FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Anyone interested in learning or improving their Spanish can receive tailor-made classes, that is to say, they can be received at any level of Spanish.

Español con Carmen offers tailor-made classes for levels A1, A2, B1, and B2.

The conversation sessions are perfect for students who already know the language and want to improve their communicative competence. In other words, they are not suitable for beginners or beginners (Levels A1 and A2). The minimum level required to have a conversation session is Level A2 very advanced or finished, up to level C2.

The purpose of learning a language is communication. The tailor-made classes and conversation sessions are designed with a communicative approach, that is, recreating real situations.

In addition, the needs and interests of the student are always taken into account. We also adapt to the times and ways of learning that each person requires. For all these reasons, we can affirm that our method is the right one for learning Spanish and if that is your objective, it is right for you.

Before buying your classes, you can have a meeting with Carmen Teixeira to get to know her, check the quality of her classes, ask your doubts and find out your level of Spanish. You can do this by clicking on the "Learn more ...." button on the home page.

• Tailor-made classes have a duration of 55 minutes and are designed to meet the needs and interests of the student(s).
  The content is designed so that the student(s) can achieve his/her/their objective according to his/her/their level of Spanish.
  Grammar, lexical-semantic content, phonetics, pragmatic aspects (real situations) will be worked on.
  Students are given the material worked on in class and a series of exercises to reinforce what they have learnt. The student/s are also monitored on an ongoing basis.
  These tailor-made classes are for beginners (A1 and A2) and intermediate levels (B1 and B2).

• Conversation sessions: these sessions last 40 minutes (individual) or 55 minutes (small group) and are aimed at improving the conversation of any student of Spanish.
  These conversation sessions are for intermediate (level A2 completed, B1 and B2) and advanced levels (C1 and C2).

The general objective is for the student to learn to cope in real life situations, and for this reason, we will propose this type of situation, which the student can even request to be developed in class.
This is the communicative approach, currently considered the best method for learning a language.
In addition, in the tailor-made classes, the student will be given support material so that he/she can study in a complete way what he/she has learnt in class.

Basically you will need:
a) A computer, tablet or mobile phone with a stable Internet connection.
b) A camera (it is possible to use the camera integrated in the device).
c) An audio system (microphone and speaker), being valid the one integrated in the device used to give the class.
d) Whether we use ZOOM or SKYPE, you do not need to have any software, you can access these platforms through the web.

It is very easy:
- You have to go to the page ONLINE-CLASSES. First you will find information about the types of services you can buy.

- Then you will find the different products: packs of individual classes (tailor-made or conversation classes) and packs of classes in small groups with a maximum of 5 students (tailor-made or conversation classes). You will also find their prices with the discounts in force at that moment.

- Select the class or pack of classes you are interested in and you will access the page where you will find all the details and characteristics of the classes. From there you can add it to your cart.

- Finally you will arrive at the checkout page where you will have to fill in the minimum necessary data and select your secure payment method: Credit card (Stripe), Paypal or Bank Transfer.

- After making the purchase, you will receive a confirmation email with the order code. If you choose bank transfer, we will send you the bank details to which you should make the transfer.

- Once we verify that the payment has been made, you will receive an email with the username and password that you must use to access the Private Area which will give you access, among other things, to the SCHEDULE page. In the case of individual classes, you will be able to request a date and time for the class on this page.

Yes, it is possible. On the PayPal website you can choose the option "Pay by card", so you don't need to create a PayPal account.

However, you can also pay by credit or debit card by selecting the Stripe option.

In the case of individual classes (tailor-made or conversation classes):

• Once we verify that the payment has been made, you will receive an email with the username and password that you will need to use to access the Private Area which will give you access, among other things, to the SCHEDULE page. On this page you will be able to request a date and time for the class to be held. All this in the case of individual classes.
• You can schedule your own appointment on the CALENDAR page: With a minimum of 48 hours notice, choose the day and time that is available for your tailor-made class or conversation session.
• You can also inform Carmen Teixeira of your preferences of days and times by email at [email protected] and she will book your tailor-made classes and conversation sessions on the days and times you indicate.

In the case of group classes (tailor-made or conversation classes):

• In this case, the calendar and timetable of classes will be coordinated by Carmen Teixeira according to the availability of the students.

You have different options: you can buy 1, 10 or 20 individual tailor-made Spanish classes, or 1 or 10 individual conversation sessions.

If you prefer to receive classes in a small group (no more than 5 students), you can also purchase packs of 15 tailor-made classes for groups with A1 or B1 level, as well as monthly packs of group conversation sessions (2 sessions per week).

If you would like a different number of tailor-made classes or conversation sessions, please send an email to [email protected]

No, the packs of tailor-made classes and conversation sessions are individual. If you need to change person, you should contact Carmen Teixeira, via email ([email protected]), and tell her about your specific situation. Express authorisation is required for this type of change.

You can book individual lessons. If you want to book a day and time for the whole pack, please request it from Carmen Teixeira by sending an email to [email protected].

Yes, there are 2 types of individual Spanish classes:
• CUSTOM classes which have a duration of 55 minutes.
• CONVERSATION classes which have a duration of 40 minutes.

You can find out more about them on the ONLINE-CLASSES page.

On the CALENDAR page you will find 2 different calendars, one for each type of class. You will have to choose the one that corresponds to the classes you have booked.

The Calendar option is only available on the main menu for those users who have accessed the Private Area and have logged in with a username and password.

The username and password are sent by email after the first purchase.

Yes, at least 24 hours before the class time. The student will not be penalised in any way.

• In the case of individual classes:

Procedure: There are 2 ways:
1. The student will cancel or reschedule the appointment in the corresponding Calendar (CUSTOM or CONVERSATION).

2. The student will send an email to [email protected] informing of the need to cancel the class. He/she must indicate his/her full name, day and time booked that needs to be cancelled.

• In the case of group classes:

Procedure:

The student will send an email to [email protected] informing of the need to cancel the class. You must indicate your full name, date and time you need to cancel.

In the case of both individual and group classes, if the student requests the cancellation of the class with less than 24 hours notice or does not show up at the booked time, the class will be forfeited without the possibility of a claim.

No, tailor-made classes and conversation sessions do not expire.

It is not necessary to install any software because Español con Carmen teaches the classes by videoconference through the Zoom and Skype programmes, which are free of charge for the student and can be accessed from the Internet without having to download any software. In addition, both platforms have applications for Android and Apple mobile devices.

Only for justified reasons and within 3 months from the date of purchase of the pack. In this case, the student will be refunded the amount of the classes that have not yet been given. See Section 9. Cancellation policy for online training classes on the General Conditions of Sale page.

If the technical problem is with Carmen and makes it impossible to hold the tailor-made class or conversation session normally or to complete it, the class will be repeated at another time, agreed by the student and Carmen Teixeira, at no additional cost to the student.

If the technical problem is the student's problem and is specific, an attempt will be made to recover the content lost during the interruption of the class or session. If the technical problem is repeated and prevents the classes from being held normally, the service will be cancelled and the student will be refunded the amount of the classes contracted and not given.

In relation to individual classes, for special times, outside the timetable, please send an email to [email protected] and explain your specific case. Carmen Teixeira will try to coordinate a suitable timetable for both of you.

At certain times, outside those listed on the CALENDAR tab, the price of the classes will be increased.

You only have to request it by email to [email protected].

However, we would like to inform you that tailor-made classes and conversation sessions for Spanish language teaching are exempt from taxes (VAT), according to Spanish legislation. Other types of products related to Spanish language learning are subject to taxes (courses, books, infographics, etc.).

The prices shown on the website include taxes (if the product requires it).