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Schools will tell you that you can become fluent in six to eight weeks by having intensive classes—four hours per day on weekdays.
Most language schools will help you further your Spanish by arranging accommodation in a home stay for you. This is where you stay with an Ecuadorian family in their home and usually eat at least some meals with them. This gives you a great opportunity to practice your Spanish outside of school. Schools usually test your Spanish to assess your level before commencing classes. Look for schools that offer free extras such as salsa and cookery classes or presentations. There are further additional ways in which you can extend your language skills while also having a lot of fun and immersing yourself in the culture. Some schools also offer weekend trips for a small additional charge.
Spanish School Hotspots
Quito – The most important location for learning Spanish in Ecuador is Quito. Language schools abound in the capital city. Quito-based schools will often offer you the opportunity to travel and learn Spanish in Ecuador simultaneously. They will provide optional weeks at the Coast, in the jungle or in Cuenca. Some schools have started offering the option to travel with a teacher to different parts of Ecuador on a custom tour.
Ecuador is an excellent place for learning Spanish because the Spanish in Ecuador is spoken fairly slowly...
Cuenca – You can also learn Spanish in colonial Cuenca. Toward the south of the country, this city is quieter and more relaxed than Quito. It takes a bus ten hours to get between Quito and Cuenca. It only takes 30 minutes to fly from either city.
Northern Coast – Some coastal locations also offer the chance to learn Spanish in Ecuador. For example, Manta has a school which has a “Learn Spanish” program in combination with learning to surf. Many schools in Quito offer the opportunity to take a week to the coast to study. Usually students will travel with their teacher. Such trips often head to the Puerto Lopez area, accessible by flight to Manta and bus to Puerto Lopez from there. From Quito to Manta it takes approximately eight hours by bus, or it is a 30 minute flight. The distance between Manta and Cuenca is approximately eight to ten hours by bus, changing at Guayaquil. Flights from Manta to Cuenca and vice versa pass through Quito.
Amazon – Studying Spanish in Ecuador’s Amazon is usually arranged through Quito Spanish schools. In this case, students will travel, usually to Coca, with their teacher from Quito. This can be done by plane or bus. By plane it takes 45 minutes and by bus it is nearly eight hours. Students will usually then travel onward to a lodge to study for a week, or more.
Costs
The cost of learning Spanish in Ecuador ranges anywhere from $4 to $10 per hour, for one-on-one classes. Small group classes are a little cheaper but you will get less individual attention this way. One-on-one classes are perhaps the most effective way to learn Spanish in Ecuador quickly.
