Choosing an English course abroad can be confusing, given the many different schools, course options and prices, but the most difficult thing is knowing which are the good schools and which are not, especially if you don't know anyone who can give you advice based on their own experiences.

Group organisers get a significant discount from most language schools (usually around 15-20%!) so it's unsurprising that organising study holidays abroad has become a profession. Obviously, agents who organise this type of tour will choose the schools which give them good discounts, and not necessarily the best schools. However, the discounts are not normally available to individual students, so if you go alone you may pay more.
Both options can be good choices, depending on your priorties. Bear in mind though that if you go with a group of other students from your own country, there's always the risk that you will end up speaking your own language, instead of practising your English. In either case, be careful that the school you choose is a professional one, and is committed to high standards. Sadly, many schools aren't.

If you decide to choose and book your course for yourself, you immediately face the problem of choosing the "right course", but if you can overcome this difficulty, there are many advantages to making the choice yourself. Next we'll give you some tips on how to find and choose a good school.

There are many Internet sites which can help you find the right site. Here are two of the main ones for the United Kingdom:

www.englishuk.com - a site run by participating schools
www.educationuk.org - the British Council's website

Our first tip is to choose, above all, by geographical area (for example, London, "near the sea", on an island, etc.) and then to make a list of schools in your chosen location in order of the cost of a standard course plus accommodation (for example, the total cost of a "normal" course for 20 hours a week plus accommodation with a family.) It is depressing to have to admit it, but it is the truth: the more the course costs, the more likely it is to be a good one in a professional school, with good quality teachers, and appropriate surroundings. There is not necessarily anything wrong with the cheaper schools, especially if the price is an important factor for you, but don't forget that you get what you pay for, and that the most important factor for most students is the quality of the teaching. Whichever school you choose, in the peak periods (mainly in the summer) you are taking a risk, as the schools will employ temporary teachers only for these periods, and these are likely to be younger teachers with less experience.

If you can't decide if you want to go with a group, or if you would prefer to choose your own course, you can ask your English teacher for help. If you don't have anyone you trust to give you advice, you could pay for professional advice. We recommend the consultancy service offered by Madrelingua School of English in Bologna (phone 051 267 822 for information or to make an appointment). For a small fee, an English teacher will help you choose an appropriate course to suit your needs and preferences.