3 week Familiarisation tour for teachers from China

This British Cultural Studies course is for students from non English speaking countries. These courses offer a mix of English language and cultural input. There is a well-developed social programme including day trips to London, Warwick Castle / Stratford upon Avon, Cambridge and Oxford. In addition, sports and social events are held which allow students to mix with other nationalities and cultures from other countries.

HOST FAMILIES:- All course participants are carefully matched with local host families who have been selected for their sensitivity towards other cultures and for comfortable home conditions enabling students to be their most productive. The course itself consists of either 3 (multiples possible) weeks of English language and cultural tuition  to ensure that the language learnt during their stay is put into practice. On their return students are expected to design a project about their travels or about an aspect of British culture and give a presentation

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Our friendly drivers will then transport you in comfort and with a minimum of fuss from the Airport to your accommodation. They understand that after a long flight most International students are tired and anxious in a new country but soon you will feel part of our happy family

.- Upon arrival participants staying with host families are met and welcomed at their accommodation by the host family. We are proud of the fact that our families choose to have participants from us as guests in their home year in year out Staying with a family is by far the best way to learn about the language and lifestyle. Apart from the advantage that in a genuine family the participant is surrounded by the native language, one of the main ideas of the participant staying with a family is that he or she becomes involved with and is made to feel a part of the family and their everyday life, thus learning more than by staying in a hotel or just as a paying guest. Many of our participants in past years have become very involved with their host families, exchanging recipes with them and teaching them something about their own traditions and culture in return. The host families enjoy learning from participants just as much as the participants enjoy their stay with the family and many long term friendships, visiting each other have developed. Every host family is visited by us to guarantee cleanliness - reliability - reasonable distance from lessons - and friendliness. Most host families take two foreign participants into their home. We do not allow families to take more as many other educational centres do. Our stays are therefore with genuine families and not mini boarding houses. Always check this when comparing.  Participants will normally be placed in a room with another participant who speaks the same first language. We especially recommend this in the case of younger participants. Should you wish to share with a participant who speaks a different first language this can usually be arranged. at an extra one – off price or should participants not wish to share a room this can also be arranged as an extra The participant receives full-board accommodation, which includes breakfast, a packed lunch and a main evening meal. Should a participant not wish to stay with a family hotel accommodation in all classes can be arranged. The close contact to the family is though an integral part of the stay for language courses thus allowing the participant to understand the way the language is implemented as part of a family in the secure surroundings of a home away from home. The participants soon overcome their initial shyness and start to use the language as naturally as they would their Mother tongue to express their desires and wishes. In close contact with the language they soon learn how to speak properly instead of just repeating words and they have great fun comparing the differences between their native and the host culture. Our families and courses are chosen because they are not inundated with foreign participants and they look forward to their guests each year as if they were friends that they have not yet met

Typical Programme
Monday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes and entry tests for new students and entries into classes
After School - Information about Milton Keynes and an orientation tour of the town to show important and relevant places of interest to new students
Evening: Get together with host parents, group leaders and other students.
Tuesday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Sport - choose from swimming, table tennis, badminton and many others.
Wednesday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Half day excursion to Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor or Stratford-upon -Avon.
Evening: Free to spend with host family
Thursday:
Morning:  4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Shopping, or why not visit the cinema. You can choose from lots of different films.
Evening: Youth Roller-Skate Disco with young English people or for the over 18s a tour of local village pubs
Friday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Ice Skating 
Evening: Farewell Party for the students travelling home tomorrow
Saturday:
Day excursion to London for those students who are staying for more than one week. Departure of students going home.
Sunday: Free day for you to choose what you want to do or spend with your host family or partake on the arrival of the Arrival of the new students and making them feel welcome.

LESSONS:- 
Lessons take place in your Cambridge College educational centre  and participants are accommodated so that long journeys are avoided. Participants are divided into small teaching groups according to age, ability and their standard of written and spoken language. On the first day, participants are tested on their grammar and conversation levels to determine their exact level and thus a tailor-made syllabus is arranged for their stay. Records, cassettes and audio-visual materials are available to our teachers throughout the course, to make learning more relaxed and interesting. The classroom lessons usually take place in the morning so that participants are not stuck behind a desk and a pile of books all day. We firmly believe that learning should be fun, and even a stroll around town brings you into contact with native speakers and thus enhances the learning process. At the end of the course, participants leave us with a Cambridge College Diploma and an attendance and behaviour  report from the English teacher can be sent to parents of younger pupils if requested.   

TEACHERS:- Our fully qualified teachers are specially chosen for their personalities as well as their qualifications as we believe that a participant who doesn’t enjoy the lessons will not learn.  All have a TEFL (Teaching as a Foreign Language) Certificate in addition to their normal teaching qualifications and by means of continuing professional development training they are kept in touch with modern TEFL  & TESOL methods and their application.  Teachers try to accompany the participants on the afternoon excursions as often as possible. The lessons are performed by professional qualified teachers in direct method

APRÈS-LEARN ENTERTAINMENT:-

For those over 18 years, a special attraction is The Point, a futuristic pyramid-shaped entertainment complex containing a nightclub, discotheque, bingo hall, amusement arcade and a 10 screen cinema  The Leisure Plaza" contains an international size ice-rink with seating for 2,500 spectators, a 36 lane ten-pin bowling centre, as well as a bar and a restaurant complex.  Milton Keynes itself has a variety of modern bars in the city centre and traditional English inns in the countryside. Once a week we organise a coach and visit a couple of the nicer historic Country Inn tours with the over 18s.

For those under 18 years, there are a wide range of activities such as ten-pin bowling, roller disco, ice-skating, the ten-screen cinema at "The Point", sports centres and swimming pools. Our monitors are naturally on hand to chaperon and assist. Once a week we organize a "no alcohol" disco to which the children of the host families are invited as well as local youth groups to allow our participants to make friends with the locals.

When we go on excursions the participants are collected by our coaches from directly outside the centre. On days which have not been designated for excursions the participants can either take part in the many activities which we plan or spend the time relaxing with the family or discovering the delights of the town centre with friends Our experience has shown how quickly friends are made locally so friends are always invited to our extra curricular activities such as sports with something for everyone be it soccer, cricket, volleyball, badminton, tennis, riding, golf or a host of other sports

Included in the price also is:
*Group Leader and Activity Leader
*Information brochure about your trip
*Student Pass
*Orientation Tour of course City
*City map of course city
*Bus timetable and bus plan of Course City
*City map of London
*Entry test
*Entrance fees for obligatory visits
*Organised sport activities.-eg football, cricket, tennis, volleyball, golf, basketball, swimming, softball or baseball upon request
*Booking fees
*Administration costs
*Cambridge College Diploma
*Course Participation Confirmation
*Teaching materials - these are prepared for the different levels of English required.
Host Family Accommodation in double room includes work of host family organiser. Breakfast 
Packed Lunch, Evening meal.

Net Total Cost of 3 week stay Inclusive of all above £525

 Language travel holiday course with Homestay

This is a course for students from non English speaking countries. These courses offer a mix of English language and cultural input. There is a well-developed social programme including day trips to London, Warwick Castle / Stratford upon Avon, Cambridge and Oxford. In addition, sports and social events are held which allow students to mix with other nationalities and cultures from other countries but most of all with the British.

All course participants are carefully matched with local host families who have been selected for their sensitivity towards other cultures and for comfortable home conditions enabling students to be their most productive. The course itself consists of either 2,3,4, (multiples possible) weeks of English language and cultural tuition  to ensure that the language learnt during their stay is put into practice. On their return students are expected to design a project about their travels or about an aspect of British culture and give a presentation
It is possible to join the course on the following dates 

Typical Programme - (all activities are not compulsory except school attendance)
Monday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes and entry tests for new students and entries into classes
After School - Information about course location and an orientation tour of the town to show important and relevant places of interest to new students
Evening: Get together with host parents, group leaders and other students.
Tuesday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Sport - choose from swimming, table tennis, badminton and many others.
Wednesday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Half day excursion to Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor or Stratford-upon -Avon.
Evening: Free to spend with host family
Thursday:
Morning:  4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Shopping, or why not visit the cinema. You can choose from lots of different films.
Evening: Youth Roller-Skate Disco with young English people or for the over 18s a tour of local village pubs
Friday: 
Morning: 4 Lessons of 40 minutes
Afternoon: Ice Skating 
Evening: Farewell Party for the students travelling home tomorrow
Saturday:
Day excursion to London for those students who are staying for more than one week. Departure of students going home.
Sunday: Free day for you to choose what you want to do or spend with your host family or partake on the arrival of the Arrival of the new students and making them feel welcome.