每年有來自世界各地六十多萬名學生到英國學英文。在選擇語言學校時，您要先確認學校是否為政府立案?是否通過英國政府官方督察的審核並符合品質標準（ English in Britain accreditation scheme ）。學校的資料手冊和網站上一定會提供這方面的資料。大多數的語言學校也隸屬於一個由語言學校共同創立的品質保證機構“ ARELS“。ARELS的語言學校都具有合格師資和安全良好的環境。

英語課程
學生可選擇的課程有：

• 一般英語課程–日常英語。增進英語聽說讀寫的能力。年齡：16歲以上。
• 學年制兒童與青少年英語–為銜接英國私立學校和學院的預備課程。年齡8-17歲。
• 商用英語課程–為全球商業職場的英文需求而設計的課程，內容有：會議召開、諮商、簡報製作、社交、大型會議、電話禮儀、報告撰寫和閱讀技術性文件方面的技巧。年齡：18歲以上 。
• 專業英語 (ESP)課程–為不同專業人士設計的特殊英語課程，例如：商業行為、飛行、法律、護理、餐旅、觀光、傳播、時尚。年齡：18歲以上。
• 學術英語 (EAP)-為銜接英國大學的英語特訓班。內容有：學術英語、學習技巧、做筆記、討論技巧、學術閱讀、寫作和研究技巧。 年齡：16歲以。
• 結合課外活動的英語課–通常在早上上英文課，下午從事課外活動。可選擇各型各色的活動，如：高爾夫、足球、蛋糕製作、插花等。
• 考試準備課程–為參加各類考試（例如：雅思、托福、各種劍橋認證測驗）的準備課程。 年齡：18歲以上 。
• 成人英語遊學–結合課外活動和郊遊的暑期英語課程。年齡：16歲以上
• 兒童與青少年英語遊學–結合課外活動和郊遊的暑假或寒假英語課程。住宿通常安排為學校宿舍。年齡： 8-17歲。
• 師資訓練課程–分別有:〝英語教師進修課程〞和“TESOL文憑與證書課程〞。年齡：18歲以上 。
• 結合工作經驗的英語課程–給想結合英語學習和增加工作經驗的學生。有些工作有給付薪水有些則無。課程從上英文課開始（至少四周）至安排工作（至少26週）,通常為期一年以上。結業後學生會取得如劍橋工作經驗證書或NCFE證書。年齡：18歲以上。
• 一對一課程–一對一單獨上課，不過課程安排通常可搭配團體班。

課程週期與時數
私立語言學校和進修學院
從兩週到一年都有。
課程通常在週一開課，但長期課程的開課日期則通常固定也有優惠的課程。每週上課時數則各不同，通常學生可選：15、20、25或30小時的課。每班人數大多平均為10 ﹣12人，最多不超過15人。
上午和晚間的課程都有，晚上課程的學費會比上午課程的便宜。

大學附設語言中心：
通常在學期初開課：十月、一月和四月。大多數的學校有暑期班。課程時數通常是每週20 ﹣25小時。

入學資格
私立語言學校和進修學院通常無資格限制。但在上課前會測驗您的英文程度以安排符合程度的班級。大多數的學校接受各種程度的學生。結業後學生會得到証明其英語程度的證書。 大學附設語言中心通常要求學生須在申請時提供雅思成績，因為它們通常不接受英語程度初級的學生。

住宿
私立語言學校與推廣進修學院提供的住宿通常是寄宿家庭，但也有少數是提供學校宿舍。寄宿家庭的好處是您將有許多課堂外的機會練習英文以及體驗英國文化。許多學生和寄宿家庭的主人結為朋友，回國後仍繼續保持連絡。寄宿家庭通常提供單人房，有些包括三餐、有些只提供早餐。通常一個寄宿家庭一次會招待一位學生以上，但一定是來自不同國家的學生，所以學生之間須要用英文溝通。

大學附設語言中心提供的住宿通常是學校宿舍，不過有些也可依特別要求而安排寄宿家庭。典型的宿舍房間為單人雅房（共用衛浴），但也可選擇費用較高的套房（附衛浴）。自炊式住宿通常會有一個由6個房間共用的廚房。選擇提供膳食的住宿生則是在學校餐廳用餐。

選擇學校
選擇學校時您要多方面考慮。首先要決定您喜歡的環境。您喜歡像倫敦、愛丁堡這種大城市,還是小鎮或海邊呢？它們都各有優缺點。例如住在倫敦非常方便，您會看到許多著名的觀光景點，但相對的生活費會比較高。

另外還必須考慮到學校的大小。有些著名的學校在各地有分校，它們通常較大且學生人數較多。有些規模較小的學校是由家族經營。小型學校的優點是學生福利較佳且較有人情味。大型學校的優點則是課程的選擇上較豐富。

學校的華人學生比例也是值得考慮的地方。15%是可接受的範圍，不過有些學校的比例較高，有些較低。確認班級的大小也很重要，一般來說每班大約是15人，有些學費較便宜的課程一班則會多達25人。

您的預算和預計停留時間？如果您打算長期進修，有些學校提供優惠的學費給學年制的課程。通常只要在開課前繳清學費就可得到優惠，不過這些長期課程的開課日期通常是固定的。

學校是否為政府立案？要找到答案很容易，如果學校為政府立案，它的資料手冊與網站一定會有英國官方標誌。

More than 600,000 students go to the UK each year from around the world to study on a language course. When selecting a UK English language school you must check that it is accredited by the British Council through the English in Britain accreditation scheme. The school brochure and website will indicate this. Accreditation means that they have been visited by the British Counsel inspectors and meet a set of quality standards. Most language schools also belong to ARELS, a quality assurance organization set up by the language schools themselves. This means that all ARELS English Language schools have qualified teachers and provide courses in a well managed and safe environment.

English Language Courses
Students can choose from a variety of courses including;

• Adult General English – English for daily life. Courses ensure you improve your English in all areas of the language: reading, writing, listening and speaking. 16+
• Junior Year Round English – Focus on preparing children for academic study at UK independent schools and colleges. 8-17
• Business English – Designed for use of English in the global business world Specific skills may include conducting meetings, negotiations, making presentations, socialising, attending conferences, telephone skills, report-writing and reading technical documents 18+
• English for Specific Purposes (ESP) – For professionals that what to learn English specific to a certain area of work such as business, aviation, law, nursing, hospitality, tourism, communication, fashion, Etc. 18+
• English for Academic Purposes (EAP) - prepare students for success at university by improving English in an academic context and teaching study skills such as note-taking, discussion skills, academic reading and writing and research techniques. 16+.
• English Plus Courses - General English, usually in the morning followed by options in the afternoon. This can be anything from golf or soccer to cake making or flower arranging
• Exam Preparation – Helps students prepare for a variety of English language tests such as IELTS, TOEFL or any of the Cambridge examinations. 18+
• Adult Vacation – General English in the summer combined with activities and excursions. 16+
• Junior Vacation – General English in the summer or winter vacations combined with activities and excursions. Accommodation is usually residential. 8-17
• Teacher Training – These could be refresher courses for teachers or courses leading to a diploma or certificate in TESOL 18+
• English and Work Experience - For students wishing to combine work and study. Some work placements are unpaid but on others students receive a salary. Courses are usually over a year starting with English (min 4 weeks) before a work placement (min 26 weeks). On completion, students receive an award such as the Cambridge Certificate of Work Experience or NCFE.18+
• One to One – Individual tuition with a teacher though this can often be combined with group study.

Course Lengths and Hours of Study
Private Language Schools and Colleges of Further Education

Students can study from two weeks to a year and any length of time in between. Courses usually start on any Monday but Budget long-term courses usually have set start dates. Hours of study per week vary from course to course, though generally speaking students can choose 15, 20, 25 or even 30 hours per week of study. Class sizes on average are 10 – 12 students with most schools having a maximum of 15. Morning and evening classes are available with the latter being the cheaper option.

University Language Centres
Start dates are usually at the beginning of each term; October, January and April. Most will also have a summer school. The hours are not usually flexible and tend to be 20 – 25 hours a week.

Entrance Qualificatons
There are no entrance qualifications necessary for private language schools but students will be required to take an assessment test on arrival at the school so that they can be placed in a class of their current level of English. Most schools usually take students from beginner to advanced level. On completion of your course you will be given a certificate confirming your level of English. University language centres usually require students to take a test such as IELTS before applying as they often don’t accept basic or beginner level students. Entrance qualifications for colleges of further education tend to be the same as those mentioned above for private language schools.

Accommodation
Private language school and further Education College accommodation is usually with a British family in a Homestay but some also have their own residential accommodation as well. Staying with a British family has its obvious advantages namely, you will have lots of opportunity to practice your English outside the classroom. You will also be able to experience at first hand the British culture. Many students form lifelong friendships with their host family staying in touch when they return to their home country. Homestays usually provide a single room with either full board (bed, breakfast and dinner) or half board (bed and breakfast). Homestays often have more than one student at a time but not usually with the same mother tongue so that students will only be able to speak English at home.
Accommodation for the university language centres is usually in university halls of residence though some are also able to provide family Homestay if required. Typical university residence is in the form of a single study bedroom. Bathroom facilities are shared but students can often choose to stay in an en-suite room. This means that you will have you own bathroom and toilet but the room rent will be higher. Self-catered accommodation usually has clusters of six rooms sharing one kitchen. Students in catered accommodation will have meals provided at the university dinning room.

Choosing a School
When choosing a school you have many things to consider. You need to decide in which kind of environment you want to be. Do you want to be in a large city like London or Edinburgh, or a town or seaside resort? All have their pros and cons. For example a school in London will be very convenient and you will be able to see all the famous sites but the living costs will be higher than those in a smaller town.
You also need to decide the size of the school in which you will study. Some well known schools have branches in different towns and cities which can be quite large with many students but some schools are smaller and family run. These smaller schools usually provide higher levels of welfare for the students and you will get to know the staff on a more personal level. Big schools usually offer a wider variety of courses than the smaller courses as they have more students.
Numbers of fellow Mandarin speakers at the school is important. It is useful to find out the percentage of Mandarin speakers at the school in which you are interested. 15% is an acceptable level but some schools will have a lot more and others less. You should also check the average class size as a school offering a cheaper course may have a higher maximum class size of 25 instead of the usual 15.
What is your budget and how long do you want to study? If you want a long term course some schools offer budget price academic year programmes. The fees for these programmes are reduced if paid completely before the start of the course but the start dates are usually fixed.
Is the school accredited? This is easy to find out as if the school is accredited it will display the British Counsel logo on the website and brochure.