A veces es mejor callar

Taronja Ich habe im September einen vierwöchigen Sprachaufenthalt in Valencia an der Taronja Sprachschule verbracht. Es war nicht mein erster Besuch an einer Sprachschule und ich muss wirklich zugeben, dass es vom Lernniveau bisher die beste war. Die Lehrer sind alle studierte Sprachwissenschaftlicher, aber trotzdem nicht älter als 35, sprechen meistens mehr als 3-4 Sprachen fliesend, setzen sich aktiv mit den Schülern auseinander und das innerhalb sowie außerhalb der Stunden. Die nicht nach einem Buch oder Lehrplan ausgerichtete Lernmethode ist wirklich unfassbar effektiv und man macht innerhalb kürzester Zeit erhebliche Fortschritte.
Auch außerhalb der Schulstunden probiert die Schule das Rundumsorglospaket zu ermöglichen, jeden Tag andere Aktivitäten, kulturell sowie interaktiv und damit meine ich nicht dieses typische get-together in einer Bar und fertig, sondern wirklich coole Aktivitäten zu unschlagbar günstigen Preisen.
Insgesamt kann ich nur jedem empfehlen sich für diese Schule zu entscheiden.

A very enjoyable place to learn Spanish I have just finished a two week intensive course at Escuela Taronja and am already missing it. I am at an early intermediate level and the experience of the last two weeks have boosted my confidence and stretched my knowledge so much. I was a little intimidated by the idea of being middle aged and out of my comfort zone but the school is so supportive, inclusive all all ages and quick to ensure that you are in a class at the right level. I would encourage anyone going to the school to jump in with both feet and take up all the various social opportunities that are on offer,,they were great fun and I met some new friends that I hope to

Taronja school is up to date. Its classrooms are very colourful and modern. I appreciated the consequent change of teachers, classrooms and timetable. In the freetime they offer a lot of activities for everybody.

OVERALL As a school teacher (of Maths and some other things), I had supported the Spanish trip here with my pupils in April 2023. I could see what a transformative experience it was for them so much so that I wanted it for myself. My time at Taronja can only be described as excellent. Everyone at the school tries to ensure you have the best time possible which is impressive based on the carousel of students who come-and-go each week. All the staff treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you to Maxi and Fernando for running such a unique place. The last 4 weeks at Taronja have been exciting, interesting, eventful, busy, enjoyable and compact with information. The last time I studied a language was 14 years ago. I was not very keen on languages in school but my time spent at Taronja has made me believe that I can learn a language to a much higher level than I ever thought possible. That alone has been worth it. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The teachers were fun and engaging. As an absolute beginner, I did the Intensive course + conversation class + private lessons. That helped with my exposure to the language and the private classes were helpful in ironing out some issues. I did this for the first three weeks, then extended by a week and "dropped down" to "only" the intensive course, which is plenty. If I were building up for an exam I would definitely pick up the private classes again. And the conversation classes were energetically delivered to give you important insights of Spanish conversational etiquette. Overall, I was able to enjoy lessons taught by patient, *knowledgeable* and kind teachers, who have reminded me about the importance of these characteristics in my own teaching practice. Teaching beginners must be tough and it was done with grace, style, poise and importantly, a smile. Thank you Laura, Carmen, Antonio, Miguel Angel, Nestor, Carol, Jenny, Nerea, and especially Mica and Paula for your infectious energy and humour. ACADEMIC ADMIN The organisation of the timetable and classes was clearly communicated in advance via WhatsApp. I know some people didn't feel as though they were in the right class for their level and changes were made almost instantly to help. This was managed by the academic team. SUPPORT Organising, arriving, and extending my stay was made very easy by the ladies at the front desk, in particular Elena and Roza! Emails were responded to promptly and they were always so helpful. Waving to them in the morning and getting a wave back made things feel a bit more like home! SOCIAL Plenty of opportunities to socialise with others at the school. Most people I attended school with were between 19-25. But there was also a considerable contingent of older pupils too (e.g. 31, 40 and 70!). This is all taken into consideration when forming classes and social activities. There are activities organised by the school for every day of the week. I went during high season (i.e. the summer) so there were a lot of people. Some activities are linked to other language schools which broadens your pool of potential connections. A lot are free. Many are heavily subsidised. Because there is a fluid change of people from week to week the extent to which you find things socialable will depend on who you share your time at the school with. But similarly minded people would pay money to attend a summer school, so it's likely to be fine for you, as it was for me! As an over-27, I was added to a WhatsApp group for additionally organised activities. BOCARIOS (Interns) An excellently led intern team support the activities and were a good group to talk to in general. Very helpful! GENERAL THOUGHTS When in Spain and doing things, there is a naturally occurring opportunity to practice the language. Whether you decide to is your own choice! And indeed your experience in general heavily depends on you 😇 . Approach it with an open heart and fresh eyes.

The school is located in the center of the city and easy to reach by public transportation or by walking. Everybody at the office is friendly and very helpful, they listen and understand your needs. They help you not only with school stuff but also with the matters of daily life and culture. Teachers are always prepared for the classes and they teach with an effective fun way. They understand your level and find out a way to make you understand and learn in a supportive way. Modern methods like internet and interactive whiteboard are used during the classes , which make the lessons flow easily. Grammar , reading, conversation, listening are well balanced. In a week different teachers are teaching in any given class that provides different styles, techniques and accents. Besides regular classes there are more classes to choose from ( like conversation ) according to one’s needs. Every week there are some activities, day trips and social gatherings so one can learn and experience more about the culture. The timetable of classes is constantly rotating hereby assigning a morning class on a day and an afternoon class on another day. Altogether it makes learning Spanish and Spanish culture easy, fun and effective process. Additionally Valencia is a very beautiful city with lovely locals. The city offers almost everything. Thank you all so much.

I learned a lot, had a great amount of fun and gained new friends during my two weeks in Taronja. The school offers a lot of fun activities which I would recommend anyone to participate in. The personnel are very helpful with any questions you might have. The teachers I had were great. It was learning based on a lot of interactions and dialogs as it should be. I will definitely come back for more studies and adventures with Taronja.

Taronja is an excellent place to learn Spanish, the lessons are well prepared, interesting and full of surprise. There are also diversified social and cultural activities at a very moderate price. The school offers rooms in shared flats, what suited me best. Everybody is very helpful and sociable . Taronja is the perfect place for getting introduced into Spanish culture. It was my second time at Taronja and I shall come back!

I have been to Taronja School for four weeks during June/July and I really enjoyed it. The professors are all young and well prepared. The teaching methodology is very good. The proposed activities were good and permits you to meet people from foreign countries and improve your language skills. I recommend it 🙂