Visit Scotland: Meet the People

What can we say about Scotland that hasn’t been said before?  We could talk about the majestic mountains in the north, or the vast archipelago in the south-west.  We could talk about the ‘Water of Life’ internationally known as ‘Whisky’, or maybe talk about the delicacies you could enjoy which range from the very healthy and fresh seafood to the remarkably body-damaging ‘deep-fried Mars Bar’. We could talk about the wealth of Celtic folklore that is still celebrated today in various sites across the country, and we could talk about our national sporting passions of football and rugby.

But we’re not going to talk about that.

We’re going to talk about the people.

Coming to Scotland, an English-speaking country with a variety of accents so vast that it’s mind-boggling, can be quite a daunting experience.  We have a beautiful land which we enjoy sharing with the world, but it’s really the people that makes Scotland what it is today.

Take Edinburgh, for example, our capital city, which is situated on the cold, south-eastern coast, far away from almost all of the dramatic scenery you’ll find on the numerous postcards and tea-towels. And yet it has so much charm that it has become a city which rivals Oxford and Cambridge for international students looking to find a temporary (and sometimes permanent) home. 

Why? The people.

In Scotland we say that the people from the west coast, such as Glasgow, are friendlier than those on the east coast.  There’s not really any truth to this saying but it is testament to the friendly rivalries that occur all across the country. Rivalries without any malicious intent whatsoever…unless, of course, there’s a football match on TV.

We are ‘people people’. An unusual expression, but one that sums us up what it means to be Scottish quite succinctly. We are welcoming, we are talkative, we are open and we are generous.  We have a history that we are proud of, and a history that shames us.  We are defined by our own sense of belonging to this land but our doors are always open for all to see. 

So why should you come here?  Aside from the obvious reasons, Scotland would love to have you.  As our famous writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, once said: ‘There are no foreign lands.  It is the traveller only who is foreign’.

We have courses at ELA-Edinburgh which will help you in your journey across Scotland.  

We can teach you about the culture and give you the language skills you need to converse with the people throughout your stay.  We can teach you history and the folklore of the beautiful city of Edinburgh and you can then leave the written version and experience first-hand how our culture is reflected in our people.

Glossary

Majestic – having or showing impressive beauty or scale

Archipelago – an extensive group of islands.

Mind-boggling – overwhelming; startling

Tea-towels – a cloth for drying washed crockery, cutlery, and glasses

Succinctly – in a brief and clearly expressed manner

Converse – to have a conversation with someone

Free Students for CertTESOL

For 4 weeks, ELA Edinburgh is offering free English lessons. These lessons will take place at our school in Edinburgh city centre from 15:30 till 17:30, Monday to Friday. 

Ideal if you are a part-time worker, or would like to make use of any spare time in the afternoons to improve your English. 

You will receive a vast range of different types of lessons, from skills such as speaking, listening, writing and reading to vocabulary and grammar. You will learn lots and lots of useful new words and expressions and greatly improve your knowledge of the English grammatical system. You will be taught by a group of trainee teachers as part of their Trinity CertTESOL professional teaching qualification. 

Our aim is that the lessons are delivered in a fun, interesting and engaging way, designed to help your real-life, everyday use of the English language. Whether you are in Edinburgh long-term or short-term, working part-time or visiting, our free lessons are for everybody. Don’t worry if your English level isn’t high, we have different classes available for different levels.

Maybe you are new to Edinburgh, or to the UK, and are struggling with the language. 

Maybe it’s difficult to understand the local people in shops or restaurants or over the phone. 

This can make it very difficult to cope in day-to-day life in the UK. Our lessons will familiarise you with, conversational English in these common situations. 

Or maybe you have been learning English for many years and would just like to refresh your grammatical knowledge or learn some new colloquial expressions, slang, or more unusual or high-level vocabulary. 

Many non-native speakers of English have knowledge of the language, but lack the confidence to produce it when they have to. With a communicative and interactive focus, our lessons are a great way to gain the confidence you need and maximise the knowledge you already have to use English outside of the classroom easily and fluently.  

The Trinity CertTESOL is a qualification which is awarded to teachers who have proved they can teach to a high level. It is one of the most respected English teaching qualifications on offer and is recognised around the world. 

In order to gain this qualification, the trainees’ lessons must be of the highest standard with excellent lesson planning and clear learning aims. They must also provide evidence of your learning. The lessons will be observed by professional, highly experienced tutors so that the teachers can improve throughout the course. They will receive intense tuition between lessons – which means your lessons will get better and better. Your participation would greatly help these new teachers as well as your own English.

Our lessons are also a great way to meet new people in a strange country. There are many outsiders living in the multi-cultural city of Edinburgh, but sometimes it’s not so easy to meet people socially, especially if you are new to the city. If you have any friends who would also like to come to the lessons, bring them along! The more, the merrier!

Contact dos@elacademy.co.uk to enrol now! 

A New Life in Edinburgh

Everyone knows what beginnings are like.

Starting from scratch, unsure of what will happen next, excited and yet somehow afraid that the new start might not live up to your expectations.

Mixed feelings raise questions: Where am I headed? Will it be an ordeal?
Will it change my life for the better? And countless (doubts) more…

But now let’s focus on Sara.

When she first arrived in Edinburgh a couple of months ago she felt exactly that way.

She didn’t know whether she had made the right decision.  Too much was at stake.

It had been hard to part from her family and her loved ones, but she knew she had to follow her dreams. And those dreams had brought her to the capital of Scotland.

The bad news is: this post will end at some point.

The good news is: Sara fell in love with Edinburgh.

What struck her most was the diversity of micro-environments she found: from the steep cliffs facing the North Sea, to the green gardens and the rocky hills dotting the urban centre, up to the modern high streets in New Town and Leith.

This gem encapsulated in time became her happy place.

Sara felt at home, strolling through cobbled stone pathways along the river, or climbing Arthur’s Seat to enjoy the impressive skyline of the Scottish capital against the sea.

She found that Edinburgh is special, in that a small stroll from the city centre enables you to immerse yourself in nature and discover quaint little villages with vibrant life despite their small size.

In light of this, Sara felt in her heart that she had made the right choice and she did her best to find the job of her dreams.

The main obstacle between her and her objective was her poor English.  It wasn’t easy, but she took a language course and she never gave up, her mind set on the goal until the day she got the long-desired position at a 5* hotel reception!

One thing is for certain: had Sara not taken an English course, she wouldn’t have had the means to fulfil her dreams abroad.

ELA-Edinburgh can help you to kick-start your new life in Scotland!

Contact us for more information on our courses.

Can Theatre enhance your language skills?

What is the key to boosting any learning process?

At ELA we believe it is always about finding the perfect balance between theory and practice, and if you are looking to improve your English, why not use Theatre!

The well-rounded educational value theatre plays is increasingly being appreciated in many respects, and here are 3 reasons why you shouldn’t underestimate its benefits when it comes to brushing up on your English skills:

• Attending theatrical performances presents learners with a wide variety of communicative contexts. 
• Listening skills are utilised extensively and students develop an ear for pronunciation and accent, which will help them to sound like native speakers. 
• Thanks to the diversification of plays, students gain a deeper understanding of communicative styles, avoiding those awkward moments when someone doesn’t know what the suitable level of formality is. More cultural awareness and less faux-pas!

Theatre productions foster creativity and encourage viewers to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, thereby increasing empathy and self-awareness. As a result, students’ confidence will increase.

In a nutshell, learning English through Theatre enables students to practice key skills such as listening and, on top of that, it brings in the element of fun and students are keener to express themselves in public among friends and colleagues.

This ‘Theatre & English’ Course could be your experience of a lifetime!

Edinburgh’s hustle and bustle during summer festivals is not to be missed, so our answer is simple: take your English to the next level in the enchanting capital city of Scotland.
It’s high time you joined our ‘Theatre & English’ Course at ELA!

The next course runs from Mon, 30 July to Fri, 10 August 2018.

Contact us to get more information.

English courses at ELA-Edinburgh in the Summer 2018 – during the Edinburgh International Festivals

The summer, when many people flock to the UK to improve their English as part of a vacation, is around the corner. And Edinburgh one of the greatest places to do that, especially in August during the Edinburgh International Festival. Whether it is for your career or personal goals, getting to grips with a new language can do wonders for self-development and new possibilities.  

Choose from ELA-Edinburgh’s range of English language courses to help boost your skills this 2018:

IELTS, Cambridge and Trinity Exam Preparation Courses: Our hugely popular exam preparation courses, are done in small and dynamic classes to help you get the most out of your studies. Choose between exam preparation only, or combine this with additional English classes. 

General English: The most popular courses run for 15 (General) and 25 hours per week (Intensive).  We also offer 30 (Immersion) and 25 hours per week (Total Immersion) courses. 

Business English: Get to grips with the international language of business to help boost your CV, develop new Business vocabulary, interview and presentation skills to support your lifelong learning. Take Business English on its own, or combine with General English or exam preparation. 

BULATS: Add a little extra to completing your English language course and CV, with a BULATS certificate. This Business English testing system helps businesses to:

• easily and accurately identify training needs 
• streamline recruitment by screening applicants’ language ability
• communicate effectively in international business environments
• identify workforce strengths and weaknesses in English

Bildungsurlaub: educational leave for German employees, Immersion (30 hours) and Total Immersion (35 hours) courses are offered.

Trinity CertTESOL: Run two-three times a year, the internationally recognised teacher training course is highly practical and a chance to take a whole new career path.

English+Courses: English+Theatre, English+Tennis or English+Golf are popular Bespoke course options. 

Evening and Weekend Courses: Can’t find time to study full time? Our evening and weekend courses may be just right thing to help boost your skills. Choose between General English, Business English, Cambridge exam preparation or IELTS exam preparation.

Can’t find what you need? Contact us to find out how we meet your needs. 

As an English course provider with a track proven record, we understand that everyone is different with individual needs, and we are experienced in creating bespoke courses, tailored to our clients. 

Study Vacations - Edinburgh and its Festivals

Edinburgh is known as the world’s leading festival city because it brings one-third of the world’s countries to display their culture at its many festivals throughout the year.

Edinburgh is a capital city.  A small city in size but HUGE in culture!

A city of universities, culture, history, literature and the meetings of hearts and minds; Edinburgh is family-friendly, safe, cosmopolitan city voted one of the best places to live in the UK.

Located in Scotland, It is a great city for tourism with its many attractions and easy access to the spectacular mountains and lochs of the world-famous Scottish highlands.

Historic buildings, museums and galleries, sailing, canoeing, bird of prey handling, clay pigeon shooting, golfing, year-round skiing – Edinburgh has something for everyone!

The most important event in the calendar year is the Edinburgh International Festival – the biggest arts and cultural festival in the world.  Throughout the whole month of August, street performers and impromptu acts mean that everywhere you go in the city centre is buzzing with life. This makes Edinburgh perfect for summer study vacation tours.

Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals are also one month long. Dark December nights are lit up by fairytale Christmas lights, open air markets and a funfair. Traditional Scottish celebrations lead up to the biggest New Year party in the world – Hogmanay!

Between these two events, there is a wealth of Festivals (from Puppet to Traditional Music, from theatre to dance) and exciting things to do and see.  Let us know when you are thinking of coming and we will tell you what is happening. 

Now we have established the pedigree of Scotland - so Why ELA?

Edinburgh is a centre of education with a lot to offer, so what makes ELA different?

We offer Summer School, short courses, year-long courses, Mini-Stay Study Vacations and work experience study programmes.  And more, much-much more…

ELA’s real strength, however, lies in the fact that we are a family-run school where students are made to feel part of our family and their needs are our top priority.  We strive to give our very best to ensure that our students succeed.  Each part of our team makes an effort to get to know our students individually, helping them settle in and find their way in the City.

We are waiting for you! Contact us to get more information on all summer courses.

The benefits of English Language Teaching (ELT)

If you want to explore our world and enjoy helping people, ELT could be the industry for you.

A New Challenge.

Moving abroad into the unknown is sure to get the heart pumping.  As you rise to the challenges of finding your way around your new city, shopping in strange surroundings or figuring out how to get wifi, you will feel a sense of accomplishment out of all proportion to such mundane tasks.

Choose your new home

Job satisfaction

Whether it’s in public schools, language academies, companies or even private homes you have a unique chance to get to know, understand and help local people. Along the way you will meet characters you would never otherwise have been exposed to, some of these will become good friends.  

Flexible working

It’s time to leave behind the 9-5 mentality. Flexibility is certainly a key attribute TEFL teachers must have in bucket loads. You may teach at 8:00 in the morning or 20:00. Remember variety is the spice of life and enjoy! 

Friendly students

You will benefit from a job working and helping people every day. If you consider yourself a ‘people person’ look no further. BUT always remember: it’s the students’ lesson not the teachers’! You don’t always have to be the expert but you do have to exploit different parts of your personalities with different groups.

Compare and contrast

Flexibility doesn’t just extend to personalities or lesson types. The new teacher must also be culturally adaptable as they discover that ‘normal’ is a truly subjective matter.  Embrace the strangeness of your new country and learn more about your own home as you go!

Are you ready for a different lifestyle?

If you’re serious about a career in ELT, the Trinity CertTESOL could be perfect for you. ELA-Edinburgh are running courses from May 28^th -June 22^nd and October 9^th – November 2^nd. For more information email info@elacademy.co.uk or call us at 0131 2266182.