Romeos and Juliets

Here are our Romeos and Juliets from Viladecavalls near Barcelona. These students are in London because they won a competition arranged by the Catalan government to produce a project on the Shakespeare play.

They'll spend two weeks here studying and speaking as much English as possible. They are also going to visit Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford and Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon.

Next week we are hoping that they are going to perform some scenes from Romeo and Juliet... more to follow on that!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Everyone is welcome!

This week we've had a wonderful English course for 15 psychoanalysts from Germany (pictured with teachers Rebecca and Ash), preparing for their annual conference in London. Studying six hours a day, they looked at academic papers, presentations, social English and a bit of grammar. And they finished the course with an analysis of Shakespeare's King Lear before going to the Globe to see the play.

Some of them attended last year, so it was a pleasure to welcome back some familiar faces as well as meeting some new people.

No two weeks are ever the same in a language school, as we say goodbye to the psychoanalysts we are preparing to welcome over 30 seventeen-year-olds from Spain on Monday!

Moans about Zones

Why are all our students so obsessed with London's zones?

I have no idea about the different areas of Madrid, Rio or Seoul. I couldn't tell you which part of Tokyo is the best to live in or where I should stay in Berlin. Is it good to be in the north of Rome or the south? I haven't got a clue!

And yet our students are always asking us for accommodation which MUST be in zone 1 or 2. Do they really know London?

So, maybe what everyone needs is an explanation of the zones!

Firstly, I have never met a Londoner who has ever mentioned zones. Seriously, if you ask someone from London where they live the answer will be: Finchley or Ealing or Clapham or Hackney. Nobody will ever say, "I live in zone 3."

The zones are just concentric circles designed by London underground to make it easier to have different fares for the underground and buses. Nothing more and nothing less.

And yet our students are convinced that zone 1 is heaven and zone 5 is hell!!

London is an enormous city, the biggest in Europe, and it is not designed to be nice in the middle and worse the further out you move!

There are some lovely parts of zone 2 and some which you wouldn't want to stay in and I can say the same about zone 4 (where I live!).

I'm sure that what our students really mean is that they don't want a long journey or to use public transport... but that's part of the fun of being in such a big city. Or maybe they think that the "centre" of London is the only place to visit. Of course, London makes things even more confusing by having two centres; the City and the West End.

The best way of thinking of London is to imagine lots of little villages squashed together. Each village is self-contained and has its shops, pubs and restaurant... and each has its own very special atmosphere. So, Chelsea, Hoxton, Westminster, Hampstead, Brixton and Golders Green are all parts of London that you may or may not want to visit or stay in... but not because of the zone but because of what makes them interesting.

My advice... stop moaning about zones, stop thinking that London begins and ends at Piccadilly Circus and fall in love with this great big, messy, noisy, busy, wonderful city!!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

London is so cheap!

Are you visiting London this summer? Maybe you are coming to the UK as a tourist or to take an English course at a school like Language in London.

When you pack your suitcase... don't bring with you all the stereotypes about how expensive this city is. The first thing to remember is that all the major museums are free! This is our present to all visitors to London. You can go to the British Museum, British Library, Science Museum, Tate Gallery, National Gallery, Natural History Museum... and not spend one penny!

You should also go to one night of the BBC Proms. This is the biggest musical festival in the world and takes place in the beautiful Royal Albert Hall. Every night there is a different concert, mostly classical, and it costs only £5.

And if you want a taste of real English culture then go to the Shakespeare Globe theatre, where tickets are also only £5. This summer you can see King Lear, A Midsummer's Night Dream and the Merry Wives of Windsor.

As a passionate Londoner, I want our students to experience all these things, which is why our Cultural Experience programme is a language course where all the lessons take place in London's museums and galleries... a great way to be a student and a tourist at the same time.

I'll keep you posted with reports of all the great things we will arrange for our students this summer as extra social activities.

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Happy Birthday!!!!

Yes, this week we celebrate our first anniversary at 42 Bloomsbury Street. For those who don't know, the school used to be called Camden College of English and was in a small building in north London for nearly 20 years. In June 2007 we moved to our elegant new home in central London and changed the name of the school to Language in London.
From the first day we moved here I knew we had made the right decision. There's more space, enormous windows making the rooms very bright, a lovely garden backing on to the British Museum, a spacious internet cafe for our students...

You can see more photos of our English language school in London here - and, of course, you are welcome to visit at any time!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Chelsea

This is all I can write... last night was soul-destroying... to see John Terry, Mr. Chelsea, slip when taking his penalty was... well... it was... I can't describe it!

For the next week I'm not going to read a newspaper or watch the news. I don't want to hear anything about the match.

I am going to concentrate only on family and Language in London. Nothing else!

So... don't talk to me about football.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Speaking English... the bubble, the logo...

It's now one year since our new Language in London logo was designed. And I still love it.The speech bubble is a simple idea but it expresses perfectly the idea of a language school... this is a place to SPEAK!

In every room of the school there are bubbles painted in different colours and every room there's a lot of talking... so they must work.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

English UK

Yesterday was the AGM and Spring conference for English UK, the national association of accredited English language centres.

It's always good to meet up with representatives from other schools and share thoughts and ideas about our "industry". The biggest discussion was on new visa requirements for students from outside the European Union, which will become law in 2009.

I also attended interesting sessions on the student market in Turkey and Russia.

It made me realise how important it is to spend some time away from my desk. I usually spend far too many hours every day staring at my computer. Time to change my work habits!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Old Friends #2

Maria (standing at the back) was in my class in '98 and visited London last week. We met up for breakfast in Primrose Hill but didn't have much of a chance to talk because Ben wanted to run everywhere.

When I look at some of our competition in London - the big schools which are usually part of a chain, with 200 or more students at any one time and lots and lots of teachers, I wonder what it is like to study or work in such a place.

The simple question is... if you come back to visit in ten years time will anybody remember you? At Language in London we believe that the school is part of the experience and not just the place where you study.

I know that if I was choosing somewhere to study, I'd prefer small and friendly to a school that is like a great big corporate language factory!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Old Friends

On Friday we had a visit from two friends from Moscow, Olga and Marina. When they first came to the school about 8 years ago they were inseparable friends and it's good to see that nothing has changed!

They missed seeing Rob, their "old" teacher, because he was climbing in Wales... so they will have to come back and say hello again soon!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Proud to be Blue!

In a previous post I talked about 2008 being the 20th anniversary of my becoming an English teacher. Anyone who's been in one of my classes or remembers me through Language in London / Camden College of English knows that my lifelong obsession is Chelsea Football Club. And this love of Chelsea has dominated my life since I was 5!!

Last night, at Stamford Bridge, we watched the mighty Blues beat Liverpool to get to the Champions League final. Getting into work this morning, I've read every newspaper report online, sent emails to a few friends, checked prices for getting to the final in Moscow and just smiled a lot. At some stage I need to think about work!

Come on you blues!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

It was 20 years ago....

Well, what were you doing 20 years ago?

I can clearly remember Spring 1988... I had been working on a local newspaper which suddenly went bust and I found myself out of work. There was good weather that year because I spent a lot of time playing frisbee in the park with Martin, a friend of mine. I knew I had to find another job and so I decided to do a training course for teaching English as a foreign language. My dad gave me the money for the course and I've never looked back.

The training was fantastic although I was very nervous when I had to stand up in front of a group of students and "teach" for the first time. I didn't know then that I was going to spend my life in language schools - as a teacher, a school owner, a course designer etc. etc...

But here I am, 20 years later, still passionate about the world of language learning and still working hard to make my school - Language in London - the best possible place to experience learning English in the UK.

More thoughts on the last 20 years in the next few postings on this blog!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

A return ticket to the present perfect please.

I'm sure the insurance would be very high and maybe it wouldn't be too comfortable but I like the idea of having a "Language in London" bus and travelling round with a group of students learning English!

I also like the idea of learning English on walking / camping holidays... or just talking about things you like. We have a new course this summer called "British Books and Films" and the idea is just to create a relaxed atmosphere to chat about interesting subjects (with a teacher there to help, correct, point in the right direction, support etc).

Let me know if you have any creative ideas about good ways of learning a language. We're open to anything here!

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein

Language in London courses...

I just want to remind you to send your application in for the following courses because when they are full ... they are full!

Part-time Evening
Our evening classes are very popular with people who are living and working in London. You can study 1, 2 or 3 evenings per week and take any of our 12-week courses: English for Work, IELTS preparation, General English / Cambridge. The next courses begin on 08 April.

Cultural Experience
If you want to take our wonderful Cultural Experience then we have limited spaces on this one-week course on 14 April and 26 May. This is the course where all the lessons take place in London's museums and galleries. A perfect way to improve your speaking and build vocabulary.

Summer 2008
July, August and September - summer is coming and we have the best selection of courses ever!

• Cultural Experience
• General English + Conversation
• IELTS intensive
• Cambridge exam preparation
• English for Work

If you want help choosing the right course please email info@languageinlondon.com.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

English Teaching Innovation Awards

Last night was the Oscars for the English teaching world when the British Council "ELTONS" were presented for innovation. As you may remember, two years ago we became the first school in the world to win and so I know how nervous the 12 final nominees felt sitting through dinner waiting to find out who were successful in 2008.

I am one of the judges for these awards and was very happy that my three choices were all the winners. For me innovation is when I go... "I wish I had thought of that! It's so simple, so obvious."

The winners were Oxford University Press for ‘Bookworms Club Reading Circles’ and two BBC entries, one for their student / teacher blogs and one for their weekly soap oprea for learners, Flatmates.

Take some time and have a look at the BBC links - I genuinely believe that these will really help learners all over the world improve their English. And they're free!

It's great to know that in our "industry" of English language teaching there are creative and enthusiastic people who are dedicated to making learning easier and more fun for all the learners out there. Keep up the good work!!

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein

I want to learn English!

As you know, Language in London / Camden College of English is always number one when it comes to innovation in learning English.

We have something new and something special for ex-students and people who have never been to the school.

We are offering an online e-learning programme where you can be part of the school, connected to our teachers and students and have the chance to improve your English. You can buy this programme for 1, 3 or 12 months.

Have a look at E-LEARNING for more information and a video presentation.

If you are taking a full-time course at the school this year and pay your fees + registration fee then you will automatically have 12 months e-learning.

You can't say "I don't have time to learn" or "I don't know what to do to improve my English" - this programme has everything you need!

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Camden Fire

Sorry I haven't posted for a little while. No excuse, just been busy!

A lot of students have written to ask about the fire in Camden. The photos (see the one above from the BBC) were very dramatic and reports around the world seem to be saying that the market had been destroyed. I was in the area on the weekend (taking Ben to London Zoo) and saw that one pub had burned down and a small part of the market needs to be rebuilt. So, for lovers of Camden Market... don't worry! In my opinion the current project of "rebuilding" the market with lots of shops instead of the traditional stalls is much more damaging and is destroying the soul of the place.
I also saw that the old school building, our home for nearly 20 years, is now an art gallery!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Just enough time to say bonjour...

Last Thursday, Greta and I went to Paris for a friend's wedding. We arrived in the city at around 6 pm and got on a crowded metro train at Gare du Nord. Squashed in with all the commuters going home after a day's work, I looked up to see a girl smiling at me...

It only took one second for me to realise who it was. Claire!

Back in 1999, in the old school in Camden, I was teaching one of the nicest ever groups of students. It was one of those classes that just clicked. Everyone got on well with each other, there was lots of laughter and learning and even the teacher (me!!) looked forward to the lessons every day.

Others in the class included Luana, Francesca, Serge, Jitka...

Claire must have been 18 or 19 at the time and was very shy when she arrived in London as an au pair. Bumping into her on the metro only gave us a few quick minutes to say hello and catch up. It was wonderful to see a confident Claire who is now... a teacher!

It's great to find out what happened to ex-students - if you want me to put your story on this blog for others to read then send me an email via the school website.

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein

Happy Birthday!

Today is Ben's second birthday - I can't believe how time has flown. We opened presents this morning and had a special birthday breakfast. It's easy to see what I bought him!!

Now I'm at work and preparing the tests for 35 new students who are starting our General English evening class .... but I'd rather be in the park playing football with my little boy!

Stuart Rubenstein

This is the BBC...

As Principal of an English language school and a blogger, I'm pleased to see that the BBC is using blogs to help students learn English.

They have students and teachers blogging, helping each other with the language and discussing lots of different topics. I love resources like this because they're easy to use, open to everyone and free. You can't ask for more than that.

Have a look at BBC student / teacher blogs ... and get involved!

Stuart Rubenstein