Why this course. English and Culture is a 7-day course in Benalmádena, near Málaga, that puts your school group inside an English-language environment and gives the language real subject matter — the traditions, history, and daily life of Andalusia. On the European Trainee Academy campus, your students improve their English by exploring the place they’re in, then talking and writing about it. The culture is the content; English is how they work with it. The week compares cultures directly — British, Spanish, and American — looking at things like eating times, the school day, and how people talk about food.
What it covers. The week runs as a project-based course — teams form on Day 1 and build a cultural project across the week, with daily lessons feeding straight into the work. A short grammar review opens the week, then your students move through units on daily life, food and opinions, and a wider look at culture, comparing British, Spanish, and American customs along the way. Mornings cover the English of describing, comparing, and presenting — customs, food, festivals, history, daily life; afternoons run cultural workshops, a guided trip, and team project time, with English as the working language throughout. The week ends with each team presenting their cultural project in English to peers and leaders.
How it is run. Your school group — 15 to 32 students, ages 12 to 19 — travels together with its own group leader. Your students sleep in the on-campus residence with full board, supervised by EUTA staff and your travelling leader. One leader place is free for every 15 students. A guided Málaga half-day excursion closes the week (Friday afternoon, after certificates).
What Students Will Gain
Real cultural immersion on the Costa del Sol
Daily life in a Spanish coastal town — markets, beaches, Andalusian rhythm — turns the programme into context rather than a side trip.
Travel confidence and independence
A week abroad with the group builds the social confidence and self-reliance a classroom can’t — first café orders in another language, first navigating a new town as a team.
English fluency through immersion
Mornings in class, afternoons using the language with hosts, shopkeepers, and trip guides — the gap between learning English and using it closes fast.
Real-world English in context
Vocabulary, grammar, and discourse practiced where they actually appear — ordering food, asking directions, presenting work, holding an opinion in a debate.
Andalusian context for the subject
Málaga, Granada, and Seville turn the programme into a living lab — students engage with painting, theatre, or cultural studies in the place each was made.
Culture-into-language project
Teams research an Andalusian tradition and present it in English on Friday — the culture gives the language real content, and the project gives it an audience.
Example Schedule
Sunday
- Arrival & residence check-in; welcome evening with introduction to the course, staff, and campus.
Monday
- Welcome session and an intro to the week’s theme: grammar, daily life, food, and teen culture across the UK, Spain, and the US.
- Unit 1 · Grammar toolkit — a quick review of the verbs and structures your students will use all week.
- LUNCH
- Unit 2 · Daily life — everyday vocabulary, eating times, and a school day side by side (UK / Spain / US); short writing task, “A day in my life.”
- Project kickoff — teams form for the final project, “The ideal country for teenagers.”
Tuesday
- Unit 3 · Food and opinions — favourite foods, healthy vs unhealthy, and giving opinions in English.
- Culture comparison — “Spain and the UK at the table”: mealtimes, habits, and customs.
- LUNCH
- Creative task — “Three countries, one menu,” built and presented in teams.
Wednesday
- Morning prep — vocabulary and questions for the trip.
- LUNCH
- Guided cultural trip — a local site or town with English-language discussion built into the day.
- Reflection & vocabulary — back on campus, capture of new words from the visit.
Thursday
- Unit 4 · Hobbies, technology and social media — talking about what teenagers do, like, and share, and ranking apps and music genres in English.
- LUNCH
- Project development — teams build their “ideal country for teenagers” presentation.
- Cultural workshop or activity afternoon.
Friday
- Review — a light recap of the week’s English.
- Showcase prep — teams finalise their presentations.
- LUNCH
- Group showcase — each team presents “The ideal country for teenagers” to the group and leaders, in English.
- Certificates & reflection — awards and a look back at the week.
- Guided Málaga half-day excursion — afternoon trip to Málaga port, cathedral, and old town.
Saturday
- Departure — transfer back home.