Academic immersion in a public school in Benalmádena – 16-18 years old – 1 term to 1 academic year

This programme is open to motivated participants aged 16 to 18 who are not beginners in Spanish and who wish to spend a term, semester or academic year at a Bachillerato school (the last 2 years of secondary education) sharing the life of a Spanish host family. It takes place at a private secondary school in Benalmádena, a few kilometres from Málaga in southern Andalusia.

This total immersion stay will allow you to immerse yourself in the heart of Spanish and Andalusian culture.

Highlights of the destination

  • An ideal location on the Costa del Sol, close to Málaga
  • A public school with an excellent reputation
  • Quality teaching
  • The opportunity to study for the bachillerato
  • Personalised teaching and support
  • The possibility of taking Spanish support courses
  • Extra-curricular activities and sports

Benalmádena is ideally located on the Costa del Sol , around twenty kilometres from Málaga.

Once a fishing village, it is now a small town of 70,000 inhabitants that has managed to modernise while preserving its charm. The friendliness of its inhabitants, its sports facilities (water sports, golf, horse-riding, etc.), its enduring Andalusian traditions and the natural beauty of its coastline make Benalmádena the ideal place to study.

The courses

During their last 2 years of secondary school, or Bachillerato, students must take at least the following courses: physical education, philosophy, Spanish literature, foreign language and history. They can then choose three subjects from among the following, depending on the courses offered by the school and their interests: technical drawing, biology, physics, chemistry, maths, Latin, Greek, etc.

As part of this programme, you attend classes under the same conditions as Spanish students. The course load is approximately 30 hours per week. Classes run from Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 2.30pm (except in September and June when they start at 9am and finish at 2pm).

In the afternoons, students can take part in a range of sporting activities (football, rugby, basketball, swimming, dance, etc.) or cultural activities (music, drama, etc.).

School

Founded in 1971, our partner school is a prestigious private ‘colegio ‘ which has built up a reputation for excellence over its many years of experience. Its excellent results in the Selectividad, the school-leaving exam, have earned it a place among the top 5 lycées in the province of Málaga.

The school is used to welcoming foreign students and has a teaching method that is perfectly suited to students whose mother tongue is not Spanish. If they wish, foreign students can take advantage of Spanish language support courses. This cultural diversity makes it easier for students to integrate and makes their experience all the more rewarding.

The school is housed in a modern building just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre, set in large wooded grounds with sports facilities and a swimming pool. The classrooms are bright and the school has been designed to offer students an ideal environment: a canteen, a large library, a science laboratory, a fully-equipped computer room, a small theatre and an art room.

Education in Spain is divided into three stages: primary school, from ages 6 to 12; secondary school, from ages 12 to 16; and Bachillerato (lycée in France), from ages 16 to 18.

The Bachillerato corresponds to the last two years of secondary education; it completes the four years of “Compulsory Secondary Education” (E.S.O.) and precedes the Selectividad exam, after which students are admitted to university. Students can choose between two courses: pure sciences or humanities.

The assessment system is based on grades received throughout the year. There is no national examination at the end of the course, but the diploma is awarded on the basis of academic results obtained throughout the year.

The school year is divided into three terms. As an international student, you can join a class for one term (beginning of September), one semester (mid-January) or for the whole academic year. The academic year starts at the beginning of September and finishes at the end of June. There are two weeks’ holiday at Christmas and two at Easter.

Throughout the year, the school organises cultural visits, sports activities (golf, sailing, tennis, badminton, volleyball etc.) and excursions to Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Ronda etc.

Other activities include Spanish film screenings, lectures on Spanish art, flamenco lessons, outings to restaurants and tapas bars, etc. Everything is done to ensure that students are immersed in Spanish culture.

Host families are undoubtedly the most important element of the programme. This is why we attach such importance to their selection.

They choose to host students because they want students to discover and share their lifestyle and culture, and because they want to find out more about the students and their country. After being selected on the basis of interviews and references, the family plays an active role in choosing the student they will host.

They usually have a child studying at the same school as you, and live around 20 minutes from the school.

You will be staying in a shared room (with a student of another nationality), with full board.

A local tutor is responsible for monitoring the progress of foreign students. The tutor is an experienced person who knows your host family and stays in regular contact with you. He or she organises meetings and makes sure that your stay goes well, both with the family and at the school.

School staff are also on hand to help you if you have any problems.

  • be aged between 16 and 18
  • have a good level of Spanish
  • have achieved good results over the last three school years
  • willingness to make new friends and share the daily life of a host family
  • an interest in studying other cultures and languages, motivation, maturity and adaptability

Do you meet the entry requirements?

  1. Fill in the pre-registration form as soon as possible
  2. When we receive it, we’ll send you a provisional confirmation, including the total cost of the stay, a request for payment of €100 (for the language test and the motivation interview), and the full application form for the chosen programme. We will also ask you to send us a copy of your school reports for the last 3 years.
  3. We then invite you to come and take the language test and interview at our offices in Brussels or Paris. This costs €100 and is payable on receipt of the pre-confirmation. This amount is non-refundable, but can be deducted from the balance of the stay if you are definitively enrolled and accepted on the programme. Part 1 of the application form must be completed and brought with you to the interview.
  4. We will confirm the result no later than 8 days after our interview
  5. If the interview is positive, we ask you to pay a deposit of 25% of the total cost of your stay (with a minimum of €1,500) and to complete all the elements of your application, including letters of recommendation from your teachers and other information needed for us to study your application on site. As soon as your application is complete and we have received payment of the deposit, we will forward it to our partner.
  6. Final acceptance to the programme is given by our partner
  7. Once your application has been accepted, our partner begins the search for and selection of a host family and enrolment in the school

The application deadlines are

  • 15 May for an August departure
  • 15 October for a January departure

Please note: late applications will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to additional charges.

European Union citizens do not need a visa to enter Spain.

Citizens of other countries (such as the United States, Brazil, Japan, Korea, etc.) may stay in Spain for a period of three months without a visa.

If the programme exceeds 90 days (3 months), a visa covering the entire duration of the stay is required. Contact the Spanish embassy in your country for full details.

All costs incurred by these procedures are the responsibility of the student.

Dates 2024-2025

  • School year: mid-September – mid-June
  • School term : mid-September – mid-December
  • School term: mid-September – mid-January

Examinations generally take place in the first week of July.

Pupils have 2 weeks’ holiday at Christmas and 1 week in the spring; the exact dates will be communicated once enrolment has been confirmed.

WPCS 42.0.3

Tuition, homestay full-board, administration fees included
Course durationPrice
1 term (September - December)€ 6.725
1 semester (September - January)€ 8.125
1 academic year (September - June)€ 14.995

Our prices include:

  • School tuition and registration fees
  • Accommodation with a host family, full board, for the duration of the stay (including Christmas holidays)
  • Return transfer from Malaga airport to the host family
  • Educational support
  • 24-hour assistance
  • An orientation day on the first day of the course
  • Certificate of attendance at the end of the course

Our prices do not include

  • Return journey to Malaga
  • Local travel costs (approximately 100€ / month for 2 daily trips)
  • Books and course materials
  • Optional insurance
  • Any support classes and optional activities
  • School uniform (sports kit only, €40 to €60)
  • Pocket money (approximately €250 per month)
  • Any additional costs associated with Covid, such as quarantine, PCR tests, antigens, self-tests, etc. are the responsibility of the student

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