How to choose a language course?
It is widely believed that a language course abroad in a country where it is spoken is the best way to learn a foreign language. By learning in a natural language environment, much faster progress is achieved, and it is also easier to break the language barrier. Although learning a language abroad has basically only advantages, it is worth paying attention to several aspects before traveling to choose a language course optimally.
Country
If you have already chosen the language you want to study abroad, you are faced with the choice of the country in which that language is spoken. For some languages, e.g. Italian, the choice of country seems obvious. However, when it comes to English, German, Spanish or French, choosing a country is not so natural. After class at school you will have a lot of free time. When choosing a country, you must answer the question what do you expect from the place of study. If you study the language for general purposes, an important criterion may be the tourist attractiveness of the country, its culture, history, and residents. However, if the language course is an introduction to further study or work abroad, it is better to consider learning a language in the country where you plan to study or work further.
City
You have to answer the question, what is the priority for you: the language course itself, or spending free time after classes at school. If learning is a priority for you, pay attention to the school's reputation and choose smaller cities. There you will find better conditions to focus on learning. However, if the quality and diversity of leisure activities are no less important, then the perfect place to learn a language will be big cities.
Language school
While the reputation of a language school is an obvious factor to consider, the size of the school and its location can have as many advantages as disadvantages. A school located in the center of a large city gives you the opportunity to be in the center of events, but on the other hand it often requires long journeys from the place of accommodation, which can be burdensome and involves additional costs. When it comes to the size of the school, you will usually find a wider range of language courses and more leisure activities in the large ones, and you'll be sure that the groups will be truly international. For those who prefer learning in a more intimate atmosphere, a small school will be a better choice.
Language course
When choosing a language course, one of the most important issues is the optimal choice of the type of course, its length and intensity. For all those who learn a language for personal purposes, general language courses of length and intensity according to individual needs and capabilities will be the most appropriate. The shorter the course in which you take part, the greater the number of lessons per week should be. The situation is different in case of people who learn a language for professional purposes or treat a language course as a preparation for further education abroad. In this case, particular attention should be paid to language courses for specific purposes and courses for academic purposes. For this group of people, courses preparing for international language exams confirming language competence will also be of interest. Children and teenagers will have different expectations, for which courses with a slightly lower intensity will be the most appropriate, but with a varied after-school program.
Each, even an intensive two-week course abroad, improves communication skills in a given language. However, definitely better results are given by 8-12-week and longer courses, which contain the right amount of lessons enabling the transition to a much higher level. By using the search engine on our website you can narrow down your search not only by the type of course but also by many other parameters.
Accommodation
Most language schools help with booking accommodation during the course. Usually one or more of the three options described below are available:
Accommodation with local families.
This form of accommodation is appropriate for people who are open and easily interact with other people, for whom living with a local family is not embarrassing, on the contrary, it is an additional opportunity to check in practice the language skills acquired during classes.
Accommodation in student houses and independent apartments.
This type of accommodation ensures maximum independence during your stay and greater contact with other students, due to the easy access to people with whom you can spend your free time if you feel like it. However, the problem may be that after class you stop communicating with others in the language you are learning.
Hotel accommodation
This form of accommodation, due to the much higher price, is usually requested by representatives of companies and institutions participating in business and specialist courses.
As for the food, depending on the accommodation options, it is possible to book accommodation without meals, with breakfast and evening meal, as well as full board, especially recommended on courses for children and teenagers.
And what if the chosen school does not provide accommodation for the course? If you book a language course at a school that does not provide accommodation, you will have to provide your own accommodation. Under 'Student accommodation abroad', we introduce you to several local and global booking platforms that specialise in offering affordable student accommodation.