SPANISH LANGUAGE & VOLUNTEERING
SUMMER 2025
SUMMER SESSION: Mid June - End June (2 weeks)          ELIGIBILITY: Open to all boy and girl students (age 16-17 years old)          LANG. REQUIREMENTS: Intermediate high level of Spanish                                                             Full Breakdown >>                       Limited Availibility!                APPLY NOW           Contact SAIIE

PROGRAM STRUCTURE
SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES
VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITY
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
SAMPLE WEEKLY ITINERARY
ACCOMMODATION
WHERE WILL YOU STUDY
PROGRAM COSTS, DATES, AND WHATS INCLUDED
PROGRAM DIRECTORS
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
 

PROGRAM STRUCTURE      

This unique program in Seville allows students (male and female), age 16-17 years old, to have an international study abroad, cultural & volunteering experience in Spain.

SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES

Hours per week: 10hrs 
Classes: Monday - Friday
Students per class: 4 to 8 
Levels*: Classes are offered at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. 
Courses: Spanish language classes will be held in the mornings from Mo - Fri (2 hrs per day).

*A placement exam is administered when students arrive to determine the student's Spanish level (Oral and written).

VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITY

Students participating in this program will have the opportunity to volunteering daily from Monday-Friday for 2hrs each day at a care home for the elderly people right next to the SAIIE center. 

What will you do?

Providing the residents with companionship. A lot of the residents do not have family visiting them so these visits can really help them.

- Spend time chatting with them.
- Going outside the home for walks with them.
- Helping them go buy groceries.
- Playing table games (Bingo, dominos, ect) with them.

Providing the residents with companionship, for example; playing bingo, going for walks, having a chat. A lot of the residents do not have family visiting them so these visits can really help them.

Students also have the option to volunteer at a food bank where they give out food to the homeless or do both activities.

 
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

We will organize activities every day of the camp in the evening (Except on Sunday)

• Welcome Tapas dinner
• Walk around your neighbourhood and city center
• Visit to Metropol parasol (known as las Setas)
• Flamenco show
• Tapas night out (dinner)
• Day trip to the beach
• Cooking class
• Visit Plaza España
• Ceramic workshop
• Farewell dinner

Please note:   

• We will also offer a number of activities throughout the two weeks for an added costs.  
  
  
  

SAMPLE WEEKLY ITINERARY

ACCOMMODATION

All students participating in our program are placed in carefully screened Spanish homes. Living in a Spanish home is one of the most important aspects of the student's intercultural experience because it helps to improve language skills and increase cultural awareness, two key goals of the program.

The main goals of increased fluency in the language and greater familiarity with the culture are an integral element of the experience that SAIIE strives to provide. 

SPANISH FAMILIES
Spanish families are made up of a married couple with or without children, a divorced or widowed woman with children, or a family with some members living at home and others living outside the home. All students will receive their host family information 1 week PRIOR TO ARRIVAL to Seville.

ROOMMATES
In this program, all students are housed with other students studying abroad at SAIIE. Each student will have 1 to 3 roommates.

LOCATION
We place all students within reasonable distances from the SAIIE center and the rowing Club where they will be rowing. 

MEALS
All meals are included in the program costs (Breakfast, lunch and dinner).  For those days that a trip has been scheduled with the program, the family will prepare a packed meal. Naturally, adjustments with regard to customs, food, and heat must be anticipated by the students. SAIIE does take dietary and other personal restrictions into consideration when assigning students to their host family.

WI-FI
Internet will be available in all homes.

LAUNDRY
Each student is allowed 1 load of laundry per week, which is washed by the host family. 

Please note: 
Spanish laws oblige every company or person working with minors to have an official criminal record certificate proving that they are not included in the register of Sex Offenders throughout the European territory, so both SAIIE and our families have this certificate endorsed by the Spanish Ministry of Justice.

For more information on housing, please contact the SAIIE Director, Samantha Chipres at samanthac@saiie.com 


"It was an excellent experience that familiarized me with a different culture in a family-like manner. The meals were amazing and our landlady was very caring and enthusiastic."
Katia Arzayus, Summer 2024 participant

WHERE WILL YOU STUDY? FACTS ABOUT SEVILLE

LOCATION: Seville is located in the southern region of Spain, one hour away from the Atlantic Ocean, two hours away from Portugal, and three hours away from Africa. 

MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS OF HISTORY: Our culture has been influenced by the Tartessians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and lastly by the Christians.

CLIMATE: We enjoy a Mediterranean climate: a very hot and dry summer. During June our average temperature throughout the month is in the mid 90 F and low of mid 70 F 

TRADITIONS: Flamenco dancing, Feria de Sevilla, Holy Week (Semana Santa), Tapas, Siestas, etc. 

MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE:  Olive oil is the base and essential ingredient to our cuisine, vegetables are a must with our meals, our deserts are mostly fresh fruit, fresh oranges every day of the year, we love our wine and finally, we can't live without our "Jamón Serrano".

SEVILLE HAS UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE SITES: the Cathedral of Seville (it is the third largest cathedral in the world and the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world), the Alcázar Royal Palace (still in use by the King and Queen of Spain), and the Archive of Indies (where the original documents of the ships going to America when it was first discovered). 

SEVILLE HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO FAMOUS WRITERS AND ARTISTS: Such as Orson Wells, Ernest Hemingway, Murillo and Cervantes.

SEVILLE HAS ALSO BEEN A POPULAR DESTINATION TO FILM FOR MANY AMERICAN FILMS AND TV SHOWS:  

• Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Captain Alatriste (2006)
• Knight and Day (2010)
• The Dictador (2012)
• Game of Thrones (2015)

People say a picture is worth a thousand words, but some things must be seen for themselves. Come to Sevilla and discover the beauty of this magical city with SAIIE. Os estamos esperando.

PROGRAM COSTS, DATES AND DEADLINES

PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Sean Chipres
Program Manager
E-mail: seanrc@saiie.com 

Sean Chipres graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Platteville with honors in an International Studies degree.

He is fluent in Spanish, English and French.

He began to work for the Spanish-American Institute of International Education in 2001. 

Sean is the High School coordinator for the SAIIE programs.

His biggest passions include travelling and meeting new people from around the world.

“I love my job and international education. The most gratifying part of my job is to see how students evolved throughout their study abroad experience and how they turned into new people after their experience is over, and to know that we played a big part in it”.

Samantha Chipres
Director 
E-mail: samanthac@saiie.com 

Samantha is the youngest of four, following her brother's steps in education: went to the French School where she graduated from High School to later jumping into the American system through SAIIE to finally graduating with a Bachelors degree in International Studies from UW-Platteville. 

In 2007 she began working in SAIIE as Assistant Student Affairs. In 2010, she became the Student Affairs Director; amongst her duties, she organised excursions and cultural activities, served as the 24/7 emergency contact for all students, placed students with corresponding households and roommates, carefully selected host families through a comprehensive interview process and arranged contracts.

In 2016, Samantha moved to London to continue her education and pursued her Master's Degree in International Business at the Regent's University of London. 

With her new role as Director back in SAIIE, her responsibilities are to continue helping in the Student Affairs department, as well as to work with the Planning and Development department in the decision-making process for upcoming projects, developing new strategies and ideas to improve our services for the students and to create potential partnerships with U.S. universities.

"My number one passion is to travel to different parts of the world and getting to know their culture. To be able to be a small part of an unforgettable experience such as studying abroad is an honour. Seeing the students sad to leave Seville and us at the end of the semester means that we have done our job to show them that this city and this program are special".

Stuart Chipres
Resident Director
E-mail: director@saiie.com

Stuart Chipres was born and raised in Seville (Spain) with a huge international background (Dual-citizenship: American-British). He studied at the French School in Seville for 10 years, and then went on to study at Padres Blancos High School, a well-known private Catholic school in Seville. Once graduated from High School, he jumped into the American system going to the Spanish American Institute of International Education, to finish graduating as a student of the University of Wisconsin- Platteville with an International Studies degree.

In 1999 he began working for the Spanish-American Institute in the accounting department and since then, he has moved through all the departments working in the registrar department, student affairs and academic departments. In 2009 he became the Director of the Spanish-American Institute of International Education.

Stuart is fluent in three languages (Spanish, English and French), he loves travelling around the world and has been almost everywhere (US, Asia, Europe and Africa). However, his biggest passions are a clear representation of Andalusian culture: Soccer, Semana Santa, Bullfighting and the overall lifestyle.

"It's a pleasure to share my International experience, views on life and passion for Sevilla with American students from all over the US and different backgrounds. Their transformation is breathtaking and makes me prouder than anything else in my life." 

STUDENT TESTIMONIAL