What kind of accommodation is best?
The main choices for most people (not all schools offer all these choices) with their advantages and disadvantages are given below. Don’t forget that a good language school will help you with many of the disadvantages – for example, if you are not happy with a host family or a hotel, a good school will help you to change your accommodation.
Type of accommodation
| Type of accommodation | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Hotel / guest house / demi-pension / bed and breakfast | Independence! | Expensive (and if not expensive possibly not nice); Can be lonely, especially at weekends If lonely, it’s because there’s no-one to talk to, and if there’s no-one to talk to that’s not good for your English! |
| Self-catering accommodation | Even more independence! | Even more danger of loneliness and having few opportunities to use and practise your English. |
| Campus / student residence / hostel | Independence from close adult supervision; Can result in meeting other students; Usually less expensive than a hotel. |
Not many language schools can offer this; Not always as cheap as it should be; Not very flexible – if you don’t like it, there isn’t much to change to; Can sometimes have quite strict rules about times, noise, etc.; Danger that the other students you meet most easily will be those who speak your language – so you might not use English. |
| Host family | Gives you the opportunity to speak English for most of your time outside school; Not so expensive; Gives you people who feel responsible for helping you with English and everyday life; No worries about meals, etc.; Gives you companionship in evenings and at weekends. The host family often becomes the basis of a student’s social life; Can often lead you to meet other English speaking people – family friends and relatives; Quite often leads to a relationship which continues after the course; Gives you real experience of the culture and way of life. |
You have to adapt to the way of life of a) a different culture, and b) a different family; Can be difficult if you decide you don’t like some things, such as the food, the way of life, one of the family members; May not give you as much independence as you want |
Click on a question to go straight to the answer:
1. Why learn English?
2. What is the best way to learn English?
3. So how do I find the best way of learning English for me?
4. How can I describe my level of English now?
5. Does my native ( = first) language make any difference?
6. How long will it take me to learn English?
7. Is it necessary to go to an English-speaking country?
8. Which English-speaking country is the best to learn in?
9. What kind of place is it best to study in – city or countryside?
10. What kind of accommodation is best?
11. Which is better – a big school or a small one?
12. Do small classes matter?
13. How can I compare one English language school with another?
14. Do I need to study grammar?
15. How do I learn enough words?
16. Which is the best dictionary to get?
17. How important is pronunciation?
18. What about exams?
19. If I need to use English for my work, should I study Business English?
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