Selecting a language school in a foreign country can seem like a monumental task, but it doesn’t have to be. With an organized approach and a clear priority list, you can make the best decision that will ensure learning success. To begin, write down your budget and goal. Consider your current proficiency in your target language and how long you want to study. How much time can you take off from your job or school? What time of year would you like to travel? Will you be travelling with a companion or family? These are all points to deliberate upon when formulating your budget and goal.
Next, pick a location in which you would like to study. Happy and comfortable students learn better! Think about what you would like your surroundings to be like. Beaches or rainforest? Big city or small village? Surrounded by locals or with the ‘safety net’ of other Americans around? Is there a famous museum or ruins you’ve always dreamed of visiting?
Next, gather information about what schools are available in your location. Important things to consider are: Class size, the number of hours spent in class, lodging offered and what activities are included. One thing to ignore at this point is the price of each program. More importantly, take a look at how easy it is to find information about each school. Is the school’s website well designed and easy to navigate? The school’s reputation directly reflects the quality of language education you will receive. When schools pop up more often in your research, they are generally more established and have the financial means to advertise, which is a good thing!
School and program size should also be a key factor in your research. Send an email to the school and ask about how many students will be at the school at any given time. More students makes the program fun while too many students makes it feel too impersonal. Find out how often group classes start. A very good sign is when the programs begin weekly, since that shows they have new students arriving and departing regularly. Ask what the school’s atmosphere is like. Does the school seem organized? How long did it take to get a response? Anything longer than 24-hours can be a red flag. Did the response sufficiently answer your questions or was it vague? Unorganized schools equal dissatisfied students.
At this point you have probably eliminated most of the schools on your list and have zeroed in on a few. Now is the time to refer to your research compare. What is the class size offered at each school? There are many interactive methods that work well in a small class setting that simply are not possible in private classes. For example, in some schools that teach English to locals, there is the opportunity to pair up with a native-speaker and practice speaking in English and your target language with each other. Also, private classes are often less structured, since group classes must encompass the needs of all students with different backgrounds and learning abilities. Oftentimes, the most experienced and well-trained instructors teach the group classes.
Take a look at some photos of the schools you are still interested in and rank your top two to three schools. Finally, find out the prices. If your first choice meets your budget, do it! If not, move down the list until you find the best match for you.
Good places to start comparing language schools are GoAbroad, AllStudyAbroad, and LanguagesAbroad.
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