- Visit the websites of more than one
school. You will soon realise how differently they
present themselves. A professional web design is
not necessarily an indication of the professionalism
of the school. How long has the school been in business?
Schools with several years experience will not be
bad, particularly when one considers that they come
and go very quickly in some countries. The school
may agree to give you a list of former students
who you might like to get
in contact with
- Which method? Does the school describe its teaching methods? And
if they do, what do you understand by it? A variety
of methods can mean that the school is not necessarily
bound to one particular method and that various
methods will be employed during the lessons. Some
schools, however, operate in many countries in accordance
with a particular teaching principle (e.g. inlingua,
Berlitz). If you are not sure about the method which
is applied, check first and consider carefully whether
this method really appeals to you. Only if you reply
in the affirmative, can we recommend such a course
to you.
- Teachers: You can expect
excellent teachers in (almost) every school. Many
schools work with temporary teachers which is not
necessarily a negative factor. But do the schools
say anything about the qualifications of their teachers?
Is the language they are teaching their mother tongue?
- Size
of school How many students will be in the school
when you are attending your course? If there are
more than 100, there is a danger of everybody losing
track of things. If there are only 10 students in
the school, the school may seem dead or events may
be cancelled. Generally speaking, it is easier to
find people with common interests if the school
is larger.
- International
composition If your class is full of English
people, there is a danger that you will end up speaking
English rather than the language you wanted to learn.
If your fellow students are Koreans, the risk will
be smaller. Ask how many English people will be
attending the same course. And do not go looking
for fellow countrymen in the school abroad either
because the same thing will occur. You will be home
again soon enough!
- Size of
class The smaller the class, the more you can
learn. Nevertheless, not everybody can afford their
own private teacher. Consider the following: How
would you feel, speaking in a group of 12 people?
How often would you have the chance of saying something
if all of them wanted to talk as much as you? Many
schools consider twelve people in one class to be
the upper limit. We consider classes which are even
larger than this to be out of the question. In London
and Paris other standards are set (here classes
of 15 are more realistic), but does it have to be
London?
A class with 6-8 students is ideal and in many schools
this is the average size of the groups outside of
the peak season - without any additional charge.
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