Nicaragua Spanish Schools Génesis of San Juan Del Sur.Nicaragua Spanish Schools,... what madness is that? – Many people have wonder when the first Spanish School was founded in San Juan Del Sur, as far back as 1997... It was then, people believed in the tourist potential of the location. But they were thinking that we had to learn English - the language of the businesses - In the small bars that surround the bay, the waiters learned the basic sayings to attend to "demanding" customers, who then were mainly the back-packers. In the beginning, Nicaragua Spanish Schools did not have much luck. But after a few years, this small town of fishermen and retailers transformed into a vibrant tourist city full of new hotels, restaurants, discotheques, businesses and offices of all type - mainly of real estate. San Juan Del Sur had become without realizing it "the Nica capital of baby boomers!" 
The school began to work continuously, which favoured to the local economy. The school was giving an opportunity to different families to develop extra income... Probably in some cases the only revenue. The families would provide lodging for students. At the same time they created a homey atmosphere. Sharing their home and culture they provided a comfortable environment for the students to practise what they had learned that day. I do remember San Juan Del Sur, like many cities in Nicaragua, was sunk in a terrible economic crisis, when two large companies, considered the mainstay of the local economy closed or drastically downsized. A very important exporter of seafood during the Eighties and a second more important sugar factory later in the Nineties. Such the crisis affected the entire department. Many chose to leave the country for Costa Rica or for "the North". San Juan Del Sur survived the crisis thanks to the fishing and the poor commerce. They were difficult years, because even the activity as commercial port had stopped and had to take step towards tourism. In fact there were no investors interested in this city. The town started speaking about the construction of a coastal highway and about a new Interoceanic channel and began a publicity campaign to attract the investment to this small point of Nica geography.
As in the life everything has its cause and effect, the results of this much publicity were clearly not made of only hope! Now the price of the land is two or three times greater than before... The transformation and development of San Juan began. With time and due to the breach of the labour code on the part of foreign owners of the Spanish Schools, many instructors - of the pioneers - resigned and formed their own Nicaragua Spanish Schools. As the current schools were already at capacity and the instructors had the necessary experience. Nowadays, San Juan Del Sur has become "Mecca" of the Spanish Schools. |
