• Regensburg, Germany - Picture book, medieval town
• Sicily, Italy - Art, cooking, eco courses; Stunning location
• Milan, Italy - Italian opera & cooking courses
• Siena, Italy - Surrounded by the olive groves & vineyards of Chianti
• Lisbon, Portugal - Discover Portuguese in Portugal's capital
• St. Petersburg, Russia - City of the Tsars. Combines its fascinating Russian heritage with a distinctly European outlook
• Sucre, Bolivia - Andean culture; Volunteer program
• San Jose, Costa Rica - Many excursions, Fine arts course; Volunteer program
• Queretaro, Mexico - Well rounded culture program
• Madrid, Spain - A world class program with locations in cosmopolitan Madrid.
• Malaga, Spain - Beautiful beaches, fine restaurants and superb shopping.

• Oaxaca, Mexico - An enchanting colonial town, where you will discover both a modern Mexico and ancient indigenous culture. The heart of the city of Oaxaca is the zocalo, or main square, which is surrounded by a mix of colonial architecture and an indigenous marketplace. The zocalo, just a short walk from the Institute, is host to concerts, parades, and sidewalk cafes.
• Queretaro, Mexico - Located in the heart of Mexico, the city and school are 200 km north of Mexico City. Santiago de Queretaro is rich in history and colonial architecture, besides being one of the largest industrial and business centers of modern Mexico. The downtown of the capital of Queretaro has been declared a Cultural Heritage of Mankind site by UNESCO.
• San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico - With a population of 100,000, it lies in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, high in the mountains surrounded by pine forests. With its cobblestone streets and its red-tile roofs, San Cristobal is a mix of 16th century Spanish influences and a vivid indigenous culture.

For more information, contact Stephen.

For more information, contact Jennifer

For more information, contact Mike.

For more information, contact Vanessa

Featured Destination: Playa del Carmen
You have heard of the French riviera - and maybe the Italian one...but have you heard of one of the hottest destinations in Mexico - the Mayan Riviera? Bordering the Yucatan in the state of Quintana Roo, the Mayan Riviera is not exactly undiscovered, but still more cultural than many of the popular beach towns and resorts of Mexico - and Playa del Carmen, at its center, is host to some of the best coastal Spanish programs in Mexico... Playa del Carmen, or 'Playa' as it is affectionately called by locals, is also a great place to learn Spanish and study Mexican and Mayan culture, and is the gateway to some of the best ecological and archaeological sites and reserves in Mexico. And just an hour south of Cancun, it is easy to get to, yet seemingly worlds away from its much more commercial neighbor.

Our center opened its doors in 1997 with the dual mission of offering high quality instruction of Spanish as a Second Language while offering a memorable cultural experience. To meet these primary goals, the school employs a staff of professional native Spanish-speaking Mexican instructors with more than 15 years of teaching experience. Each instructor has been training in the instruction of Spanish as a Second Language, and brings unique professional, cultural, and academic experience to the classroom. While having excellent instructors is of paramount importance, the school also strives to encourage an atmosphere that creates comfort and friendships between teachers and students.

We offer afternoon workshops and activities that include, cooking, arts and crafts, salsa classes, singing Mexican songs, a fiesta or a picnic. Students at Mayan Riviera Spanish School meet once a week with the staff and faculty for "Café Social". A movie is shown each week during one of the conversation classes, and all students wishing to test and improve their auditory comprehension are welcome to watch it.

For more information, contact Sarah

NRCSA gets a lot of requests for information about our many internship opportunities offered around the world. Many want to know why there are so few paid internships available. The answer to this question is made up of multiple factors and does depend on various conditions.

For example, the internships offered in Latin America are mainly unpaid because neither businesses and/or institutions that work with them can afford to pay the intern. They want to offer the opportunities but it's just not in their budgets to pay a wage. This being said, it is important not to overlook what can be gained from the experience. Though unpaid, these internships are not looked at as volunteer positions, they are clearly defined as internships for those who need real life work experience and/or for those who want to obtain academic credit for their internship. And for the intern, the opportunity to not only work in a real business or institution but also to do it in a foreign country and in a foreign language is experience that says volumes on a student transcript or resume.

In another example, internships offered in Europe are often unpaid for non-European Union citizens. It is expensive and time-consuming to get a work visa which makes the impractical for short-term employment. However, European internships are challenging, rewarding, and will gain knowledge like no domestic internship can.

All-in-all it's best to view an internship as something that, even though it may not pay now, will definitely pay later and well.

For more information on Internship Opportunities, please visit the Volunteer/Internships information page on the NRCSA website, or contact NRCSA study@nrcsa.com.