1. How did 2014 go for you, and how did it compare to previous years?
TANDEM Madrid was doing a very good marketing work in 2014: producing interesting visual materials, creating a new webpage, introducing new languages in our materials and innovating in our didactic work. Today there are a lot of schools in Spain offering Spanish courses and we have to underline our own personality: a free school, with own character, very centered in the students, with a high quality didactic and a high qualified team of teachers. We have now students from China and from another countries we never had before. The number of North American students is increasing and we are exploring Scandinavia.
2. What developments do you expect in 2015?
We will continue doing an innovative marketing to get more students from all over the world. Students who are aware of our quality and the advantages to learn Spanish in a fascinating city like Madrid, and with a humanistic approach in the classes. More and more adult learners are coming to our school, from all over the world. So I expect an increasing of the student’s number and connecting more with adult students and junior groups in the summer.
3. Anything new this year?
Of course! We have added more course dates to our Teacher Training programme and completely revised and updated the curriculum. We have made these changes in response to an increasing demand, basically from teachers who are applying for Erasmus+ funding. We are offering new DELE Preparation and also new thematic courses like Spanish and Almodóvar, Spanish and Flamenco, Spanish and Passion for the Art.
4. Where do the majority of your students come from?
50% from Europe, 15% from China, 15% from United States, 20 from another countries like Australia, Corea, etc.
5. What are your most popular student activities at your school?
The cultural program at TANDEM Madrid is very interesting and funny. We have a wonderful cooking class where we cook Spanish dishes in a very nice atmosphere, we have a flamenco class, and also the event “Comidas del Mundo”: all our students bring to the school a typical dish of their countries and we share the food and talk about the ingredients and the receipt. It is really a nice moment in our garden!
6. What makes your destination special for your students?
Learning Spanish in Madrid means experiencing the extraordinary vitality of a southern European metropolis that is a fascinating melting pot of cultures. It means getting to know the most important cultural events, the center of economic and political activity of the country and the gateway to the Hispanic world. It means having fun in a city that is a surprising balance and contrast between the old and the new, the past and the future. A unique experience.
7. Three things that make your Spanish language school special for your students?
The quality of instruction: small classes and excellent teachers.
Our facilities: an fully renovated palace with exceptional architectural details in Madrid’s noblest district..
Our cultural program: you will get to know Madrid like a “Madrileño”, interacting with the people in a fascinating city full of energy.
Begoña Llovet from TANDEM Madrid, www.tandemmadrid.com
