Spanish Black Belt was both the first place I studied spanish and the most recent (tried a couple others in between), and I have to say that I'm a fan. The first time around I took an intensified version (two two-hour classes per week for eight weeks) which I highly recommend if you have the time - I learned super fast! Now I'm doing the normal schedule (once a week for eight weeks) and it's still pretty darn good. I've tried numerous ways of learning languages - studied French in school for years, self-taught Hindi/lived in India and learned organically - and I think I prefer Spanish Black Belt's methods to all of them. They keep their classes small (max 4 people) so it's very intimate, very tailored to your needs, and you get a lot of speaking time. Plus, if you self-assemble a group instead of asking to join one of theirs, not only is it cheaper, but they're also willing to adjust schedules so that people miss as few classes as possible! When I took classes at other language schools classes were bigger and people missed class frequently so you had to spend a lot of time catching them up... Spanish Black Belt doesn't make you buy any textbooks - all the materials are included in the course fee - but they are constantly updating their material so right now at least it seems that there are relatively frequent kinks or misprints that need to be fixed, but the way they're structured it allows the flexibility to grow as they go :) If you're looking for Spanish classes in the Boston area, definitely go to Spanish Blackbelt - I've tried most of the other ones and was not that impressed. Plus, Guili is an awesome teacher :) read more

I have been taking 1-on-1 lessons over Skype with Consuelo for the past 8 weeks, and it has been a fantastic experience. I was definitely skeptical about Skype lessons -- I worried that it would be difficult to communicate online or that the learning experience would be hindered by not having access to an in-person instructor. I couldn't have been more wrong. I love the format of Skype lessons, and I love the comfort of learning from home. Consuelo took great care to make each of our lessons interactive, engaging, and responsive to my needs. Her lessons were excellently structured, her explanations clear, and her assignments and prompts exactly what I needed to refine my intermediate level of Spanish knowledge. The materials provided by Spanish Blackbelt were also quite helpful in reviewing and breaking down different grammar and language rules, and the assignments afforded plenty of opportunity to practice without being overwhelming. The lessons with Consuelo hit the right balance between reviewing and practicing with grammar rules and listening comprehension and speaking. My Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds, and I look forward to our classes every week. I will definitely be continuing my studies. Thank you, Consuelo! read more

I'm currently in my second course with Spanish Black Belt. I searched high and low to find a class where I could learn conversational Spanish with individual attention at a fast pace. Spanish Black Belt is exactly that. My instructor, Guili, is excellent. She explains grammatical concepts clearly and makes the classes interesting. She speaks to us about 90% of the time in Spanish, translating into English only when we don't understand, which is a great way to learn new vocabulary and natural use of language. I studied Spanish in the distant past and never understood the grammatical concepts as clearly as I do since Guili explained them. All of the materials I need are available through their website, and there are links to additional support materials on the web as well. I highly recommend Spanish Black Belt for the clarity of its pedagogy and the excellent pace of learning. read more

My tutor, Ines, has been terrific. She is extremely well-prepared, tailors the lessons to my pace and gaps, and creates homework and exercises related to the topics of my study and work. She has also patiently helped me struggle through when I've had mental block. I have been crazy busy with a number of other things in my life during the time we've been working together, but I always look forward to our sessions - and even to doing the homework and practice. When I needed to take a week off to travel to Mexico, she was flexible about scheduling as soon as I got back so we could keep the momentum going. Spanish Blackbelt made sign-up incredibly easy and convenient. They have been very responsive. The curriculum that they provide is extremely helpful for providing just the right amount of structure for the tutoring sessions. read more

Marilyn (from Spanish Blackbelt) tutored our son & his friend who are both in 10th grade. Both are good students and wanted more conversational practice especially with a native speaker. They LOVED Marilyn! She provided an appropriate framework for the sessions so that it was productive & structured yet also fun and different from "school." She's very smart, very personable and related extremely well to both kids. She was also flexible about school vacation weeks (we were out of town) and allowed us to skip & make-up a session so that we didn't have to pay for sessions we knew (in advance) that the kids could not attend. Sessions were 2 hours on Saturdays and required about ~2 hours of prep work. Both kids thought it was very worthwhile & we will definitely do another set of tutoring sessions in the future. read more

I took Spanish language and literature throughout high school and also also took 300-level college courses during my freshman year; however, I transferred to another college that did not offer classes that matched my level of Spanish and so my speaking, reading and writing skills dwindled over time and I desired to regain my ability and eventually become fluent... That's where Spanish Blackbelt came in. My tutor, Marilyn, has been great! She is extremely patient and kind and takes note of my specific needs, tailors our one-on-one lessons toward them and thus aims on improving upon my weaknesses. I have greatly improved from when I first started with Spanish Blackbelt and I am beginning to get my stride back. I have no doubt that I will eventually achieve my goal of fluency in no time! read more

I have been trying to learn to speak, read and write Spanish for years. I was looking for an online Spanish tutor when I came across the website for Spanish Blackbelt. They have a written curriculum, activities and other learning aids. Their tutors are native Spanish speakers. Spanish Blackbelt is also an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau. My tutor, Guilianna Zamora, is well-educated and personable. I feel secure that I'm learning to speak Spanish with proper pronunciation and grammar, which is important to me. While Spanish Blackbelt holds in-person classes, I'm in a rural area and take one-on-one classes using video chat. Having a structured program and someone to practice speaking with has been very helpful. read more

I've been taking one-on-one lessons with Marilyn for about 2 months now and highly recommend Spanish Blackbelt! I came into Spanish Blackbelt not being able to say much more than "hola," and now can engage in basic conversation. I find languages, especially pronounciation, very difficult, but Marilyn has been extremely patient and helpful. I like the casual/conversational nature of the course and the "homework" is often times really fun. I had tried learning languages before through adult education programs in town, but found them incredibly boring. Often times, the instructors there spoke too much English and just reviewed textbooks. Spanish Blackbelt is so much better! read more

I have taken 5 sessions of BlackBelt spanish now with pretty great results. I did 3 levels of black belt with their syllabus and then 2 levels with just my magnificent and patient tutor, Marilyn, reviewing what I had learned in the previous 3 levels and using it it in intense conversations. My Spanish has improved greatly and my confidence in my speaking ability is so much better. I read books and short stories in spanish and watched movies which we would discuss weekly. We would work on the problems I had with certain tenses through oral and written exercises. I can't wait to go back for another session when I have time again! read more

Consuelo has been teaching me via Skype and the lessons have been great. I have no prior foreign language experiences, and Consuelo has been a patient, wonderful teacher. After just 7 lessons, I was able to travel to Spain and while my ability to have conversations was limited as one would expect, I was amazed at how much I understood listening to other speak. With Consuelo's help, I just might actually be able to speak Spanish sooner than later. Lots of fun. My lessons are a highlight of my week. Cant wait to start the next round of lessons right away. read more

Excellent format utilizing small classes, take home assignments and online activities. They are flexible with times to maximize your schedule and the teacher we have is willing to put in extra time for us to learn and to have fun with the learning. I like the format in utilizing small concepts and building on them through the class. I would recommend this for anyone looking for small group learning and more contact time with the teacher as opposed to classroom style learning. read more

I've been taking classes for about a year now and I am very pleased with my progress. I have developed a good relationship with my tutor, Marilyn, which makes the learning experience even more enjoyable. It isn't easy to learn a language at 57 years, but having a one-on-one tutor has been a great approach for me. I'm glad that I could find meeting locations that didn't involve going into the city. read more

The class was very informative. Jessica was an excellent professor and did a great job of teaching us basic Spanish and helping us apply it in everyday conversation. I've signed up for the second level and look forward to continuing through the program. read more

The spanish classes are a very convenient way to lean spanish. Excellent spanish teacher, course is flexible for the spanish learner.

Spanish Black Belt is a great and fun way to work on your Spanish and have it fit easily into your personal schedule.