Which English Language School Is Best?

Choosing the best English language school for you can be a tricky proposition - there are an unlimited number of places, schools and English courses to choose from. You want to make sure you get value for money and a trip that will not only improve your English, but will give you the break you know you deserve.

Before you part with your hard earned cash, take a close look at your chosen school, do some online research by reading forums where you may be able to see what other customers have experienced at the same school.

The small independent English school with the ‘homely’ feel is fine as long as they are dynamic enough to meet your specific needs - being there for you in case of an emergency. The big schools may give you peace of mind as a trusted name, but you lose the personal touch, sometimes making you feel like just one of the herd when they’re more interested in profit than teaching.

Then you need to think about your accommodation, are there options to suit your budget and taste. Nobody wants to spend longer traveling to lessons on holiday than they do to work at home. Will the neighborhood you’re staying in look like it should have a CNN war correspondent on the corner? Try to see pictures of the accommodation beforehand and check out how convenient it is for public transport and facilities like shops, restaurants, or whatever you are interested in. Some schools offer single sex accommodation or age restrictions on residents.

Your teachers will play at important role in your trip, so make sure they are suitably experienced and have the relevant qualifications.

Research the syllabus and structure of lessons, otherwise, you can look forward to ‘lessons’ being a, dreary, repetition of small talk with nothing new learnt. The English school should have a methodology they implement in teaching. You should find one that will be in synchrony with the way you learn. What I mean here is, do you learn better through doing, seeing or hearing? The schools methods of teaching should match your own way of learning. A lesson which is little more than a university style lecture is not going to help you learn English. Make certain that the class sizes aren’t too big. You’ll want to be able to interact with the teacher allowing him him/her to monitor you, give you feedback and correct your mistakes. A basic rule is to check that your school has accreditation from prestigious boards like the British Council (UK) or ACCET (USA).

Apart from teachers, you will also be spending a lot of time with classmates, so it’s worth investigating the nationality mix of the school. If you, for example, are Spanish, perhaps you don’t want to go to an English language school that has a high percentage of Spanish students, or, of course, perhaps you’d feel more comfortable being with people from your own culture. To be honest, it’s better for you not to mix with speakers of your native language, you’ll be too tempted to use your language, and anyway, it’s more interesting being in a multicultural classroom, isn’t it?

After lesson, will the school expect you to amuse yourself? There should be a social program where you can go on excursions, learn about the culture and socialize with your classmates speaking English all the time. Time well spent after lesson allows you to put into practice all you have learnt in class.

Wherever you decide to go for an English course, enjoy it and good luck!