Spanish Course - Bogota

bickerss says on Mar 1, 2006, 08:15:

Gringo in bogota, thanks for the reply. I will check it out. My spanish is pathetic but i can make my way around - a more intensive cse is better for me as I need to get off my butt and learn some more. Thanks again.

Wastelandlive says on Mar 1, 2006, 12:01:

So Gib... You too are a High Technology in Learning grad? Hi fives. I think that place rocks, though the prices have risen. Every once in a while, I pop in a disk and enjoy the classical music...

Oh, to be 25, single, and a student at HTL - that would be a dogs life.

Wasteland

CuriosJoe says on Mar 1, 2006, 14:47:

Why is this a dogs life? Is HTL in Bogota a good place to meet girls?

Claudis says on Mar 1, 2006, 14:59:

Hi Bickerss I give short spanish conversation courses to basic-intermediate level students. If you would like to consider taking a personalized course, you can contact me at: clauhochman at hotmail.com

Best regards,

Claudis

Wastelandlive says on Mar 1, 2006, 15:13:

To a very curious - and perhaps randy - Joe The rules of this forum prevent me from discussing the likelyhood of a high concentration of upper class Colombiana hotties studying English, French, Italian and German at HTL as part of their campaign to abandon Colombia for the first world.

But if I were searching for a jaw dropping Cachaca, I might study there. Hell, I might teach there... for free. It'd be like a cross between Club Med and Berlitz.

Wasteland

bickerss says on Mar 2, 2006, 09:17:

GIB and Wastelandlive ' thanks. I checked out this school today (the one in calle 98). The cost now is 2,4000,000 for 120 hrs on a flexible program ie you can stop the cse and resume later, or 2,200,000 for a non flexible program. This works out to about 8 and 9 usd an hr respectively.

I have a question regarding the cse - when i questioned the staff, they said its more conversational with very little grammer and course structure. Most of it is talking and the teacher does not speak english (to translate). I will be in class with sudents much more advanced than me which they said is normal and better for learning.

How did you guys find this way of learning? It sounds a bit new age to me and am wondering if it would be suitable for me (someone who is not the britest spark in the class and finds languages difficult). Any points appreciated.

Claudia ' hi, we met last year sometime (in the coffe place). I was interested in your cse but do not want to do it at night. If you can conduct day classes then send me a post.

Wastelandlive says on Mar 2, 2006, 10:42:

Most anything that HTL tells you ... ... should be immediately disregarded as marketting BS. They just want your money.

That said, it's not a bad school.

The owner doesn't hire qualified teachers. You won't be working with a professor, just a starving college graduate eager for a job. He or she will be a native speaker, will have reviewed the materials you are using, and will endeavor to bring extra materials and come up with amusing exercises. And frankly, that's all you really need at this stage of study.

The facilities are what I would consider plush by Colombian standards. Each school is converted home in a nice neighborhood. They are well furnished, with a kitchen and a manicured garden out back. The owner was offering coffee and the occassional pastry as a courtesy when I went through - a radical concept in Colombia where many business people think they have to charge their clients a la carte for every little thing to make a profit.

And then there's the flexible schedule. Pure genious. At a language school here in the states, you'd pay, and if you didn't go to class, that would be your loss. At HTL... you only pay for the hours you use. That's awesome! Want to travel? Go! Feeling a little hung over? Take the day off.

I loved it. It looks to me like they doubled the price, and if it were me, I'd negotiate a little. I might compare their price to IntraLingua, and weigh the costs and benefits.

But at the end of the day, I loved it. Nice people. Good student body. Flexible and professional.

Wasteland

bickerss says on Mar 2, 2006, 12:00:

Wastelandlive - thanks very much for the reply. I checked Intra Lingual also today and their course was only and hr and a half 3 days a week. I want a more intensive one. They offered private lessons at the bargain price of 40 usd an hr so I have disregarded this one.

I also now have a reply back from Uni Javeriana. They have a course of 120 hrs over six weeks starting tuesday for 1, 980,000 pesos. They said if I have to travel ie after 2 weeks, then i can start at the same time period on another later course and continue.

Do you have any opinion on this Uni - is it any good. It seems to be a more structured class which is probably better for my style of learning (although I have never tried the other way so may be wrong).

Also just had a call from La Sabana. They are 300 usd a week for 20 hrs instruction, no discount possible, and you have to travel an hr each way so have disregarded this one as well.

Thanks for your replies.

Wastelandlive says on Mar 2, 2006, 16:03:

$40 an hour???!!! That is absolutely HILLARIOUS.

Bickerss... I can't impress upon you enough the sheer vivo-ness of some Colombians. You'll come to understand that phrase soon, but "vivo" means "clever," and not in a good way.

If you had any doubt about it, Intra Lingua tried to take you for a ride. So will every OTHER language school, if you arrange all this in English via the internet. $40 a F'NG hour?!?!? In Colombia? Will they be teaching you brain surgery with your language lessons?

Look. They often just don't have enough students to form a class. So they'll qoute some idiotic price, and then when you arrive, you'll learn that you're paying so much because you're getting your OWN, PRIVATE tutor! Wow, what a deal! Then they'll pay themselves RICHLY for that service. Instead of charging a finders fee, they'll do it by contract, and pay the actual tutor less than HALF of what they are collecting.

Don't let ANYBODY do this to you.

Now: I don't like private tutors. They're too intense for me, I always want a class. But if you'd like a private tutor you can - no kidding - find yourself a PROFESSOR at the Javeriana who will give you lessons at about $10-20K Col. Pes. an HOUR. That may seem difficult from where you are sitting, but ask some disinterested Colombians on this forum for a reference, or try to get a hold of somebody over at the embassy.

Or take a gamble, and just show up and pound the pavement. Because all these schools are going to change their tune if you walk in the door and let them know that you are staying for awhile, and that you are price shopping. Right now they're counting on locking you in on a price before you arrive in Colombia and get an idea of what things really cost.

And as I've said in a couple of threads here, people offer stuff that doesn't pan out; I too looked into a college course at the Javeriana - that would be ideal, you could get credits, and you'd make great connections - but when the date rolled around... they had to cancel the class. NO other students.

So if it works for you, great. That price is steep, but not outrageous for six weeks of instruction. I hope you'll come back and share the experience. But I'm skeptical.

As a rule of thumb, Billy and I paid $1,200,000 Col Pesos for about 120 hours at the HTL a couple of years ago. I wouldn't assume that they are ripping you off if they are now charging more; it was a young and growing business, there's some inflation, and it's normal that HTL would start raising its prices as it fills its capacity.

But $40 an hour at Intra Lingua? I'm still laughing at the sheer balls of that proposition. Maybe your contact meant 40K Col Pesos? (Still not right.)

This is one of the frustrations you'll learn to deal with. Some Colombians just consistently shoot themselves in the foot the moment they near a gringo(a). They have no concept of wealth, and they think we're all movie stars... so instead of bumping you just a little bit (10%, 20%) or just charging you the market rate and hoping to earn a happy customer, they yank some outrageous number out the ole' ass... "$40 an hour!" and hope to land the big fish. Since you're not an idiot, it queers the deal, and everybody loses...

Ah well.

I think your best bet is to put HTL's and the Javeriana's quote in your pocket, don't agree to ANYTHING yet, go to Bogota, settle in, and spend a few days visiting these institutions and negotiating price. If the worst you do is $2 Mill Pesos for 6 weeks of classes, four hours a day, that's not bad.

I'm jealous. Enjoy!

Wasteland

bickerss says on Mar 3, 2006, 11:05:

Wastelandlive. Thanks very much for your reply. I am in colombia now, have been for a while. The price that inter offered was correct 86,000 pesos an hr. Really dumb. They have now offered a dicount if i take 40 hrs to 76,000 pesos jajajaja.

I went to a free class at HTL today. It was good , but i still have some reservations about the style of learning. I am going to the uni today to see their calls. They start on Tuesday and assure me they have the students. This may be better for me because of the contacts.

Thanks again. I iwll do either one of these, and i have foudn that HTL will give a dicount of 30 % with a tiempo card.

el norteño says on Mar 3, 2006, 19:22:

learning spanish in colombia "I have a question regarding the cse - when i questioned the staff, they said its more conversational with very little grammer and course structure. Most of it is talking and the teacher does not speak english (to translate). I will be in class with sudents much more advanced than me which they said is normal and better for learning. "

That quote perfectly describes my experience taking a month long course in Spanish at EAFIT in Medellin. No grammar, no vocabulary, no verb drills. But, you get to watch a Colombian movie and play Scrabble in Spanish.

The good thing is it only cost $265 US for the course, and I got to hang out in Medellin for a month.

I have to conclude it is a systemic problem, because none of the Colombians I met studying English could speak a sentence of the language.
There has to be a better way to learn a foreign language.

Crazy4Cali says on Mar 3, 2006, 19:57:

If you're just going to chat.... ...it seems like you could hang out in the cafeteria and talk to people for free. Heck offer an intercambio: you teach them english, they teach you spanish.

Why should you have to pay anything for that?

paolo64 says on Mar 4, 2006, 15:13:

I went to La Javeriana and thought it was very good, but pricey. I tried to get one of the profs there to teach privately, but the lowest they would go was 40K COP per hour, way too much if you ask me, even for a good prof. That is not a bad wage in north america...

I looked at HTL twice..it seemed too disorganized and although I love the flexibility, I am not at all sure you would get a good lesson in a class with all different levels and coming and going all day. And being MORE expensive than La Javeriana, which is well regarded all over latin america, is a joke.

I might be at la Jav this week if it is starting...

bickerss says on Mar 5, 2006, 08:39:

Ifyou have a El Tiempo card there is a 30 % discount. The uni have said I have to wait till monday to see if a class starts (if they have enough students). I will go to another gratis class at HTL on Monday to get a better idea.