Whether improving your Greek has been on your bucket list for a while, or you are looking for the right opportunity to embark on the language journey from scratch, immersive learning may be your best bet to achieve your desired goals.

Research and lived experience suggest that learning a language in its original context gets you a step ahead with native speaker-like familiarity. And when coupled with a formal classroom setting, language acquisition generates efficient, sustainable results.

The Greek Online School Immersion Course combines the best of both worlds, with a 9-day intensive program of classes and cultural activities, that promises adult students a deep dive into the Greek language and lifestyle ensuring they leave feeling a lot more confident in everyday Greek conversation.

Graduation ceremony of the 2023 class which ran at the Anargyrios & Korgialenios School under the auspices of the Greek Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School

The immersive course, successfully tested for two consecutive years under the auspices of the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Tourism and the Foreign Affairs General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, is making a double comeback in 2024 with a spring (30 April – 8 May) and a summer (6-14 August) program.

Importantly, it comes with a special add-on owing to its location.

Hosted in Spetses, in the heart of the Saronic Gulf, the course takes place at the historic Anargyrios & Korgialenios School of the island.

At first glance, you may recognise the building as the film set of popular movies and series, including the all-star cast dark comedy “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” featuring Daniel Craig and Edward Norton.

Movies including “The Lost Daughter,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Sam Mendes’ miniseries “The Magus” found the ideal filming set in the huge estate where the Anargyrios & Korgialenios School is located, surrounded by pine and fig trees, with breathtaking views to the sea. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School

But not many outside Greece know the story behind the architectural and natural beauty of the premises.

“It is a true hidden treasure,” program director of the Greek Online School Immersion Course Ada Leivada, tells Neos Kosmos, sharing insights on the historic campus.

Established in 1923, the Anargyrios and Korgialenios School of Spetses became one of the most important boarding schools in Europe at the time.

Its benefactors, Sotiris Anargyros and Marinos Korgialenios, had envisioned an educational institution that would shape and educate the leaders of modern Greece.

Their vision was supported by Greek politicians, including then prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos who inaugurated it and personally inspired his friend Anargyros to create a hub that would attract students and teachers from around Europe.

The school was developed on the model of English institutions like Eton, with a humanistic approach and saw numerous alumni from Greece and abroad become writers, politicians, and businessmen over the years.

The list of alumni from the Anargyrios and Korgialenios School during the years it ran as a model European boarding school, include British author John Fowles who based his novel “The Magus” on his experiences in Spetses, and Nobel Laureate James Watson, who initiated molecular biology seminars at the school. Here, shot from the 2022 class of the Greek Online School Immersion Course hosted in the campus. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School

The campus operated as a boarding school until 1983. But the history of its cultural and educational importance is still visible in restored architectural components.

“Buildings are of neoclassical architecture and include the original Didaktirion and a library with a collection of more than 5,000 titles, and its outdoor amphitheatre was modelled on the ancient theatre of Epidaurus,” Ms Leivada explains.

After renovations following the boarding school closure in 1983, the estate spread over 120,000m² was brought back to life and operates today as a cultural and educational centre hosting summer schools and conferences from all around the world.

In 2022, under the auspices of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad, the historic classrooms of the School of Spetses welcomed language learners of the Greek Online School immersion program.

World renowned universities also make use of the renovated facilities, including laboratories, dormitories, and sports courts, hosting courses for adults and children as well as conferences.

“A trust fund in charge of the school ensures all activities approved to take place there provide quality services in the field of education and life-learning.

Daniel, a Greek Australian from Melbourne was one of the students who attended the inaugural program in 2022.

Run me through the basics

What? 9-day Greek Immersion Course for adults

When? Two separate programs in 2024 for Greek Easter (30 April – 8 May) and Greek summer (6 – 14 August)

Where? Taking place in the historic Anargyrios & Korgialenios School of Spetses

How? Daily 3-hour Greek language classes paired with cultural activities and opportunities to use the language in real-life situations. Class content includes digital material, songs, movies, and short videos.

For Whom? Any adult interested in improving their Greek or learning from scratch. The course is for total beginners, intermediate and advanced students alike. Groups are kept small and according to language level, with an average of 8-12 students per class.

In his testimonial, he said he felt “blessed for having such a variety of people” in his class.

“Staff have worked tirelessly around the clock to make sure that our stay is wonderful,” says Daniel a 2022 immersion student from Melbourne. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School.

“We’ve had people at the end of their working lives […] we have a polyglot person who for them it’s probably their ninth or tenth language, we’ve had people from all over Europe, America, and me of course from the other side of the world coming to Spetses.”

According to Daniel, the fact that the course takes place on an island of historical importance to the Greek Revolution [Spetses is the birthplace of Laskarina Bouboulina] “and that the school was founded by a luminary of the early Greek state” tie in with the linguistic aspects of the course.

“Combined with the deep immersion that we get in classes it made it a very special program and I’m very lucky to have been part of it.”

“The opportunity to go out every night and mingle with the local Spetsiotes, experiencing the small joys of living on the island was for me the cherry on the cake in the program” Daniel says. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School.

Before the immersion course starts, all applicants are invited to a one-2-one call with a team member of the Greek Online School for a chance to meet and ask questions.

Participants complete a pre-course test, so they can be placed in the appropriate level class.

“Classes are small, with an average of 8-12 students, to give all participants enough space to speak and interact with the material, their classmates and their teacher” says Ms Leivada.

“It’s a premium exclusive program, so places are limited. But people who apply now are still on time to make use of our Early Bird Offer concluding on 31 December.”

For more information on the Greek Online School immersion program and 2024 registrations visit https://thegreekonlineschool.com/immersion-course-greece/

To book a Free Trial Lesson with the school visit https://thegreekonlineschool.com/book-your-free-trial-lesson

Cultural activities are intertwined with class curriculum in the immersion program. Photo: Supplied/Greek Online School