DELEhelp Blog

About DELEhelp

Hola – thank you for logging onto our blog.

I’m Willem Steenkamp, the director of studies for Excellentia Didactica (https://edele.org). At eDELE.org we teach Spanish as foreign language, catering in particular for native English-speaking students and those who have a command of English.

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Who are our students at eDELE? They are self-motivated adults with an independent  streak, who can do things for and by themselves and who are long past sitting in classrooms to learn something. They want to study in the comfort of their own homes, without having to abandon business or workplace for any stretch of time in order to go back to some school to attend group classes. They don’t want the additional cost of travel and accommodation that goes with attending classes at a residential school. What they want to do is self-study, but with access to an expert tutor for guidance and feed-back. Our students want their tutors to be practical and efficient, not theoretical. They want personal attention, with an individualized study plan designed for their particular needs, plus flexible time schedules and affordable rates. They are sufficiently tech-savvy to enjoy one-on-one tutorials via Skype.

DELEhelp is one of eDELE’s specialized course packages. Some of the other courses offered by eDELE are:

  • Vocational Spanish for professionals in the medical sphere, diplomacy, religion, military and the environment;
  • SpanishACCESS for beginners who are looking for practical communication skills rather than loads of dry theory;
  • FlexiSpanish for speakers of Spanish who want to maintain their level through regular informal conversations via Skype with our native Spanish-speaking tutors; and
  • SpanishTeachAssistant for top  pupils who are frustrated in the school classroom humdrum – to name just some. (Please see our website or the  Other Services page  of this blog for more information of these course packages).
  • BrainGainSpanish for those senior citizens who want the mind-maintaining benefits of learning an additional language (proven to be one of the very best ways of retaining cognitive ability in old age).
 DELEhelp’s  FOCUS:  DELEhelp is focused exclusively on assisting candidates for the DELE / SIELE exam of Spanish as foreign language, at all six its levels. Our exam preparation is practical, designed for English-speaking students. We approach everything from the student’s perspective. I myself passed the top DELE C2 level, so as Director of Studies for DELEhelp I know how tough these exams are! Beyond my own C2, my experience as diplomat (I am a retired ambassador) helped me understand the challenges of being an English-speaking student of a second language. In addition, my duties as former head of  a diplomatic academy, and my academic background (I have a  D. Litt. et Phil. degree), equipped me with the knowledge and experience to design innovative, personalized course packages for our students. On our eDELE.org website you can read more about our highly-qualified academic board and about tutors. You can also read about our methodology and download free sample material.

We are blessed to be based in beautiful La Antigua Guatemala, one of the best-known centres for teaching Spanish in the world.  Our cost structure here is evidently much lower than in the USA or Europe. This allows us to offer tuition at US$10 per hour of actual Skype tuition (our study material is included free).

Our approach to preparing candidates for the DELE / SIELE exam is practice-driven, including regular exam simulations.  We have developed unique in-house study materials, in English.  It is my hope that, with this blog, we can share some of that knowledge with students scouring the internet for practical  tips  about how to conquer these exams. We are happy to receive your questions about the exam and promise to respond to all (there’s a convenient form on this blog’s contact page with which you can send us your questions or requests for free sample material).

Thanks again for visiting our blog – we look forward to your comments and questions.

Saludos cordiales

Willem

Legal Information: DELEhelp is a course specialization of Excellentia Didactica (https://edele.org) which is part of Grupo Excellentia Panamaericano s.a. (GREXPA), a limited liability company incorporated in the Republic of Guatemala, with reference number 129433 (folio 144, libro 223). Our registered address and main seat of business is: 130C Calle del Agua, Aldea Santa Ana, La Antigua Guatemala 03001, Sacatepéquez, Republic of Guatemala.  Please see our Contact page for further particulars about getting in touch with us.