Even if you have some Spanish (beginner all the way to expert) then you will be able to learn a lot at the school. The "Escuela de Español Atahualpa" was a very friendly and easy environment to learn in. You are taught one to one, by a number of different teachers (all nice). This helps you with your comprehension a lot, as no two people speak in exactly the same way. It also introduces you to different ways of learning the language as all the teachers use different techniques.

There are cheaper schools in Quito but many are very badly organised, with very poor teaching standards.

Atahualpa is not the biggest school but I think that it is probably one of the best. Because it is not so big, after 4 weeks I knew all of the teachers and found the school had a very friendly family atmosphere. Staying with a native family in Quito also gives you a lot more opportunity to speak in Spanish. I really enjoyed the home stay and found that I enjoyed settling in one place for 4 weeks having been travelling for 6 months straight. Again there are cheaper places to stay but I feel you would miss out on a lot just living in "Gringo Land" while you attend the school. Incidentally Atahualpa is easy to find and is right in the middle of "Gringo Land". As well as the formal lessons you have the opportunity to go on cultural trips with the school, allowing you to practice you Spanish outside of the school and also soak up some of Ecuador's amazing past. To take this further you can even study in a different part of Ecuador if you wish. I highly recommend taking a week of classes in the Jungle, giving you time to really take in the amazing environment. With less Gringos around you also end up speaking a lot more Spanish. That's about it really. A highly recommended Spanish School! If you have any questions please feel free to drop me a line at: