Oaxaca International Spanish Language School - 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez

My wife and I studied here in the mornings for a week. After a placement test, we were assigned an instructor to help with grammar, followed by a second instructor for conversation. Our afternoons were free to wander, or join in excursions and tours. Both teachers were extremely helpful and we learned a lot of useful Spanish. It can get a little noisy in the streets near the school, but that's Oaxaca for you. Very friendly and helpful.

This is one of the best school that I have ever attended since graduating from college many years ago. I traveled a lot mainly for sightseeing , to see incredible sights, to appreciate their culture, music, and their food. Usually I stayed in a city for no more than 4 days so it was like I took a bullet train passing by a city. Everything became a blur after a few cities. I didn’t remember a thing and got confused. Attending Oaxaca International Spanish School was one of my best experience because it was an enriching experience. I got to learn so many things. I thought I was too old to learn but this school is for all ages and some of my classmates were older than me. I thought Spanish is too hard to learn and it is but Spanish and English shared many common words so you won’t be starting off with nothing. I left the school with so much wonderful memories that I will forever treasured thanks to Ileana and her team of excellent teachers. Before I decided on anything like which airlines, what hotel, where to go, I read reviews. I googled different Spanish schools in Oaxaca . I checked the school websites. I reviewed the cost. Oaxaca International Spanish School ( OISS ) has excellent reviews so I contacted the owner/principal Ileana . Based on the email communication and excellent reviews, I decided to attend OISS. I like the school so much that I studied there twice within the past 7 months. The first time was for 3 weeks in late January and the second time for 2 weeks starting 7/22. The teachers there were all very professional, amiable and knowledgeable. All the teachers know English well but the lessons were all conducted in Spanish. They used different teaching tools like board games, flash cards, magazine pictures etc which made the lessons fun. The first 2 hours was focused on grammar. The second two hours ( I took 4 hours of lessons. Some students took 2 or 3) was conversation and the teachers told us about the festivals, the culture, and the tradition of Mexico in general and Oaxaca in specific. To enhance our learning , we had homework for the grammar class. We had different teachers every Monday to broaden our learning experience. Also, every Thursday we had excursions right after school that were included in our tuition. We went to 6 different places during my 3 weeks in Feb and we learned about pottery, wood carving , dye making and weaving which were very enriching. I learned a lot from these excursions. A 3 weeks class only got me started. Before I left Oaxaca I asked Ileana about online lessons and she said the school offers Skype lessons. I asked María Teresa ( Mayte ) if she would be willing to be my Skype teacher and I was grateful that she would so now I have for 3 one hour lessons every week. Mayte is dedicated, engaging, extremely patient and resourceful. I was not just studying grammar with her. We had a wide arranging discussion topics. She told me many things about Oaxaca. It was like I was going through a treasure chest. There were so many things to learn from her. In summary, I really like Oaxaca International Spanish School. The school was well organized and well run. We learned at the pace that we could learn so it wasn’t too fast nor too slow. Ileana was so warm, friendly and helpful all the time. The teachers were well prepared and knowledgeable The Skype lessons were wonderful and allowed me to continue my education where ever I am. I highly recommend OISS. You will learn a lot. The lessons are stimulating, challenging but fun. Your time will be well spent because you will bring back not only great memory but also a new way to express yourself other than English or whatever your native tongue is, not to mention getting to know the culture and custom of Oaxaca. My recommendation also is let this class be a beginning with no ending. Continue Skype lessons and complete all 3 books.

I was very happy with my classes at Oaxaca International Spanish Language School! Before arriving in Oaxaca, I looked at many schools and this one had the best price. Still, I wrote emails to a handful of them, to see which one would be the best fit for me. Ileana wrote back in a nice and informative way (which wasn't the case with some other schools), so after reading many reviews, I decided to try this school. And I'm so happy I did! Being a teacher myself and having attended many language schools for other languages, I have become quite picky with the quality of classes. After some not so great experiences with Spanish schools in other countries, I told myself that I should stop having such high expectations and simply get the most out of the classes I could. But, wow, I did not have to lower my expectations with this school at all! The day starts with 2 hours of grammar taught by very knowledgeable teachers and the you have 1, 2 or 3 hours of communication with another teacher. I decided to have 4 hours in total and it was perfect! They are also quite flexible, I saw that other students changed the process around a bit and continued with more grammar classes in the second part of the day, for example. The school also does excursions which are great and in those occasions you get to know the other students a bit better. The location is perfect, very central and the school itself is beautiful. The "classrooms" are tables outside in the beautiful yard full of flowers and humming birds. There is free coffee and water available. You do hear the other students but it's not distracting at all, it all adds up to a very communal, summer-y feeling, I really loved this setting! So, if you are wondering which school to chose, take this one, you won't regret it! :)

Our plan to do aweek of learning Spanish jelled once we heard from the Director Ileana Jimenez who answered our questions very patiently by email. She set up a wonderful homestay for us that was both economical and very well situated near the school and the Zócalo tourist area. We were a group of three ranging from a young total beginner to a somewhat advanced adult and a person who remembered a bit from high school. She had teachers for all of us! The school has a large open courtyard and a rooftop learning area and several small alcove classrooms surrounding the courtyard. Each day you spend two hours with one teacher then another hour with a different person for a conversation. which broke up the morning nicely. There was one cultural afternoon included in the cost.

Ecxellent school - brilliant teachers. And if you want a homestay - ask to live with Patricia and you will get the best meals you've ever had and the most welcoming host you could ever imagine.

I’ve been to this school three times and each time has been great. I’ve made some pretty magical friends here por vida. Sra. Ileana is very kind and genuine and really wants students to get the most out of their time in Oaxaca. I didn’t think there could be a nicer campus than the one I first went to, but the new location actually surpasses the old one. ✨

Oaxaca International is a fantastic place to learn Spanish! The director and teachers create a warm, friendly environment in order to immerse yourself in the learning experience. Highly recommend!

I was very impressed with the quality of instruction, the appropriate placement in group settings, the extra curricular activities and the school facilities. I teach in the USA, and I thought they struck a perfect tone for the traveler who legitimately wants to improve their Spanish. Without question, the homestay was the highlight of the trip for me. The school placed us with Patricia. If you can request this homestay, I strongly recommend you do. She was a teacher, friend, concierge, chef and delight in every way. We left our homestay to try a famous hotel that was highly recommended by a friend. Although it was a lovely place, I do regret leaving my homestay early. Nothing compares to having those anchoring experiences and having a home away from home.