Language in Group

The big (and we mean BIG) news is that Language in London has joined with two schools in Dublin and Totnes to form the Language in Group.

Our new website www.languageingroup.com is now online and we'd love to know what you think.

From 01 January 2011 we will all be offering some new courses in these three wonderful locations.

Hope to see you soon.

Stuart Rubenstein

Principal

We win!

English UK, representing the best language schools in the United Kingdom has taken the government to the High Court and won!!

Students from outside the European Union need a visa to study in Britain and for some reason our government designed a new law that you could only come here to study English if... you already spoke English!!!!

We all know that politicians are always the most intelligent people but this law was the most stupid thing we've ever heard of.

Today a judge decided it was ridiculous and the law has been removed!!!

Stuart Rubenstein

Principal

Summer is definitely here!

Students enjoying the welcome drink at the pub on their first day!

Don't just take my word for it!

A couple of weeks ago we had a wonderful group of students from Fuerteventura at Language in London. They came here on a study holiday with their teachers Carolina and David - and had a fantastic time.

Have a look at their photos (click here...) and you'll see some pictures of Language in London and their adventures in this city. You can also read about it on their blog.

We have lots of different groups visiting the school during the year - some coming for short language holidays and other doing longer programmes with work experience placements. This year our groups include high school students from Argentina, an English class with their teacher from Portugal, European Union "Leonardo" Lifelong Learning students from Spain, Italy, Germany and Denmark, teachers from Switzerland and psychoanalysts from Germany...

Have a good week,

Stuart Rubenstein

Principal

New Accommodation for 2010

At Language in London we are always looking at new ways to make the experience better for our students.

This year you can choose to stay in our new studios - either a private apartment or sharing with other students from the school. We have two locations - Notting Hill and Kentish Town.

This accommodation is available from 01 May 2010 .... so you will have to book early to be the first to enjoy this experience.

Stuart Rubenstein

Principal

10 best places to visit in London

We've had fantastic response from our students to the "10 best places to visit in London" question. Interestingly all the replies are on the Language in London Facebook page - so have a look there to see the best pubs, parks, museums, markets and much more.

I am very impressed with the creative ideas that our students. It proves that Language in London students really are the best!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Facebook!!

The post below for the top 10 places to visit in London has had a lot of replies on the Language in London Facebook group page. There are some fantastic suggestions from our students past and present. It's interesting to see the number of pubs in the lists! But there are also mentions for the parks, museums, theatres, galleries, shops and markets that make London the most wonderful place to live and study in.

And while I'm talking about Facebook... the group has 496 members at the moment... so let's get it to 500 as soon as possible.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

10 Best Places to Visit in London

Now the summer is over I am going to concentrate in the blog on lists of "Ten Best...". Please let me know your ideas for lists or suggestions for the ones I post.

For the 10 Best Places to Visit in London I have chosen places that I love... because it's my list! If you disagree then you'll need to post a comment or send me an email. I've left three places empty for you...

1) Hampstead Heath / Kenwood House (London is famous for parks, so this is simply London at its best).
2) Lord's Cricket Ground (this is the home of cricket).
3) Frith Street, Soho (a coffee at Bar Italia, jazz at Ronnie Scott's)
4) Stamford Bridge (well... if you like football...)
5) Bloomsbury (the home of Language in London and all the literary history you can imagine... and not forgetting the British Museum).
6) The River Thames on the boat from Westminster to Greenwich
7) The Natural History Museum
8)
9)
10)

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

We win!

This weekend was the 1st Language School Summer Olympics in London.

We invited other schools to compete in Regents Park ... but more importantly it was a chance for a lot of international students to meet and have fun.

There were traditional events like the egg and spoon race as well as a football competition.

Thanks to the other schools (Wimbledon, ICE, SGI) for taking part and hope to do it all again next year.

The winning Language in London team who picked up the most points and won... a box of chocolates! Congratulations to all and thanks to Ricki for organising the afternoon.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Congratulations!!

Two ex-teachers from the school have become dads in the last couple of weeks. Congratualtions to Matt (now living in Italy) and Kyle (in Australia).

This gives me an excuse to publish a picture of Ben, now three and a half, on a recent trip to Leeds Castle.

Oh - and if you're going to be at the school next weekend (08 August) then don't forget to bring your running shoes because Language in London has challenged five other language schools to a Summer Olympics!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Cambridge Exams

If you want to take a Cambridge exam (First Certificate, Advanced, Proficiency), then you need to choose a school which has this logo.

At Language in London we have over 20 years experience preparing students for exams and this is why we have a high success rate.

Cambridge exams test your General English at each level - so you need to be good at speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Contact Language in London (info@languageinlondon.com) if you want some help and advice.

Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Summer in London 2009

July and August are traditionally the busiest months at language schools and we are ready for all the students who are coming to study with us.

At Language in London we know we need to get 4 things right to help you have a wonderful experience.

1. The course must be good because you want to improve your English!
2. The accommodation must be good... you will spend more hours in your accommodation than at school.
3. The social activities must be good because you also want to have fun.
4. The support must be good at all the times you need help.

In this blog I just want to mention point 3 - the social activities.

We have such a range of things to do that it is impossible for you to be bored. There's everything from Shakespeare plays to a summer olympics with other London schools. We'll take you to concerts, on walks, to places of cultural interest and on picnics. You can try our "Mission Impossible" and even get to see Steve, the Director of Studies, singing with the BBC Choir at the Royal Albert Hall!

I'll post pictures over the next few weeks of all the fun things that everyone is doing.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

A tall story...

Recently back from a week in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) attending a workshop for English UK language schools and agents from around the region. Hopefully this will result in more students to come to England and have the wonderful Language in London experience.


It was a great time and fascinating to see a part of the world that is so different to what I am used to in London. One minute you are in the desert looking at camels and the next you can see the (almost finished) tallest building in the world. And when I say tall I mean ENORMOUS!
Thanks to all the great people I met and hope to see you again.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

1,000,000 words!!!

If you find it difficult learning English vocabulary then don't read this article!

The Global Language Monitor in the USA records the number of new words in the English language and estimates that everyday there are 15 new ones! They are now doing a countdown until the 1,000,000 English word and it is only days away.

There are some interesting articles on their website such as "when does a word become a word?".

At Language in London we will help you increase your vocabulary but we now know you will need to learn at least 15 new words a day to keep up with the ever-increasing list of new words.

Good luck!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

How long is an hour?

Seriously... how long is an hour?

Most students book courses by time: 15 hours per week, three hours of individual lessons etc etc. But how long is that hour you pay for?

Be careful... be very careful.

Most schools are a little naughty and confuse the people who are booking the courses.
There are two techniques they use to make the course seem longer and give you less... and most schools use both techniques!

1) The 20 Lessons Per Week Course
This is the trick schools use to make you think that you are buying a longer course. 20 lesson courses are usually 15 hours per week and all the school has done is pretend a lesson is 45 minutes (20 x 45 = 900 minutes = 15 hours). Of course, 20 makes you think you are buying more than 15.

2) The 15 Hour Per Week Course
Be careful here too! You need to check if 15 hours really is 15 hours. If the timetable is 0900 to 1200 you would imagine three hours per day of classes... but then many schools put a break in the middle (sometimes half an hour!) and you only end up studying for 12.5 hours per week.

I know some schools where a one hour 1-to-1 lesson is only 50 minutes! Now, that's confusing.

So... when you compare the prices of one school to another it is very difficult to know what you will really get for your money.

At Language in London, when we say a course is 15 hours we mean 15 hours and you study with your teacher for 15 hours!

It's clear, it's simple and it's honest.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

BECAS MEC - message for our Spanish students!

This year the Spanish government are giving over 20,000 grants to Spanish university students to come and do an English language course (BECAS MEC).
There is more information here: Language in London BECAS MEC and you can also contact the school directly and we will explain more to you.

The grant will help you come to London and take a 3-week English course so... don't wait... apply!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

Three weeks...

It's been three weeks since I wrote something on this blog and so much has happened!

London has had its worst weather for over 20 years and been covered in snow. We're really not prepared for conditions like that and the whole city seemed to close with no buses or underground. It was great fun though and there were nearly as many snowmen as real people for a couple of days.

This winter we are offering our students a weekly party at a London club. All the top London schools have joined together so that on Thursday nights there is free entry to students. Reports are that it is a great evening. This week is the Valentine's party ... so there should be some good stories on Friday morning!

And I must also tell you that after 20 years of English teaching, the school has now started its first Spanish course, which takes place on Tuesday evenings. I'm in the class as a student and loving every minute!!

Chau!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

It doesn't look like a summer holiday!

This is our wonderful group of students from Argentina who are here for three weeks doing Cultural Experience and General English. Apart from studying English they are filling their time with lots of activities - walking tours, day trip to Bath, museum visits and four lucky ones even managed to get to see a Chelsea football match!

Next week they'll return to Argentina and summer temperatures of 30 degrees but will leave us with warm memories of a happy, enthusiastic and fun bunch of students.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

It's freezing in London!

It's so cold this month... they say the coldest for over 20 years.

I thought I would warm everyone up with some pictures from André, who was at Language in London a few months ago... when the sun was shining!

And on the subject of photos... you should see the ones on the school FACEBOOK page.

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal

A winter wonderland...

Yesterday, Rob took over 20 students on his annual ice skating Christmas afternoon. After the physical effort (and a lot of falling over), everyone went to see the famous Christmas lights in Regents Street and have a hot chocolate in Liberty's.

It might be cold in London at this time of year but there is a very special feeling in the air.

Happy Skating!

Stuart Rubenstein
Principal