The minimum duration of a holiday program that includes learning English is two weeks, while the maximum is limited only by the possibilities of your wallet. When choosing such a program for a child, first of all you need to take into account his age, degree of independence, and level of language proficiency. Depending on this, a further action plan is developed. We will describe three main behavioral strategies.
If a child is not a fighter, if he, as one commercial says, suffers from “English muteness” and his knowledge of the language at a domestic school is rated a weak C, then it makes sense to send him to the UK not alone, but together with a group of Russian-speaking children. Of course, the academic effect will be lower, but a state of psychological comfort will be achieved: the parents are calmer, and the child has someone to share impressions with. In addition, groups are usually accompanied by a teacher, which means that the rear of your son or daughter will be secured, meaning they will have someone to turn to for help if necessary.
If the child is sufficiently independent, able to stand up for himself, easily gets along with people and adapts to a new environment, it is more advisable to send him into the “beautiful far away”, if possible excluding the presence of compatriots, so that the effect of immersion in the language environment is complete.
If your child is already old enough, but for one reason or another you do not risk sending him abroad alone, choose a family program. Parents who come to such programs with their children can simply relax, or study the same English, but already in adult groups. By the way, schools usually meet the wishes of their “family” clients and offer many accommodation options: all together in a hotel or dormitory, the child in a host family and the parents in a dormitory, all together in a host family, and so on. Such programs are ideal for those who intend to send their child abroad for a long period of study. So, you can visit several universities or colleges and find an educational institution that suits both you and your offspring.
Why is it necessary?
Holidays in an international camp or language school are, first of all, an opportunity to expand and deepen one's knowledge of English: to increase vocabulary, improve fluency, and improve listening comprehension. True, this applies only to those who already have some language baggage. Persons who do not have such baggage and intend to acquire it on the spot will be bitterly disappointed: two or three weeks is not enough time for language learning. Well, and of course, any trip abroad is a chance to see the country, touch its history literally and figuratively, understand the psychology of the people who inhabit it, and finally, make friends all over the world.
Where will we live?
There are two main accommodation options: a family or a residence (in fact, it is a simple dormitory). All host families undergo careful selection, and they are constantly checked by school staff. But in practice, various incidents can happen here too. After all, each family has its own rules, its own traditions, and its own “cockroaches”. When sending a child to live with a family, you need to realize that no one will particularly pamper and cherish him, and they will not offer any delicacies (especially when it comes to families where hosting children has been put on a conveyor belt). That is, he will, of course, be fed in accordance with the contract and given a room, but they may not take a personal part (as at home) in his fate. Living in a family imposes certain obligations on the child: he will have to not only show up at the table on time and clean his room, but also constantly demonstrate loyalty to all family members.
Living in a residence in this respect has its advantages. First, you will not have to spend money on travel; second, here the child has greater independence, and he is less forced to maintain relationships with other people. At most, he will have to adapt to his roommate, but after all, in extreme cases, you can order a single room.
How much does English cost for the people?
The general rule of British pricing states: the further south of London, the more expensive it is. The fact is that south of London is the English Riviera - palm trees, beaches, and resort towns: Brighton, Bournemouth, Eastbourne. Course prices here are on average 200-300 pounds sterling higher and range from 1,300-1,500 for a two-week course, and the cost of living in resort towns is also higher. Scotland, Wales, and Ireland are considered cheaper regions. This is not particularly noticeable in tuition prices, but the costs of transport, food, and entertainment are significantly lower than in England. Academic and entertainment programs are more or less the same everywhere. In the morning - language classes, in the afternoon - sports activities, in the evening - disco, karaoke, cinema; two excursions during the week, two tests (upon admission to determine the level of knowledge and at the end of the course to obtain a certificate).
The only thing that usually stops potential students is the question of the purity of the language in these regions. Let us try to reassure all doubters: first, folk dialects are not characteristic of teachers' speech; you will be taught the language called standard. Second, even in England itself the language is far from uniform - the difference between southern and northern dialects is quite significant, not to mention London Cockney. The people in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, according to many, are more warm-hearted, and in terms of exoticism and local color, they are several points ahead of prim England. Therefore, choosing a region is primarily a matter of your aesthetic preferences. If the sound of Scottish bagpipes makes your heart skip a beat, and your feet are eager to dance a fiery Irish jig, then your path lies to Scotland and Ireland respectively. Well, if you are more attracted by the Tower of London and the legends of Robin Hood, you will have to go to good old England.
‘Artek’ the British way
Friendship of peoples plus discipline and an exciting sports and excursion program - these are the components of success of British language camps. These are exactly the ideal places where you can simultaneously relax and study effectively. Summer international camps are usually organized on the basis of universities and schools, which let their own students go for the summer and can receive ‘overseas guests’ within their walls, for whom this is an excellent opportunity to try on the British education system, at least in its holiday form. A camp is the optimal option for those who, when choosing between rest and study, still place the main emphasis on rest.
The camp program is not only English lessons (usually 20 per week, as in language centers), but also a very extensive cultural program: excursions, sports games and other peaceful amusements (barbecues, discos, etc.).
If a child has a pronounced hobby, you can send them to a specialized camp. Such camps also exist in the United Kingdom: computer camps, football camps (for example, students of the Manchester Academy of English learn to take penalty kicks under the guidance of coaches from the famous Manchester United football club), and so on.
Camps come not only in different profiles, but also in different sizes: large, international in the full sense of the word, accepting several hundred students from all over the world, and small, ‘family’ camps, where the number of holidaymakers does not exceed fifty. Each subtype has its own advantages: in large camps there is a ‘Babylonian pandemonium’, an international crowd, lots of communication and casual acquaintances. The educational process is a kind of conveyor belt, and this is, of course, a drawback. On the other hand, there is much greater flexibility in assessing students' knowledge: large language centers distinguish at least 8-10 levels of language proficiency, which means students have a better chance of getting into the right group. And that is a tangible plus.
Small private camps usually have no more than four levels, but the atmosphere is homely: you will be met at the airport and seen off, and they will arrange celebrations in a close circle. Such is the camp at Moorland Hall, which has been run for 15 years by the Ferrington couple. The number of participants in one shift does not exceed 35 people; they all live either directly in the Ferrington family or in houses nearby under the supervision of experienced staff. Prices are more than affordable by British standards: £365 per week for accommodation, meals (full board), sports activities, £90 for 12 English lessons per week, £70 for a transfer from Heathrow Airport.
British camps are also very different in terms of comfort. If the camp is organized at a university, you will most likely live on the university campus in rooms for one or two, maximum four people. If the camp is located in the bosom of nature, then it is quite possible to live in a dormitory in rooms for 10 people with facilities on the floor.
Study, applicant!
An international camp is still an option ‘for the people’. But a trip to a prestigious language school is a more privileged option. A sports and entertainment program is also present here, but the main emphasis is on language classes. In a traditional holiday program, 20 hours per week are allocated to the language: classes are held in the morning from 9:00 to 13:00 with short breaks. Every day, during the first two lessons (9:00-11:00), students master grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and conversational speech; another two hours are devoted to creativity - a wide variety of creative tasks, games, quizzes - naturally, in the language. From 13:00 to 14:00 lunch, and then practice in the process of communicating with local residents.
By the way, 20 lessons per week is, so to speak, a reasonable minimum. If the parents wish and the child agrees, the number of lessons can be increased to 40 or more (the final cost will also increase).
Studying at a language center is ideally suited primarily to high school students. If a child intends to study at a domestic university after finishing school, the knowledge acquired in foggy Albion will help overcome entrance language tests. Well, if parents dream of a student card at some prestigious British university for their offspring, then God himself commanded to send him to an English language school. After all, in addition to the holiday programs themselves, they usually also offer programs ‘English for academic purposes’ and ‘English for passing international exams’, without which admission to a British university is impossible.
A difficult choice
How do you avoid making a mistake when choosing a school or camp? Unfortunately, there are no ready-made recipes here; no one can give a hundred percent guarantee of the quality and psychological comfort of a child. Ideally, if the school was recommended to you by friends or acquaintances. In all other cases, you can only rely on your own intuition and the professionalism of educational agencies. It is better to contact them with a request to select the necessary course: they will choose a school and take care of the paperwork - though not for free. In any case, having a contract in hand, it will be much easier to resolve a conflict situation. If you still want to organize the trip yourself, then keep in mind that you will have to take on booking tickets, solving visa and other "paper" issues.
When choosing a school, you should pay attention to how long it has been in existence. The presence of accreditation from the British Council and other professional associations - ARELS, BASELT - speaks in its favor. This is, of course, not a guarantee, but it is something. It is considered a positive factor if the school prepares for international exams - TOEFL, IELTS. Try to compare the conditions and prices offered by different schools, and determine to what extent what you are offered is, so to speak, value for money, and whether you are ready to overpay for a "brand". After all, for services that in one school cost, roughly speaking, 900 pounds, in another they will charge 1,500 or even 2,000. At the same time, a high price does not always guarantee any special quality.
Look at whether there is an opportunity to study additional subjects, what methodology of teaching English the teachers use, and whether it suits your child specifically. Find out how the school is equipped in technical terms: whether there are language labs and computer classrooms, whether the child will have access to the Internet and e-mail (in our time this is the fastest and cheapest way of communication).
Ask as many questions as possible (even down to whether you need to take basic medicines and towels with you) to the staff of the agency or school, find out all conceivable and inconceivable details. The more information you gather, the more protected and prepared for unforeseen circumstances your child will be. And most importantly, even if the experience of immersion in a new culture turns out to be unsuccessful, in any case your child will get to know the country not from the bus window and will certainly become more independent, and this in itself is a considerable acquisition.