About us
Our methodology
We love teaching! We believe that a good language class should go far beyond teaching grammar, following a manual and filling out worksheets. We avoid the classic method of frontal communication and offer instead interactive dynamics and current topics. We teach grammar as a necessary tool for communication and stimulate the students’ interest in the new topics – rather than just giving it to them.
Our teaching team builds bridges between people from different cultures and countries. We also open new doors for students and their professional careers. We help foreigners to become better integrated by speaking Spanish. It is also heart warming for us that some of our students pass their exams thanks to our support. And, of course, we are also inspired by the kids, as we see how passionate they are about learning a new language.
We welcome you with a glass of water, in a cosy and stimulating atmosphere displaying artistic paintings. We are committed to sustainability which you can tell by our recycled furniture and materials. The conservation of the oceans is one of our priorities, as we also represent the headquarters of Limpiaventura – an environmental association.
Classroom space and content
All our classrooms are equipped with a screen, computer, internet connection, blackboard and quality audiovisual equipment. Some of our furniture is made from reused or second-hand materials and we avoid using plastic bottles.
Our teachers are trained and speak several languages. In class they focus on oral conversation. Our materials are authentic, as we do not follow a manual. We work with materials from internet sources, manuals, authentic materials or our own invention developed on a weekly basis.
What sets us apart from other academies is that our teaching unit lasts 60 minutes instead of 45 minutes. We take our time to attend you in the most personal and human way possible. We have a whatsapp group for each group, where we send photos and materials in case you miss a class. In these groups interesting work groups or initiatives come together to exchange ideas and share free time.
Location
We are located in the centre of Corralejo, in a quiet street in the village of Corralejo, which is in the northern part of Fuerteventura. Just a few minutes from the pier and several cafés, it is an ideal place to have your classes. Enjoy a breakfast in the sun or some tapas with wine in the pedestrian street before or after your classes. Our island is a paradise of crystal clear water and vivid colours.
Alina Kunz
Founder and Teacher
Alina was born in Vienna, her father was from Argentina and her mother was of Swiss nationality, but lived in Austria. As a child, she travelled around Europe and Latin America with her parents until they settled in Fuerteventura in the late seventies. So, Alina grew up between two very different worlds: Fuerteventura – an island which at that time was sparsely inhabited and represented a rustic and deserted paradise, and cities like Vienna, Zurich and Basel. In Vienna, she graduated in Spanish and Italian Philology, as well as in Pedagogy and did a Master’s degree in “German for Foreigners”. She studied teaching Spanish, Italian and German as a foreign language at university. She acquired her practical knowledge at various community colleges in Austria and Germany, at language schools in Switzerland and at the Goethe Institute in Madrid.
Already as a child, Alina spoke several languages and was aware of the problem of not knowing foreign languages on an island that lived off tourism. It hurt her to see friends and classmates leave school early to work in the tomato fields or clean hotels with no other way out. She was also aware of the injustice that existed in the jobs, as foreigners had more possibilities of accessing them than Canarians, simply because they knew languages. On the other hand, she also witnessed various difficulties of adaptation on the part of foreigners on the island, because they did not speak Spanish. At the age of 17, she left the island, making a promise to herself that if she ever returned, she would do something to solve this problem of misunderstanding between two cultures.
The Kunz Academy is more than just a language school, it is an education centre that is also a place for creativity, communication and project development. Alongside her work as founder and teacher, Alina has created a project with which she has been visiting public schools and summer camps since 2017 to raise awareness among kids and young people about respect for nature. The project is directly linked to her environmental association Limpiaventura and consists of 5 instructors. It is a didactic and experimental project for kids that includes painting and cleaning beaches.
Painting courses have been given at the Academy by painter and artist Elena Lanz. We have offered free seminars and chats on topics such as dolphins in the sea, the importance of sharks in the sea, the question of whether there is life on Mars and female genital mutilation. These chats were given by marine biologists, engineers and active members of associations of the islands. Since 2015 we have also made our classrooms available for yoga, pilates, dance classes as well as for exclusive beauty and massage treatments. With the company Beautyventura, for example, you can enjoy a beauty treatment in a cosy and warm room.
Apart from these activities, the Academy has collaborated with humanitarian initiatives. We did a massive collection of clothes and shoes during the arrival of small refugee boats to the Canary Islands in 2019 and 2010. We collected and distributed food during the lockdown due to Covid19 in 2020. All this has been possible thanks to the commitment of volunteers and the collaboration with the Red Cross, Modern Christian Mission and other humanitarian associations. We have also been collaborating with dog saving organisations, taking in puppies on a seasonal basis and finding owners for them.
The small school has become a second home for Alina, where she tries to teach values for a more humane, healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Her life revolves around her son and outside the academy life she enjoys walking her dogs and dedicates herself to the environmental association she founded in 2015, which cleans beaches and organises events. She also does contact sports, enjoys dancing and is involved in women’s protection and empowerment projects. Alina believes that a healthy future must be ecological and protects women with the support of men and women.
Montse Fernández Puente
Spanish and French Teacher
Montse’s motto is “make your passion your profession” and it sums up her professional career very well. Since she was very young she dreamed of traveling the world and teaching Spanish to foreigners, so she studied at the University of Barcelona, her hometown, where she obtained a degree in Hispanic Philology and later a Master’s degree as a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language. The accreditation as a DELE examiner of the Cervantes Institute has been the last stage of her training as a teacher, something that Montse says never really ends, because each course, each student, teaches you something new and forces you to continually reinvent yourself, creating materials, learning the use of new technologies. That is what she likes most about her profession, that every day, every class is different. After working with young people and adults for 18 years in Barcelona, Mallorca, Fuerteventura, Tahiti and Mayotte, she has returned to the Kunz Academy, which has been part of her life since it opened. In 2015 Montse had already been by Alina Kunz’s side supporting her with her knowledge and her jovial character and enthusiasm for life and in 2024 she has returned to work with her in Corralejo. Teaching with Montse means to move forward, to be seen as a human being and to have a great time having a laugh and enjoying the present moment.
Louisa Pelmont
EnglishTeacher
Louisa is an English teacher from Leeds with a degree in languages and a TEFL qualification. She has travelled to many countries and has been living in Fuerteventura since 2025, working as a teacher and helping out in our office. She is English, but also speaks Italian, German and Spanish. Her first job was in Belgium, then continued teaching in Italy, which further enriched her professional and cultural experience, before settling in London. Convinced that learning never ends, Louisa believes that every course and every student represents a new opportunity for growth. Together with our team, she is constantly developing her teaching style by creating engaging materials, adapting methodologies and taking advantage of new tools. She feels great satisfaction when her students tell her about their personal achievements thanks to English. She was attracted to our island by the temptation of a quieter life and a warmer climate. At our academy, she has found a positive, dynamic and supportive learning environment. Apart from teaching, her hobbies include jogging along the seafront and salsa dancing. At our academy, we offer intensive English courses, face-to-face group & private classes, and as well online lessons.
María Jesús Ortiz Moreiro
Spanish online Teacher
María is a writer & teacher and her professional career is centred on communication. She was born in Guadix, a town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, half an hour from the Alhambra in Granada and studied in Madrid. She worked as a journalist in the fields of radio, press and institutional communication and trained as a teacher. María lived in Berlin for fourteen years, where she began the fantastic journey of teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Today she works as an online teacher for us and has been teaching young people & adults in Madrid for more than ten years. She is also an official DELE examiner accredited by the Instituto Cervantes.
María loves to connect with her students through dynamic lessons, accompanying them in their learning process and learning from them. Her curiosity and the questions she asks in class lead her to discover better teaching methods step by step. She loves to write & read and enjoys taking photographs on her travels. She has published a novel: “Sombras en la luz”, a collection of short stories: “Nombres propios, historias comunes” and a book of chronicles: “El quinto anejo. Crónicas desde Berlín en tiempo de pandemia”.
Yaiza Martínez Bordón
Spanish online Teacher
Yaiza is a translator, interpreter and language teacher. She had been working as an English teacher for 15 years when, in 2026, she decided to focus her further training on teaching Spanish. She is from the Canary Islands and discovered that she finds great joy from sharing her native language, so she enrolled on a Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE). She spent a few weeks with us on supervised teaching classes and we were able to see that Yaiza is a very openminded teacher, who is able to create a positive and trusting atmosphere in the classroom. She is originally from Lanzarote and lives in Valencia, from where she works as an online teacher for our academy. She loves nature and taking trips to the mountains. What she likes about our school is the professionalism and the warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Michelle Guillén
German & Spanish online Teacher
Michelle is a qualified teacher specialising in teaching Spanish and German. She lives in Venezuela and comes from a family that emigrated from the Canary Islands to Venezuela in the past. This is why she feels at home with our open-minded approach and multicultural environment at the Kunz Academy. She trained as a German teacher and worked at the Goethe-Institut and various German schools across Latin America. Michelle is an enthusiastic and cheerful person who takes great care to prepare personalised and engaging lessons. She also trained as a Spanish teacher for adults and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Innovation. She is passionate about helping her students solve complex problems, and in her spare time she is dedicated to promoting German culture through the “Stiftung Verbundenheit”. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with a cat rescue organisation. We are delighted to offer online classes with this native-speaking teacher, who also speaks German and English.
Carina Dorrek
Secretary
Carina was born in Vienna and discovered her love for the Canary Islands, especially Fuerteventura, a few years ago. She worked in a kindergarten in Vienna for 12 years, but has been living in Corralejo for more than 3 years and is a secretary at the language school – Academia Kunz. She likes to travel, enjoys surfing & loves the sun and the ocean. Besides her job, she is passionate about photography, plays the guitar and enjoys being artistic. Her mother tongue is German, but she also speaks fluent English and a bit Spanish. She and her colleagues are happy to answer your questions and concerns and will look after you lovingly in the Academia.
Carmen Gross
Secretary
Carmen was born in the Saarland, completed an apprenticeship in the hospitality industry and has over 30 years’ professional experience in customer service, organisation and management. In 2003, she moved to Spain to start a new chapter in her life. After living in various places such as Valencia, Mallorca and Dénia, she finally found her home on Fuerteventura, where she has lived for over 20 years. She speaks German and is fluent in Spanish and English. She is currently part of the Academia Kunz team, supporting the administration, helping to organise and coordinate administrative tasks, and providing a personal and professional service to students and staff. As a lover of the sea, sun and nature, Carmen enjoys travelling, practises yoga and meditation, and maintains a close connection to the water – one of her greatest passions, which led her to train as a Watsu® and massage therapist.
Tony Elschner
Maintenance & Secretary
Tony came to Fuerteventura in 2022 after falling in love with the island 7 years ago on his first holiday here. He has been working for Academia Kunz as an assistant and house handyman since the end of 2023. He is a trained carpenter and studied English for several years. When he’s not playing the guitar and singing, he can be found on the beach with his dog Mojo, enjoying the sea and the fantastic sunrises and sunsets.
Other Teachers
To be part of our team, it is not only the curriculum that counts. We also take into consideration the human qualities and the personality of the teacher. Apart from the permanent teachers in our team, we also have other teachers who are with us on a seasonal basis.
The same goes for our offer, which changes according to demand. So it is possible that in addition to our regular offer of Spanish, German, English, French and school support, we may also offer a computer course, Italian, yoga, pilates, painting, dance or another course. Therefore, the best thing to do is to inform yourself directly about the current range of courses and teachers by Whatsapp on +34610013424.
Apart from the course programme, we also have a classroom which can be used for lectures and a smaller, cosy classroom where you can book beauty and health treatments.
We are as flexible as possible and have adapted to the circumstances. Our motto is: when everything goes wrong, keep smiling. We are very proud that we have been able to survive the 2020 global crisis as a company.
Follow our social networks and Whatsapp us on 61013424 if you want up to date information.
Ask for info!
Contact us, we will give you info in English, Spanish or other languages.
Calle Poril, 24 · 35660 Corralejo · Fuerteventura
info@academiakunz.com
+34 610 013 424
What our students say about us
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