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Executives: General Information
Where the courses take place
The historical town of Comillas, in the north of Spain, is an ensemble of historical-artistic buildings, in which the Modernist style is predominant. Each building gives its own special dimension and spaciousness to the activities carried out by the Foundation.
Most of the Foundation's activities take place in the classrooms located in the Seminary building, which is the Foundation's main headquarters. The Foundation will also have at its disposal other buildings of great historical and artistic importance.
The courses offered by the Fundación Comillas include virtual components and may be adapted to part attendance format. The attendance modules will be held in the Foundation's headquarters.
Teaching Methodology
The methodological approach of Fundación Comillas courses puts the emphasis on students reaching communication goals that will allow them to express themselves in business situations. The language learning programme is organised around real use of the language activities which means that students immediately put into practice what they have learnt in class.
In order to achieve this, we have developed dynamic communication activities which integrate the four basic skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and which cover cultural, economic, business and professional aspects, not only concerning Spain but also Latin America.
Teaching Staff
The teaching staff at the Fundación Comillas is made up of PhD, MA and BA degree graduates or experts in the area of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE: Español como Lengua Extranjera). They are experts in fields such as economics, business and law, and have experience in teaching these subject matters in Spanish as a foreign language.
Number of students per class
In order to ensure the highest possible quality teaching, the number of students per group in courses run by the Foundation will be a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10.
One-to-one classes offer a flexible and attractive format for courses for professionals and senior executives with a limited amount of time available.
Levels Available
Courses for executives and professionals cover different teaching levels, organised according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the Cervantes Institute Curriculum Plan*.
- Basic User: level A2
- Independent User: level B1 and level B2
- Proficient User: level C1 and level C2
Before the course begins, students will take a test to find out their level of Spanish so that they can be put into the most appropriate group.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL A1
Students understand and use very familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
Students introduce themselves and others, ask and answer questions about basic personal details such as where they live, the people they know and the things they have.
Students interact in a simple, cooperative way in Spanish with foreigners and native speakers.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL A2
Students understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of their most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment, etc.)
Students are able to communicate when completing simple and routine tasks requiring a straightforward and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
Students describe aspects of their background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL B1
Students understand the main points of clear standard input, especially on familiar matters encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. They can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
Students produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
Students describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons for opinions and plans.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL B2
Students understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical aspects in their field of specialisation.
Students interact with a sufficient degree of fluency and spontaneity to make interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
Students produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL C1
Students understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and express themselves fluently and spontaneously.
Students use language effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
Students produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL C2
Students understand with ease virtually every type of text, and learn how to look for the information they need.
Students summarise information from different spoken and written sources and present it coherently.
Students express themselves very fluently and precisely, even in more linguistically complex and communicative situations.
Types of courses for professionals and executives
The proposed courses all have a different length. How the number of sessions per week is distributed can vary according to the following formats:
Super-intensive (30 sessions/week)
Intensive (15 sessions/week)
Standard (10 sessions/week)
Weekend Courses (16 sessions in total: 4 academic sessions + 4 cultural activity sessions/day -> weekend)
One-to-one Courses. These are adapted to the student's needs.
Courses for Professionals and Executives
- Practical Course in Spanish Language and Hispanic Culture for Business.
- Courses in Communication Skills in Spanish for Professional Purposes.
- Spanish Language Courses in Specialised Techniques.
- Tailor-Made Courses.
- MA in International Business with Latin America.
