Why do people come to the UK to study English? Susan Young knows why

 

Quality, safety, culture and the opportunity to learn British English are often mentioned by students. But another big draw is that there is something for everyone, thanks to the variety of specialised courses on offer.

 

English UK now has well over 400 fully-accredited member schools, many of whom have at least one unusual offering. The richest pickings for students in search of the offbeat or unusual are generally English Plus courses, where mornings are given over to general lessons and the afternoons to activities with more specialist vocabulary.

 

The most unusual sessions can prove hugely popular, as the Cicero Languages International in Kent discovered when it started running English plus afternoon tea. "We all howled with laughter when it was suggested, but it is a really successful course," says Carrie Reay, academic director of the Kent-based language centre.

 

"And it appeals to students of all ages - the oldest lady was in her 60s, but the youngest was 20."

 

The sessions include a lecture on the history of afternoon tea and a trip to a traditional tea-room, as well as learning how to make English cakes. It has been overwhelmingly popular with students from Japan, perhaps because of the opportunity to contrast their own tea ceremony with a Western version.

 

What many English students are seeking is local culture, and most schools will lay on trips to London and local sights, and evenings at the pub. But some students can't afford the time for a leisurely trip, which is where the Colchester English Study Centre found a gap in the market.

 

Aimed at the over 50s, its short English and Culture courses can include outings to the iconic Tiptree Jam factory as well as days in London and Cambridge, and the countryside which inspired John Constable's landscapes. Students try fish and chips, drink in a real English pub, and visit a formal British garden.

 

Principal Sarah Greatorex explains: "It tends to be popular with people who no longer have to work full time, and whose children have left home," she says. "They want to do more than a language course - they want to find out more about the country."

 

Another school offering English and culture, Sidmouth International School in Devon, has a different slant with cream teas, lawn bowling and a visit to a donkey sanctuary on the itinerary.

 

Meanwhile, in Devon preparations are being made for the next Agatha Christie week course. "She is such an English author and very popular. Her books and life are interesting and open up all sorts of discussions. It's going to be good fun," says Margie Barker, director of Totnes School of English.

 

Students will study a Christie classic to improve vocabulary, take a boat trip to her home, and stroll around some of the locations for her novels.

 

Another, different course for mature students is offered by Language in London, which won a British Council award for its cultural experience course that is entirely taught in the city's museums and art galleries.

 

Other specialist courses appeal to a younger market. Islington Centre for English offers a summer course in fashion for beginners, and options for more committed students.

 

"We get a group in over the summer, and they do English lessons in the morning and in the afternoon fashion design training. They also do terrific excursions to places like Savile Row, Carnaby Street, the Kings' Road and the Victoria and Albert museum," says principal Tim Shoben.

 

"They get lectures and practical design, so a bit of pattern cutting, sewing and so on. Some of them want to do fashion and use it as a taster."

 

Even more vocational is another London course at the Twin Towers English College, which teaches students silver service - waiting on tables and running a restaurant, under the guidance of an expert from The Dorchester hotel - before sending them on work placements. Graduates typically end up working in international hotels.

 

Sport is always a popular option, with golf, horse-riding, tennis and football on offer at many schools. Professional coaching is often a selling point, such as the summer scheme at the Liverpool International Language Academy.

 

This can even offer a route into the game for talented teenagers, as the football sessions are run by Liverpool FC coaches. "They are looking for people to try out for their youth team. We had two or three boys last year who they took on and tried out - it's quite exciting," says LILA director Leanne Linacre.

 

During the three-week programme, the students get a guided tour of the Anfield stadium and its museum, as well as regular coaching. They also get a flavour of local life, learning football chants and Scouse - Liverpudlian English.

 

Sometimes schools go to extraordinary lengths to provide something different for their students. One school in Scarborough has its own cinema. Mayflower College in Plymouth has its own pub, which allows less confident students to practice their English socially.

 

But the most extraordinary must be the Devon school which has its own ocean-going yacht.  The Riviera English School bought Bavaria 41, a 12.5 metre yacht, in late 2007 but were prevented from using it as much as planned last summer because of unusually bad weather.

 

Riviera boss James Nicholls, a fully qualified sailor, says there has been lots of interest in the sailing courses, mainly from Europeans: "You can explain to your boss and your wife that it isn't just a fun trip and that you are learning English," he grins.

 

Well, if you want to combine the business of learning a language with pleasure, the UK is the place to do it.

 

Susan Young is from English UK. English UK is the world's leading language teaching association with more than 400 members - all accredited by the British Council - including private language schools, educational trusts and charities and language centres in further education colleges and universities. They have made it easy for prospective students to find schools with a powerful course search engine on their website www.englishuk.com

 

Photo of Savile Row copyright Britainonview.com