Spanish in Rosario is a great organization based in Rosario, Argentina. The idea is to provide Spanish classes for foreigners while also providing them an opportunity to volunteer.
The organization began in 2006 by Stephanie Cariker and has been growing ever since.
She moved to Rosario wanting to learn Spanish and volunteer. When she found nothing, she decided to create it herself and five years later Spanish in Rosario is going strong.
I recently met Stephanie to dig deeper into what I have decided is a pretty impressive program. I thought I’d share this information with all of you in case any of you need an extra excuse to visit or live in Argentina!
This program requires each student to pick a rate at which they take classes (once a week, twice a week, etc.), all offered at reasonable prices ($14-$16USD an hour, depending on how many hours you book at once). There are no extra costs for materials.
You’ll be taught by native speakers who will give you a mix of the classic textbook stuff as well as real world applications. They even have survival guides for commonly misused/mispronounced words.
Stephanie also helps you with housing. They work closely with the Che Pampa Hostel so all students receive a 10% discount. There are other options to rent an apartment or live with a host family, whatever you prefer.
The volunteering portion is optional, but in my opinion, an awesome combination.
The programs available often change, but Stephanie is always working to find more and to find good fits for everyone involved.
One of the programs we talked in depth about involved living on a ranch and working with people with disabilities through equine therapy, gardening and more. There are also programs that allow you to design activities for locals such as art classes, yoga classes, etc.
Stephanie also told me that she is working on an English in Rosario program, which would be a paid internship for foreigners.
You would not be teaching English grammar classes but instead planning events and activities in English such as readings, cooking classes or whatever your particular talent may be.
Stephanie is very flexible and just wants to keep everyone happy, learning and growing.
I hope some of you will make the trip to Rosario and check out the program!
Does this type of language learning interest you? Or do you prefer more of a classroom setting approach?
