How do you look into/get into studying languages abroad?

Question

Is there anywhere to get support and advice for people over 19 years old?

I'm interested in Latin American Spanish and would love to study in a country like Mexico and I've heard about people who do this...but I'm not sure how they do it.

Any advice/tips from people who know or have experience?

Thank you.

Answer 1

There are different ways to go about this.  First, if you are a university student, your university probably offers its own programs abroad.  These may be more expensive, but you will meet people from your area, will get to work closely with your university's faculty, and might even get some extra excursions.

Some other options for university students include direct enrollment, meaning you would be just like any other student at your university and wouldn't really get any of the extras.  Usually this is quite cheap and you might not even have to pay more than you would if you stayed in the US.

Also, there are certain organizations such as International Studies Abroad (www.studiesabroad.com) or AbroadCo (www.abroadco.com).  You will pay them a fee, and in return, you will get housing, excursions, your education, and if you're lucky, usually a T-shirt, and sometimes even a cell phone.  Personally, I studied at ISA's facilities in Guanajuato, Mexico, but it was a special program for UF students.  I can tell you from experience that the excurstions are very cool, and the facilities and housing are nice.  The only thing I don't know about are the classes themselves.

Finally, if you are not a university student, you can attend a language school.  I briefly attended COSI in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.  The price was good, but honestly the education was geared for people far below my level.  I also studied at CLIC in Sevilla, Spain and it was great.

Hope that helps!!

Answer 2

Unless you're very rich, this will be very expensive.

Have you thought of getting a qualification in teaching English and working in another country?

I did this, many years ago, at IH London (link below), you don't have to have a degree to enroll, you only have to be 18, and have good standard of English of course. When you finish you can apply to get a job in a Spanish speaking country at IH schools all over the world.

I'd start with Spain if you're European.

Good luck!

Answer 3

http://www.goabroad.com/ might be helpful to you. You can find all sorts of programs (internships, study abroad programs, summer programs, work, etc) based on country, duration and type. It has a lot of different programs to choose from, whether it's from actual universities to study abroad organizations. If you want to study Spanish I would suggest that you pay attention to the structure of the program because if your accommodations have you rooming with lots of other English speakers (or people who want to practice their English with you) or the program consists of lots of Americans/English speakers, then it will be harder to speak Spanish outside the classroom.