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Introduction
Voted Best city in the world for 7 consecutive years, London is a destination that attracts visitors from all around the world, whether for tourism or for a Cultural Exchange.
During my last visit to London in February 2023, I had the opportunity to do a language exchange to improve my English.
Choosing among the many schools around the city is not an easy task, but after much research, I realised that Speak Up London School of English was the best option for my Cultural Exchange in London.
I spent 2 weeks studying at Speak Up London, taking classes every day in the morning and having contact with students from all over the world, so I’ll explain to you exactly why I consider Speak Up London to be the best English school in London.
When going on a cultural exchange, it is important to correctly choose the school you will study and various factors must be taken into account: a school that is Accredited, making sure that the quality of teaching is high enough and being in a school with a varied mix of students.
Why did I choose Speak Up London?
When I started looking for a school in London, what worried me the most were: the school reputation among students and the school location.
I started looking for English schools in London and found a few. So when I saw Speak Up London I immediately went to find where it was located and what the students said about it.
Speak Up London Location
The second task was to see exactly where the school was, as I know the city of London very well, I wanted a place that was easy to get to and also do sightseeing, and in that regard Speak Up London got a 10/10.
The school is located on Oxford Street, one of the most important and commercial streets in London, with easy access from many parts of London, either by metro or bus.
I knew that studying in Oxford Circus would give me the complete freedom to discover the main sights of London much more easily than if I were in an area outside of the Center of London.
Speak Up London Reputation on Google
To my pleasant surprise the school has a 4.7* reputation on Google, which is a pretty high score. Right away it caught my attention, because I had hardly found another school with a similar score.
When reading the students’ opinions, they were all very positive about the time they spent studying there, which ended up motivating me.
After Google I decided to search for the school on Instagram and again, I saw a lot of interaction with students and positive comments.
Speak Up London Accreditation
As you can see, when I discovered the school, I was very excited, because it had exactly what I was looking for, but I needed to see a very important detail, which you have to take into account if you are going to do a Cultural Exchange in London: is the school accredited by the British Council?
The British Council is the body that ensures that language schools in the UK have appropriate safety measures in place in line with government guidelines.
Again, Speak Up London was within this aspect too, being accredited not only by the British Council but several other bodies that guarantee the quality of teaching and safety.
First contact with Speak Up London
After checking all the points mentioned above, I decided to contact them to have a first contact and get more information.
I loved that the day after my message they answered me and were very attentive, which is appreciated, especially when you go to a new country and speak another language.
If, like me, you also want to do a cultural exchange in London, I encourage you to fill in the School Inquiry form and they will give you all the information you need.
After all this process, they were still a few details I need to validate:
- How long of exchange I was going to do
- Where would I stay
- What would be the total cost to carry out this Cultural Exchange in London
1. How long do you spend in the school?
At Speak Up London you pay depending on how many weeks you would like to study for, with a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 48 weeks.
The greater the number of weeks, the lower the value of the course, per week.
In my case, as I already speak English and my main objective was to practice the language in a native country, I decided to do 2 weeks, which was the time I had on holiday and what my budget allowed.
In addition to deciding that I would do 2 weeks, I also had to decide the time and frequency of classes, as Speak Up London offers different options such as:
Time: morning, midday, afternoon or evening
Frequency: 3 to 5 times a week
The values change according to the chosen time and frequency, with the most expensive time being in the morning and the cheapest time in the evening.
I chose to go to class in the morning, from 9am to 12pm, from Monday to Friday, that is, 5 times a week.
2. Where to stay?
I truly love London and I’ve traveled there many times, so I was able to choose my accommodation myself. I wanted to be somewhere with direct access to the school.
In my case, I booked the accommodation directly with someone I already knew. It was a family home and I rented a room for 2 weeks at an English lady’s house, which was fundamental for me to practice the language even more.
Jennifer, my hostess, and I always talked. We had dinner together for a few days and I even accompanied her to the market. All this insertion in the culture is essential.
For those of you who still don’t know the city, you have nothing to worry about because Speak Up London helps you with accommodation. They have agreements with several family houses and student residences, in different areas of London and you pay for the area you choose. you choose.
London Zones 1 and 2 are slightly more expensive but closer to the school and tourist attractions.
Zones 3 and 4 allow you to save a little more and still have transport to get to school easily.
On the Speak Up London website you can see the accommodation options they offer.
3. How much do you pay for two weeks at Speak Up London?
As I said earlier, the value varies according to the time and frequency. If you choose the same as I did (studying for 2 weeks, 5 times a week, in the morning) the current total price is £490 (3020 BRL).
But you can check their prices here.
When you confirm your enrollment, which can be done online, you will receive your confirmation letter from both the school and the accommodation, if you have contracted this service with them.
This letter is very important because you will have to present it at immigration upon your arrival in London to prove what you are going to do in the city.
I arrived in London a few days before my classes, to do some sightseeing and collect materials to write an updated London Guide.
Classes start every Monday but those who are at a very basic level can have specific dates.
My first experience in class
On the first day of class, you need to arrive a little before class time. I arrived 30 min before and was received with great introduction and attention.
I filled out some documents and then the receptionist told me what my room and teacher would be and commented on the various extra activities that the school offers.
After that I went to my class and there were people who had been studying for several months and others who were also on their first day, like me.
In my class there were people from France, Japan, Argentina, Turkey, Russia and elsewhere.
Every Monday, the students are encouraged to tell us a little about their weekend and the new students also have to introduce themselves.
Dynamic in the class
I must confess that I was quite positively surprised by the modernity of the equipment in the classroom. Classes were shown on a screen that connected directly to the teacher’s computer and allowed her to write and paste texts and materials there on that interactive screen, without having to erase what she had previously taught.
Speak Up London invests a lot in technology to improve the quality of teaching.
During classes, we also watched videos to discuss, did grammar exercises and lots of play activities to reinforce what we had studied.
To be totally honest, this was my best Cultural Exchange as the level of the class and the teacher’s interaction were amazing!
I must confess that I was quite positively surprised by the modernity of the equipment in the classroom. Classes were shown on a screen that connected directly to the teacher’s computer and allowed her to write and paste texts and materials there on that interactive screen, without having to erase what she had previously taught.
Speak Up London invests a lot in technology to improve the quality of teaching.
During classes, we also watched videos to discuss, did grammar exercises and lots of play activities to reinforce what we had studied.
To be totally honest, this was my best Cultural Exchange as the level of the class and the teacher’s interaction were amazing!
Weekly Social Programme
It is worth mentioning that during your exchange, it is important that you participate in several other activities offered by the school.
Every week, Speak Up London puts on a calendar with extra activities each day, from free conversation classes, sightseeing tours or night outs.
These programs are perfect for making new friends and practicing the language in real life.
My honest opinion about Speak Up London
In conclusion, the main reasons why I think Why Speak Up London is the best English language school for your Cultural Exchange in London are:
- Quality of teaching: their teachers are highly qualified and teach in a dynamic way and with technologies that allow the class to be way more interactive.
- Location: the school’s location, on one of London’s main shopping streets, is a unique asset for you to combine study with tourism and easily access the main points of London.
- British Council Accreditation: Being a British Council accredited school is very important to guarantee the quality of teaching and the confidence of being a real school.
- Social Activities: the extra activities offered by the school helps a lot so you don’t feel alone and can still practice English in different environments.
- Lesson prices: Speak Up London prices are very competitive with other schools, which are further away and don’t even have such good recommendations.
- The people and attention received: one of the most important things I noticed is the attention given by all the school staff, from reception to teachers. To me, this is priceless and extremely important when you are away from home.
If you want to live a unique experience in London, learning English and enjoying every corner of the city, I definitely recommend the Cultural Exchange program at Speak Up London.
For more information just fill out THIS FORM and they will answer any question you have.
Author: Belle Ferreira