Unit 1, Part 4

Britain has a deservedly high reputation for education, especially for teaching English. Coming to Britain is an excellent way for anyone to improve his or her English. There are so many different places in the UK where you can learn English - small privately owned schools, medium-sized schools, schools that are part of large groups, summer schools, EFL units that are part of colleges or universities, and even in a teacher's home. If the variety of places to study is overwhelming, so is the choice of courses.

British EFL provision is so diverse because it is customer-and market-oriented: if there's a demand for a particular type of course, someone will set out to provide it. The reverse side of this diversity is the difficulty it presents to students trying to decide where to study. The English in Britain Accreditation Scheme is a valuable tool for students faced with this decision. It is a quality assurance organisation designed to provide prospective students of English with a choice of schools which are committed to quality and which meet or exceed the agreed standards of the scheme.

The private sector is not government-regulated, and although the state sector is, the quality control checks rarely focus specifically on EFL. The English in Britain Accreditation Scheme uses experienced EFL professionals to inspect organisations seeking accreditation. After gaining accreditation they are inspected again at least once every three years.

Details of accredited centres can be found on the Web or you can ask for the English In Britain Guide from your nearest British Council office; some offices also have reference copies of some of the centres' brochures. With a wide variety of centres, courses and locations to choose from, a list of English in Britain accredited organisations is the best place to begin your search for the best English course for you.

When making your choice, you will need to consider what type of course you want: the subject and type of tuition, for example - do you want an English for business course taught in a small group, or one-to-one tuition? You should also think about what type of centre would suit you: somewhere compact, with a family atmosphere (family-run private school), or part of a larger organisation that has British students and teaches subjects other than English?

Similarly, what type of location do you want to study in: a city or a small town; somewhere rural or coastal? That may seem like a lot to think about, but being clear about what you want will make it easier for you to select a course that will best suit you.

Whichever accredited centre you choose, you can rest assured that our inspectors have checked all the things that are important to you. Our inspectors look especially carefully at:

Publicity: you want to be sure that the brochures you read give a true picture of the institution, including its classrooms, the qualifications of its teachers, the resources available, and the kind of accommodation provided. Our inspectors look at all the available publicity, including brochures and websites, to make sure it's accurate.

Teaching: the quality of the teaching is obviously a key element in a study visit to Britain. Our inspectors check that the teachers have qualifications in teaching English as a foreign language. They watch classes and talk to students to make sure they're satisfied.

Resources: we look at the textbooks, library and self-access resources to check that they match what's advertised, and will really help people learn.

Accommodation: whether luxurious or simple, we visit the accommodation that's provided and check that it is suitable for international students to live and study in.

Courses for children: A quarter of language visitors to Britain are under 15 years of age, and we take their care and protection very seriously. Children's courses are checked particularly carefully to make sure that children are safe and properly looked after, that the course is suitable for younger learners, and that there are enough spare-time activities to keep them entertained and help them to continue to learn English outside the classroom.

Also, in the unlikely event that you have a complaint about an accredited English language course that you are not able to resolve with the school or college, we are committed to helping you solve the problem.

So if you're looking for a wide range of high-quality English language courses in a variety of locations offering different approaches to teaching and a selection of out-of-class activities, you'll find that the English in Britain Guide and website are the best starting place.