www.sanjoseelviejo.com
After studying for 3 weeks at Tecun Uman, I decided to change schools to see what else was out there. I chose Escuela de Espanol San Jose el Viejo because it was the most beautiful school I had seen in Antigua!
The School:
The school is next door to the ruins of an old church, and you can see these ruins on the side of the school. Thus, when you walk in the school, you see the ruins on the right, and the rest of the facilities are covered with greenery - this school must have one of the best kept gardens in the whole city. If you are lucky, you will get your own "classroom" in the gardens, complete with a whiteboard for you and your private teacher to use. There is free Internet access for use during the breaks, and there are two sweet Labrador Retrievers that walk around and visit all the students.
The Teachers:
I had three different teachers at the school. One was very good, one was pretty bad, and my last teacher was excellent. Most of the improvement in my Spanish occurred with this one teacher (Alejandro). The school lends you textbooks to use, but most of the time my teacher and I just talked about random topics. In addition, he brought a book (in Spanish) discussing topics such as astrology, life in the future, abortion, and other controversial topics. We would choose one topic a day in the late mornings (the early mornings were dedicated to grammar) and debate the issue at hand.
The Activities:
Unfortunately, the school did not offer free activities. However, every Thursday, the school organized a trip, either to Azotea (a nearby museum and coffee plantation), to San Antonio Agua Caliente (a nearby town), or to a macadamia farm. They usually rotated between these three activities, which meant that after 3 weeks, you wouldn't have any other activities to attend. In addition, they grossly overcharged for these activities.
The Cost:
Pretty reasonable at $85/week for 4 hours a day for a private teacher. You can also stay in the gorgeous facilities (not homestays, but apartments) they give you access to their pool and tennis courts. Very luxurious!