INSTITUTO CULTURAL OAXACA

Experiencia negativa: I had a very disappointing experience at Instituto Cultural Oaxaca and would not choose this school again or recommended it to anyone. I chose this program because it was presented to me as a 40-hour-per-week Spanish immersion program. After I was pressured to pay for multiple weeks up front for a small discount, I was given a schedule showing that the actual classroom instruction was 20 hours per week, with only 8 to 10 hours of cooking classes added throughout the week. That still left the program well short of the 40 hours I believed I was paying for. Cooking classes may be enjoyable for some students, but they are not the same as structured Spanish instruction. I came for intensive language learning, not cooking classes. It felt like a bait and switch. The administration was the biggest problem. Before payment, the administrators were friendly, warm, and all smiles. After I paid, the tone changed completely. Communication with Carlos and Lucero felt evasive and frustrating. When I asked to speak with Carlos, I was told he would be available at the school the following day, but when I came to the school, he was not there. Lucero told me she was also an owner and asked how she could help, but when I explained that I wanted a refund because the program was not what I expected or was sold on, she said only Carlos could handle that. Then I was told to message Carlos or come back another time. This pattern continued and felt like a runaround. The group classes involved a lot of board work and explanation, with limited active speaking practice, repetition, and correction. If you are looking for a light review or a cultural experience, this may be fine. If you are looking for serious language development and guided speaking practice, I would look elsewhere. The positives were my teacher, Andrea, and the campus. Andrea was excellent: kind, knowledgeable, and a very good instructor. The campus is also beautiful. After a lot of back and forth, I was able to negotiate part of what I paid for into private one-on-one lessons. However, instead of receiving the 8 hours per day of Spanish immersion that I understood I had paid for, the resolution was 2.5 hours per day of private instruction to make up for it. The private lessons were a better use of the money, but the process was unnecessarily stressful. This would be a incredible program if it was ran by Andrea and the teachers and not by Lucero and Carlos. My recommendation: do not pay for multiple weeks up front. If you are considering this school, take photos of the program offerings and get the exact program structure, refund policy, and number of actual classroom instruction hours in writing before paying. That way, if the program is not delivered as presented, you have documentation for PROFECO if needed. Better yet, try other Spanish immersion programs in Oaxaca before committing here. Overall, I would give this school two stars: one for Andrea and one for the campus. The shady administration, dishonest program structure, and mismatch between what I was told and what was delivered made this a place I would not return to.

Experiencia fantástica: I have attended ICO twice in the past years for a total of 3 weeks. I started there when I was very much a beginner and I really enjoyed the classes and the creative exercises. Over my visits my spanish has improved and I have taken higher level classes. The teachers that I have worked with are excellent (Gaby V., Pati, Mary Carmen) and I know that they do regular conferences to learn the latest techniques for effective teaching (pedagogy.) During the pandemic the school developed small group online classes (called tertulias) on various topics (arts, culture, gastronomy) - which are super fun (they still have them.) But the very biggest impact on my improved spanish is the excellent on-going work that I do via online classes with Gaby V. The teachers are excellent at ICO and I highly recommend.

Experiencia negativa: I enrolled in this immersion program and, for an entire week, we had no teacher at all. I understand that people get sick, but the program made no effort to provide a substitute or any meaningful alternative instruction. We were simply left without classes for the whole week and then told we would not receive a refund because of their policy. Charging students for a week of instruction that was never provided is completely unacceptable. The program is run by Carlos and Lucero, a son and mother, and dealing with them was incredibly frustrating. Each one tells you to talk to the other, but somehow the other person is never available. It feels like a deliberate runaround designed to avoid responsibility. On top of that, both of them were cold, dismissive, and rude. The whole experience made it clear that this program suffers from a lack of professionalism, accountability, and basic respect for students. I would not recommend this program to anyone.

Experiencia fantástica: I studied at ICO for 6 weeks and I highly recommend the experience. I had four different teachers during my time as I progressed further into my studies and all of them were engaging, talented and wonderful. I believe the negative reviews stem from high-maintenance individuals, so if that's not you, it's safe to ignore those and reserve your spot at ICO!

Experiencia fantástica: I had a wonderful experience learning Spanish here! I did one month of classes at 20 hours a week and learned so so much. I have been to a couple Spanish schools now around Latin America but this one is by far the best I have been to. The two teachers I had were incredible at their jobs. The environment is quiet and beautiful. And part of my class was outside which I really enjoyed. I definitely recommend going here if you want to learn Spanish.