The Apu Inty Spanish school in central Quito offers a more fulfilling experience than many of Quito´s many language schools and, best of all, it does so without requiring you to pay over the odds for the privilege.

While learning Spanish through excellent conversation-focused tuition and staying with a carefully-selected host family, Apu Inty students can also hone their language skills through taking part in the cookery classes, salsa classes, specially organised day trips and extra social activities arranged by the school at very little or no extra cost. Its name, a title signifying the sun god Senor Sol (or Mister Sun) in the local Quichua language, is derived from the school´s early days when it taught mainly medical students.

After the school opened in 2001, its students visited indigenous communities to carry out their work during their university holidays, while learning Spanish in a building near Parque Carolina. Nowadays, in its new Mariscal-based location, Apu Inty has opened its Ecuadorian style doors not only to medical and environmental students but to people of all ages and all walks of life. While one student may be a retired teacher getting their second wind to travel around South America, another may be a young volunteer about to undertake an internship in a museum or on the Galapagos Islands. In short, there are no limitations to who can sign up for lessons and the atmosphere truly reflects this open attitude. Wandering through the sunny outdoor courtyard and around the casa´s small, brightly decorated rooms, the discerning visitor will be struck by Apu Inty´s warmth and charm.

The school is unique in its approach to those wishing to combine language lessons with volunteering; it recommends the best projects for them to work on without charging administration fees for the information. As director and founder Pablo Proano explains, the objective of Apu Inty is not solely to make profit from its students, but to ensure that they make the most of their time in Ecuador and feel at home in Quito. “We interact with every student. Each one is special,” he says. “We try to show them the real Ecuador – and we ask the teachers to do the same thing”. It is important for the staff at Apu Inty that students feel comfortable and confident with their teachers and that through developing their language skills they learn to understand the culture in Ecuador too.

The school ensures that its language teaching includes a strong element of cultural awareness to enhance the experience of its students while they are in Ecuador and other South American countries. He adds: “Language helps the students to interact but to teach them how to act with people is also very important.” The standard of teaching is high and, in tune with the needs of most students, it focuses on relating the vocabulary and grammar learned to real-life situations and communication. Recent cultural and artistic activities pursued by the staff have included a visit to the remarkable Museo de Guayasamin and cookery sessions advising students how to make the Ecuadorian favourite of fried bananas and the traditional ceviche dish with chicken. An unusual programme option offered by Apu Inty is a tailored tour with a teacher to various parts of Ecuador, such as the jungle, although this may only be an option for wealthier students due to the expenses of such a trip.

The school also has a member of staff based in beautiful Puerto Lopez for those who prefer tranquil surroundings and sprawling beaches to hectic city life. As well as being supportive of others´social projects, the Quito-based school is currently in talks with the Universidad Catholica to set up a free language exchange service for students to benefit both the students at Apu Inty Spanish school and Ecuadorian students wanting to practice their English. All the staff are approachable and always at hand to answer any questions about their country and the best ways in which to explore it. Located within arm´s reach of all the Mariscal´s bars, shops and restaurants and set within the cosy walls of an old Ecuadorian house, Apu Inty could not be a more ideal place - physically, linguistically or spiritually - from which to begin a South American adventure.