CSS Valencia offers a Transition Year Spain course specifically for Irish secondary school students. Students get the opportunity of spending a period of time from 4 weeks up to a whole academic year fully immersed in the culture of Spain. During this time, participants will have the full support of CSS Valencia staff to help them to make the most of their time abroad.
Feedback from both students and parents has been consistently very positive for the TY courses. Have a look at these interviews with students who took part in our Transition Year Spain course.
There are two options to choose from – our TY intensive course and our TY Secondary School course.
Our students live with a Spanish family. As a result, they get to experience Spanish culture from the perspective of within a family. They also have the huge benefit of a 24-hour environment in which they can make great progress on their language skills.
This Transition Year Spain course is especially suitable for Transition Year students. However, students from across the secondary school education cycle can benefit from 100% immersion in a Spanish speaking environment.
We are now taking bookings for our 2024-2025 TY courses! Please contact us if you have any questions about this course. We would love to hear from you and discuss this with you.
TY Intensive Courses 2024-2025
November 3rd to 30th 2024
January 12th to February 8th 2025March 23rd to April 12th 2025* (fully booked)
April 28th to May 23rd 2025**
€3150 euros – 4 weeks
*€2500 euros – 3 weeks (March 23rd to April 12th 2025 course only)
**€2950 euros – 3 weeks 5 days (April 28th to May 23rd 2025 course only)
€500 deposit to reserve place. Balance is payable one month before course starts.
The course consists of:
- 4 hours per day of Spanish tuition (Monday to Friday) broken up into 2 hours of general Spanish, 1 hour of Spanish related to the Leaving Certificate cycle syllabus and 1 hour of conversation Spanish.
- Activities and excursions each afternoon and on Saturdays
- Accommodation with a family – one student per family
- Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
What’s included in all courses
- Fully assessed application process before payment of any deposit.
- All course materials and language books
- Organised activities, entrance tickets and excursions
- Transfers from airport to host family accommodation on our recommended travel dates (fee will apply for any transfers on different dates)
- 24-hour emergency number.
Please note that flights are not included in the course fee.
Accommodation and host families
Your accommodation is a really important part of your experience when studying here in Valencia. The best way to truly experience local culture and Spanish hospitality is to stay with our trusted host families. We have two members of staff dedicated to visiting and ensuring the quality of our homestays. Their primary objective is to make your stay as welcoming and comfortable as possible.
We only use host family accommodation that is either directly in the area near the school or conveniently connected via public transport. CSS builds strong relationships within the community and with all our host families.
Full board is provided with breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal with an emphasis on a nutritious Mediterranean diet. It is important to us that students at CSS become members of the family during their stay. We want you to fit into normal family life here in Spain. We are confident this aspect of the course will be very beneficial in terms of language learning and cultural awareness. CSS Valencia ensures that all host families have internet so you can stay connected with family members back in Ireland during your stay. Valencian people are famous for their warm welcoming nature and genuine hospitality.
Benefits of the course
- Language skills: 100% immersion among native speakers is the best way to learn a language and the programme gives participants a 24/7 environment in which to really make progress in Spanish.
- Personal development & growth: TY is considered to be a year for maturity and development and the experience of living and studying abroad for the first time is undoubtedly an excellent way to promote such growth.
- Fun!!!!!: new can be daunting but it can also be fun and the programme and CSS Valencia staff help students to realise their potential to thrive in a completely new environment.
- A truly unforgettable experience that course participants hold with them for the rest of their lives.
How to book – Transition Year
The first step is to contact us in relation to the details of the stay. We will set up a Zoom meeting in which we can explain the course to you and also, crucially, to find out what the prospective course participant expects to get out of the programme. Studying abroad for a period of time can be a daunting experience but the good news is that we are here to help you get over the initial adjustment, but it is essential that the course participant approaches the programme with a positive mentality.
Once we have confirmed that the programme is suitable for the course participant, the next step is to pay the €500 course deposit directly by bank transfer to Centre of Spanish Studies, Valencia.
- Account Name: Native English Valencia S.L.
- Bank Address: Banco de Sabadell, Calle Manuel Candela, 46021, Valencia, Spain
- BIC Code BSABESBB
- IBAN Code ES31 0081 1323 6600 0109 0318
Combining TY Intensive Course and TY Secondary School course
A combination of the above two courses is a great option for TY students. We would recommend doing the intensive course prior to attending the secondary school course. If both courses are going to be combined the secondary school course could be shortened or extended based on the needs and wants of the student. Please contact us for further details on combining both options.
TY Secondary School Course
Students have the option to choose the dates that suit them for this course – dates will need to be confirmed by the school.
€2400 euros – 4 weeks.
€500 deposit to reserve place. Balance is payable one month before course starts.
Shorter and longer stays are available. See Prices page for more details.
The course consists of:
- Attending a Spanish Secondary School and participating in school life
- Accommodation with a family – one student per family
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Common Queries and Questions about our Transition Year Spain Course
Answers to frequently asked questions about our Transition Year programme duration, class sizes, minimum ages, language lessons, teachers, facilities, host families, excursions, etc …! Our Transition year FAQ aims to answer all your questions on this great course.
If you have any doubts or questions, please contact us – we really would love to hear from you!
Yes. The deposit (€500) is payable by 2 months before the start of the programme start date. The balance is payable one month before the start date. You can, if you wish, pay in instalments between these dates.
The first step is to contact us in relation to the details of the stay. We will set up a Zoom meeting in which we can explain the course to you and also, crucially, to find out what the prospective course participant expects to get out of the programme. Studying abroad for a period of time can be a daunting experience but the good news is that we are here to help you get over the initial adjustment, but it is essential that the course participant approaches the programme with a positive mentality.
Once we have confirmed that the programme is suitable for the course participant, the next step is to pay the €500 course deposit directly by bank transfer to Centre of Spanish Studies, Valencia.
TY Intensive Course students will be studying in a language academy on Calle del Vinalopo 15, which is located half-way between the beach and the city centre. TY Secondary School Course participants will be studying at a secondary school in Torrent, a suburb of Valencia – the school is a small, mixed-sex primary and secondary school with excellent sporting facilities and a very welcoming character.
Yes. We offer a 10% discount for the second member of a family attending our courses, and 15% for third and subsequent students.
Payment is by bank transfer to the Centre of Spanish Studies account. Click on the “How to Book” page for more details.
No, flight prices are not included in the course fee. Depending on the time of year, there are up to six weekly flights from Dublin to Valencia and up to five weekly flights from Cork to Valencia.
Any amount paid up to two weeks before the beginning of the course is refunded in full. After this time, the deposit (€500) is non-refundable. The remaining course fee, however, will be refunded.
No. All course materials are provided by CSS.
Students on the TY Intensive Course will have 20 hours of Spanish classes per week every morning from Monday to Friday, with afternoon and Saturday activities and excursions. Students on the TY Secondary School Course will typically be in school from 9am to 5pm.
The families also have children attending the same Spanish secondary school and are selected by the secondary school in order to be the best fit for the course participant. We also visit each family to ensure the quality of the accommodation.
We have detailed profiles on all our host families, and we do our best to match them with your needs as much as possible.
We have a policy of only one English-language speaking student per family, as we feel this is the best way for you to be fully immersed in Spanish life. But you will have plenty of time to spend with your friend both within the language academy and also during the activities and cultural excursions.
No – the host family will provide you with everything you need.
We cannot guarantee you will have your own en-suite in your host family.
Yes. If you request a smoke free host family we will make sure this is taken into account when assigning you your host family.
Our families are either in the area near the school, or conveniently connected via public transport from the school.
If you have any special dietary requirements, please mention these at the time of booking and your host family will take your needs into account. If there are particular things that you just don’t like eating, just let us or your host family know. We want you to enjoy your time here and you don’t have to eat things that you don’t like.
We are an Irish-run company and will be here to help you to help you adapt to the new environment. As with everything, it can take a few days to get used to your new surroundings but we are sure that very soon you will be loving the programme and everything Valencia has to offer.
We will work with you to ensure that you will be catered for.
The course price includes the cost of food, accommodation and excursions so the only extra money you will need is pocket money.
CSS does not recommend you bring much cash on arrival. We recommend you bring an ATM card and use it when appropriate. Make sure you can use your ATM card on mainland Europe.
All transfers are included in the price. Students will be transported from the airport to the school on day of arrival, where they will be met by their host families.
All transfers are included in the price. Students will be transported from their host families to the airport on the day of departure.
Yes. The transfer fee is 150 euros.
Valencia has a magnificent public transport system consisting of Metro, Bus and Tram. All areas of the city are easily accessible.
All students are provided with a Valencia Móbilis card on arrival. This entitles students to go on all public transport (Bus, Metro and Tram) for the duration of their stay.
A representative from CSS will be available 24/7 for any eventuality in Spain.
In case of an emergency contact either +34 655 156 212.
In the unfortunate event of somebody having to return home during the course of the programme every effort will be made to get students on the next available flight. Every situation will be handled sensitively on a case by case basis.
Yes. All families are vetted by the Spanish police (similar to the Garda vetting procedure in Ireland).
Children under 16 travelling need to be linked to an accompanying adult (CSS representative). The reservation for a child under 16 needs to be booked online (as an adult). Once the booking has been made, please contact us so we can link the flights together.
Yes. All students will be accompanied by a CSS representative on our recommended flights.