Meet Demetrio Sánchez, Head of Studies at AmeriSpan's Barcelona Spanish school (1st Choice)
What is your background?
My name is Demetrio, and I am 49 years old. I have a degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Salamanca. I am married and I have a daughter. For 20 years, I've been living and working in Barcelona. I've been working at Don Quijote for 22 years.
Which languages do you speak or have you studied?
I speak English and have studied Portuguese and Catalan.
Have you ever studied abroad?
I've never studied abroad. I have traveled less than what I would like but enough to know how it feels to be a foreigner.
How and why did you get into the Study Abroad market?
For over 25 years, I dabbled in the market of study abroad and that "blessed" chance has made me realize all the good in this profession. All the emotional and professional advantages of getting to work with different people from different countries and cultures too. Meeting so many people and above all realizing how small our world is sometimes and how much we can learn from others.
What is your job or function at the organization?
I am the Head of Studies, responsible for academics, organization of classes, teachers, levels, etc. I've always seen this work as a whole, a team where everyone is important and we must all work toward the objective of making the student's stay as pleasant as possible in all aspects: social, academic, cultural, etc.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
No doubt what I like about my job is the cultural exchange, knowledge of people, and above all teaching my language, my culture, which will certainly help students to broaden their personal and professional future .
Was a person, group of people or organization that were instrumental in your success?
After all this time, it's clear that I've found people who have helped me in every way, who I believe have helped to broaden my horizons and some others do not. "If you love your work, you will not work a day of your life," said Confuccio.
Tell us one of your biggest mistakes in your job, studying/teaching a language and/or traveling abroad?
The biggest challenges have always been not to lose the essence of the work, be aware that we work with and for people, not numbers, we can not forget that behind each number is a person. Not being aware of this can always become the biggest mistake we can make it if we are not taking into account the expectations of the student.
Can you tell us about your schools philosophy, specialty and/or why you think it is special?
The philosophy I've always tried to apply is a consideration of the student as a guest, and as such we should try to make their experience unique, to give them an experience they'll remember for the remainder of their life, learn a language, but also become familiar with another lifestyle that will enrich their personal and professional future.
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