Please check here and in Practical Information for answers to the most pressing questions we have received over the years. If you don’t see your issue, please do not hesistate to contact us.
LANGUAGE LEARNING IN GENERAL
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The schools we work with generally make reference to the language levels defined by the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) developed by the Council of Europe, which provides a fairly specific explanation of what students can accomplish linguistically at a particular level in any language. In general, these schools provide language courses to students from the A1 (Elementary) to the C1 (Advanced) Level. Most schools do not provide general language courses at the C2 level as at this level a speaker would be considered almost mother tongue, and will instead propose courses of English for Special Purposes, such as Business English or English for Exams. Most schools provide courses for complete beginners of a language, below the A1 level, but these are often only on specific start dates or can take the form of only one-to-one (private lessons.) Our agency will inform you of this.
Starter A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Basic User Basic User Basic User Independent User Independent User Proficient User Proficient User Listening I can use and understand rehearsed situation specific phrases and a few basic words on very familiar topics. I can understand familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly. I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g.very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment). I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements. I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is
relatively slow and clear.
I can understand extended speech and
lectures and follow even complex lines of
argument provided the topic is reasonably
familiar. I can understand most TV news
and current affairs programmes. I can
understand the majority of films in
standard dialect.
I can understand extended speech even
when it is not clearly structured and when
relationships are only implied and not
signalled explicitly. I can understand
television programmes and films without
too much effort.
I have no difficulty in understanding any
kind of spoken language, whether live or
broadcast, even when delivered at fast
native speed, provided. I have some time
to get familiar with the accent.
Reading I can understand familiar names, words
and very simple sentences, for example
on notices and posters or in catalogues.
I can read very short, simple texts. I can
find specific, predictable information in
simple everyday material such as
advertisements, prospectuses, menus
and timetables and I can understand short
simple personal letters.
I can understand texts that consist mainly
of high frequency everyday or job-related
language. I can understand the
description of events, feelings and wishes
in personal letters.
I can read articles and reports concerned
with contemporary problems in which the
writers adopt particular attitudes or
viewpoints. I can understand
contemporary literary prose.
I can understand long and complex
factual and literary texts, appreciating
distinctions of style. I can understand
specialised articles and longer technical
instructions, even when they do not relate
to my field.
I can read with ease virtually all forms of
the written language, including abstract,
structurally or linguistically complex texts
such as manuals, specialised articles and
literary works.
Spoken Interaction I can interact in a simple way provided the
other person is prepared to repeat or
rephrase things at a slower rate of speech
and help me formulate what I'm trying to
say. I can ask and answer simple
questions in areas of immediate need or
on very familiar topics.
I can communicate in simple and routine
tasks requiring a simple and direct
exchange of information on familiar topics
and activities. I can handle very short
social exchanges, even though I can't
usually understand enough to keep the
conversation going myself.
I can deal with most situations likely to
arise whilst travelling in an area where the
language is spoken. I can enter
unprepared into conversation on topics
that are familiar, of personal interest or
pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family,
hobbies, work, travel and current events).
I can interact with a degree of fluency and
spontaneity that makes regular interaction
with native speakers quite possible. I can
take an active part in discussion in familiar
contexts, accounting for and sustaining
my views.
I can express myself fluently and
spontaneously without much obvious
searching for expressions. I can use
language flexibly and effectively for social
and professional purposes. I can
formulate ideas and opinions with
precision and relate my contribution
skilfully to those of other speakers.
I can take part effortlessly in any
conversation or discussion and have agood familiarity with idiomatic expressions
and colloquialisms. I can express myself
fluently and convey finer shades of
meaning precisely. If I do have a problem
I can backtrack and restructure around
the difficulty so smoothly that other people
are hardly aware of it.
Spoken Production I can use simple phrases and sentences
to describe where I live and people I
know.
I can use a series of phrases and
sentences to describe in simple terms my
family and other people, living conditions,
my educational background and my
present or most recent job.
I can connect phrases in a simple way in
order to describe experiences and events,
my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can
briefly give reasons and explanations for
opinions and plans. I can narrate a story
or relate the plot of a book or film and
describe my reactions.
I can present clear, detailed descriptions
on a wide range of subjects related to my
field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint
on a topical issue giving the advantages
and disadvantages of various options.
I can present clear, detailed descriptions
of complex subjects integrating subthemes,
developing particular points and
rounding off with an appropriate
conclusion.
I can present a clear, smoothly-flowing
description or argument in a style
appropriate to the context and with an
effective logical structure which helps the
recipient to notice and remember
significant points.
Writing I can write a short, simple postcard, for
example sending holiday greetings. I can
fill in forms with personal details, for
example entering my name, nationality
and address on a hotel registration form.
I can write short, simple notes and
messages. I can write a very simple
personal letter, for example thanking
someone for something.
I can write simple connected text on
topics which are familiar or of personal
interest. I can write personal letters
describing experiences and impressions.
I can write clear, detailed text on a wide
range of subjects related to my interests. I
can write an essay or report, passing on
information or giving reasons in support of
or against a particular point of view. I can
write letters highlighting the personal
significance of events and experiences.
I can express myself in clear, well-structured
text, expressing points of view
at some length. I can write about complex
subjects in a letter, an essay or a report,
underlining what I consider to be the
salient issues. I can select a style
appropriate to the reader in mind.
I can write clear, smoothly-flowing text in
an appropriate style. I can write complex
letters, reports or articles which present a
case with an effective logical structure
which helps the recipient to notice and
remember significant points. I can write
summaries and reviews of professional or
literary works.
Adults Beginner Intermediate Advanced Children/Teenagers Beginner Intermediate Advanced The following table illustrates the equivalences between the CEFR and other language level assessments, including for the most requested exams in various languages:
Language Certificate A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 ALTE level Breakthrough level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Multiple European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages. ECL exams can be taken in English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Slovak, Russian, Spanish, Croatian, Czech and Hebrew. A2 B1 B2 C1 English IELTS 2 3 3.5-5.5 (3.5 is the margin) 5.5-7 (5.5 is the margin) 7-8 (7 is the margin) 8.0-9.0 (8.0 is the margin) English Cambridge exams KET (45 to 69) PET (45 to 69)/ KET Pass, Pass with Merit FCE (140 to 159)/ PET Pass, Pass with Merit / KET Pass with Distinction CAE (160 to 179) / FCE grade B or C/ PET Pass with Distinction CPE (180 to 199)/ CAE grade B or C/ FCE grade A (180 to 190) CPE grade A, B or C (200 to 230)/ CAE grade A (200 to 210) English TOEFL (IBT) 10-15 (speaking) 42-71 (total) 72-94 (total) 95-120 (total) 7-12 (writing) 4-17 (reading) 18-23 (reading) 24-30 (reading) 9-16 (listening) 17-21 (listening) 22-30 (listening) 16-19 (speaking) 20-24 (speaking) 25-30 (speaking) 13-16 (writing) 17-23 (writing) 24-30 (writing) English TOEFL ITP 337 460 543 627 English TOEFL Junior Standard 225-245 (listening), 210-245 (language form), 210-240 (reading) 250-285 (listening), 250-275 (language form), 245-275 (reading) 290-300 (listening), 280-300 (language form), 280-300 (reading) English Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE) / Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) / Spoken English for Work (SEW) GESE 2 ISE 0 ISE I ISE II ISE III ISE IV GESE 3, 4 GESE 5, 6 GESE 7, 8, 9 GESE 10, 11 SEW 1 SEW 2, 3 SEW 4 English TOEIC 60 - 105 (listening) 60 - 110 (reading) 110 - 270 (listening) 115 - 270 (reading) 275 - 395 (listening) 275 - 380 (reading) 400 - 485 (listening) 385 - 450 (reading) 490 - 495 (listening) 455 - 495 (reading) English iTEP 42737 2.5-3 3.5 4-4.5 5-5.5 6 English British General Qualifications Foundation Tier GCSE Higher Tier GCSE GCE AS level / lower grade A-level GCE A-Level (known as A2) French CIEP / Alliance française diplomas TCF A1 / DELF A1 TCF A2 / DELF A2 / CEFP 1 TCF B1 / DELF B1 / CEFP 2 TCF B2 / DELF B2 / Diplôme de Langue TCF C1 / DALF C1 / DSLCF TCF C2 / DALF C2 / DHEF Spanish DELE A1 A2 B1 (formerly "Inicial") B2 (formerly "Intermedio") C1 C2 (formerly "Superior") German TestDaF TDN 3—TDN 4 TDN 4—TDN 5 German Goethe-Institut Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Goethe-Zertifikat A2 Goethe-Zertifikat B1 Goethe-Zertifikat B2 Goethe-Zertifikat C1 Goethe-Zertifikat C2 - Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS) Start Deutsch 1 Start Deutsch 2 Zertifikat Deutsch (ZD) Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf (ZDfB) Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom German TestDaF TDN 3—TDN 4 TDN 4—TDN 5 Italian CELI Impatto 1 2 3 4 5 Italian CILS A1 A2 Uno Due Tre Quattro / DIT C2 Italian PLIDA ( Dante Alighieri Society diplomas) PLIDA A1 PLIDA A2 PLIDA B1 PLIDA B2 PLIDA C1 PLIDA C2 Mandarin Chinese Chinese Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) HSK Level 3 HSK Level 4 HSK Level 5 HSK Level 6 — — Japanese Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N5 N4 N3 N2 N1 - Portuguese CAPLE QECR CIPLE DEPLE DIPLE DAPLE DUPLE Portuguese CELPE-Bras Intermediate Intermediate Superior Intermediate Superior Intermediate Advanced Superior Advanced Russian ТРКИ – Тест по русскому языку как иностранному (TORFL – Test of Russian as a Foreign Language) ТЭУ Элементарный уровень ТБУ Базовый уровень ТРКИ-1 (I Cертификационный уровень) (1st Certificate level) ТРКИ-2 ТРКИ-3 ТРК -
The short answer to this question is that it takes approximately 200 guided learning hours for a language learner to progress from one level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to the next.
For example, a candidate who has passed Cambridge English: First (FCE), aligned to level B2 on the CEFR, might need approximately 200 hours of lessons and supervised study to prepare for the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE), which is aligned to level C1.
However, there are a number of factors that can affect how long it might take you to achieve your desired level of the language that you are studying, including:
- Your language learning background. This can include the number of years you studied the language at home or abroad, privately or in school, previous to the course you now intend to take. It can also mean how “exposed” you were to the language in the past, whether it was spoken at home or by persons who surrounded you closely.
- The intensity of your study. Simply put, the more hours you spend in class, on activities organized by the school, and with your host family or other local native speakers, the more you will learn. For this reason, we always recommend booking the most intensive course that your budget will permit. There is no need to fear that these hours spent in class will become tiresome. All of the schools we work with have able and experienced teachers who will make the language learning interesting, fun, and dynamic, and the schools offer a variety of electives on the general language courses so that you can choose a topic that interests you. You will learn not only the language, but the content of the topic itself. Your ability to make progress will also mean going to class and doing all of your homework every day. You should also take advantage of the school’s self study facilities, which are full of level appropriate books for extra reading, computer programs, films and games for more learning. Many are also staffed with a teacher who can answer questions. Outside of the lessons, all of the schools we work with also offer a rich schedule of extracurricular activities which will allow you to continue learning the language outside the classroom. Also, if you book accommodation with a host family (which we always recommend), all of our schools will place students with people who are genuinely interested in speaking with you and helping you learn. You will be exposed to the language you are studying from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep. You might also start to dream in that language!
- Your age. While it is true that young children can absorb multiple foreign languages quickly, the notion, “I’m too old to learn another language” is a myth. We have seen many older adults start from zero, and with time and dedication given to studying the language (the time and dedication are the difficult parts for adults, not their ages) they have made excellent progress in learning.
- The amount of study/exposure outside of lesson times. This does not only mean participating in the social activities organized by the school, but also making a concentrated effort to stay away from your fellow countrymen during your trip and making local friends who speak the language. If your schedule is flexible during the year, this can mean taking your trip outside the months that they typically go or going to places or schools where there are high percentages of them. A good school can tell you beforehand how many of your fellow countrymen are expected in the school in any given period, and they will also limit bookings of that nationality so that they do not dominate the classes. If you are a university-aged student, Marshall Language Services recommends booking schools in university cities which abound in students of the local country. In doing so, you will have many opportunities to meet them, make friends and practice the language. They may also be interested in exchanging their own language for yours.
- Your language group. To a degree, the language(s) you already speak can affect the progress of the language you are studying. Speakers of Romance languages like Italian and Spanish tend to learn languages in that group fairly quickly.
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Absolutely not, if you can get there! Some very large schools have a good assortment of ages of students, and while students in an older age bracket may not comprise the majority of the students, there will still be enough of them to form a group. Some of the schools we work with are specialized in courses for older students (and we note this in the description of the school), in which case they may in fact comprise the majority of students, while others have special one or two week programs throughout the year that are aimed at older students. In these cases, they will have special activities, if not also classes, organized with the interests in mind of more mature students. The schools also know that older students tend to work and have less time for a language course, so there are intensive courses for as brief a period as one week (and in a few cases, one long weekend!) Mature students will also be placed in host families, if they choose that accommodation option, who are more suited to hosting older students (see that question in the accommodation section.)
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For the most part, it will make no difference at all if you study British English in the UK or in Ireland (it’s also the English taught in Malta), if you study American English in the United States or Canada, or if you study it in any other country where English is the native language. There are some differences between British and American English, mostly in vocabulary, a few in pronunciation but mostly in the different accents, and a very few in grammar, but most Americans and Britons understand each other perfectly. If you learn a term or expression that is used more in America and you speak to a person from the UK, they will just recognize that that’s where you studied the language, and vice versa. If you return to work outside of a native English-speaking country, you may hear a bit more British English spoken amongst non-native English speakers, but probably because the UK is closer and it may have been easier for those Europeans to study it there. At the same time, many films and television programs shown worldwide, as well as a vast amount of information on the internet, originates from America, which very easily spreads the English spoken there around the world. If you return to work in Italy, you will most likely hear a blend of these types of English from various colleagues and clients. The only exception to this answer is if you want to prepare for the IELTS or TOEFL exams. The IELTS exam originated in England, and is most requested by British universities as proof of English speaking ability. It is concentrated on British English, so if you have a choice, it might be a better idea to study for this test in the UK or Ireland. On the other hand, for the TOEFL exam, it originated by the American Educational Testing Service (ETS) as proof of English ability for American universities, and is therefore concentrated on American English, so if you can, it might be better to study it in the United States. In any case, there are schools on both sides of the Atlantic who offer both IELTS and TOEFL test preparation classes, so in the end, the differences are not that great. If you are very prepared for the IELTS exam (or also the Cambridge First Certificate in English, Advanced Exam, or Proficiency in English exam, which are also British exams with British English in them) you will also do well on the TOEFL.
ACCOMMODATIONS
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You are never obligated to book accommodation on adult courses. The schools make their accommodation options available as a service for international students, but if you already have a place to stay in the destination, you can always just book the course. If for some reason it is no longer possible to stay in that accommodation, you can always ask the school’s accommodation officer for options that are available. Also, if you are in an accommodation booked by the school and prefer to find a place on your own, you may do so if you give the accommodation proper notice of the cancellation. The policy of each school (and sometimes each accommodation option) is different for this, and you will be advised of that policy when you initially book it.
However, there are a few considerations if you want to book your accommodation. If you are being hosted by relatives or friends from your own country abroad, you will probably end up speaking only that language in the home, so it will be very important to participate in the social activities of the school (as well as book a more intensive language class). If you can book a different accommodation, a homestay is usually the least expensive option, and you will have the opportunity to converse with native speakers.
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Yes, but be careful. It is ALWAYS better to look for an accommodation once you have arrived at the destination vs. before you leave, if you don’t book one that is offered by the school or by Marshall Language Services. If you do otherwise, you truly have no way of knowing what you are getting, particularly if it’s something that an individual is offering on the internet. Once you are there, you will be able to see the accommodation, the neighborhood (and experience its proximity to the school) meet the owner and any other persons potentially sharing it. Before you agree to go there, make sure that you have a complete list of the costs involved in renting. Accommodation options booked by the school almost always have all costs included, except for a security deposit, but if you rent an accommodation on the open market, you may also have to pay for utilities and other fees. If your goal is to save money with respect to the cost of an accommodation offered by a school, make sure that in the end, it really is cheaper. Also take into consideration the travel costs—will you be able to walk or cycle there, or will you need to pay for public transport, which in a city like London, for example, can be expensive. Lastly, if you do want to look for your own accommodation, don’t count on being able to find something quickly. In some markets, it can actually take weeks or months. Our recommendation is to book a host family with the school for two weeks at the very least, so that you have time to get to know the destination a bit and look around at some properties. Your school and the host family can also advise you as to the characteristics of the areas of the cities and local renting practices. Very often in language schools, there are notice boards for students who are looking to share a place, or who will be giving up a room or accommodation very soon.
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NO! While the families do receive a reimbursement from the school for food and utilities, most families will tell you that hosting students is not actually profitable. Many do it because they are genuinely interested in the company of persons from other cultures in their homes. They may be persons or couples whose adult children have left the home and for that reason have extra time and space to host them, particularly if they are retired, or they may wish to expose their own children and family members to the foreign cultures of the persons staying with them. In the same way that students attending schools find it interesting to meet and interact with people from other countries, so do the hosts. They may also have other reasons. One very genteel lady with a beautiful home in Dublin told the director Rachel (Rachel always prefers to stay with host families when visiting schools, to learn about the place and culture from its residents) that one reason she liked hosting students was that “I am forced to eat better. If I’m by myself I might just have some crackers and cheese for dinner, but when I’m hosting a student, I like to cook a proper meal.” And the meals in that particular home were delicious! The reasons for hosting can also be a bit more interesting—the owner of a school in China once said that with the country’s new economy, hosting a foreign student has become a status symbol. A family in China who is financially better off with respect to the past, can now brag to friends about the “new house, the new car, and the foreign host student!”
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You are never too old to stay in a host family. A good school will have many profiles of families available, and when a student applies for a course at the school with host family accommodation, the accommodation officer will take the student’s profile (age, country of origin, profession, hobbies and any special requests) into careful consideration when choosing a family. Older students are placed with hosts of similar ages, and students on professional courses can sometimes be placed with hosts who are or were involved in that same profession. As a result, it’s not only a way to practice the language, but also to learn some terminology useful to one’s profession or hobbies and even to learn something new about them.
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Adults aged 18 and over will never have a curfew in a host family. They will be given a key to the house and may come and go as they please, but are of course expected to observe common rules of courtesy if returning late at night. If they do not want to come back for dinner, they will be expected to notify the host family of this fact. Students aged 16 or 17 who are participating in adult programs in a school may have a curfew that will be established by the school and/or the student’s parents. When a school places a student with a host family who is a minor, they will usually select a family who has experienced hosting students that age and who have more time to look after that student.
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Students are always invited to address any concerns about the family directly to the school’s accommodation officer and to our agency if any problems are not resolved, and the school will discuss these concerns with the family. If a student is still not satisfied, or in the rare cases in which a family may be unsuitable for hosting a student, a good school will move the student immediately to another family. When a school evaluates a host family for suitability in hosting its students, a staff member will personally inspect the home and interview the family. It can sometimes happen, although fortunately not often, that what a family promises a school and what it actually offers a student is different, and in that case the school will move the student and stop using that family. However, for all of the schools we work with, many of their host families’ work exclusively with that school and have been hosting their students for years, so the school knows them well.
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Where schools offer only host families with a room and half board, or if you only book bed and breakfast where this option is available, it is rarely possible to use the family’s kitchen to prepare dinner. At the most, you may be allowed to prepare something that does not require cooking, or to heat up an already prepared meal. If the school offers a host family option that specifies a room with no meals or a self-catering option, then you can usually use the kitchen in the home, but keep in mind that you will probably not have much contact with the host for conversation. If you want to cook your own dinner vs. eating the dinner prepared by the host family only in order to save money, you probably won’t save much in the end. By the time you have done your shopping, purchased all of the extra condiments and ingredients you need in addition to the main ingredient, you will probably have spent the same or more as for a dinner prepared by the host family. You will also need to take into consideration the time and hassle of grocery shopping, cooking and cleanup. If your time abroad is relatively short and the experience is also supposed to be a vacation for you, do you really want to bother with that every day?
For students who would like the opportunity to eat out twice a week or more often without losing money on meals that they paid for, many schools offer a 4-5 dinner plan, meaning that you can book a room with breakfast every day and dinner with the family only 4 or 5 times a week.
If your desire to cook your own meals comes as a result of horror stories you have heard about meals abroad, you won’t have much to worry about. The quality of a host family, and therefore the quality of the meals it serves, is also monitored by the schools who offer it to its students. Low quality schools do not pay their host families much, and particularly in cities that are full of language schools who vie for the services of good host families, you cannot expect a good family if you don’t choose a good school. We are very aware of this fact, and it is also for this reason that we choose only the very best schools for our clients.
However, if your desire to cook your own meals stems from any food allergies, intolerance or personal preferences like vegetarianism, you can let the accommodation officer know this when you book your home stay. Our application form will ask you for this information anyway. When you have expressed your preferences, the school can find a host family for you who can accommodate them.
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Marshall Language Services has been hearing this type of complaint since the very first days of setting up shop. The reason for all these unpleasantries is simple, frankly—low quality schools use low quality host families. There are some destinations that are absolutely full of language schools, and especially in these markets, in which the schools are all vying for the services of the best host families, the host families can afford to be choosy. When a school doesn’t pay a family as much as the better schools do, they don’t offer high standards of service.
Unfortunately, for some clients, the one and only experience of staying with a host family has been during a trip taken with a school group. In this case, it is not surprising that the quality of the host family was low. Marshall Language Services regularly receives requests for bids on school groups. During the bidding process, it often becomes apparent that the group leader is looking for the absolute cheapest solution of school and accommodation, the lowest possible price per student. Group leaders usually do that so that they may have the group pay for their own expenses, some of which are legitimate, like the their travel expenses, and others which not, like including their own children on the trip, at the cost of the other participants. As a result, the price that each student pays in the end is not close to the real cost of the school package and it is not low, and a good chunk of what they’ve spent has not gone to pay for the school and accommodation. As an agency, we never use schools for our clients that offer this low level of service. For group leaders who are requesting less than a certain standard of quality because they are not being willing to pay for it, Marshall Language Services would rather pass on the booking. Besides the fact that we believe that traveling on an individual basis for language learning is much more effective didactically, another benefit to doing so is that more of the cost of the trip goes toward the higher quality school and accommodation.
As for the question of having to be back at a certain time, students who are less than 18 years old often do have curfews while staying with host families, which for minors is acceptable. When students have stayed with host families while on school trips, they were in fact usually younger than 18.
WORKING WHILE ABROAD
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This very much depends on the length of time that you will be abroad. If you will be staying in your destination for less than one month, it’s simply not realistic, nor is it very probable for a stay of less than two months. When you first arrive, you will need to become settled in the school, the accommodation and the destination, which by itself (and assuming you aren’t jet lagged) can by itself take one to two weeks. You will also need time to look around for a job, and when you find one, if you can’t offer a time commitment of at least two months, that employer will most likely not find it worth his or her time to hire you and train you. He or she will also need to arrange for your working papers if he or she is going to hire you legally, which for citizens of the European Union, is possible. The same would also be true for a job for which you apply in Italy—an employer does not want to waste time with someone who will not stay on the job. You will also need to make sure that your language level is sufficient for you to sustain an interview. If it isn’t, you will need to spend more time in the school, on a course as intensive as possible, to get it up to speed. If your aim in looking for a job is to help pay for your course and lodging for just a few weeks, there are ways to lower the cost of the package in the first place. Please see our special section about that.
If instead you are planning to stay abroad for at least two months and your language level is fairly good when it’s time to look for a job, it some places it may not be too difficult. Very often, language schools have notice boards that contain job openings, or students who are leaving certain positions will publish them on the notice board or make them known by word-of-mouth. All of the schools we work with have staff who are dedicated to the welfare of students, or sometimes just very helpful teachers who can help you put together your Curriculum Vitae in the local language and point you to job sources they may know about. Some schools also offer job clubs and workshops that help you do the same, or help you to prepare for a job interview in the local language. Once you find a job, it may be possible to shift your lesson schedule to another part of the day in order to accommodate your work hours. If you suspect that this may be the case before you leave, it is always better to book the less expensive scheduling option (usually the afternoon) and then upgrade to a more expensive option if necessary, when you know your schedule. You can always pay more for an expensive course but you will never be refunded the difference for a less expensive option. Some schools also offer part-time evening courses, but it may not be possible to stay in an accommodation booked by the school if you take only these courses.