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An Immersion Program tailored to your needs


FLI Immersion Program presents an exceptional advantage in that a study period of 4 weeks can equal that of one to two semesters in the United States. This is due to the objectives and content of the FLI program and the 24 hours exposure to language and culture the students benefit from during their daily stay in Cuernavaca.

The experienced team of Spanish teachers that have designed this program are strongly conscious that the classroom on its own depicts a very restricted situation for the demanding task of efficiently learning a language. Context inside the classroom, even in the most suitable conditions, is not to be compared with context in real life, which provides active language for communicative purposes.

A quality language learning program, besides including instruction inside the classroom, should also include a wide variety of outside opportunities where the language acquires its significance within the context of the culture. In concern with this approach, the FLI Immersion Program is composed of five important parts, essential for the achievement of its educational goals:

1. Language Classes
2. Mexican Host Families
3. Contextual Practice
4. Culture Courses
5. Voluntary Work

Language Classes

The FLI Immersion Program views language as a means of communication. In the classroom, the student learns functional language strongly associated with the daily Mexican life. Therefore, in real language situations the student may easily know how to talk to a taxi driver; how to order a meal in a restaurant; how to bargain in a Mexican market, etc. In fact, characters, places and situations in the content of the program are real entities in the city of Cuernavaca, which provides great significance to the language the students are learning in the classroom. In addition, this kind of learning is facilitated by an experienced team of native teachers, whose performance is focused on aiding students in the mastery of language meaning and communication.

The FLI Immersion Program covers all levels, from the most basic to the most advanced. Personal attention begins the moment the student joins the program. During an initial interview, the student's current proficiency is evaluated, and based on these results; they are placed in a class with the appropriate instruction with a focus on communicative activities (maximum 5 students per class).

The Mexican Host Families

Mexican Host Families are considered one of the most important elements of the FLI Immersion Program, because they provide the closest connection to the Mexican culture. The families are not seen solely as a host service, but as relevant protagonists in the student's language learning. Many of the language tasks embody the family's contribution via opinions or useful information obtained to complete language and cultural studies.

The selection of families has been made by taking into account important features such as level of education, economical position and holding an honourable role in the community, among other traits. In addition, families are trained by FLI on certain linguistic and cultural knowledge in order to provide not only hospitality, but aid students in language development.
The FLI Immersion Program offers an extensive list of families who have been welcoming students into their homes for years. They provide meals, language practice, and first hand involvement in Mexican culture. The majority provide a comfortable room and bath of middle class standards.

Whether you come alone or with a friend, we will place you with a Mexican family glad to accommodate you. As different as they are from one another, all our families have one thing in common: unsurpassed Mexican hospitality.

Contextual Practice

Although classes are of great importance in learning Spanish, they should serve primarily to prepare students in participating in the life of the surrounding community. Contextual Practice can be described as the opportunity for students to put their language into practice outside the classroom. Guided by a teacher, students visit different places such as a bank, a market, a laundry mat, etc. Communication settings where the students experience useful situations for both satisfying their own needs and making the language come to life.

Culture Courses

In order to make the experience more meaningful, FLI Immersion Program offers a series of one-hour courses, Monday through Thursday, aimed at helping the student understand the roots of Latin American culture, while furthering abilities in Spanish.

Our main bulletin board lists the courses offered each week. Some examples include:

Professional Voluntary Work

The Professional Voluntary Work, although optional, is another opportunity to use language within the Mexican society. The difference between the Professional Voluntary Work and the Contextual Practice is in the complexity of the spoken tongue and social interaction with native speakers. Students who wish to take advantage of this alternative should already have a career or experience in some specific field. The rank of possibilities for voluntary work is wide, including public and private institutions in areas such as administration, education, marketing, social work, etc.

Holidays in Fenix

The FLI Immersion Program observes ten national holidays each year. On these days, our offices are closed and no programs are offered:

Our different programs are:

Regular course
The regular course is meant for anyone, no matter what age or nationality to improve and perfection the Spanish skills. One week contains 25 hours and classes are held in a group of maximum 5 students. Depending on our Spanish coordinator the schedule can be from 8 am to 1pm or from 11am to 4 pm.

University Credit
Arrangements for academic credits and grades are made with colleges and universities on an individual basis. We suggest that each month of study be determined on the basis of language and culture classes attended. Students should discuss in advance with their professor, on their campus, their desire to transfer credits, and have the professor sign the appropriate part of the application form. Students may choose to be graded on an A, B, C, D, E, F scale, or PASS/FAIL. Each FLI teacher keeps a daily record of each student´s performance and the material covered by the class. At ehte end of every week, an evaluation of his/her progress is recorded. A final exam is given. A written summary of course work and individual achievement will be provided for any student applying for university credit.

Individual courses and Business Spanish
Whether it is for your job or for private enrichment - in Fenix everybody can study Spanish. The main focus of our Spanish training is to provide the student with skills so that they are able to communicate and survive in every day life. We teach grammer in a more playful and communicative way so that classes are fun and studying grammar is not as dry as it commonly can be.

If you need a Spanish course for your job or wish private instruction, we create a special program tailored to your needs and field of work. Flexibility and the needs of the students have priority in Fenix, because our wish is that students leave with a good memory of their successful learning experience at Fenix.

One week of individual instruction contains 25 hours a week and depending on our Spanish Coordinator the schedule can be from 8am to 1pm or from 11am to 4pm.

The parents and child program
The earlier you start studying a foreign language the easier it is to become proficient in the future. So why not take a language course together with your children? The parents participate in our standard course from 8am to 1pm (25 hours per week). At the same time the children take two hours of classes per day and spend the rest of their time painting, having a picnic, going on little excursions etc. together with a teacher from Fenix. Moreover, Mexican children also participate in these activities so that both learn to deal with foreign cultures as early as possible. Children from 6 - 12 years old are welcome to participate in this program.

The courses are offered only in the summer so that a larger group of both Mexican and American children can participate during their summer vacation. This is a 10 day program. Please inform yourself about the exact dates.

Our contact in the U.S. for this program is Paul Nelson:
Tel. (651) 646 2420, E-Mail: ashlandave@worldnet.att.net, www.Mexico4Kids.com

Internship Program
In addition to the language courses, FLI offers the opportunity of internships in Mexico.