Your child has decided to study a foreign language for their GCSE or A Level. Fantastic! Having a modern foreign language on their UCAS form or CV shows a cultural awareness and transferrable skills that will help them stand out from the crowd. You just need them to get the best grades possible…
You have decided to book a language course overseas for your child to boost their confidence and chances of getting top marks. Great! An immersive experience studying abroad is the best way to progress quickly and iron out any niggles such as pronunciation or expression when put on the spot (just like in the dreaded oral exam). You just have a few questions…
What sets a private tutor apart from studying abroad?
A private tutor provides tuition tailored to your child’s specific needs in your home, which is ideal for ironing out any issues your child may have with understanding a specific grammar point or difficulties they may be experiencing with vocabulary. However, these grammar points or vocabulary will be explained using your child’s mother tongue rather than the language they are learning, meaning your child “stays” in English throughout the lesson. Also, your tutor will more than likely be English themselves, meaning their pronunciation will always be non-native and they may pass on their shortcomings to your child.
Studying abroad provides immersion: your child will get up in the morning and have breakfast with their French host family, they will travel to school on the metro or bus and listen to French people talking or read billboards written in French, they will say “bonjour” to the reception staff before being taught by a French teacher, at breaktime they will talk to their fellow students in French (because that’s the only common language), at lunchtime they will order their food in French, they will explore the city and be surrounded by the language before going home to their host family and chatting about their day in French. There is no escape from the target language, which makes progress much faster and more natural. Being surrounded by native speakers will also help your child improve their pronunciation, gain confidence in their ability and sound more authentic when speaking… which is essential to nailing the oral exam.
Are there any age restrictions?
Every school is different, but most adult schools won’t accept under 18. During the summer holidays, there are lots of summer camps available specifically for children and teenagers but they may not have the exam preparation courses that an adult school can offer. When you send your initial enquiry to us, we will let you know if the school you’re interested in is right for your child’s age.
Can my child’s school organise study abroad experiences or do I have to do it myself?
Either! Active Languages helps secondary schools, grammar schools, colleges and sixth forms to plan trips to other countries with specific closed group courses. A closed group course is a tailor-made course designed specifically for the group’s requirements and is a private course, i.e. only for the school group. The language schools can even help with accommodation at homestays or student residences, leaving your child’s school free to take care of booking extracurricular activities, etc.
School trips tend to take place during term time, whereas individual bookings tend to take place during the school holidays. Active Languages is also here to help you book your course for your child during the school holidays or half term. We can help you pick the right course for your child and their needs. You can talk to your school about them organising a school trip for your child and their classmates and pass on Active Languages’ details.
Which courses can my child take?
Some schools have very specific exam preparation courses designed especially for GCSE, A Level, Higher and Irish Leaving students. ACCORD Paris French language school is one of them.
Their AS/A Level course includes General French in the morning followed by 2 afternoon lessons dedicated to exam preparation. Of course, many students preparing for their French exam need to boost their confidence, and extra afternoon lessons dedicated to oral communication or writing and grammar is what every AS and A Level student needs to nail in time for their exams.
If your child won’t appreciate having to get up early for school during half term, you could book the PM1 or PM2 French language courses at ACCORD Paris. The PM1 course includes 15 hours of General French, Oral Communication and Grammar and Writing workshops whilst the PM2 course includes 20 hours of the same. Whether your child is studying French, German or Spanish, the majority of schools will either provide a specific exam course or workshops that will help your child improve their oral, written or grammar skills.
Will my child be with students of a similar age?
It’s a good question and it depends on each individual school. The average age of students does tend to drop during the school holidays, meaning the average age will be closer to your child’s age. That said, the majority of language schools offering exam preparation courses are for adult learners, so expect a healthy mix of age groups from 16 right up to older adults.
My child wants to go with a friend. Is that possible?
Of course! You could even request that they be put in the same homestay if you want. However, your child may not be placed in the same class as their friend if there’s a difference in their ability. For example, if your child is B1 and their friend is A2, they will be placed in different classes to suit their ability. If your child wants to be in the same class as their friend but they are different levels, the more advanced one simply won’t make any progress during the experience as they are not being challenged. Another thing to note is that going with a friend will lose the “immersive” side of studying abroad. As soon as class is over for the day or during breaktime, they will naturally speak their mother tongue to each other. To counter that, encourage them to make friends with their fellow students from other countries at the language school so that the only common language is the one they are all learning, meaning they continue practising the language outside school rather than falling back into English.
I’d like to make a holiday of it. Can I tag along?
Absolutely! You can either take a language course with the same timetable as your child so that you have a similar experience, or just enjoy the break. The one thing that could work against you is that your child would lose the “immersion” of the experience since, instead of leaving school and being able to soak up the language in the city, they will be talking in English with you. If you can continue speaking to them in the language they are studying with them whilst you’re out and about, however awkward it may feel, then that will help them stay on top of all the skills they’ve gained in class.
My child wants to go solo. Is that OK?
Of course! Every school has a different safeguarding policy for under 18s, so we would need to check you’re happy with what the school has in place before we discuss different course options. For example, ACCORD Paris only accepts children aged 16 and over and has a very strict accommodation policy for minors whereby the only option for under 18s is in a homestay accommodation with half-board meals. That means your child will have their breakfasts and dinners with their host family, giving you the peace of mind that they are in a safe, homely environment. Staying with a host family is the best option for both you and your child not just in terms of safeguarding, but also in terms of language progression, as the immersion continues from when they get up in the morning and say “bonjour”, to when they say “bonne nuit” at the end of a busy day.
My child is very independent and would like to stay out late, but I don’t want them to. Are there any restrictions I can put in place?
Again, it depends on the school’s safeguarding policy for under 18s. However, there should be a parental authorisation form to sign where you give your consent to certain activities or set curfews for your child. At the end of the day, they are still considered minors and their safety is a priority to the school and their homestay. For example, host families in Paris require students aged 16 to 18 are home by 10pm at the very latest.
How much spending money do they need whilst studying abroad?
Every school is different, but let’s take ACCORD Paris as an example. The price you pay for the course includes all course materials and workbooks, so there’s no additional expense in that regard. If you book a host family for your child at ACCORD Paris, the accommodation is on a half-board basis, meaning that breakfasts and dinners are included in the price. They will need some money for public transport, lunch, social activities such as going to the café or the museum and, of course, shopping for souvenirs for the amazing parents or guardians who have booked their language course for them.
If you have a question about learning a language abroad that hasn’t been covered by this article, please feel free to contact us on info@activelanguages.co.uk and we will do our very best to answer your queries.
