The Official School of Languages of Barcelona

The EOI or Escola Oficial d’Idiomes de Drassanes (Official Languages School) is a public learning center for adults who wish to learn a new language. But this school doesn’t only aim to give their students the basic tools of understanding a language, they want the students to be able to use the language effectively in personal or business situations and also want to help people understand and respect the linguistic and cultural differences there are in the world.

Languages taught and types of courses

The EOI offers 15 official language courses where they teach the three main languages spoken in Spain, which are Spanish, Catalan and Basque, and also the main languages spoken around the world, which are English, French, Chinese, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Dutch, and Greek. The official language courses’ lessons last 2 hours and a half.

They offer 4 types of official courses: Standard Courses (5 hours per week, 130 hours in total), Blended-learning Courses (2 and a half hours per week, 130 hours in total), Intensive Courses (10 hours per week, 130 hours in total), and Flexible Courses (5 hours per week, 70 hour in total).

They also offer non-official programs in which they teach Darija (266€), Galician (320,08€), Persian (320,08€), Polish (320,08€), Romanian (320,08€), Swedish (374,80€), and Czech (374,80€). The price of the non-official programs does not include the materials that will be needed in class.

You can also take B2+ or C1+ courses at EOI, which cost 320,08€ or 227,20€ if you prefer to take your classes online. To be able to access these courses, you need to have a certificate that indicates your level of knowledge of the language or take a skill test at the school.

EOI also offers Professional Development for Teachers, with language courses and teacher training.

Related article: Language bookstores

Who can study at EOI?

Anyone over the age of 16, or 14, if you want to learn a language other than the first foreign language you have studied in High School.

When should you enroll?

EOI offers extensive and intensive courses. The enrollment period for both of them is between August and September of each year, with the intensive courses having a second enrollment period for the second term in January.

Related article: 1-to-1 Language Exchange: Alandum

Practical information

The Escola Oficial d’Idiomes is located in Ciutat Vella, at Avenida de les Drassanes, 14, right by the end of Las Ramblas. You can easily get there by taking the green line (L1) of the metro and exiting at Drassanes.

Office hours are from Monday to Friday from 10:30 am to 1 pm during June, July and September. The school is also open during the afternoon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from October to May, from 4 pm to 7 pm.