love with this land! Learn Spanish and forget about your problems to rumba's rythm miles away from daily life issues!

The best of the country

Food & Drinks	Music & Dance
Local food is strongly influenced by Spanish cookery, however 20th century's events changed some traditions substantially. Nowadays dishes are based on roots and tubers, such as malangas, potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassavas. Other commonly used ingredients are  bananas and rice. Regarding drinks, Rum is the most used beverage for cocktails such as Mojito, Cuba Libre and Daikiri.	"Son" is the most popular genre in afrocuban music, and it is referred by the locals as both the national music and dance in Cuba. Some say Rumba is Son sub-gender, while others affirm these are two different music genders. In any of the cases, Son has been the most influential in Latin American music.
Plastic Arts	Cinema
Some of the most famous classic and contemporary artists are Fayad Jamis Bernal, Jilma Madera, José Delarra, Roberto Fabelo, José Pérez y Wilfredo Lam Castillo. Their paintings are sold internationally, but you can appreciate some of them in the country's museums. There is also a new art movement, emerged from the streets and influenced by Latin American artists such as José Guadalupe Posada and muralist Diego Rivera.	Cuba has always been active in the cinema field. From early '20 til the present, Cuba has produced films independently or in association with other international productions. A clear example is Habana Blues, a must-see movie before coming to this country. Art and trade, nationalism and globalization are the topics this French-Spanish-Cuban movie revolves around.
Science and technology	Sports
The Academy of Sciences of Cuba, established in 1962, is the main cientific institution in the country. Besides this, there are many institutions offering higher education in science and engineering: Universidad de La Habana, Universidad de Oriente in Santiago de Cuba, Universidad Central de Las Villas, in Villa Clara, la Universidad de Camagüey, and Universidad de Pinar del Río. The main researches are focused on new farming technologies aimed to recover nickel and cobalt.	Cuba's favourite sport is baseball. This sport first arrived Cuba from United States in 1960. Many international baseball stars have come from Cuba, and Cuban national team is one of the best teams in the world.
Spare time	Literature
Cuban people enjoy talking on the streets, playing music, dancing, singing, fishing and doing sports (especially baseball). They also like playing dominoes and enjoy walking around or bike riding through the beautiful landscapes. Local people is really interested in culture, as well as in books, cinema, art and crafts.	This is one of the most prolific, relevant and influential literatures in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking worlds. Among the most acclaimed writers you find: José Martí, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, José María Heredia, Nicolás Guillén, José Lezama Lima, Alejo Carpentier, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Virgilio Piñera and Dulce María Loynaz. Ernest Hemingway wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" and  "For Whom the Bell Tolls",  while living in Cuba.

Your safety first...            Travel Cancellation           Transfer Service

Your safety first...

When engaging in any of our programs a travel and health insurance is essential for yours and your familiy's peace of mind. We want your experience to be as exciting as possible and in order for it to be like that, feeling safe and protected is a must. We offer an International Travel Insurance tailored specially for experiential travelers like you.
You can choose different plans according to your insurance needs and expectations. The plans Silver and Bronze feature Travel Health/Accident Insurance, Emergency Travel Insurance, Travel Accident Indemnity Insurance, Travel Assistance, Travel Luggage Insurance, Travel Third Party Liability Insurance limited to your desired coverage amount. The Gold plan features unlimited coverage (including extreme sports) at a really competitive market price.

Some of the benefits of booking your Travel Insurance with us are:

• You'll be making sure that your full experience is organized as a whole, taking care of each aspect of it
• We make sure that you get the best coverage, adapted to your individual needs.
• Our International Travel Insurance is known worldwide and accepted by health facilities and professionals all over the world.
• Our insurance provider offers the best cost/quality rates of the market with over 20 years of experience and has been taking care of our participants for many years.
• Our tutors will be able to assist you with the insurance usage, the contact with the company and the relation: hospital-insurance

For your safety, we will ask you your insurance information when you book your program. We recommend that you use our Travel Insurance provided by CareMed International Travel Insurance. You'll be able to enjoy your journey knowing that any sudden or unexpected situation will be taken care of. And your family will be able to feel happy for you and your life-changing experience instead of worrying during your stay abroad.

Prices insurance for destination Latin America

For more information please click here!

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Travel Cancellation Insurance

For more information please click here!

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Transfer Service
 

COINED provides airport transfer service to meet students at the airport and transfer them to their accommodation. We can meet students at the domestic or international airports.

Students must always inform COINED about the date and time of  arrival, even in cases where the transfer service has not been requested. Airport pick-up only transfers students from the designated airport to the designated accommodation.

- Flight details (date, time, airport, airline, and flight number) must be confirmed in writing before arrival; otherwise COINED shall not guarantee the transfer service and no refunds shall be given for this service.
- All costs incurred due to failure to notify COINED of arrival information in due time are the participant's responsibility.
- In case of flights delays, changes, and so on, COINED will provide the transfer service but will reserve the right to charge additional costs, if necessary.
- If any changes regarding flight details are not duly informed, COINED shall not take responsibility for the proper provision of the transfer service.

For more information regarding our transfer service please contact us. We will be happy to assist you!.

* Please contact us for more information about Arrivals / Departures Transfer Service.
** Price per person, per week.

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A variety of cultural recreational activities organized periodically by the school, where students can participate. Among them are: social gatherings in cafes, musical performances, singing and dancing, dance classes or cuisine, sports activities, guided visits to major cultural monuments and historic city and surrounding area and visits to places of most popular attractions of the city.
 

Students' favorite outdoor activities are, for example:   Visits to Rum and Cigar factories. Cuban Parties. Bahia de Cochinos. Varadero excursions. Beach sports.

School activities calendar example

Spanish Courses 2012:

Prices are in USD

For programs longer than 6 weeks please contact us

What’s included

• Welcome package
• First day placement exam
• Spanish Course
• Recreational activities
• Course certificate
• 24 hrs emergency phone
• Local mentor
• Internet access
• Access to kitchen facilities at the school
• Coffee, tea, spring water

Registration fee USD 75 in any Latin American destination and 75 € in Spain Courses start every Monday except on closed dates No lessons will be held on school’s closed dates and there will be no extra lessons to compensate for them Study material included at Argentina’s, Chile’s and Guatemala’s schools.

Accommodation 2012:

Prices are in USD

References

WB=With Breakfast
HB=Half Board (Breakfast and Dinner)
WM=Without Meal
Premium=Private Bathroom

What’s included

• Families & Homestay: Cleaning service once a week; telephone service to receive calls (available to make calls with prepaid cards); towels and bed linen (changed once a week). Upon requirement: Kitchen access; internet service; cable TV.
• Residences: Kitchen access; internet service; cable TV; cleaning service once a week; telephone service to receive calls (available to make calls with prepaid cards); towels and bed linen (changed once a week).
• Shared Apartments: Kitchen access; bed linen. Upon requirement: Internet service; cable TV; telephone service to receive calls (available to make calls with prepaid cards).
• Private Apartments: Kitchen access; internet service; cable TV; cleaning service once a week; towels and bed linen (changed once a week). Upon requirement: Telephone service.

More information about Accommodation in Havana

How is my Spanish level determined?

You will take a placement test on your first day to establish the Spanish course level you will attend to. You may change levels depending on your learning skills.

What happens if there is not a course available for my level?

If there isn’t a Spanish course according to your level, a course will be opened for you specially and you will have individual lessons until other students with the same level of Spanish arrive. The price of these individual lessons will keep the same as the group ones.

Can I take my lessons in different destinations?

You can take your Spanish lessons in different places in various countries in Latin America. It is possible to combine destinations in any of our schools in Latin America or Spain without extra charge. You will find the same teaching method in all our Spanish schools.

Will I get a certificate after finishing the program?

Yes, you will get a certificate that specifies the level of Spanish achieved and the amount of hours you have taken. You will get also a progress report which includes the skills developed during your course and a recommendation letter from your teacher.

Will I receive university credits?

You can receive university credits for attending to our schools but you should first visit your school’s language department in order to know the specific requirements. Common requests from universities are: course syllabus, talking to other teachers who know the program, classroom hours, course levels, academic policies, receiving progress reports from your teachers while abroad and giving you a test upon your return. We will help you gather all the necessary paperwork and you may schedule an interview with your academic advisor if needed.

How am I going to develop my Spanish skills?

Our methods combine both theory and practice, addressing all of the linguistic and functional pragmatic aspects of the spoken language, along with key socio-cultural information essential for you to gain proficiency and in order to achieve your goals. Grammar, reading, writing, listening, speaking and vocabulary are always integrated in order to approximate you to an authentic communicative environment.
You will begin with practical situations. Grammar lessons will be introduced gradually during the process. Lessons' topics and contents are related to daily life’s situations.

How many levels are there?

COINED offers 3 different levels following the requisites and guidelines from the Common European Framework of Reference. Each level is divided into 2 sublevels varying from lesser to greater linguistic capability: Basic (A), Intermediate (B), Advanced (C).

How many lessons do I need to reach a different level?

It depends on the level you already have, the one you want to reach and the kind of program you are taking. If you are a beginner, it takes approximately 40 to 60 group lessons per week to get you into the next level. But if you don’t have enough time you can reduce the time at half by achieving the same level with private lessons. For further information please contact us. We will be happy to help.

Is the study material included in the Spanish course?

In almost every destination the study material, according to your level, is included. In case you choose a destination that doesn't include it, we will let you know.

What is a typical day like?

You can take lessons from 9 AM to 1 PM or from 2 PM until 6 PM according to your schedule and your program.
Afternoon classes (2 PM to 6 PM) are usually reserved for students requesting additional hours or different programs.
Many days include school activities in the afternoon or the evening.

When do I have to register to the program?

You should register at least four weeks before the program starts to guarantee you a spot in our schools.  For bookins done lless than four weeks before the start date, we cannot guarantee your place in a group but you can write or call us to check for availability in such cases.

 If I want to combine destinations, do I have to register at each separate location?

No, if you are planning to combine your destination simply register at the location you will be at first, and then indicate which date you plan to switch to another school.