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English is undeniably the international language of business and there has never been a better time for a to improve his or her English language skills. Most non-native English speaking executives these days agree that they have no time to spare when it comes to training. Leaving your family and your office for just short period of time is a big move for the contemporary manager.Also, a company making a personal investment in a manager also needs to see a good return on their training investment. Both parties need to be sure that a particular business English language course will not be time and money wasted? It is very surprising then that few Training Managers, and the managers that they are sponsoring, don't take more time to make sure that they have chosen the best possible Business English language training programme in England for an individual staff member's needs. Our advice below is supposed to act as a ready "Check List" for those having to make these decisions. Ask the questions, do your research and you will be rewarded with a super training experience that really delivers the goods:

1 Is the English language school accredited?

Any serious English language school in England will have achieved independent accreditation by an outside regulatory body which means that their staff, facilities and all their systems and procedures have been subject to a strict external audit. The British Council is probably the best known scheme for English Langauage Schools in England. Accredited schools are then eleigible for membership of "English UK", the industry's the professional organisation and will be included as on their approved schools' list. The kitemark "Accredited by the British Council" is much sought after as a guarantee of quality. Also, really good schools also offer clients an unconditional guarantee and promise to refund fees in full should a client or his or her sponsor not be 100% happy with their training programme.

2 Can you speak to any ex-clients of the school?

There must be old clients, living in your country, who were so happy with the service they received at the school, that they are willing to speak to you directly. If not, is this really the right place to make a training investment? Take time to be sure that you have made the correct choice.

A good school will have a contact list of ex-clients, who were so happy with the service they received at the school. People from are willing to speak to you directly. If not, is this really the right place to make a training investment? Take time to be sure that you have made the correct choice.

As an international business person you will be used to visiting comfortable hotels and relaxing in your room at the end of a busy day. However, remember why you are going to the UK this time! Didn't you need to really make a fast and lasting improvement to your spoken English fluency and confidence for the sake of improving your personal performance and career prospects? So clearly you would benefit more by staying with a carefully selected local host family, from a similar professional background as you, offering you a room with private bathroom, rather than a lonely hotel room! Also, when choosing an English language school in the UK it would be useful to see what is organsied to ensure that you have maximum exposure to the language outside of the classroom as well as in. Does the school have a sample weekly activity programme of all the events guaranteed to take place every week? Are these events led by the school staff? Do they allow you to practise your English in the contexts that you need for work eg meetings, presentations and social networking? Will the school make an effort to set up meetings and visits to local companies in the same field as you during your stay? Again, look carefully! The best schools out there will do all of these
things for you!

4 How do I know the programme will be suitable for my specific professional needs?

When you have just one week to spare and your company is investing heavily in your business English skills the last thing that you want to do is simply follow the same old English grammar course that failed to teach you English when you were at school. Any valid programme that is designed to maximise your progress in a limited period will take time to assess your level of English, paying attention to your specific and individual strengths and weaknesses even before you leave home. The best schools will even arrange to do this with you at your desk. VOIP allows quick, cheap and easy video conferencing for a Needs Analysis interview so that the areas that you need to focus on for your job can be covered in your programme. That way, if you need to make a big presentation the week after your course finishes, that is what you concentrate on during your intensive week in England.

5 Is the price that you have been given final or are there any "extras"?

A lot of English language schools will make extra charges for certain things that are not obvious at the point of sale. A common one is an "Accommodation Arrangement Fee" on top of the weekly charge for the host family accommodation. Another is a "Registration Fee". Any decent tax lawyer knows that these are clearly just "stealthy" ways to make extra profit. It's also worth checking the cost of an airport taxi transfer from your UK destination airport ot the school. Why spend ages finding a € 30.00 return flight if it's
going to cost you € 300.00 to get to and from the airport once you arrive?

Taking time and making sufficient effort to visit a school's website and check these things out now will save you a fortune in the future and quickly and easily ensure that you choose an establishment that is guaranteed to improve your level of English AND your confidence when using the language for work and business.

About the Author:

Peter Hayes is an experienced business English language school Director. Every week he helps lots of executives and business people from all over the world to achieve their full potential and find professional success by improving their English language skills. If you found these 5 tips helpful and would like him to help you, book your FREE English language Needs Analysis interview and level test NOW at http://www.inlingua-manchester.co.uk