take an English course

LANGUAGE | Language Schools
Take a break —
take an English course
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o, you’re considering a language course abroad. Congratulations! e language school market has continued to develop since our last article on this topic
in Spotlight 4/07, bringing higher standards generally and
a wider range of courses. But with accommodation and
insurance, flights and food, this type of intercultural adventure is not cheap, and you may still be asking yourself
questions like “Where should I go?” “How should I choose
a school and a course?” and “How can I get the most out
of it?”
S
To help answer such questions, we interview Huan
Japes, of the language teaching association English UK,
about the procedures in place — known as accreditation
— in Britain and Northern Ireland to guarantee that students get value for money and a “tip-top learning experience”. Young people and adults also tell us their reasons
for taking courses in various parts of the English-speaking
world. ey talk about their time there, and give recommendations, so that you, too, can choose the right school
in the right place and have the most rewarding time.
Huan Japes [)hju:En (dZeIps]
rewarding [ri(wO:dIN]
Spotlight 4|13
bereichernd
Fotos: Getty Images; Engslish UK
Sie möchten im Ausland einen Englischkurs besuchen, hätten aber gerne etwas Hilfe bei der
Suche? JOANNA WESTCOMBE zeigt Ihnen im Interview mit einem Experten und anhand von
Erfahrungsberichten, worauf Sie bei der Kurswahl achten sollten.
Beyond size and location, what other things need to
be considered?
Spotlight talked to Huan
Japes, Deputy Chief Executive of English UK,
about quality standards
in UK language schools.
On our schools’ summer programmes, for example, you
can expect a range of sports activities and properly supervised adventure activities. Some schools offer structured
lessons in the morning, with, say, golf or music in the afternoon. Such a balanced programme of learning and
leisure allows you to carry on learning through the
medium of another activity.
What does accreditation mean, and why is it
important?
What sort of accommodation choices are there?
Accreditation is key to maintaining the quality of schools.
Accreditation UK runs inspections, and schools have to
pass their inspection in order to be accredited by them and
be eligible for English UK membership. Criteria are based
on management, resources and premises, teaching and
learning — including observing teachers — and student
welfare. All these give students both quality of experience
and quality of learning outcomes.
ere are lots of options, including residential schools and
homestays, depending on the age of the student and the
amount of care and supervision that he or she will need.
Host families are selected carefully as part of our criteria.
Important factors are, of course, how easy it is to get to
the school, the general living environment and its cleanliness, but families should also be friendly and work with
students to help them improve their English.
Why should you choose an accredited school?
If there’s a problem, where can people get help?
If you choose an Accreditation UK member, you’ll know
that the school you are attending has met the standards of
the scheme. is is particularly important for younger
learners in terms of welfare, but you can also be sure that
because of our teaching and learning criteria, you’ll be getting quality of education while in the UK.
If you are unhappy or want financial compensation, you
should go to the school first. If the problem is not resolved,
come to us. We have emergency procedures in place — if
a school closes, then we can pay the students’
accommodation for the rest of their stay and offer them a
free place at another member school.
What is the best way to go about finding a school
that is right for you, your son or daughter?
Why should someone choose to study in the UK?
On the English UK website, we have an advanced search
function that helps you put together the components of
your stay. We recommend all our members equally, but
there are differences. A key one is location. Would you prefer to be in London or Bath or a seaside town, or in one
of our schools in the north of England or Scotland? What
might also be important is the size of school: smaller institutes can be best for some people, but a school from a
large chain may offer better resources or a wider range of
programmes over and above general English courses.
ENGLISH UK AND ACCREDITATION UK
English UK is the world’s leading language teaching association, with over 450 members. A UK registered charity, English
UK’s objectives are to advance the education of international
students in the English language and to ensure that the UK remains the number-one quality English language teaching destination. Members are private language schools, educational
trusts and charities, and language centres in further and higher
education institutes. Accreditation by the British Council —
under the Accreditation UK scheme — is a requirement of
membership. The scheme is managed by the British Council in
partnership with English UK. For further information, visit
www.englishuk.com, www. britishcouncil.org/accreditation
e main thing is the long-standing quality of our schools.
Secondly, if you choose an accredited school, you can be
sure you’ll get a tip-top learning experience. e UK offers
so much choice and variety, as well as diversity of educational experience. Whether you want weekend entertainment or sport, smaller cities, seaside towns in the south,
schools in Scotland, we just have so much to offer.
advance [Ed(vA:ns]
balanced [(bÄlEnst]
cleanliness [(klenlinEs]
destination [)destI(neIS&n]
diversity [daI(v§:sEti]
eligible [(elIdZEb&l]
homestay [(hEUmsteI]
host family [)hEUst (fÄmli]
in terms of [In (t§:mz Ev]
leisure [(leZE]
maintain [meIn(teIn]
outcome [(aUtkVm]
premises [(premIsIz]
residential school
[)rezI(denS&l sku:l]
run [rVn]
scheme [ski:m] UK
supervised [(su:pEvaIzd]
trust [trVst]
welfare [(welfeE]
verbessern
ausgewogen
Sauberkeit
Zielort, Reiseziel
Vielfalt
qualifiziert, geeignet
Unterkunft in einem Privathaushalt
Gastfamilie
in Sachen
hier: Freizeitaktivitäten
(aufrecht) erhalten
Resultat, Erfolg
Räumlichkeiten
Schule mit Übernachtungsmöglichkeit
durchführen
Programm
beaufsichtigt
Stiftung
Wohl; hier: Rundumbetreuung
und -versorgung
4|13 Spotlight
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