It all started in 2008. Majo was teaching at a language school and also working with private students, and before long her schedule was completely full. She then invited Karo, a colleague and fellow language enthusiast, to join her and teach those classes together. Everything came together the way meaningful things often do: step by step, with enthusiasm, dedication, and a lot of heart. We didn’t have a business plan, but we knew we loved teaching, and that, with a bit of organization, could grow into something bigger. A company? Not really. A traditional school? Not that either. We preferred to think of ourselves as a small teaching cooperative, where the goal wasn’t simply to “sell courses,” but to support real learning journeys. And, of course, to keep learning ourselves along the way.

So we completed an international certification in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, refined our approach, started creating our own teaching materials (some of which are still in use today!), and continued to grow professionally. From there, more wonderful people joined us: colleagues who shared our values, our work ethic, and our love for the Spanish language.

Since then, a lot has happened. We’ve taught classes in hostels, cultural centers, students’ living rooms, and shared office spaces with an English school, where we launched the intercultural exchange events that we still organize today. We moved countless times (okay, not countless, but quite a few) until we finally found a place that felt like home. Anyone who studied with us during those years will probably remember the beautiful city view from the 11th floor. Then the pandemic arrived, and once again we had to reinvent ourselves, adapting everything to an online format. We never stopped teaching. We never stopped learning. And when the pandemic began to fade, we adapted once more. Today, we work from two beautiful buildings in the heart of the city.

We know we didn’t invent anything new. But we also know we didn’t copy anyone else. What we do has been built through experience, passion, and practice. And perhaps that is what makes us different. We still dream of growing. Not to become a multinational Spanish-language company, but to have more tools, more meaningful challenges, more curious students, and more passionate teachers. We want “Porte” to be synonymous with quality, joy, consistency, and creativity. And although this story began more than fifteen years ago, we still feel like we’re just getting started.