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It is very hard to exaggerate Barcelona. With a
population of nearly 2 million, it is big enough to
offer the widest range of choices in arts, culture
and entertainment but small enough to find your way
around. Catalonia's capital sparkles with vibrant
colours and intense energy.
At TEFL International Barcelona we will do
everything possible to make sure you have an
enjoyable time in this fantastic region. We are
a small and friendly team offering you the
warmest welcome and a range of social activities
and excursions to suit everyone. Tapas evenings,
café crawls, sailing trips, skiing,
windsurfing, wine tasting, beautiful beaches -
we can arrange just about anything! A welcome
dinner at the start of the course helps ensure
you get to know your fellow trainees at an early
stage. Yes, the course is intensive but we do
make sure you have the opportunity to get the
most out of your weekends and evenings.
Situated between the blue waters of the
Mediterranean and the Tibidabo hills, Barcelona
is on the doorstep of some of the great
playgrounds and vacation retreats of Europe. The
Balearic Islands are to the east, the Costa
Brava (Wild Coast) and Pyrenees to the north,
the Penedes wine region to the west and the
Roman city of Tarragona, the monastery at
Montserrat and the beautiful resort town of
Sitges to the south. There is so much to
explore!
The time for Barcelona is now. It has led the
region of Catalonia in a resurgence of a unique
and intriguing culture, which makes it an
unforgettable city to experience. It is home to
some of the most visionary artists of the modern
era. From the modernist spires of architect
Antonio Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Cathedral to
Picasso's Cubism and Dali's Surrealism, the
unique Catalan perspective has had a dramatic
impact on the way we see the world today.
Stroll down the main street, the Ramblas. This
grand boulevard takes you from the elegance of
the Plaça Catalunya right down to the
sea. You will see grand opera houses, ornate
churches, flower stalls, artists, street mimes,
classy cafés and great shopping. Visit
the lively produce market to see an explosion of
fresh products and colours. Try a 'tortilla
espanola' (potato omelette) and a café
con leche in the market café.
Wander deep into the bohemian Gothic quarter, a
tangled mix of seemingly undiscovered and grand
squares, schoolyard plazas, art nouveau
storefronts, baby flea markets, musty and classy
antique shops and balconies with jungles behind
wrought iron bars. The centrepiece of the Gothic
Quarter is its colossal cathedral, a fine
example of Catalan Gothic, started in 1300 and
completed 600 years later. The Picasso Museum,
far and away the best collection of Picasso's
work in Spain is just nearby.
And finally, a word about Barcelona's
nightlife. At times it seems that there are more
clubs, cafés and bars here than anywhere
else in the world. Dinner only really begins to
be served after 9pm and the choice and range of
cuisine is excellent. Afterwards you can pick
from a thousand near perfect bars tucked away in
the Gothic Quarter, trendy cafes in the Eixample
district and open-air nightclubs in the Tibidabo
Hills amongst other options.
With all this to offer, Barcelona is a great
place to have fun. History and character,
buildings with no straight lines, artists and
theatre, wild festivals and an even wilder
nightlife, bronzed beaches and refreshing
mountains. Barcelona is a gateway - to
Catalunya, to Spain, to the Mediterranean and
the Pyrenees. Pack your swimsuit and your skis,
your art history book and your clubbing
shoes. If you're in the mood to surrender to the
charms of a City, let it be in Barcelona.
Sample costs:
- All inclusive lunch menu €8-10
- Glass of beer or wine €1,50-2,50
- Coffee €1,20
- Bus/metro ticket €1.20 for a single
trip or €7 for 10 individual journeys
Meals
- Cheap €5-6
- Mid-range €18
- Expensive €20+
- Tapas dishes about €3 each
- Paella dishes from €10
Information Links
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Accommodation in Barcelona will consist of a
room in a shared flat. We put one or two
students, according to how many bedrooms are
available, with one or two other people who are
already living in an apartment. You always get
your own room, your own keys to come and go as
you please and use of communal living space.
This means you can cook and live life as a
Barcelona local. We use apartments with various
nationalities, Spanish, Catalan, Finnish,
Italian, and English are some examples. These
are not families, we do not do family housing.
They are generally either foreigners who live
and work in Barcelona or Spanish/Catalan people
with their own apartments. In most cases they
are young people and it is just a flat share.
For us it has worked wonderfully well and
students have been happy with this arrangement.
Often the apartments are close to other class
member's apartments. It means you have
somewhere that is more of a home to live in.
Our apartments are of a good local standard.
They are clean, comfortable and adequately
furnished. A lot of these stays result in
lasting friendships being made and a basis for
networking. Obviously you also have the
advantage of getting all the local tips from
your hosts. You will always be close to a metro
stop and metro travel is cheap in Barcelona.
Accommodation costs 450 euros for the
duration of the course. This is the Saturday
before the course starts until the Friday
(inclusive) when the course finishes. Extra
nights are charged at 20 euros per night. The
price for a couple sharing a double room and
double bed is 700 euros for the room for the
same duration. Extra nights are 30 euros per
couple. Once your place on a course has been
reserved we will contact you to make all the
arrangements for your accommodation and arrival
with you directly.
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The TEFL International Barcelona School is situated in
the Escola Mediterrani building close to Plaça
España and the Universitat. The nearest metro
station is Rocafort which is just a 2 minute
walk away. There are also regular buses and
night buses which run along the main Gran Via.
The area the school is in is lively and
safe. A real 'neighbourhood' with plenty of
reasonable bars and restaurants. It is a very
multicultural part of the city. Within 5 minutes
walk of the school there are Peruvian, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese Mexican and Organic Vegetarian
restaurants and of course many other Spanish and
Catalan bars.
We are very proud of the facilities TEFL
International Barcelona has. Many teacher
training centres are situated in flats in the
city. We have rooms in The University of
Tourism. This means that you will be studying in
a vibrant University environment surrounded by
Barcelona students. TEFL International Barcelona trainees
have access to all the facilities of the
university. There is a wonderful new library for
quiet study, access to more than 300 computers
and wireless internet connection on all
floors. On the 8th floor, at the top of the
building there is a roof top terrace where you
can relax in the sunshine and enjoy the fabulous
views over the rooftops of Barcelona. Also on
the 8th floor there is a café area with vending
machines and microwave.
TEFL International Barcelona graduates can continue to
use the facilities as long as they are in
Barcelona.
TEFL International Barcelona has 3 classrooms
and an office/resource room. We have one of the
best libraries of teaching resources in
Barcelona.
Click on the map below for a
larger detailed location map.
There are other photographs of the school in our
Photo
Gallery.
Escola Mediterrani
Calle Rocafort 104
Barcelona 08015
Metro: Rocafort Station (Line 1)
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