Passionate Educators. Personalised Learning. Lifelong Success.
Founded by Elisabeth Bulbena Vela and Joan Giralt Carrillo with a simple vision: exceptional online Spanish education that inspires confidence and a lifelong love of the language.
Welcome to The Spanish Academy
Founded by Elisabeth Bulbena Vela and Joan Giralt Carrillo, The Spanish Academy was created with a simple vision: to provide exceptional online Spanish education that inspires confidence, develops genuine communication skills and fosters a lifelong love of the Spanish language.
We believe that learning Spanish is about far more than passing examinations or memorising vocabulary. It is about connecting with people, discovering new cultures and opening the door to new opportunities.
Our teaching team is made up of qualified Spanish teachers, all with formal teacher training and specialist qualifications in Modern Languages and Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE). Together, we bring more than 80 years of combined educational experience from schools, universities, educational leadership, private tuition and educational research in Spain, France and the United Kingdom.
Whether you are learning Spanish for school, work, travel, relocation to Spain or personal enrichment, we are committed to helping every learner become a confident and independent Spanish speaker.
Our Story
The Spanish Academy was born from our shared passion for education, languages and lifelong learning.
As native Spanish speakers and multilingual educators, we understand first-hand both the challenges and the rewards of learning foreign languages because we have experienced that journey ourselves.
Between us, we speak Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian and German, giving us a unique perspective on how languages are learned. We know what motivates learners, the obstacles they may encounter and, most importantly, the teaching approaches that help students gain confidence and achieve lasting success.
Beyond our professional experience, we have also experienced multilingual education within our own family. As parents raising multilingual children, we have seen first-hand how children naturally acquire languages through meaningful communication, curiosity and regular exposure. This personal experience has strengthened our belief that languages are learned best when students feel confident, engaged and motivated to communicate.
Our Teaching Philosophy
Communication comes first.
We believe that children learn their first language by listening, understanding and speaking long before they learn to read and write. We believe that second languages should develop in the same natural way.
From the very first lesson, our students are encouraged to listen actively, think in Spanish and communicate with confidence. Reading and writing are introduced naturally alongside these communication skills, helping learners gain genuine fluency rather than simply memorising vocabulary or examination answers.
Our goal is not simply to prepare students for examinations. We want every learner to become a confident communicator who can use Spanish naturally in everyday life — whether travelling, studying, working or living in a Spanish-speaking country.
Language and Culture
For us, language and culture are inseparable.
A language reflects the history, traditions, values and way of thinking of the people who speak it. Learning Spanish therefore means much more than learning grammar and vocabulary.
As native Spanish teachers, we naturally introduce our students to the rich cultures of Spain and the wider Spanish-speaking world through authentic language, traditions, literature, history, music, geography, gastronomy and everyday life.
By understanding the culture behind the language, our students gain a deeper appreciation of Spanish and greater confidence communicating with native speakers.
Personalised Learning
Every learner is unique.
Our lessons are individually tailored to each student’s age, level, interests, goals and learning style.
Whether teaching a young child taking their first steps in Spanish, a teenager preparing for examinations or an adult learning for work, travel or personal enrichment, we adapt our teaching to help every student achieve their full potential.
We are also passionate about inclusive education and have extensive experience supporting learners with High Learning Potential (Gifted Education), ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Williams syndrome and other Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
We have extensive experience supporting home-educated learners, bilingual families and private candidates preparing for official qualifications such as GCSE and A-Level Spanish.
As multilingual educators and home-educating parents, we understand first-hand the importance of personalised learning. Every learner follows a unique educational journey, and we believe that teaching should be flexible, engaging and carefully adapted to each student’s individual strengths, interests and aspirations.
We are also happy to offer general guidance to families whose children are taking official examinations as private candidates, helping them understand the process of finding examination centres and registering for GCSE and A-Level Spanish.
This combination of professional expertise and personal experience enables us to support learners of all ages with empathy, understanding and a genuine passion for education.
Excellence Through Experience
Our academy combines expertise in:
- Children’s Spanish
- Spanish GCSE
- A-Level Spanish
- DELE (A1–C2)
- Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE)
- Conversational Spanish
- Spanish for relocation to Spain
- Modern Languages education
- Educational research
- Teacher training
- School leadership
- Inclusive education
DELE
DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) is the official, internationally recognised Spanish language qualification for non-native speakers, awarded by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education.
Together, our knowledge and experience allow us to provide a rich, engaging and highly personalised learning experience for every learner.
Meet Our Team
The Spanish Academy is led by three experienced educators whose expertise spans language teaching, educational research, teacher training, school leadership and inclusive education.
Together, we share a commitment to educational excellence and a genuine passion for helping every learner succeed.
We invite you to visit our Meet the Team page to discover more about the people behind The Spanish Academy and the experience they bring to every lesson.
Meet the Team
Our Mission
Our mission is simple:
“To inspire a lifelong love of the Spanish language while helping every learner develop the confidence, communication skills and cultural understanding needed to use Spanish naturally throughout their lives.”
We believe that success is measured not only by examination results but also by the confidence to hold a conversation, build relationships, discover new cultures and enjoy the opportunities that speaking Spanish can bring.
We look forward to welcoming you to The Spanish Academy and becoming part of your Spanish learning journey.
Become Part of Your Spanish Learning Journey
We look forward to welcoming you to The Spanish Academy.