FAQs

If you cannot find our representative at the airport in Guatemala City, you should call her/him right away.

Please visit the Tourism Office at the airport where they will allow you to make telephone calls. Raquel Cell 53078336 and WhatsApp. Please use the phone if your flight is delayed. This phone accepts text. You can also call or text 612 281 5705

The best day to arrive in Guatemala City is on Sunday at noon. You should take the 3:00 PM Alamo 1st Class+. You will be arriving in Quetzaltenango at 7:00 PM.

You can start living with your family on Sunday but the family will charge $10.00 for the room and food. Casa Xelaju can meet students at the airport 24/7. If you wish to be met at the airport, please write your flight information when you apply online.

Since the beginning of Casa Xelaju in 1987 we have not have any issues regarding security for our students who have taken the bus. More than 12,000 ex-students have taken the bus in both directions.

As with any other study abroad program, there is no guarantee of safety in any foreign country. When traveling abroad it is important to have at least a basic understanding of the culture, laws, customs, and politics of the country you will be visiting.

At Casa Xelajú we take extra precautions to ensure the safety of our students and extensively cover safety issues in our orientation, which we hold before students begin their classes. Our school doors are always locked and we have 24-hour video surveillance.

In our 32 years of operation in Quetzaltenango, we have never experienced any kind of issue in concern with the safety of anyone who is studying at our school.

I want to take Spanish classes without homestay. If you wish to study Spanish without homestay, is US$65.00. Tuition $185/$190.00 during the slow season & high season.

If you wish to stay with a family for volunteer work, a homestay is $65.00. If you wish to rent one of our apartments, please make reservations ahead of time.

Your tetanus should be up-to-date. We also recommend typhoid and gamma globulin. If you plan to travel to the coastal areas or through El Peten and Tikal, you will need to take malaria medicine. For more information, please contact Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The city of Quetzaltenango is a student center with more than 40,000 students from all over the country. The city is very liberal and tolerant of various forms of dress.

Bring whatever clothes you are most comfortable traveling in (shorts, t-shirts, pants, skirts, long sleeve shirts, a light jacket (water-resistant for the rain), sandals, walking shoes).

The mornings and evenings are chilly and warm in the afternoon. Layers are the best bet. November-January is drier but chillier but warms up in the day.

We offer 50 Mbps internet access to our customers w/o a charge. Some of our families offer low speed internet to our students. There is a small charge for this service. When you send your application form, please request a family with internet.

There are several ATM machines in the city. Before you leave your house, please make sure your debit has the PLUS on the back. Otherwise, it will not work in Guatemala.

We recommend that students visit Antigua on their way back to Guatemala City rather than when they arrive because bus transportation can be more complicated.

If you decide to go from Guatemala City to Antigua (60 minutes), you then have two options for getting from there to Quetzaltenango. The first option is going back to Guatemala City and take a direct bus to Quetzaltenango. Doing this you will lose two hours.

The other way is to take a short cut to Chimaltenango and take a bus from there. This option is quicker but the buses coming from Guatemala City that stop in Chimaltenango are usually full and you may have to stand up for three hours.

Guatemala has the same type of electric system as the United States and Canada. Outlets are the same.

When students live with families, their food is varied. Our families are experts in cooking the best national and regional dishes. All families are accustomed to providing vegetarian options.

There are various restaurants in the city that offer varied menus typical of Guatemala, Spain, China, India, Mexican, Thai, Italy, France and Germany as well as vegetarian dishes.

The institute is located just 4 blocks from Central Park on a quiet street at the top of a hill in the historical district of the city.

The four-story building with large windows offers a majestic view of the city and mountains as well as a unique and attractive learning environment.

Each teacher has his/her own private classroom reducing the noise and distractions found in many language schools where classes are held in corridors and people are constantly walking by so both teacher and students are able to focus.

In the summer and month of January, we keep an average of 25 students. The rest of year we have an average of 10 students.

Classes are held either from 8am-1pm or 2pm – 7pm. There is a 1/2 break during each session when you can enjoy tea, coffee and bread.

Your teacher will conduct and interview with you and give you a written test to determine your level. You can focus your instruction based on individual interests or job related vocabulary.

Most of the students are from USA (90%) and the rest from Canada, the European countries and Asia.

In the summer and January we receive a lot of colleges students, plus Spanish, Bilingual and ESL teachers. The rest of the year we get all types of students. The age range is from 6 years old to 76 years old.

If this situation happens, we will try to resolve the conflict. If we can not find a solution, we will assign a new teacher right away. Each week you have the opportunity to request a new teacher or stay with the same one.

Many of our families have been hosting students for over 20 years. They care for students as if they were their own children and provide them with a true immersion into the language and culture.

Once in while we receive complaints from students about specific problems. We try to resolve the problem but if we can not find a solution, we will assign a new family.

There several hospitals in the city. The school will assist you finding care.