By living with a host family and attending a local school in Ecuador you’ll have the opportunity to really get to know this vibrant, exciting culture. You’ll be able to skyrocket your Spanish and make tons of new friends. Throughout the year, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit amazing cultural sites like the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon jungle. You won’t just be studying abroad, you’ll be immersed in a completely different environment. It’s like a whole new reality!
The School System
The school calendar is different depending on whether you live in the coastal region or in the mountains. On the coast (Esmeraldas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro, Guayas), the school year begins in May and ends in mid-January. In the mountains, the school year begins in October and ends in early July.
Young Ecuadorians wear uniforms. Classes start early in the morning (7am-8am) and end at 2pm. This allows students to participate in sports, cultural activities, etc.
There are 13 compulsory subjects including: algebra, physiology, biology, foreign languages, geography, history and literature. The courses take place under the teacher’s dictation, and also include copying texts and reading aloud. Most schools are not mixed.