Faculty Led Program
Custom short-term programs designed with university faculty — academics, cultural immersion, service learning, and full on-site support in Seville.
Our Faculty-Led programs are made for you, with you, and by you. Faculty-Led programs require professors to play more than just the role of a teacher — managing a group of students 24/7 abroad, guided by professionals in the field.
That’s where SAIIE comes in:
- More than 40 years of experience working with American colleges and students
- Fully-qualified, welcoming, bilingual (Spanish/English) staff on call 24 hours a day
- Classroom and shared office space, plus administrative support
- Qualified professors to teach courses from the SAIIE study abroad course list
- Help organizing and designing Community Service Learning projects
- Cultural activities and field trips
- Accommodation with or without meals
- And much more
Our Faculty Led Program is a program that has been created to benefit the teachers as well as the students that participate on the program. Hosted in the heart of Seville, Spain, SAIIE provides the perfect settings for the Faculty Led Program to give you the ultimate study abroad experience possible.
SAIIE has over 30 years of experience in guiding American college students through their study abroad programs in Seville, and we are now proud to also offer Faculty-Led programs to help high schools and universities make the most of their educational visits to the city.
Our Faculty-Led programs offers both high schools and universities the chance to do service-learning projects during their time abroad with us in Seville, with the aim of immediately immersing them into Hispanic culture and the Sevillian lingo.
What is so great about this program is that we adapt and accommodate the program to suit you and your respective high school or university. So, we like to involve you in the ins and outs of what you would like to take from this program, and how you would like it to be set up. Each faculty-led is unique in its own respect, made just for you.
With this program, the professor’s role is more than just a teacher. It is a chance to be the student’s mentor. They have a lot more responsibility, handling a group of students 24/7, and when you’re abroad in a foreign country you want to make sure you are guided by professionals in the field.
SAIIE staff are there to make this experience even more personalised, giving you the most educated, heartfelt guide of Seville, their home city. They are bilingual, helping develop the student’s Spanish skills further, but there to speak English if they should need some guidance.
Everything is organised for you before arriving to Seville, so there is no extra stress with housing, cultural activities, day and weekend trips, classroom space and equipment, service learning projects or administrative support.
A real passion for Seville and everything Spanish is exactly what SAIIE promotes, ready to give its students the most exciting, learning experience abroad in Spain! So, with our Faculty Led Program offering both a purposeful teaching value for its faculty as well as an educational and cultural one for its students, SAIIE really does offer you an invaluable experience abroad.
If you are interested in organising a Faculty-Led program with SAIIE, please contact the Faculty Led Program Coordinator of SAIIE, Sean Chipres, at seanrc@saiie.com.
At SAIIE, our focus is you and only you, which is why we concentrate all our effort and time into making your stay in Seville a memorable one.
We want your experience with us in Seville to be different from anything else you might have done before, motivating our team to think of you in every decision we make when we organise a Faculty Led for you.
Our offer of the Faculty Led program is especially where SAIIE stands out from the crowd. A combined student/teacher program that lets the teacher expand their teaching experience by giving them the chance to teach in a new setting (in the city of Seville no less!), and gives the students an opportunity to develop their Spanish in a way that is interactive as well as natural, with their immersion into a Spanish-speaking city.
If you are still not convinced that SAIIE is the place for you, then continue reading to see what we think are the top ten reasons for you to choose our Faculty Led Program!
- SAIIE has extensive experience in the field of international education, with its ability to bring American and Spanish cultures together successfully via its Study Abroad Program founded in 1984.
- The SAIIE family treats the students like their own family. Think of them as your Spanish family, always there to offer you the guidance and support you need to live abroad!
- Seville is Southern Spain’s most treasured gem. If you ask anyone, they will first and foremost always comment on the beauty of Seville. It is the Andalusian capital, a cultural hub rich in Spanish tradition and culture, a gastronomic experience you will never forget and now a top hotspot for students studying abroad.
- SAIIE is located in the very heart of Seville, making all the major monuments, museums, shops and restaurants within walking distance.
- We offer you classroom space and access to our facilities in the SAIIE building. This means air-conditioned classrooms, a teacher’s room, study room, computer room, WIFI, LCD projectors and laptops for presentations.
- SAIIE offers you more socio-cultural activities than any other program providers in Seville. This really allows the students to get to know Seville as well as its customs and traditions.
- Excursions, day trips and weekend trips are organised by us at your request. We often organise trips to Morocco, Portugal, Granada, Cordoba and Ronda, amongst other Spanish cities.
- SAIIE holds strong relationships with many local institutions in and around Seville, usually with local businesses, schools, universities and sports teams.
- We can set up volunteering or community service projects for your group, all taking place in local schools or other institutions.
- Our Faculty Led Program is built around you and your needs, so everything is organised in a way that will benefit you and your respective high school or university. So, the program is flexible and we will always aim to accommodate you the best we can.
What Do Our Programs Include
- Program fees
- SAIIE program support services before, during, and after the program
- Pre-departure folder
- Airport reception and transportation to city center in Seville on arrival date
- SAIIE on-site staff support 24/7 throughout the program
- Bilingual on-site staff (Spanish and English)
- Classroom and shared office space
- On-site orientation
- Trips & cultural activities
- Course visits
- Service Learning Opportunities
- Accommodation with most meals and one load of laundry per week, or hotel accommodation with breakfast included
- Welcome and Farewell meals
“SAIIE engages wholeheartedly the transformative experience that study abroad offers to students—one that can impact them both personally and professionally. The customized approach, of working directly with Sean, Sam, and Stuart, offers a unique value to the experience offered to students; one that builds off the local networks SAIIE has established along with offering a global mindset based on each of their intercultural backgrounds.
As a faculty leader, I appreciate the personalized and continual sharing of ideas that goes into every study abroad program to constantly improve. The long-term relationship fostered with SAIIE has allowed authentic relationships and trust to flourish, and foster growth in myself and that of my students. Beyond the places visited, both business and cultural, one of the most impactful aspects of the program has been holding space for students to learn about themselves and how they engage with the world. Fostering diverse perspectives, shared student experiences, all coordinated by SAIIE is invaluable in building future leaders and fostering continued curiosity of the world.
As a faculty member leading students abroad for over 15 years, working with SAIIE continues to renew my sense of purpose and direction in fostering students’ growth mindset of the world. It’s not just about going somewhere new—it’s about students discovering their potential, and becoming better global citizens.”
Dr. Summer E. Swanziger Elsinger
Lecturer, School of Business
UW-Platteville
SAIIE has helped Dr. Summer lead programs to Spain in January 2024 & 2025
“For nearly 15 years, we’ve been incredibly impressed with SAIIE! Because of SAIIE’s creative, thoughtful vision for international education, their professional, organized, and accessible team, and their tireless work on our behalf, our Carleton College faculty-led program always runs so smoothly and our students thrive in Sevilla. Stuart, Sean, and Samantha bring a unique and welcome personal approach. They are right there with us every step of the way.
From the very first day in the planning process, we rely on SAIIE’s expert cultural and educational advice. Their staff is caring, dedicated, and always willing to go above and beyond to create life-changing and lifelong learning experiences and memories for our group. From homestays, to excursions, to service projects, to the day-to-day details, what truly sets SAIIE apart is their personal attention to our students’ educational needs and their remarkable ability to connect our group with Sevillian life and culture!
We are excited to continue depending on SAIIE to make our future programs in Spain so successful.”
Robert Carlson
Professor of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation & Head Men’s Soccer Coach
Carleton College
SAIIE has helped Coach Carlson lead programs to Spain in Winter 2014 / 2016 / 2018 / 2020 / 2022 / 2024
“Their expertise and over 30 years of experience in the international education field shines through in everything they do. SAIIE provides a top-notch international education experience. They take all of the work out of planning and organizing all in-country events for faculty. They certainly go above and beyond the call of duty. We had weather interfere with one of our optional activities and SAIIE was quick to reorganize for a later date. We had an ill student during our trip and a member of SAIIE brought her popsicles and medication at her homestay. Our students LOVED all of the SAIIE staff; they stated that they felt part of the SAIIE family within a couple of days of arriving in Sevilla. In addition to all of the expected professional assistance, SAIIE are true hosts. They provide faculty and students alike with recommendations for places to eat, things to do, and things to see outside of the planned itinerary so that we are left feeling like true Sevillanos when the course concludes. 10/10 recommend.”
Dr. Maria Morgan-Bathke
Chair | Director, Dietetic Internship Program | Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics
Viterbo University
SAIIE has helped Dr. Morgan-Bathke lead programs to Spain in May 2018 & 2023
“My experience taking 18 students to Spain for a two-week short-term faculty-led program was outstanding. First, the organization of trips, meals, tours, and other experiences by the staff at SAIIE were very well done. They surpassed our academic expectations, and the timing and logistics were flawless. Students were exposed to several examples of ‘Farm to Fork’ operations and the hosts at each site took time to engage with the students.
Orchestrating the basics of food and shelter, the academic objectives, and the experience of a new culture for 18 students, many who were traveling outside the United States for the first time, can be overwhelming. However, the folks at SAIIE made it all seem easy. They were superstars!”
Dr. Kevin Bernhardt
Professor of Agribusiness
UW-Platteville
SAIIE has helped Dr. Bernhardt lead programs to Spain in January 2019 & 2025
To start planning your faculty-led program, please contact:
Sean Chipres
Director of Program Development & Student Experience
seanrc@saiie.com