When looking to find the finest language school San Diego has, there’s more to it than thinking “OK, this is the closest English language school near me, it’s convenient enough for me to attend.” Location is only one part of the story. To be able to choose the right language school for you, you first need to be clear about your reasons to learn English in San Diego, find the best and most engaging English courses and then be prepared to ask the questions that will help you choose English courses fit for you. This is where we can help. To follow are some of the most important questions you should ask before setting your heart on a language school to enroll in.
“Does your English language school near me have adequate accreditation?”
If you’re serious about your language learning, then you need to be serious about your choice of language school too. You might wonder why accreditation is so relevant? Well, there are various international bodies that inspect the standard of teaching in private language schools. You check the language school’s standard of quality if you inspect its accreditations. Some of the better-known accreditation bodies for language schools are CEA, ACCET and ALTO, so the first thing you should do is check if your preferred language school has any of those.
“What qualifications do your teachers hold?”
Similar to our previous point, but perhaps an even more vital matter, concerns the qualifications of the teaching staff you will be closely working with. It is normal for you to want to know about the experience, educations, and qualifications of your instructors and teachers.
However, you might have a bit more difficulties finding this out, as not all language schools would happily dispel your “teacher experience in an English language school near me” doubts. One way to work around this unwillingness is to check student reviews on independent websites, avoiding the school website blurbs. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
“How does your English language school near me perform student placement?”
No matter if you’re just starting out with your language learning efforts, or you’re just looking to polish your speaking skills, you need to be placed in an adequate group, consisting of students who possess roughly your level of knowledge.
The other reason for this question is for you to prepare for the placement test. If you know what areas of the language are going to be assessed, it means you can pay attention to them a couple of days in advance, only to make sure you’ll give it your best. Showing the extent of your language prowess on a placement test assures you will be put in a group that will suit your level of knowledge perfectly.
“How will this English language school near me assess my progress?”
Once you’re placed in a proper group, you can expect many more assessments to be carried out during your stay at any English language school. This is extremely important. You need to be able to keep track of your progress, know your strong sides, and your weaker areas, and consequently be aware of what aspects of your language you should improve, and how.
Regular assessments are the key to this, and the more varied the assessments are, the better. Sticking to only oral, written, or multiple-choice assessments is never the way to go, as each of these only checks one aspect of the English language learning journey. Instead, try to find a school that implements frequent assessments of different kinds. This way, you are able to monitor your improvement across all the important language-learning areas.
“Does the English language school near me organize extracurricular activities?”
Finally, the most overlooked aspect of any and all English language learning experiences – the extracurricular activities. Language is a living, breathing, ever-changing organism, and learning a language, learning how to speak it and use it in everyday situations is nearly impossible if you’re forever confined in a classroom, no matter how poignant that classroom is.
To be able to truly come to grips with all the nuances of a language, you need to be immersed in it, surrounded by it, placed out of your comfort zone to fend for yourself. This is true, trust us on it.
That is why you should always ask about all the cultural, social, and other extracurricular activities you are going to be participating in during the course of your English language studies. The more the better. Not only will these activities prove interesting and engaging, enhancing the entire experience, but they will also prove invaluably useful.
“Hmmm, I still can’t decide on an English language school near me…”
Are you sure? If so, you probably haven’t heard about CEL – College of English Language, the best English language school in the entire San Diego area. We’ve got nothing to hide, and you can feel free to ask us about our accreditations, teacher qualifications, assessment methods and placement techniques. We uphold the highest standards of quality at our school, and we hold no doubts you will recognize our professionalism. Plus, with our three premium locations in San Diego Pacific Beach, Santa Monica and Vancouver (Canada), you can be sure we will be taking lots of field trips in the city and around. If that’s something you might like, feel free to contact us anytime!
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