Work and Study

[Anchor: workstudyfaq]Students aged 16+ are able to travel. Students need to have a degree of independence and confidence but these packages also help develop these personal attributes too.

Students are expected to have a reasonable level of language skills to manage their work placements. Typically, this is studying at A Level or equivalent. Some students who have studied at GCSE and achieved a high grade and maintained their language learning have also taken placements very successfully.

Yes! We are happy to arrange for pairs or small groups of friends to travel and stay together.  Each student creates their own booking and deals with payment and administration independently.

Work placements are typically independent and we rarely recommend attending the same placement.

Accommodation can be arranged together or independently.

Yes! About 80% of students travel independently with us. At the language school you will find most of the students who are at the school have travelled on their own and make new friends when they are there.

Travelling alone can be a great experience and can be a good practice for going away to university. It also fosters independence in a safe and supported environment.

The language school will give you plenty of opportunity to meet new people and socialise in and out of the school. The staff at the school are also very supportive and used to having independent travellers. The host will also be available to welcome you and introduce you to the area.

We suggest about £150, bearing in mind you have to buy your own lunch each day.

If students want to buy souvenirs etc, you may want a little more.

Students may require public transport to get to their work placement although many are very central their accommodation. Students should budget a small amount of money for this but will know before they go if it is necessary.

You should consider taking some Euros and having access to either withdraw more or be able to spend on a debit card. Many banks now provide services where you can spend abroad without being charged an additional fee other than the exchange rate. Feel free to ask us for more details.

These courses are sold for individual (or pairs or small groups of friends). However, once you arrive at the school there will be lots of other students there. In any given week, it is hard to know how many students will be travelling from the UK but there will always be lots of international students and usually plenty of people your own age around the school to mix with.

You will have language lessons from approximately 09:00 – 13:00 each day. This varies slightly from school to school in the different destination cities. Typically, there are 4 lessons with a break each day.

As with most Intensive Language Courses (with the exception of summer camps and some A Level Revision Courses), lessons are with students of all nationalities, who are aged 16+. You will be allocated to a lesson based on your level of language based on an assessment prior to your trip.

You will be allocated to a class based on your ability. The classes will be ‘general classes’ – they will not be focused on a specific UK exam board or syllabus but will provide a good basis for progression and further develop all aspects of your language skills; writing, reading, speaking and listening.

If you are looking specifically for a course where you can choose the content to tie in with your UK course very specifically, you may want to consider our A Level Revision Courses which are available without a work placement making time for additional lessons in the afternoons.

We have 10 business categories of placements. Students are required to complete an application form including the opportunity to choose 5 of our 10 business categories. We are usually able to provide a placement in the top 3 preferences. (In the case of late applications choice of placements can sometimes be more limited).

Placement allocations are based on your profile combined with the availability of placements.

Students will also be asked to write a letter to their prospective employer in the language of the destination country. All of the information given on the application form and in the letter is taken into consideration when we choose your placement.

Placements are allocated prior to travel and students are informed of their placement two weeks prior to travel by means of a final email and via their Babel account.

The majority of placements are arranged for students to be on their own. This reduces the temptation to speak English during the placement. There are some work places that can accommodate multiple students in different areas (eg front of house and kitchen at restaurant or different rooms at a nursery).

We have an extensive range of placements. No two are the same and the tasks at each vary considerably. Students will be given some indication of the tasks when they receive their placement, however, they should be prepared to fully engage in all the aspects of the work at the placement.

It is important to note that the main aim of the work experience trip is to improve students’ linguistic abilities as well as providing the opportunities to learn and apply tranferable skills.

It is also worth noting that some roles will involve tasks similar to that of a part-time job in the UK, others may involve shadowing your supervisor whilst they carry out tasks. There is a lot of variety between placements. You are welcome to ask for more guidance in choosing your placement preferences.

Students taking the Work and Study package will usually spend 5 half days at their work placement in a typical week. Occasionally, due to Bank Holidays, weekday closures or other constraints some students may work less than five days. In these instances additional opportunities for recreation, discovering the local area etc. are usually available.

We aim to provide in the region of 15 hours work over the week. This may vary depending on the nature of the work placement and this will not be the same for every student on the trip as workplace opening hours vary.

For students taking multiple weeks of Work and Study we will discuss the ideal scenario with you which may involve starting half way through the first week so that you have time to settle in and see the city you are visiting before starting your placement.

The majority of placements are within 30 minutes minute either by foot or by local transport. Using local transport is very much part of learning to live abroad independently and provides opportunities to use your language skills too.

Occasionally, placements can take longer to get to but we will always inform you in advance and provide a route plan. In cases where the journey time may be longer, we make sure that the route is easy to follow. Eg a single metro/bus journey and a short walk. We aim not to provide routes that need connecting transport.

Work places are not paid. Just like work experience you may have undertaken in the UK, placements are designed to provide you with opportunities to experience the world of work and develop skills that you may not be able to in a school, college or university environment; customer service, working as part of a team, time-keeping, independence, work-place specific skills and much more. In addition, you will have the opportunity to practise your language skills in a unique way.

The package is detailed above. Each destination has some slight variation. Please refer to the destination page for your chosen package.

We recommend allowing approximately €150 per week to cover the following:

• Lunches
• Food for the journey
• Local transport if required
• Souvenirs

Optionally, you may want to allow a small amount of money for a gift for your host or placement supervisor or you may choose to bring something from the UK.

Students usually arrive by air at the local airport. We can arrange or advise about transfers or you can use public transport which is always the cheapest option and adds to the experience of being abroad.

On arrival, you will go to your host or residence accommodation.

When you enrol and pay your deposit, we will make some preliminary arrangements. Allow 2/3 days. We will then confirm your trip by email. At this stage you can book travel with confidence. We request that you inform us of your travel plans so that we can make your accommodation/host family aware and arrange transfers if necesasary.

As with most city breaks, to make the most of exploring the area there will be lots of walking and exploring using public transport. This will help you get to know the city and give you plenty of opportunities to use your language skills.

You may be required to take public transport to get to your work placement.

Host Family Option: Students are welcomed into a host family for the duration of the stay. The hosts provide meals and the opportunity to speak the target language as well as being an excellent source of local knowledge.

Residence: Students 18+ are able to stay at the school student residences. These are lively places to stay but offer independence and freedom to enjoy the city.

Hotel / Hostel Option: Older students  (18+) sometimes choose to stay at local hotels/hostels. We are happy to advise as required.

Host Family Option: Breakfast and evening meals are provided.

Residence: Self-catering – no meals provided but there are always plenty of places to eat out to make the most of the local area and culture.

We have been working with partner language schools and family stay organisations for many years now. All families who provide accommodation are visited and vetted prior to first use. Local police checks are carried out and a minimum standard of accommodation and facilities is required.

Most families have been hosting time and time again for many years with well known satisfaction ratings from past students.

Families are regularly visited and vetted by the schools’ host family coordinators.

In line with best practice all students have 24-hour contact numbers with local host family supervisors as well as the UK based office.

Where small adjustments are needed such as avoiding strawberries for a mild allergy reasons or avoiding certain foods out of preference (like brussel sprouts, for example), you can simply inform us on your application and we will make sure that the host family knows to avoid these foods during your stay.

If you have a more severe allergy please let us know through your application.  It is important we know this as soon as possible so that we can allocate hosts appropriately. Where slight adjustments to the food served are needed these can usually be made in most families. If more significant changes are needed we may seek a specific family who can cater for your needs.

If you carry an epi-pen (or similar) for allergies, we will inform the host family in advance if you are staying with a host.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal, Gluten Free and other specific diets can usually be accommodated. In some locations there may be a charge for a special diet to be provided. Again, please let us know of any requirements early in your application. 

Some host families have pets. If you have a preference to avoid staying with a host family with pets please let us know via your application.

These trips are provided for students who are confident or aiming to grow in confidence. As such, they include a level of supervision provided by the language school and the host family who are in liaison with us in the UK office as necessary. However, there is also a degree of independence and freedom for young students to use their time at their discretion in a sensible manner as a young adult.

Older students are obviously afforded the same level of support, as required.

We ask that students read, sign and adhere to the Code of Conduct and that this is supported by parents/guardians as necessary.

The Code of Conduct is part of the application process. It is an agreement that we ask students and parents/carers to sign in order to make clear the expectations of students behaviour on these trips. In general students are keen to get the most our of the trip and this is best achieved when following the simple rules.

The Code of Conduct reads: