We’ve decided to learn Spanish online whilst we travel the world! It’s something we’ve both tried to do on and off over the last few years. We’ve signed up with a provider that allows you to learn Spanish online and I’ll document our progress here.
The aim is to learn conservational Spanish online before we head off to South America later in the year.
Why we want to learn Spanish online
I started to learn through Duolingo which I really liked. I also found it really helped me understand some words when I went to Central America. However, I never really got beyond beginner. I found that I needed more accountability than Duolingo provided!
Aaron is a bit more advanced than I am in the language department. He studied French at University, and then had Spanish lessons once a week over a 2-3 year period.
I mention the French as I think his experience in learning a language is helpful. He knows how language is taught and how it is different from English. He is able to pick up similarities in words and patterns. Plus, they are both romance languages!
The general plan is that from October onwards, we will be based in Central and South America. We’ve always wanted to visit South America, particularly after visiting Central America and falling in love. Oh, and after watching Race Around the World on BBC (if you haven’t watched it, you should!)
Having seen Aaron hold conversations with locals in Central America, I knew that I wanted to learn the basics so I could do the same. So, deciding to learn Spanish online and taking lessons was always on the cards.
How will we learn Spanish online?
A couple of months ago, I received a message from Global Spanish on Instagram via my blog. Instagram is such a brilliant place to find new businesses. I had never heard of them before, and may never have found them had it not been for social media.
Anyway, they asked whether I would be interested in taking lessons to learn Spanish online, particularly as I travelled a lot. It felt like perfect timing.
I had a look at their website, took a look at the reviews and did my due diligence and it looked really promising! Global Spanish had a professional website and hundreds of great reviews, along with some very good testimonials on their site.
To cut a long story short, we have signed up and have our first lesson this week. We’re really excited, and a little nervous about it.
I thought I would blog about our little Spanish journey and give some updates on our thoughts and progress with Global Spanish.
I’d like to just say that we have paid for our membership and decided to go for it because we really wanted to learn Spanish online whilst we travel. It’s also a language that is spoken widely so will definitely come in handy. It’s not a freebie, so I feel totally comfortable giving an honest review that you can rely on if you’re also contemplating learning Spanish!
But first, let me tell you a little bit about us, our lessons and our initial experience with Global Spanish.
Who are Global Spanish?
One of the main things that attracted us to learn Spanish online with Global Spanish is that they are actually based in South America.
The way that Spanish is spoken varies greatly across South America, and can be completely different to how it is spoken in Spain. For example, the pronunciation of many words is completely different in Spain than in South American countries.
That’s not to say that we wouldn’t be understood in Spain. For example, Aaron was initially taught by a Spanish teacher many years ago but didn’t have any trouble in Central America being understood. Understanding others was a little different but it would just take some getting used to!
Their Spanish teachers are based all over South America. For example, Alix who gave our demo lesson is based in Colombia, but our teacher Andrés is based in Argentina (and is originally from Venezuela).
Global Spanish focus on getting you to learn conversational Spanish, and injecting some South American culture. The aim as I understand it is to help you understand and speak like a local!
It seemed perfect for us as our reason for learning Spanish was so we could get by in South America! A really great option for travellers.
How much does it cost to learn Spanish online?
The prices for Spanish lessons vary depending on which membership you opt for. However, I think all prices are very reasonable.
Since we started our lessons, the plans have changed somewhat. It’s my view that digital nomads will struggle to commit the amount of time that these plans require if they are also working and travelling.
However, if you want to give it a go and let them know that you read my blog, I’ve been told that they can make a plan to fit your needs!
I’ll give you a brief rundown of the memberships they offer.
Starter Plan to learn Spanish Online
The starter plan includes 12 private classes and unlimited starter group classes. This is a one-month subscription so all classes should be used in a one-month period. This means you’ll be taking 3 classes per week.
The plan costs $143 dollars which equates to $11.90 dollars per class.
Elite Plan
This plan includes 60 private classes and unlimited elite group classes. These have to be taken within 3 months. This means you will be taking 5 classes per week over the course of three months.
You also get 12 bonus classes to use over the course of 3 months, which is roughly an additional class per week.
I think this would suit people that need to be fluent within 3 months. However, I’m not sure this would suit most digital nomads or anyone working as it’s quite a big commitment.
Genius Plan
Then you have the genius plan. This is 126 lessons to be taken within a 6-month period. This works out as roughly 4-5 lessons per week.
Again, this might suit you if you need to be fluent. However, if you want to know the basics before you go travelling, and are working at the same time, this might be too much.
All three plans include access to Group Classes where you practice speaking with other students.
Our Plan
We have signed up for a three-month plan. This involves two lessons per week, and we find that this is about right to suit our lifestyle when working, running the blog, and wanting to travel and explore too!
We have access to the portal where you can download the lesson slides and extra material. We can also join the ‘Conversation Club’ which is every Saturday. This is basically a Zoom session with lots of other students to practice your conversational skills.
We signed up for three months as this basically takes us to October when we’ll hopefully be travelling to South America or close by.
We are also learning together, which we really like as it means you can practise what you’ve learnt together. If there are two of you learning, there is no increase to the price.
Again, do get in touch with them and let them know how many lessons a week would suit you. They will be happy to discuss a plan to suit you.
How often do you learn Spanish online?
Our lessons are twice a week. I think we were supposed to have 3 lessons per week, but we couldn’t fit in three. Each lesson is around 1 hour long and it goes past so quickly!
It is really easy to schedule lessons. You can pick fixed times and days for each week and stick to those. Of course, if something comes up you can always email your tutor and reschedule. The alternative is to schedule lessons via the platform on an ad hoc basis.
What are the Spanish teachers like?
We have been paired with Andrés. So far, we have only had an introduction with him to explain how the lessons will work and about the platform. However, his English is perfect (which makes it easier to ask questions) and he knows so much about the variations of language around South America.
He is very relaxed and happy for us to ask as many questions as we want. I already feel comfortable in attempting to speak Spanish – so far so good!
Did you know any Spanish before?
I had a very basic knowledge of Spanish before starting lessons. I knew some words, and a good selection of verbs but have no idea what to do with them!
Aaron, I would say, is intermediate in Spanish but hasn’t spoken it or practised it in a long time.
So, my Spanish journey starts from scratch. I’m looking forward to doing these monthly updates and checking in on how much we’ve learnt!
So let’s learn Spanish online!
There’s a little update on what we’re up to! As I said, we’re going to do monthly updates on how we’re getting on in our Spanish learnings!
If you’re thinking about learning yourself, and have questions about Global Spanish, let me know in the comments or message me on Instagram!
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