Spanish Tutors

What are the Benefits of Learning Spanish with a Private Tutor?

Learning with a private tutor means you get to learn at your own pace, ask questions whenever you choose and get undivided attention. If you join a group class, you may experience Spanish lessons that are either too slow or go too fast for you.

Here are some top benefits of learning Spanish with a private tutor:

Customized Spanish classes

It's true that people have different learning techniques and styles which are in accordance with their learning skills. Although we all have a blend of learning styles, there is a primary style of learning.

For instance, traditional Spanish classes may focus too much on your vocabulary and quizzes. However, if you're not so good with quizzes, you may get the impression that Spanish is difficult or you'll never get to be fluent in it.

When you take lessons with a private Spanish tutor, you can discuss your preferred learning style with your tutor. Also, your tutor will use the best method of explaining difficult topics to you. Private tutoring helps you to be comfortable while learning and not be put under pressure from being with other students.

It offers better results

One benefit of having a private Spanish tutor is that it allows you to concentrate, offering better results. According to studies, where you take classes can determine how much you'd learn. Also, once you have a particular place where you learn, you can be 100% focused and retain more information. After all, the main essence of taking private Spanish lessons is to learn effectively.

Other benefits are:

• You get continuous feedback from your Spanish tutor
• Private lessons improve your confidence and self-esteem
• You can suggest the topics you're specifically interested in learning
• You get to learn Spanish any day you choose. It offers flexibility
• You have the full attention of your Spanish tutor

Which Countries Use Spanish as their Official Language?

From Northern and Southern America to Asia and some parts of Europe, there are about 20 countries in the world where people’s mother tongue is Spanish.

Spanish is a global language and it comes right behind Mandarin Chinese as the second most spoken language in the world. The continent with the most Spanish speakers is the Americas. Mexico has about 110 million native Spanish speakers.

Here is a list of the countries where Spanish is used as the official language:

• Colombia
• Argentina
• Equatorial Guinea
• Chile
• Dominican Republic
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Bolivia
• Nicaragua
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• El Salvador
• Paraguay
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Peru
• Panama
• Venezuela
• Spain
• Honduras
• Uruguay

How Many People in the World Speak Spanish?

Like Italian, Romanian, Portuguese and French, Spanish is a Romance language. By Romance, we do not mean it is a language of love (although we must admit that many people find Romance languages romantic), it means that the language evolved from Vulgar Latin.

Spanish has its root in the Iberian peninsula which is situated in southwest Europe (present-day Portugal and Spain). Spanish was formed by the Castilian continuation of Vulgar Latin mixed with the Moors' Arabic dialect. After many years of both languages being mixed, standard Spanish was birthed in the 1200s.

In the world, there are over 450 million native Spanish speakers. Right behind Spanish is English with about 360 million native speakers, making it the third most spoken language in the world. Additionally, Spanish ranks as the third most studied language in the world coming after French and English.

Adding to the number of native Spanish speakers, there are about 75 million people in the world that speak Spanish as their second language. Although the US has about 12 million bilingual Spanish speakers and 42 million native speakers, it is the second country with the largest Spanish speakers (Mexico is first). According to a study, there are predictions that the US will overtake Mexico to be the largest Spanish speaking country by 2050.

One of the 24 official languages of the European Union is Spanish. It is also spoken by a small number of people in countries like Germany, the UK, Italy and France.

Why Should I Learn Spanish?

Without a doubt, there are many things you stand to gain when you take Spanish lessons. Not only is Spanish one of the world's most popular languages, but it is also a beautiful language with an interesting history and culture. Additionally, there are about 20 million people in the world studying Spanish in some capacity.

Looking to add another language to your portfolio? Here are some reasons to learn Spanish:

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world

This has to be the most important reason why you should study Spanish. About 6% of the world's population speaks Spanish with it being the mother tongue of over 400 million people. Interestingly, it ranks ahead of English which is a global language.

About 15% of the residents of the European Union speak Spanish as either their first or second language. Likewise, in the US, Spanish is the popular choice of a second language.

Boost your CV

Although learning Spanish can boost your traveling experience in Latino countries, it helps you to work in any Spanish speaking country. When you take Spanish lessons, you have a better chance of studying in a Spanish institution.

When you learn Spanish, you can get out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in a Spanish speaking country. The time you spend with the locals not only influences how fluent you become in a short while but also boosts your knowledge of the language. Also, prospective employers in a Spanish based organisation prefer candidates that can communicate effectively in Spanish like a local.

Learning Spanish helps you grasp your mother tongue better

According to studies, you get better at speaking your mother tongue when you learn a second language. It helps you critically analyze your mother tongue and its rules. Also, you pay more attention to sentence structures allowing you to write more complicated sentences in your mother tongue.

Other benefits of learning Spanish include,

• It is quite easy to learn Spanish
• It allows you to watch and understand Spanish movies without translated subtitles
• You can travel to Spanish speaking countries without the need of hiring a Spanish-speaking tour guide
• Being bilingual delays symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease!

Is Spanish Difficult to Learn?

Let's compare learning a new language to being an athlete. Athletes make it look easy on the field but they have put hours into their sport practice and at times where they really felt like giving all up. Like being an athlete, to learn any language at all, you have to understand it's not easy. However, the fact it's tasking doesn't mean it's difficult.

To learn Spanish, you need plenty of practice, dedication, enthusiasm and talent. Also, your knowledge of a second language can determine how easily you learn Spanish. Learning a new language becomes easy if you've learnt one or two languages before.

In addition, your knowledge of a Romance language can help you learn Spanish easily. Spanish is similar to Italian and Portuguese. However, if you're a native English speaker, things can get pretty difficult.

Being a native English speaker shouldn't stop you from learning Spanish. For instance, Spanish and English share similar sentence structures. Also, some Spanish words are easy to coin from English words which are referred to as English-Spanish cognates.

How Soon Can I Become Fluent in Spanish?

Spanish is quite similar to English making it a category 1 language. Owing to this, it will take you about two years to become fluent in Spanish if you study for one hour a day. However, you can choose to speed things up by learning Spanish with a private tutor for more than one hour every day.

Studying for a minimum of three hours daily can get you to conversation fluency in around six months. Summarily, the more time you spend studying Spanish, the quicker you achieve fluency.

While full immersion is advised, you can have fun while learning Spanish by watching famous Spanish movies, travelling to Spain or reading Spanish novels.

What are the Popular Spanish Tests I Can Take?

To work in a Spanish speaking country, study there or get Spanish citizenship, you need to show you're proficient in the language. All Spanish proficiency tests follow The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) standard.

Typically, CEFR, determines how competent you are in a language ranging from A1 which is beginners to C2 (master). Also, the four levels are listening, reading, speaking and writing. Here are the common Spanish proficiency tests you can take.

DELE

DELE is suitable for citizenship and Visa seekers, working professionals and post-secondary students. Also, the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport grants the official certification while it's issued by Instituto Cervantes.

All DELE exams follow CEFR grading criteria. Interestingly, it has no expiration date and the passing score for any level in the DELE exam is 60 points. Also, it has six levels of competence,

• Breakthrough (A1)
• Waystage (A2)
• Threshold (B1)
• Vantage (B2)
• Effective Operational Proficiency (C1)
• Mastery (C2)

SIELE

SIELE is suitable for working professionals and post-secondary students. The SIELE certificate, unlike DELE, only covers C1, B2, B1, A2, and A1 of the CEFR. Also, the certificate expires after five years and has further divisions of four, SIELE global, speaking, writing and listening.

Each SIELE test is graded on a scale of 0 to 250 and results are available after three weeks of taking the test.

Other Spanish proficiency tests include

• CELU is taken only twice a year and must be done in person.
• TELC is ideal for post-secondary school students, working professionals, citizenship and Visa seekers.
• ECL is only suitable for working professionals and visa seekers.

Can my TUTOROO Private Tutor Prepare Me for Spanish Proficiency Tests?

The good thing about having a private Spanish tutor is that they can prepare you for any Spanish proficiency tests. TUTOROO Spanish tutors have firsthand knowledge of Spanish and everything about it. Also, most TUTOROO private tutors are native speakers and have experienced learning a new language. They have experience in taking proficiency tests and preparing students for the same.

TUTOROO hires the best tutors only, each with years of experience and certifications to prove their competence. In the event of you not being pleased with a particular tutor's teaching method, you can request a new tutor.

How Can I Become a TUTOROO Private Spanish Tutor?

At TUTOROO, to ensure students get the best learning experience, our tutors have to be either native Spanish speakers. While we don't necessarily request qualifications or certifications to show your proficiency in Spanish, all tutors undergo a proficiency test. The purpose of the test is to know how capable you are of teaching that language.

Additionally, to become a private Spanish tutor at TUTOROO, you must be able to communicate effectively with your students, and be confident in your skills. Commonly asked questions on becoming a Spanish tutor at TUTOROO are available here.

As a tutor on TUTOROO, you can choose between taking physical or online classes. Depending on your students, you can also have hybrid classes which are a blend of physical and online classes. Also, you can make tutoring in TUTOROO a steady source of income as it's a great way of making money while teaching your mother tongue.

Ready to get started? Sign up here. Our team typically responds to new sign-ups in a maximum of three working days.