Finding a school in Spain as an expat family: an interview with Natalja Sheina (Intellecci)
Introduction & Mission
Could you briefly introduce Intellecci and share what inspired you to build an agency that combines international admissions with teen coaching and psychology?
In 2009, I opened Belarus's first educational center for teenagers. We started with a business course: demand was high, and at the time there was nothing like it in Belarus. Over the years, that course grew into a full-fledged center that is still running today. About 250 teenagers study there every year, and more than 5,000 young people have gone through our programs in total.
In 2024, our family moved to Spain, and we took this experience online. We continue to teach teenagers business, psychology and communication and to help them with career guidance, but now without geographical borders. Today, teenagers from more than 25 countries study with us, from every continent except perhaps Antarctica.
Our admissions service grew out of personal experience. Two years ago, we were looking for a school for our own child and saw how difficult it was: a huge amount of information, paperwork, correspondence with schools. Having gone through all of this, we started helping friends, and then realized how great the demand was, since many Russian-speaking families are moving to Spain. That is how the service was born. Today we help Russian-speaking children get into public, concertado and private schools in Spain. For us, it is a natural extension of our work with teenagers: we don't just find a school, we support the child through the whole adaptation process.
You work closely with international families relocating to Spain. What are the biggest challenges expat parents face when navigating the Spanish educational system for the first time?
Moving to another country is stressful even for an adult, and a teenager feels it many times more intensely. So the first thing we help with is easing that anxiety: explaining how everything works, providing a clear action plan and showing that neither the parents nor the child will be left without support.
The second big challenge is finding an available place. Schools in Spain are currently overcrowded, and many have even closed their waiting lists. We usually work through 10–15 schools, and in the most difficult case there were 23. Even so, every teenager whose parents have entrusted them to us has been admitted. We accompany the family all the way, from the initial request to find a school to the moment the child receives their uniform and textbooks.
Admissions, Application Strategy & Documentation
The admissions process in Spain can be complex, involving equivalency paperwork (homologación), language tests, and specific entry requirements. What does the typical timeline look like for an international family applying to a school in Spain?
Admission in Spain is complex for two reasons: the procedure itself is not simple, and many schools have their own requirements for documents and entrance assessments. Some hold an online interview, others full exams in math and language.
Documents are a separate topic. We give families a complete list of the documents they need and advise them in detail on which ones must be translated and apostilled. It is important to understand that almost everything has to be prepared in the home country: requesting additional documents from there once you are already in Spain is practically impossible. If something needs to be done locally, we provide contacts of lawyers and translators.
I recommend allowing at least six months for the whole process. Schools don't always reply quickly, exams aren't scheduled right away either, and results can sometimes take a week to ten days. You shouldn't expect to start searching today and have a place a month later.
There are exceptions: once, children urgently needed to change schools because of severe bullying, and we found a new school and completed the transfer within a month. But that was more of a miracle than something that can be repeated time after time.
When a desired school has strict entry requirements or long waiting lists, what strategies does Intellecci use to help applicants stand out and present a compelling candidate profile?
We know the requirements of specific schools and what each of them expects from applicants, and we prepare the child for exactly that format. If a school asks for an essay, we know what level it should be and explain to the parents and the teenager how to prepare for it. No superhuman effort is needed; following our recommendations is enough.
In addition, every school values extracurricular achievements: music, singing, sports, chess, wins in science competitions. All of this is worth highlighting in the cover letter. We try to gather as much information from the family as possible: even winning an international competition in first grade can make a difference.
Do admission requirements differ across British, American, and Spanish private/concertado schools?
The main difference is language. Schools that teach entirely in English require a high level of English, and a school may ask for a specific level. A recent example: a child initially failed the language test, but the family came to us almost a year before the move. Over that year the child studied English intensively, retook the test after moving to Valencia with a significantly higher score, and was accepted.
Requirements for Spanish are usually much less strict. Good schools have departments that help international students adapt, not only Russian-speaking ones but also English-speaking and Chinese students. They offer extra Spanish classes and help them integrate. We have had cases where a school accepted a child who didn't speak any Spanish at all, and within a year and a half to two years they were speaking fluently. The first months are hard, but there are often Russian-speaking kids at the school who help out. And credit is due to Spanish teachers and students: they are very open and welcoming. So not speaking Spanish is no reason not to try.
School Tours & Selection Criteria
You offer guided school tours for parents across private and international schools in Spain. What key indicators should parents look for during a campus visit that aren't visible on a brochure or website?
We organize tours in two formats. Online, it's a video call with a school representative where you can ask anything: about the daily routine, meals, the timetable, lessons, PE. Offline, it's a private tour outside the open days: a school representative shows you the entire building, talks about the school's history and traditions, and then answers questions from parents and children.
For us, the key indicator is how open the administration is. Over the years, we have clearly seen a link between how the admissions team communicates and the difficulties that may arise later, from how long it takes to answer requests to how complicated issues get resolved. The second important indicator is whether the school is genuinely looking forward to new international students. Surprisingly, not every school shows that readiness. We also look at the building itself, the condition of the classrooms, how the children look, and much more. All these details add up to an overall impression, and one personal visit is usually enough to form a fairly complete picture of what working with the school will be like.
That said, every family has its own criteria. One family, for example, paid very close attention to the restrooms: how clean they were and whether the stalls could be locked. That mattered to them. So focus on what matters to you and your child, and we will point out the particular features of each school ourselves. For instance, at one school the sports ground is on the roof. It is fenced in and safe, but for some families that is an immediate red flag. Things like this can only be seen in person, which is why I always advise coming to see the school with your own eyes: the classrooms, lessons, gym and cafeteria.
Private and international schools in Spain can sometimes be slow or difficult for foreign parents to contact directly. How does Intellecci facilitate smooth communication between parents and school admissions offices?
Contacting a school is usually easy; getting a reply is the hard part. Sometimes it takes several days, and communicating is even harder when you are in another country.
We have established contacts with many schools in Valencia and across Spain. Instead of writing to overloaded general inboxes, we contact specific people: the admissions team, the principal, or whoever is responsible for admissions or for helping international students adapt. We speak Spanish, so if there's a delay we simply call, and if necessary we go to the school and resolve the matter in person. Parents can, of course, communicate with schools themselves, but with us it happens much faster.
On ColegioCheck, parents share authentic reviews and personal experiences about schools. In your view, how can parents best combine peer reviews with professional admission advice to make an informed decision?
First of all, I'd like to thank ColegioCheck for your work. Reviews are the first thing every parent looks at when choosing a school, and it is important that there are many of them, that they are up to date and that they come from real families whose children attend the school. You help us too: when we get a request for a school we haven't worked with before, the first thing we do is read the reviews. And I know that our clients use your website as well.
The best results come from combining the two: reviews show what school life is really like from the inside, something you won't see on a tour or in a brochure, and we add our knowledge of requirements and procedures and our direct contacts at the schools.
Student Wellbeing, Skills & Smooth Transition
Securing admission is only step one; thriving in the new school is step two. How do you evaluate a student's psychological readiness and social fit to ensure a smooth transition?
Moving, changing schools, classmates and surroundings is a serious strain on a teenager. That's why we work not only with parents but directly with the children too: every teenager has our contact details and can reach us at any time.
First, we get to know the parents and the child ourselves: we find out their language level, preferences, problem areas and, conversely, their strengths. We know what each school requires and can usually predict its decision quite accurately. So we advise the family in advance on what to strengthen in the time left before the exam. Almost always, it's English: the level needs to be high. So my advice is: learn English!
And, of course, we attend entrance assessments in every format, whether it's an online interview or a written exam. It's important to be there to support both the parents and the child.
Our relationship doesn't end with enrollment. We are still in touch even with our very first clients: the children are doing great at school, but we still call each other and share news. It is also a valuable source of insider information about schools.
In addition, our team includes a mediator, a Spanish woman who speaks fluent Russian and Spanish. In any difficult or contentious situation, she joins the communication with the school on the family's side, quickly gets to the bottom of things and helps resolve the issue in the best interests of the child and the parents. Few admissions companies offer this kind of support.
Beyond admission assistance, Intellecci offers business, psychology, and entrepreneurship programs for teenagers. Why are these practical life skills so crucial alongside standard academic curricula?
These are fundamental skills every teenager needs today, even if they never become an entrepreneur. For example, the ability to negotiate and achieve your goals in conversation is needed at school, with friends and with parents. Or public speaking: you can't finish school without ever giving a presentation, and the ability to speak and carry yourself in front of an audience needs practice. That's why our programs complement the academic curriculum so well, and students who have completed them say that schoolwork has become much easier for them.