Gap Year Program

It was my first experience in Tenerife at Don Quijote. The class was very small (6 students) from different countries. The teachers were very friendly and helpful. The school is locared in a fantastic location near the beach. The only problem was to walk in in the city centre because of the morpholy of the island that represent a problem for middlle aged students.

Don Quijote was in an excellent location on the main promenade. I was immediately impressed by the building, which opened up into a cute little courtyard, which was encircled by numerous bright and airy classrooms. During breaks it was easy to pop out to grab a bite to eat or a coffee, but there was also a common room with sofas, tables and a coffee machine for those wanting to stay in the school.

Class sizes were small, with around 6 people per class. The teachers were friendly and set a relaxed tone to the class. I personally would have preferred a more conversation-based class, as I found they were often based around worksheets that sometimes felt a little rigid, with not much room to discuss and speak openly. However the material was interesting and I learned lots; not only did my Spanish improve but I learned a lot about Canarian and Spanish culture.

There were many extra activities planned throughout the week that I was unfortunately unable to attend but had I been at the school longer than a week I definitely would have participated.

Overall I had an extremely enjoyable experience at Don Quijote and would definitely return.

The teachers that I met were all very motivated and really wanted to help us in learning. I liked the way they encouraged everybody to speak and chat in Spanish. And they were so patient with all our mistakes!
The location was perfect, close to the lively sea shore boulevard. I did not participate in the cultural activities (films etc.) because they were conducted immediately after the lessons and by that time I was tired and hungry and wanted to have a break. But the other activities like Salsa lessons, wine tasting etc. were well organised and nice!
Especially, I enjoyed the trip to Teide and the tour guide, with all the funny stories!
I arranged my housing by myself, not via the school.

When I got to the hotel that very first night in Tenerife, what happened was not exactly what was written in the instruction.

Actually there were three envelopes containing keys, none was showing my name.

Moreover the hotel receptionist was not informed of my arrival and I had to work alone and call the help office of the school, which I discovered to be in Madrid rather than in Tenerife, so the girl in the help office had to call Tenerife herself.

After a couple of hours I managed to get a hold of the Landlord who came a bit later to deliver the key of the apartment.

I also had to take another taxi very late at night as the place was not really nearby.

In the end it was ok.