Summer English courses, how to choose the right one
With the arrival of heat comes the summer holidays. After months spent indoors, caught up in your daily commitments, you can finally switch off and catch your breath.
For students, summer is synonymous with relaxation. Once the lessons, homework and tests are over, it's time to sum up and finally close the year.
Summer is also the time when daily activities go into standby. During the school year, students devote their time to a sport or hobby.
But even for these activities the time has come to stop.
With all this free time available, what to do?
Well, surely it is right to rest a bit. After all, for your children, there is no longer an alarm clock that pushes them out of bed every morning. They can enjoy a few more hours of sleep, take the time to eat breakfast and start the day with serenity. Having more time available for yourself is a good opportunity to start activities postponed during the school year.
Free from stress, and full of energy, they can devote themselves to something productive.
Summer can be a good time to improve your English and make progress. It's no secret that when you're rested you perform more and it's easier for your mind to learn and absorb new stimuli.
It could therefore be the ideal season to devote himself to English. You can do it yourself in several ways, such as using an app on your smartphone or watching movies or reading books in English.
But if you really want your kids to take it to the next level, attending a class is the best choice. Let's see what the options are to make the most of your English summer courses, and why an English holiday is the best solution.
Summer English courses at a school
Summer English courses at a school are one of the most common alternatives to improve your English during the summer. Since there are no school commitments, you can attend lessons with more peace of mind. These courses take place in the classroom, together with other students. They are suitable for less shy kids, who are not afraid to speak in public, even if they don't know the language. Lessons follow a standard programme, designed to meet general training needs. This means that they may not fully meet the objectives of learning or improving the language. Furthermore, the teaching rhythms may not coincide with the personal ones.
Summer English courses online
Due to the pandemic, distance learning has made a lot of progress in the last two years. Online, there are courses with native teachers who can help the student improve their pronunciation and accent.
The offer is wide and there are courses of various types and durations. An online summer English course has the advantage that it can be taken from anywhere. Therefore, even if the beach holidays are already booked, it is possible to continue the lessons. Furthermore, it costs less than a school. However, it may not be the ideal solution for less disciplined young people. In the summer it's easy to indulge in a more relaxed pace of life and be too indulgent with yourself.
Online summer English courses are flexible by nature, but this flexibility is not a plus if your children lack discipline. Also, there are fewer tools to check the progress and effectiveness of teaching. Simply put, there is a risk of not taking the commitment seriously.
Private summer English courses
If your kids don't want to move from home this summer, then you might want to consider private lessons. A summer English course with a private teacher can be carried out from home by freely deciding the timetable of the lessons. Specific objectives, the number of lessons and the topics to be covered can be established. Lessons usually take place face-to-face, speaking only in English. However, it is a more expensive alternative than the others. Furthermore, the lessons are held for a few hours a week, and this may not be sufficient to make progress in learning or perfecting the language.
Vacation in English
If you want your children to step up the level, an English holiday is the best solution. Speaking a second language correctly is not easy, but with dedication you can achieve excellent results in a short time.
A stay in English offers advantages that summer English courses cannot offer. First of all, you can attend lessons with native teachers and with students from all over the world. Staying in contact for a period of time with people who only speak English leads to faster progress. After the first results, confidence in one's own abilities will also improve, and this will have a positive effect on learning itself.
Also, you can pick up on linguistic nuances that standard courses don't teach. Linguistic nuances mean not only pronunciation and accent, but also idioms and construction of sentences typical of native speakers.
These nuances will be incorporated into personal speech and your children's English will sound much more professional. Taking a summer English course abroad is therefore a more useful alternative to traditional courses in your own country.
English holiday with Hebe in Ireland
Another benefit of an English holiday is the discovery of a new culture, new landscapes and new people. All this will lead to cultural enrichment for your children, who will become more independent and self-confident.
Ireland is one of the best places to stay in English. The culture, climate and natural landscapes make it a perfect setting for learning English during the summer. With Hebe you can choose a large number of families available to host your children during the summer. All the more reason to be immersed in Irish culture and speak the language full time.
Host families are selected by Hebe to offer security and confidence to the student's parents. Hebe also gives the possibility to communicate with host families, so parents can stay calm for the duration of the holidays.
So if you want to be sure that your children improve their English, a study stay in Ireland is one of the best gifts you can give.