Particular emphasis is placed in flexibility. The Institute offers a relaxed, tranquil environment with a choice of studying inside a colonial home or in a bougainvillaea-filled courtyard. Some students enjoy working in the park or strolling through town with their teacher. Courses begin with mini-dialogues as a combined approach to learning grammar, vocabulary and survival skills. Experts claim that Guatemala is the perfect country in which to learn Spanish because the speech is pure with few adopted English words or slang.
Students benefit from teachers being rotated each week.
An initial oral exam determines a customised programme designed to meet the student's goals. Upon completing the course, students receive a final exam, written and oral, in order to assess their level of fluency in Spanish. These exams are optional but many educational institutions accept them for school credits. In order to maintain cultural and linguistic continuity, students are accommodated with a Guatemalan family in Antigua. All families are situated within easy walking distance of the Institute.