How to Study Spanish in Nicaragua

Make a Plan

• 1). Buy a comprehensive Nicaraguan travel guide book. Lonely Planet guides offer the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about visiting Nicaragua. Frommers publishes a guide for the less budget conscious traveler. Both offer an extensive collection of online articles to augment their books.
  
  
• 2). Go at the right time of year. Use your travel guide for information about seasonal weather patterns and activities. For example, if you're interested in viewing turtles laying eggs, you'll want to be on the Nicaraguan Pacific coast between May and November.
  
  
• 3). Find the perfect location. Many visitors avoid Managua because it is a loud, crowded city. Nicaragua's smaller cities and coastal towns offer a variety of Spanish schools and easy access to local markets, beaches, volcanoes and lakes.
  
  

Enroll in a Program

• 1). Get a listing of schools. Use a travel guide book and online sources, like 123 Teach Me, to put together a list of Spanish language schools in the area.
  
  
• 2). Compare and narrow your choices. You'll find a wide variety of programs from which to choose. Options include room and board, home stay, community volunteer opportunities, cooking classes, one-on-one instruction and cultural excursions.
  
  
• 3). Contact your top three choices. All reputable language schools have websites that list contact information. These schools are accustomed to international clientele, so you should have no problem communicating in English via email or Skype. Ask the school for references and inquire about the flexibility of designing a package that works for your needs. Many language schools will assess your ability and goals to determine an appropriate program for you.
  
  
• 4). Budget wisely. You will have opportunities for adventure once you arrive in Nicaragua, so you'll want to budget enough money for school and extracurricular activities. As of October 2010, prices for programs that include room and board range from $100 to $370 per week; programs that are limited to classroom instruction cost between $3 and $10 per hour of instruction