THE
CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE MANUAL
This guide is
written to enable any person who is required to see to the running of Cambridge
College, do so with ease and the necessary professionalism required.
THE CAMBRIDGE
COLLEGE TEAM
There are various
important people who are all involved in the day to day running of Cambridge
College.
Barry
Schiller : (MD/DS) Managing
Director/Director of Studies
Ruth
Khambatta : (SA) Senior Administrator
Henry Ford :
(OM/WO) Operations Manager/Welfare Officer
Emergency
Manager : (EM) Emergency Manager
Sandra Wylie
Mary Bavister
Carol Hoppie
: (HO) Host Family Organisers
Jonny Casey :
(AL) Activity Leader
The Teachers
and the Group Leaders involved with Cambridge College vary, and can be
identified in this manual by the letters (T) and (GL).
WHAT DOES
CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE DO ?
Cambridge
College has been organising English Language and cultural tours in England for
many years. Cambridge College enables foreign
students to visit England, explore our culture, learn about our country and
lifestyle and also see the sights of England.
The best way to become proficient in a language is of course to learn it
in the country in which it is spoken.
Therefore visiting England will help the student to practice his or her
knowledge of the English language and gain confidence in speaking English.
Cambridge
College not only provides all the above opportunities for the student, but also
provides suitable accommodation. This
is done through a "Host Family".
The Host Family will provide the student with all the comforts of their
usual lifestyle, i.e. bed, washing
facilities, meals, and will aim to make the students visit as enjoyable as
possible.
THE CAMBRIDGE
COLLEGE INDIVIDUALS
The Managing Director :-
The Managing Director is responsible for the running of Cambridge
College. He must make sure that the
business is run as smoothly and efficiently as possible and so he will use his
powers to delegate various duties to other members of the Cambridge College
team. It is also the duty of the
Managing Director to see to the cleaning of the office. He will also decide on the teaching methods,
he will grade the students and will see that they are appointed to a certain
class/teacher (he may enlist the help of the SA in this).
The Senior Administrator
The Senior Administrator must be flexible, willing to work long hours (when
there are students in the country, it may even happen that the SA has to come
to the office at night to solve a problem).
It would be convenient if the SA has a basic knowledge of German as a
lot of data in the computer is in German.
Mobility would also be a valuable asset with a clean driving licence and
preferably his/her own car. The SA must
be able to work on his/her own initiative, be able to work under pressure, be
able to work to deadlines, and produce neat, and accurate work. He or she must have patience, self control
and self motivation.
The SA reports to the Managing Director and amy delegate some of her
tasks to other junior members of the team.
The SA is responsible for advertising for new host families,
answering/making phone calls to solve problems (from students,host
families, reservations for
coaches/ ferries etc). The SA deals with the day-to-day routine of
Cambridge College involving dividing the students over the coaches together
with the Managing Director, doing the bookings, drawing up the programme,
ensuring everything that has to be done is done, ensuring that the diplomas are
made, ensuring the host family business is done, ensuring that there are
sufficient:-
*entry tests
*forms and lists
*office supplies
*passes
*programmes
*welcome packs and that the right persons get them
The SA also has the job of ensuring the right people are in the right
place at the right time, going through the mail, grading the students and appointing them to a certain class/teacher
together with the Managing Director although this is mainly done by the
Managing Director.
The SA also sees to the informing of the airport carrier., instructing
all other staff, paying the families and the teachers, recruiting the new staff/teachers,
sending to people who request it, an information folder, solving problems
written on the Unhappy Forms (together with assistance from the OM), updating
the computer data, updating the welcome packs.
As you can imagine, the
job of the SA is physically and mentally demanding and so a good junior team is
essential in order that the SA can delegate some of her numerous workload to
someone else.
The Group Leaders :-
The German GL are recruited by the German office. There should be a GL from each country that the
students are coming from, to accompany the student on the journey from the home
country to England. This ensures that
there is always somebody around who speaks the same language as the students. The Group Leaders are responsible for
accompanying the students on their activities and their excursions. There should be one Group Leader per 25 students and they are
divided over the different age groups.
It is essential that the Group Leader is friendly, good with people and
patient. They must have basic knowledge
of English and must also be aged over 18 (otherwise they cannot accompany the
students on the pub tour. Cambridge
College has obliged itself that students under 14 should always be accompanied
by an adult Group Leader). The GL
should be extrovert, motivated and must be prepared to work as part of the
team.
The Group Leader initially reports to the Activity Leader although they
must also answer to the Managing Director and the Senior Administrator.
The Group Leaders are responsible for accompanying the students on the
journey from their home country to the town of the course, assisting the AL
when asked to, they must be available for the students if they need to talk,
they should collect the Happy Forms, Unhappy Forms, Going Home Forms and
Classroom Lists and give them to the Operations Manager. They are responsible for collecting the
return tickets at the port and checking in, ensuring there is no contact
between the students when the entry test is taken, ensuring the students are:-
*safe
*safe
*safe
*well
*well
*happy
The Group Leaders also join the students on the various activities, they
must look into the classrooms in the break to make sure nobody is there, they
are responsible for making sure everybody is in the bus after the students get
off the coach for some reason or an other by counting them, making sure that no
student is left on his/her own, making the contact easier between the students
and the organisation, passing on requests from teachers i.e photo copies etc.
to the OM, preventing vandalism in the bathroom checking the bathroom from time
to time, providing the teachers with Happy Forms, Unhappy Forms and Classroom
Lists, taking a group of students under 14 on excursions, ensuring that the
students go back in the same coach they came in, telling the students what time
to be back at the coach after an excursion.
The Teachers:-
The teachers are
recruited by an advertisement in a paper, they write an application letter,
together with their CV. They are them
selected based on the contents of those letters. No interview is necessary.
It is the job of the Senior Administrator to taken on the teachers. They are then contacted by the SA on the
Friday before the week they are required to teach.
The teachers are allowed to join the students in the afternoon and
evening programme if they want to. They should inform the Operations Manager if
they wish to do so.
The teachers must be patient, good with people and have TEFL (=Teaching
English as a Foreign Language).
Teachers must report to the Director of Studies. They must not delegate their
responsibilities to anyone else. They
are responsible for ensuring the students fill in their names on the Happy Form
or fill in an Unhappy Form, filling in Classroom Lists and general teaching
(details of the teaching method and the necessary books provided by Cambridge
College).
The Activity Leaders :-
The Activity Leaders must be friendly, good with people, patient,
extrovert, and preferably have a knowledge of a foreign language from a country
where the students are coming from.
They must be motivated, and be prepared to work as part of a team. The Activity Leaders are helped and assisted
by the Group Leaders.
The Activity Leader must report to the Operations Manager and can
delegate some of their responsibility to the Group Leaders. The Activity Leaders are responsible for
being at the place of the activity as a spokesperson, dividing the GL's over
the activities, dividing the GL's over the students under 14 on excursions,
ensuring the students are divided over the coaches according to the Senior
Administrators instructions, informing students of details concerning their
stay and the activities provided, instructing the Group Leaders, and taking the
students under 14 on excursions.
The Operations Manager :-
The Operations Manager is provided with a mini bus so that he can carry
out host family moves. He is also
provided with a pager so that he can always be reached.
The OM can accompany the students on their afternoon and evening
programme and this is entirely optional.
However, he is obliged to attend the pub tour giving the students the
chance to get to know him better, and the farewell party giving him the chance
to say goodbye.
The Operations Manager must be good with people, motivated, extrovert
and prepared to work as part of a team.
He must be flexible and mobile, with a clean driving licence. The OM must also be willing to work odd
hours.
The Operations Manager must report to the Senior Administrator and can
delegate some of his responsibilities to the Activity Leaders and the Group
Leaders.
The OM is responsible for dividing the students over the coaches
together with the SA, ensuring the tasks given for the day-to-day business at
the university are carried out, executing host family moves, providing the GL's
with lists, forms and programmes, providing students with passes and welcome
packs, solving problems written on the Unhappy Forms with back-up of the SA and
ensuring that the completed lists and forms are given to the right persons.
The Host Family Organisers :-
The Host Family
Organisers are former host families who expressed that they would like to do
some work for Cambridge College. They
must be observant, critical, be able to notice little things, be able to talk
to people, and should live in the same town as the host families.
The Host Family Organisers must report to the Senior Administrator and
CANNOT delegate any of his responsibilities.
He is responsible for being there to listen and solve any problems in
connection with host families and their students, ensuring there are reserve
host families, and placing students with their host families.
The Emergency Manager:-
The Emergency Manager
must be flexible, contactable, mobile and should live near the host families.
The Emergency Manager should report to the Senior Administrator, and he
can delegate some of his responsibilities .
The EM is responsible for solving any kind of problems that may occur
after office hours.
The Host Families
The host families are
recruited by putting advertisements in local papers and writing to host
families of the previous year asking if they would like to be a host family
again. As many host families as
possible are recruited, and this is done by the Host Family Organisers.
The host families should live in the neighbourhood of the universities
where the courses are given, or they should be easily reached by public
transport.
The host families are graded as follows :-
x= This letter refers to the type
of house.
A= Private house, detached or a very large semi detached in
good residential area. Well furnished, plenty of space for
students, wardrobes preferably a shower.
Good size tidy garden. The home inside and out immaculate.
B= Good clean private house, small detached, a semi or
large terraced, or a council house in
very good order, in reasonable area. Well decorated throughout, good carpets,
wallpaper. Clean and tidy outside.
C= Private or council house in reasonable condition, tidy and
clean although maybe decorating not so new and colour matched as above. Kids
may make it a bit untidy looking-toys etc.
D= Basically ok but untidy looking house, needs maybe a new coat
of paint. Not ideal but could be used if we are really pushed as a reserve
family.
Z= Not suitable.
y= This letter refers to the type
of person
1= Professional person, teacher, business person, well
educated, well spoken. Ideal family for
academics.
2= Excellent warm friendly hosts, no strong accent. Not
necessarily lower graded than 1 just not perhaps so academic. The family
that puts themselves out a bit.
3= Average family, they seem to welcome guests but may not
involve them as much as families in categories 1 and 2.
4= Basically ok as a reserve family if we are pushed.
5= Not suitable.
z= These letters refers to the
type of family/household.
SPE= single person
CNC= couple no children
SPF= single parent family
FAM= family
RET= retired couple/person
This gradation is made by the Host Family Organisers for internal use
only. It is made to prevent a wealthy, academic person staying in a C3 host
family. It is stored in the computer under wp.
There should be reserve host families in case a student has to be moved.
The number of reserve host families is 10% of the host families being used.
The students should be placed with a host family 6 weeks before arriving
in England, and this is done by Host Family Organisers.
The host families are paid fortnightly by cheque, £60 per 7 night stay,
and this is also done by the Emergency Manager.
The host families should be friendly, talkative, often at home, they
should have a telephone.
Information for the Senior Administrator
Tel. no. Perry Street: 0604-603063
German office: 010-49.531.125.958
fax. no. Perry Street: 0604-20218
German office: 010-49.531.126.017
Private tel.no. Angela: 010-49.5331.71970
Barry: 0604-830120
Billy: 0923-242326
(prints etc.)
fax: 0923-254419
Henry: 0604-831574
pagers: 04599-13305
Nick: 0604-830139
(airport carrier
Rose: 0604-830968
Ruth: 0604-844054
pagers: 04599-10292
Stuart: 0604-830193
(jobs for Barry)
Wendy: 0809-379784
(same as fax)
Bugbrooke P.O.: 0604-830338
Trains: D.E.R. Travel-Phil,
18 Conduit Street, London W1R 9TD, tel.no.: 071-6297442, fax: 071-6297442
Bank: Bank of Scotland,
Hobs Centre, 2 Robertson Ave., Edinburgh EH11 1PZ, tel.no.: 0345-313193, fax
no.: 031-3466010
Accountant: Dove
Naish-Ian Robson, tel.no.: 0327-50565
Inland Revenue, tel.no.:
0604-21244
Montfort Univ. MK: tel.no. 0908-695511
Ratcliffe School MK: tel.no. 0908-312579
Coaches:
size: possibilities:
35,45,53
when: The coach company
is advised that we want them to transport students that summer, but no numbers
are given. The week before they are needed, they are informed of numbers times
and places.
Howletts: tel.no.
0296-713775
fax.no.
0296-713775
Ferries:
when: 2 months in advance
preliminary booking. The definite number is given 3 days before.
P&O: tel.no. 0800-414555
fax. no.
0304-223223
Admin/Acc:
0304-223000
telex:
965104
Reservations: 0304-203388
Group Travel: 0304-210004/965296
Freight Markt:0304-223875/966517
P&O European Ferries
Ltd, Channel House, Channel View Road, Dover, Kent CT17 9TJ
The names, addresses and
telephone numbers for the host families are stored in the computer under the
name: go-wn6.
Drawing up the programme
also means doing the bookings necessary for it. Various entertainments are arranged for the students during their
stay. The following telephone numbers
are those commonly used:-
Bowling Linzi Superbowl/MK Leisure Plaza 0908-231400
fax: 0908-662216
Disco Golden Flamingo, Khurram Begg 0908-221158
Golf Windmill Hill Golf Course 0908-??????
Ice Skating MK Leisure Plaza 0908-231400
fax: 0908-662216
Roller Skating Rollers-Colin 0908-366440
Sports Stantonbury Leisure Centre 0908-314466
fax: 0908-318754
Sports+swimming Bletchley Leis. Ctre-Brian Marvin 0908-377251
fax: 0908-374094
Swimming Dolphin Splashdown-Mr Josie 0908-503344
Watersports Willen Lake-Steve Roberts 0908-670197
fax: 0908-691630
Museum on Canal Stoke Bruene, Northampton 0604-862229
Museum on earl Chichley Hall-Mr Robertson 0230-65252
fax : 0230-65388
The documents to be
printed every week are stored in the computer under:-
Classroom List (appendix
7A) wp
Entry test (7B) wp
F list (7C) go
G list (7D) go
Going Home Form (7E) go
Happy Form (7F) wp
Host family movement form
(7G) wp
Programmes (7H) wp
Teachers List (7I) school
Unhappy Form (7J) wp
WA List (7K) go
Welcome pack letters (7L) wp
Diplomas- made by Billy
Passes- the Falcon Press,
60 St. James Mill Road, Northampton NN5 5JP, tel. no. 0604-759262, fax:
0604-581482
Welcome Pack Folders:
Connection Books, David
Coates MK Council, tel.no.: 0908-682526
MK Maps-WH Smith/Sally,
tel.no.: 0604-588088
Tourist Information
Office, tel.no.: 0908-691995
Information For Group
Leaders
When somebody would like
to become a GL, he should be sent an application form. This form requests details as follows :-
-name
-address
-country
-sex
-date of birth
-years of English
-have you been with CC
before?
*how often as a student and/or as a GL
-have you ever done a
language course with an other company
before?
-when do you want to
come?
-for how long do you want
to come?
When somebody is to be
employed as a GL, he should be sent the following :-
-a confirmation stating
name, dates
-information on the work
to be done as a GL
-information on CC in
general
When a GL arrives in
England he should have a meeting with the Operations Manager. This meeting is to discuss important things
and to explain to the Group Leader exactly what they have to do and what they
are responsible for. This meeting also
allows the Operations Manager to:-
-allow the GL to ask
questions
-give the GL the WA List
-tell them for which
classes they are responsible
Information For The
Teachers
The teachers that are
hired are sent a letter, with a confirmation slip at the bottom and any
relevant information is sent to them when they begin to teach.
Information For The Activity
Leader
Appendix W contains all
the lists, forms and the responsibilities which are sent to the AL when hired.
Information For The Operations Manager
Appendix X contains all
the relevant information is sent to the OM when hired, responsibilities, that
the teachers will contact them if they want them to join the students on their
afternoon or evening programme, information concerning meetings with the GL's
on a Sunday evening to talk important things over, and advise them exactly
which classes they are responsible for.
Information for the Host Family Organisers
Appendix y contains
information to be sent to the HO when hired concerning their responsibilities.
Information for the
Emergency Manager
Appendix z contains
information to be sent to the EM when hired concerning their responsibilities.
Additional Information
As the Group Leaders are to take the students under 14 with them on an excursion, it would be helpful if
the Group Leader knew about the
destination. For this reason it is
advisable:
* to give the Group Leaders more information on the places that are visited so that they know the suitable
places.
* to provide the Group Leaders with a more detailed map on the
town so that if students cannot find anything on their own map they can ask a
Group Leader.
* to organise a course for the Group Leaders before the season begins. In that course the Group Leaders are
taught what they what their responsibilities are. They visit all the excursion towns so that they know their way
around. The basic principles of First Aid should be taught to
improve the student's safety. In this
way you can also see if somebody is not
suitable for being a Group Leader (e.g. not friendly) and take measures to improve it or prevent
them from becoming a Group
Leader. A Group Leader is an important
person in the organisation for
they are closest to the students, and therefore
it is important that they are competent.
A tour could be set out in the excursion
towns, (Oxford, Cambridge, Windsor and
Stratford upon Avon). This tour should be
optional so that those students wanting to walk around by themselves are allowed to do so, and other
students can follow the route, each in
their own pace. The under 14's could be taken
on this tour too by the Group Leaders (depending on the number of students under 14
they could go in bigger groups and
accompanied by more than one Group Leaders. This would be nicer for the Group Leaders as they have
somebody of their own age with them.
Although you would have more children to look after,
there are more Group Leaders to watch them as well).
Having the students all under the same roof makes the organisation
easier, as all students should be able to reach a contact person (i.e. the Operations Manager) easily. If the students
are divided over several buildings far apart from each other you would be forced to take on another contact p
person.
Once a year, the season prices and availability of coach coach and
ferry companies should be enquired about and compared. It is
decided, based upon this information, what company will get the job for the next season.
The possibility of going through the Channel Tunnel has to be kept
in mind and has to be taken in consideration in the decision how to cross the Channel.
Education
Collecting the forms during the lessons is disturbing. They should however be collected before the break
so that the Operations Manager has time
to read them and is able to ask questions
about it and make arrangements if necessary in the break. Therefore Group Leaders should be as quiet and quick as possible collecting them. They should not
discuss Unhappy Forms in the classroom as it is too disturbing.
Giving the return tickets to a Group Leader might be dangerous because they can easily be lost. It may
therefore be better to better to send them direct to the office.
In the letter to the host families before the season it should be asked whether there are any changes in the
circumstances of the family (e.g.
start/stop smoking, pet changes, change of rooms).
As the new students do not know the old Group Leaders and the old students do not know the new Group
Leaders, they should be introduced to
each other, so that everybody knows who is a Group
Leader and what his name is. This introduction should take place on Monday after the break, when all the students have class. They could go into all the classes
for a few minutes and introduce
themselves. They could also wear a name tag
for the rest of the week to make the recognition easier for the students.
It is wise to select Group Leaders also on their knowledge of English. Papers in English given to the
students by Cambridge College are
sometimes not understood and the students often expect the Group Leaders to translate it for them. Another solution for this problem is to give a
translation of each paper to the
students.
Meaning of Expressions
activity Mainly sports (ice skating, football,
baseball, swimming,
bowling, basketball,
golf)
allocation of students Based on: the student's age, the years of English they have had,
the part
of Germany they come from (the
level of the
English lessons vary in the different areas in
Germany
as well as the age at which they started learning English).
Classroom List This list is filled in by
the
teacher. They write down their names, their home tel.no., the
names of
the students present (plus their
time of arrival
and a mark for their cooperation), the names of the students
absent, the tasks carried out and their signature.
entry test The new students take an entry
test on
Monday morning that is directly marked by the teachers. It is
used as a
back-up for the gradation of the
student's
level.
F list
This states the dates and the matching number of students arriving and departing,
the number of weeks the
arriving students are
staying and how
many students are staying in total the week after the stated date.
G list
This is a list made every week that states the names of the students, male or female, place
of departure in
Germany, age, come by plane or not, sort of accommodation, smoker or
not, animals allowed in the host family
or not, come
by car or not, number of weeks staying, years of English,
name of the
host family, its tel.no., its
code, with whom
they stay in the host family, further information of importance
and the amount unpaid.
Going Home Form
This form is filled in by the student before going home. On it he gives marks for the host family
(for friendliness,
readiness for talking, care and cleanness), the education (for
teacher, material, classroom and
learning
results) and free time (for excursions, sports and the free time programme).
A total
impression mark is given as well as if they would come
back some time and
if they can recommend the host family to an other student.
Happy Form
This is a form given per class. Every student that does not have a problem or a complaint should
write down his name
on it.
host family business Once a year before the season starts every host family should be sent a letter to ask
whether they would like to be a host family again, if yes when and if there are
any changes in the
domestic situation (concerning smoking, number of people in the house, pets).
Host Family Movement Form This says who is moved, when, why and what reason is
given to the family, the name of the family the
student is
moved from and the name of the family the student is moved to. This is filled in by
the OM and given to the SA.
office supplies These are: paper, cleaning supplies, toilet paper,
coffee, tea, milk, sugar,
etc.
pass Every student gets a pass with their name and photo on it and information
on their host
family. This pass allows them to get the student reduction in
museums etc.
programme
The programme tells what the students can do in the afternoon, i.e.
activity/excursion, and in the evening. There is a different programme for
each age group-(11-14,15-17,18+).
Teachers list
This is a list that states the names of the students, the place and date
they left
Germany, age, years of English, number of weeks staying, entry
test mark,
which class and name and address of host family. It is given to every teacher every
week.
Unhappy Form
This is a form given to those students who do not want to sign the Happy
Form. On it
they write down what their problem is, and they have to write down
their names,
the name and tel.no. of the host family, the name of the teacher and
the date of
arrival in England. After the problem has been solved they should
sign the form
that they are happy again.
WA list
This list states the sex, name, age, if they come by plane, if they require normal
accommodation/ only student from their country/ only student in host
fam, if they
object to smoking host fam, if they object to animals in host fam, if they come by car,
number of weeks they
are staying, number of years they have had English, date of arrival, name of
the host
family, tel.no. of the host family, the code of the host family, if they
are staying with a particular person,
further
particulars and the amount unpaid
welcome packs When a student arrives in England he is given a welcome
pack. It contains: bus time tables/map of/information on
the town of
the course, a leaflet to explain what Happy and Unhappy Forms are, a leaflet on
calling to Germany (the costs of it), a leaflet for
receiving a bus
ticket valuable for one week, the programme for next week, a London
map, a notebook
and a pen.
The Role and Responsibilities of the Host Families:-
It is the role of the Host Family to provide a caring
and welcoming environment for the student.
It is up to the host family to ensure that the student has a comfortable
stay. It is hoped that the student will
look back upon his or her visit and remember it as a very rewarding experience
never to be forgotten.
What we expect from the Host Family:-
When the student arrives on the Sunday, the host
family should pick him/her up, the date and place having been sent to the
family a week in advance.
The host family should spend the Sunday of arrival
getting to know the Student and advising him/her of any rules (dinner time,
evening curfew etc6. The host family
should show him/her the neighbourhood and explain the bus time tables etc. The student may then want the rest of the
day to rest as he/she may have been travelling for 24 hours or more.
Each day the student goes to school (from 09.00 to
12.15) and there is an activity organised every afternoon and almost every
evening. Details of these activities
are on the programme each student receives.
Therefore the host family is expected to provide the student with a
breakfast, a packed lunch and a main evening meal.
The host family should be ready to talk and also be
patient and understanding if a student has problems expressing himself in
English.
If any problems occur, the host family can always call
the Host Family Organiser. If they are
not available there is an Emergency Number: 0908-379784, if the problem is
urgent.
The most important thing is that both the host family
you as well as the student, enjoy the stay.
Information about payment
Each host family is paid. They are paid £60 per 7 night stay, and the timing of this
payment depends on the number of weeks the student(s) is/are staying.
Payment for students staying one week:
Cheques leave the office at the latest on Tuesday
after the student has returned home on the Saturday.
Payment for students staying two weeks:
A cheque for the two weeks is sent out at the latest
on the Tuesday after the student has left on the Saturday.
Payment for students staying three or more weeks:
The first cheque is sent out on the Tuesday after the
student has stayed for two weeks and
the second/last cheque is sent out on the Tuesday after the student has left on
the Saturday.
Information about the countries the students are
coming from.
Germany
Land and climate
Germany is approximately one and a half times as big
as Great Britain. There are four geographical zones: the mountains and plateaus
of the south, the wide valley and gorge of the Rhine River in the south and
west, the central uplands, and the wide lowlands in the north. The climate is
about the same as it is in Great Britain.
Transportation
Most people own cars although public transport is
excellent; train, bus, and commuter schedules are computerised.
The people
Most Germans are well-educated, well-informed and
inquisitive. They are frank and not afraid of being openly critical. They are
concerned about the preservation of their environment (waste paper, glass,
plastic and batteries are picked up separately from other household refuge).
The most popular sport is football, but gymnastics, tennis and skiing are also
very popular. Order, discipline and responsibility is emphasized in family
affairs.
Food
Breakfast usually consists of rolls or dark,heavy
bread (does not exist in Great Britain) and strong coffee. Lunch usually
consists of soup, a main dish and a dessert.
The evening meal consists of sandwiches and snacks. Cheese, potatoes and
noodles are very popular.
Holland/The Netherlands
Land and climate
Holland is about as big as Wales. It is a very flat
country without mountains and only a few hills, mainly in the south. The
climate is as it is in Great Britain.
Transportation
Most people own cars but public transport is often used
by the young people. All students above
18 receive a scholarship and a public transport card which enables them to
travel for free. Train and bus schedules are computerised.
The People
People from Holland have their own language, Dutch.
Most Dutch people are well-educated (they often speak more than one foreign
language). They are, like the Germans, concerned about the environment and they
also have separate household refuge pick ups. The most popular sports are
football and tennis. Families are very important.
Food
Breakfast consists of bread and tea (without milk) or
milk. Lunch is the same as the breakfast. Coffee is drunk in between. The
evening mean usually consists of potatoes, vegetables and meat although Italian
food is very popular. The dessert is either a fruit or one of the many types of
yogurt. Cheese is very popular and is mostly eaten on bread.
France
Land and climate
France is as about twice as big as Great Britain. The landscape
is roughly the same as in Great Britain. In the north the climate is about the
same as it is in Great Britain but in the south the temperature in summer can
reach 35 degrees or more.
Transportation
Transport is almost as it is in Great Britain.
The people
The aim in all french schools is directed towards
achievement. This puts a lot of
pressure on the students. Sports are not that popular.
Food
Breakfast usually consists of croissants or French bread
with marmalade and coffee. Lunch is often eaten outdoors (at school or in a
coffee shop for the office workers), and it consists of the same things as
breakfast, although sandwiches are eaten as well for lunch. They have dinner
mostly late in the evening (about 9.00 p.m.) and it consists mainly of
vegetables and some meat.
However you must realise that these are stereotypes
and that individual habits or preferences may vary.
Sample of family rules to apply to the student.
1. Keep your host family informed of where you will
be, with whom, and when you will return. Do not stay out late at night without
telling your host family. Your host family is concerned about you.
2. Help with planning. Do not wait until the last
minute to tell if you have plans to go out.
3. Try to limit telephone calls to as little as
possible.
4. If you do not come home for dinner notify the host
family as early as possible.
5. If you have a problem (e.g. you do not like the food
or you cannot find anything) please try to talk to your host family. Maybe they
can help you.
Information on telephone calls
The following information will clear up one of the
most controversial aspects of the student's stay. It is up to the host family to advise the student of any policy
concerning use of the telephone. It is
up to the host family to advise the student how he/she is to pay for a phone
call.
The host family can set their own rules about the use
of the telephone but this information could be useful.
Dialled telephone calls to a foreign country are
quoted by B.T. as :
Minimum price 5p if called directly
8pm-8am and weekends
8am-8pm
1 minute 35p 44p
5 minutes £1.73 £2.17
10 minutes £3.45 £4.29
If for some reason calls have to be put through the
operator, the following charges apply:
min charge, 3 min. £3.67
each extra minute
£1.22
There is a service whereby you can dial 155 and the
operator will phone you back to tell you how long you have been on the phone.
This costs you an extra £1.06.
Information about Cambridge College to be sent to
teachers hired.
Materials/Equipment
-photocopies: can be arranged if the Teacher informs
the Group Leader about it 48 hours in advance.
-Audio-visual devices: available if the Group Leader
is advised about it no less than one week in advance.
-Chalk: to be bought by the teacher.
Method
The book used by the teachers is called Advanced
English Practice, and the teacher will receive a copy of this book before
starting teaching. The students will be provided with a copy as well. Various teaching assistance such as
worksheets, plays and exercises can be supplied by Cambridge College.
Requirements
The teaching hours are:
Monday - Friday
9.00 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.
10.45 a.m. - 12.15 p.m.
The teachers are provided with a Classroom List, and Happy
Forms/Unhappy Forms. The Classroom List is filled in by the teacher when the
students arrive.
The Happy Form is passed around in the classroom.
Every student without complaints and problems should fill in his name. Any
student that does not fill in their names on this Happy Form are given an
Unhappy Form on which they can write their complaint or problem.
Payment
Each teacher is be paid £140 per week if they work a
full week. If they are unable to work all 5 days, they will receive £20 per
day. On a Bank Holiday there will be no lessons and payment will be £28 per day
for the remainder of the week.
Payment will be made by cheque fortnightly. The cheque
will be sent out on the Monday immediately after the fortnight's teaching.
Information about Cambridge College to be sent to
Activity Leaders
Students
The students come here from various countries and stay
here from one to an unlimited amount of weeks. They are appointed to different classes
according to their knowledge of English. Learning English is their main reason
for staying here.
There is a Group Leader from each country students are
coming from. There is one Group Leader per 25 students, and they are divided
over the different age groups. The Group Leaders accompany the students on the
activities (mainly sports) and excursions
(to Oxford, Cambridge, Windsor or Stratford-upon-Avon half a day and a
whole day in London) and on their journey back and forth from home to England. Their
main responsibility is to make sure the students are safe, happy and well. They
should report to the Activity Leader and it is they who are responsible for
their carrying out the tasks.
The Activity Leader works closely together with the
Operations Manager and must also report to him. The AL must assist him whenever
needed to.
The AL should accompany the students on their
activities, and on any excursions.
There are often different activities for the different age groups at the
same time. The AL is responsible for
ensuring there is a Group Leader present at each activity. The AL must divide the Group Leaders over
the students under 14 and make sure that each of them takes a group with them
to show them the town visited.
The AL must advise the students if there is a sudden
change in the programme. They should
ensure that the Group Leaders do their job properly. The AL is responsible for dividing the students over the coaches
in the way given by the Operations Manager.
Information sent to the Operations Manager when hired
The Operations Manager is responsible for the
day-to-day business at the university.
The OM should try to run things as smoothly as possible.
Together with the Senior Administrator, the OM will
divide the students over the coaches when going on an excursion (to Oxford,
Cambridge, Windsor or Stratford-upon-Avon half a day and to London a whole
day), based on their ages.
The Senior Administrator will provide the OM with
forms and lists and the OM is responsible for giving them to the Group Leaders.
When the students arrive in England they should
receive welcome packs and passes, and it is the job of the OM to ensure that
they do.
The Unhappy Forms are given to the OM either by the
Group Leaders or the students should be read by immediately. The OM should try to solve any of the
students' problems. The OM can always
discuss any such problems with the Senior Administrator.
When a student wants to move to another host family
and the arrangements have been made, it is the job of the OM to move the
student. Therefore the OM is provided with a mini bus from Cambridge College.
The OM should accompany the students on the pub tour
(giving the students the chance to get to know him/her) and the farewell party
(giving the students the chance to say goodbye to him/her). The OM can choose
whether or not he/she wants to go on the other activities and excursions.
The OM is provided with a pager so that he/she can be
reached easily by the office at all times.
Addresses and telephone numbers that the OM might need are :-
Perry Street office, 65 Perry Street, Northampton,NN1
1LN,
tel: 0604-603063, fax: 0604-20218
Classroom List: This list is filled in by the teacher. They write
down their names, their home tel.no., the names of the students present (plus
their time of arrival and a mark for their cooperation), the names of the
students absent, the tasks carried out and their signature. You will receive
these lists from the Senior Administrator and you have to give them to the
Group Leaders.
Entry test: The new students take an entry test on Monday
morning that is directly marked by the teachers. It is used as a back-up for
the gradation of the student's level. You will have to pick up these tests from
65 Perry Street, Northampton and give them to the Group Leader who surveys the
students taking the entry test.
F list: This states the dates and the matching number of
students arriving and departing, the number of weeks the arriving students are
staying and how many students are staying in total the week after the stated
date. You will receive this list from the Senior Administrator.
G list: This is a list made every week that states the names
of the students, male or female, place of departure in Germany, age, come by
plane or not, sort of accommodation, smoker or not, animals allowed in the host
family or not, come by car or not, number of weeks staying, years of English,
name of the host family, its tel.no., its code, with whom they stay in the host
family, further information of importance and the amount unpaid. You will
receive this list from the Senior Administrator.
Going Home Form: This form is filled in by the student before
going home. On it he gives marks for the host family (for friendliness,
readiness for talking, care and cleanness), the education (for teacher,
material, classroom and learning results) and free time (for excursions, sports
and the free time programme). A total impression mark is given as well as if
they would come back some time and if they can recommend the host family to an
other student. You will receive these forms from the Senior Administrator and
give them to the students.
Happy Form: This is a form given per class. Every student that
does not have a problem or a complaint should write down his name on it. You
will receive them from the Senior Administrator and you have to give them to
the Group Leaders.
Host Family Movement Form: This says who is moved,
when, why and what reason is given to the family, the name of the family the
student is moved from and the name of the family the student is moved to. This
is filled in by you and given to the SA.
Pass: Every student gets a pass with their name and photo
on it and information on their host family. This pass allows them to get the
student reduction in museums etc. You will receive them from the Senior
Administrator and you will have to ensure the students get them on their
arrival in England.
Programme: The programme tells what the students can do in the
afternoon, i.e. activity/excursion, and in the evening. There is a different
programme for each age group (11-14,15-17,18+). You will receive them from the
Senior Administrator and you will have to make sure the students get them on
their arrival in England.
Teachers list: This is a list that states the names of the
students, the place and date they left Germany, age, years of English, number
of weeks staying, entry test mark, which class and name and address of host
family. It is given to every teacher every week by the Group Leaders. You will
have to provide the Group Leaders with them and they are given to you by the
Senior Administrator.
Unhappy Form: This is a form given to those students who do
not want to sign the Happy Form. On it they write down what their problem or
complaint is. They also have to write down their names, the name and tel.no. of
the host family, the name of the teacher and the date of arrival in England.
After the problem has been solved they should sign the form that they are happy
again. You will receive these forms from the Senior Administrator and you are
to give them to the Group Leaders.
WA list: This list states the sex, name, age, if they come by
plane, if they require normal accommodation/ only student from their country/
only student in host fam, if they object to smoking host fam, if they object to
animals in host fam, if they come by car, number of weeks they are staying,
number of years they have had English, date of arrival, name of the host fam,
tel.no. of the host fam, the code of the host fam, if they are staying with a
particular person, further particulars and the amount unpaid. You will receive
this list from the Senior Administrator.
Welcome packs: When a student arrives in England he is given
a welcome pack. It contains: bus time tables/map of/information on the town of
the course, a leaflet to explain what Happy and Unhappy Forms are, a leaflet on
calling to Germany (the costs of it), a leaflet for receiving a bus ticket
valuable for one week, the programme for next week, a London map, a notebook
and a pen. You will have to pick these up from the Perry Street office and
ensure the students get them on their arrival in England.