In my job at an international transportation company, an internal vacancy arose for an import clerk. The requirement for this position was good spoken and written English. As my English skills were not quite good enough, I decided to improve them with a language course. As I have two children, I opted for an intensive option.
I chose the town of Bournemouth in the south of England. Pure "English" is spoken there.
I was at Westbourne Academy for three weeks from January 14 to February 5, 2017. The mornings consisted of four lessons in the morning and four lessons in the afternoon with different teachers. The class size was limited to ten students, which I really appreciated.
I really enjoyed my language study trip, as I now have a better command of the English language. I also got to know the English culture better through the teachers. The humor of the British people is also very special and you always got to talk to lots of interesting people.
As many cultures (Turks, Italians, Arabs, Colombians, Swiss, etc.) came together at the school, people sometimes spoke with their hands and feet. The school was very strict: as soon as a pupil spoke in their native language, a ten-cent "donation" was made. I really appreciated these experiences and also the views of the other classmates. I think that in my future career I will look back with pleasure and not always insist so stubbornly on something.
The life experience was great and I definitely wouldn't want to miss it. I went on the trips to London, Bath & Stonehege with the teachers and got to see new and interesting places, even though I had been to London four times before. My language study trip only lasted three weeks, which was a bit too short for me. I recommend a stay of at least three months, as this is also a good way to develop friendships. I would also definitely stay with a host family. The food was delicious and the weather couldn't have been better in the south of England, even though it was winter. I will definitely plan another language study trip to Bournemouth next year and take my children (aged 14 and 16) with me, but then in the summer so that I can also use the beach.
I searched the Internet and found the agency Switzerland Westbourne Academy GmbH, Katrin Scherer, Uetikon am See. When I first contacted them by phone, it was clear to me that this was the right agency for me. Ms. Scherrer told me the quickest and most effective way to move forward and selected a super nice host family. They spoiled me very much and fulfilled all my wishes. I was lucky that my family was only two minutes from the beach and five minutes from the school, what more could you want?
I received excellent support from Ms. Katrin Scherrer from the Swiss agency Westbourne Academy GmbH and my documents arrived on time before my departure. Ms. Scherrer also contacted me during my time in England and asked whether everything was to my satisfaction. I will definitely be booking my next language study trip with Ms. Scherrer again next year, as everything from A to Z was perfect for me. I can only highly recommend this agency.