FAQ about SpanishLC and our classes

1. How does your school compare to others in the market? The Spanish Language Center has been able to put togeter a list of 13 points that set us apart from other providers of Spanish language instruction. Click here to review the list.
2. Why do you hold a no-refund policy? We go thorough a great extent of administrative work that includes free assessments, weekly scheduling and rescheduling, and acquiring commitments with our instructors to be able to provide students with classes at any desired day or time. If a registered student decides that he or she is not ready to start class or continue classes, we will alwyas provide credit for the classes not taken. However, are a not a not-for-profit organization and do rely on the paid tuition for our services. We are VERY serious about our service and respect each and every student and expect the same respect.
3. What if I do not like my instructor? In the event that you are not pleased with your instructor (99.99% of the time, students rave their instructors) we will provide you with another instructor.
4. What is the flexibility with my schedule? If you are a private student, group or corporate class, we will schedule classes at your prefered day and time. Also, in the event that you cannot make a class for some emergency we will reschedule as long as you provide proper notice (at least 24 hours in advance for classes taking place Tuesdays to Saturdays and by Saturday at noon for classes on Mondays). We are very flexible, but de not appreciate exessive rescheduling.
5. Who do I contact if I have a problem with my class? You can always contact the class coordinator (via phone 773-665-9887or blackboard). If your problem cannot be solved by the class coordinator, you may request him/her to provide contact information to reach the director.
6. What happens if I sign up for a class and cannot start or finish it? You will get credt for the classes not taken. However, we will only hold your credit for a certain time limit. Make sure you contact the coordinator and request a written extension of your registration.
7. How do I know that the material used in this class is as effective as advertised? Probably, the best way is by actually taking the classes. If you feel at any point that the material is not effective, learning conductive or well laid out, contact the class coordinator and request to speak with the director.
8. Can you guarantee that I will learn Spanish? If you attend all classes, do your homework, practice out loud, take the free tutoring provided if you were to not understand any material presented in class, you will learn. If you were not to learn in spite of the listed requirements, you may have a learning disability. However, we have not run into anyone who has not been able to learn with our method.
9. What visual or audio material do you offer to complement my classes? We are currently working on setting an online audio material to complement our workbooks.
10. How many hours a week will I have to invest in my studies besides class time? We strongly recomend that you mantain your Spanish studies as a fun learning activity. You will only learn to speak by be perseverant and consistent. Do review your notes and say them out loud at least 15 to 20 minutes a day. The need for more or less time will vary depending on the individual.
11. Is online languge instruction as good as in person? Our online Spanish classes are live and provided by a real Spanish instructor. The instruction is the same as the one received in one of our classrooms. We have heard about bad experiences do the improvisation of Spanish speakers who provide these services without any formal or real preparation. Our online students not only are very satisfied with the excellent instruction, but also like not having to commute.
12. With your classes, what will I learn? Speaking, reading or writing in Spanish? Our classes will teach you how to speak. They are 100% conversational. However, innevitably you will also learn to read and to write in Spanish. This just happens by default.
13. What's an onsite class? How does it work? This is a class at your location. With onsite classes, an instructor will come to you for classes. Onsite classes are the preferred option for corporate and/or large groups. We also provide onsite classes for private or small groups, but an additional travelling fee is required to cover for the instructor's traveling time.
14. What's your schools name: Spanish Language Center, Spanish Learning Center, Spanish in Chicago, SLC or SpanishLC? Our legal name is Spanish Langauge Center, Inc. When we first started back in 2001, we used to abbreviate our name to SLC. Our first website (which still is up was www.spanishinchicago.com). Eventually we changed our website to www.spanishlc.com and our new logo is SpanishLC. The answer is that we go by all of them. However, we prefer SpanishLC.
15. What class is best: private or group? A group class has a set pace that all participants must follow. A private class goes at the student's pace which could be faster or slower. Private instruction has more scheduling flexibility than private instruction. Also, if money is an issue, group is cheaper than private.
16. How often do group classes get scheduled? We schedule and post classes every other week. However, when we receive a request for an specific day and time we also work on getting that class scheduled. We are very flexible and work very hard to accomodate all of our students scheduling needs.
17. How soon can I get started? Many times we have gotten students started on the same day. However, commonly we can get you started within a few days of your registration.
18. What happens if I do not see a group class scheduled at a day and or time that works for me? Just email us and we will work on getting you scheduled on the day and time that best works for you.
19. Are all of your instructors native Spanish speakers? Most of them are. However we do not descriminate against not native Spanish speakers who count with the fluency of a native speaker. Commonly, not native Spanish speakers specialize on the first levels. All advanced levels do call for native and experienced speakers.
20. Do you have a brochure I can download? We can mail a brochure to you or you can download one here.
21. Do you have a newsletter that I can subscribe to? We do not currently offer a newsletter, but we do keep a list of our current and past student to provide relevant information to classes and discounts. If you would like to be added to our list contact us and indicate so.
22. I want to give Spanish classes as a gift to someone special. Do you provide gift certificates? Yes we do. Gift certificates are available for all type of classes: group, private, semi-priate, etc.
23. Do I have to pay for materials? We commonly try to waive the cost of books with your registration. However, when offering sustantial discounts sometimes we cannot waive the cost of our material.
24. Is your school accreditted by any educational institution? The Spanish Language Center, Inc., is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education as providers of continuing education.
25. Are my classes at your school transferable as college credits? Depends on the college. You have to ask your college if they will accept our classes. It is a very case by case situation.
26. Do you offer internships? We do sometimes. Primarily in the fields marketing, SEO, programming, web design and databases.
27. Do you offer an installment payment plan? We prefer not to. However, if you feel that you cannot pay for full tuition in advance, we can offer a payment plan but it will cost more. You also need a credit card for automatic processing.
28. Is it true that Spanish Language Center is associated with Spanish Horizons? No it is not true. Our director and founder was co-founder of Spanish Horizons in 1999, but then left SH in 2001and founded SpanishLC.
29. Do you teach Castilian Spanish? Spanish and Castilian are one and the same. Some people erroneously believe that they are different languages or dialects. The language brough by the Conquistadores from Spain to America is called Castilian. However, nowadays we also refer to it as Spanish. However, some people refer to the Spanish spoken with the accent from Spain as Castilian.
30. What is the difference between Castilian Spanish and Spanish spoken in the Americas? The difference lays in the pronunciation of z (th in Spain) and use of vosotros (in Spain) for "you all."
31. What is harder to learn, English or Spanish? We believe that English is harder to learn because its pronounciation and spelling is not consisten. Also, in English the tenses are not clearly defined. In Spanish we have 14 tenses (even though we only use 13). We challenge anybody to ask any English teacher to provide a true and accurate answer to how many tenses we have in English.
32. Do you offer English classes? Yes, we do. Among our staff, we also count with teachers of English as a second language.
33. Am I too old to learn Spanish? Not if you can still have the time to study and practice. It might take a little longer than at your earlier years, but it is never too late. We have many senior citizens among our students.
34. How long will it take me to learn Spanish? With our classes you will be able to speak and communicate after the first Intro 1 level. To become 100% proficient and fluent you will have to take all of our levels (an average of 2.5 years), be a devoted student and then take an immersion course in a Spanish speaking country.
35. Do you teach conversational Spanish? All our classes are conversational. We will also explain relevant grammar for you to be able to understand the correct structuring.
36. I hate grammar. I never understood it and I do not want to learn it. Does your method include grammar? We understand. We present relevant grammar in a very simplified manner that many times you will not even know wer are talking about grammar. We only use grammar to simplify the understanding of the sentence structuring.
37. I am ready to start with my Spanish classes right now. How soon can I get started? Contact us now and we will try to get you started this week.
38. I do not live close to any of your facilities. How can I take classes? We can have an instructor come to your site or you can take online classes. The second option is cheaper.
39. How many forms of Spanish are there? Mexican, Argentinian, Puerto Rican? There is only one form and dialect of Spanish. We speak the same Spanish language throughout all of the Spanish-speaking countries. However, the accents or entonation may vary from place to place. We believe that there is a greater difference among the English spoken in the USA versus England, versus Ireland versus Australia. Spanish is more homogenous in pronounciation and vocabulary.
40. In today's world, what is a better language to learn? Spanish, Arabic or Chinese? It all depends on your need. However, we believe that the regular English-speaking individual will never go wrong with Spanish because of the large use in the United States and the proximity to all the Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America.
41. I am senior citizen. Is learning Spanish a good mental exercise? You would have to ask your doctor. However, many students of ours have been referred by their doctors in order to exercise their minds.
42. I used to live in Chicago and take classes at your center. Now I moved to a far away suburb. How can I continue with my Spanish language instruction? Again, you can have an instructor come to your site, take classes via online or you can come to our Palatine location.
43. Do you have a Lincoln Park location or not? How many locations do you have? We have 3 locations: Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine. Just before the Recession we were in the process of opening a Lincoln Park location, but opted to be cautions and stepped back.
44. What is the difference between a Beginner level student and an intro level one? We can better determine that we an assessment which we will provide fro free. However, an intro student basically cannot say anything or much. A Beginnre student has studied before, can communicate to some extent in present, past and maybe future. Again, an assessment will determine the level very easily.
45. Are Spanish classes tax deductible? You will have to ask your accountant. However, many of our students say it is.
46. Can I earn CPDU's or CEU credits with Spanish classes at your school? Yes. We are authorized by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide these credits upon request.