English courses with Twin

Adventures travelling from London to Brighton

2011-12-16T02:14:00.001-08:00

London is the best experience of my life until now because in London it is possible to meet people from all over the world, which is fascinating because everything becomes an opportunity to learn something new. For those who do not speak English fluently and want to learn English, a simple stroll in London can become a great adventure. This did not happen specifically in London, but began and ended here.

In late September, I went with a group of Brazilian friends to see Brighton, the seaside town in the south of England. We intended travel there on a Sunday and decided to wake up earlier in order to best take advantage of the trip. However, the alarm did not ring on time and we wake up one hour late. At this point, we began to rush to pack up and leave as fast as possible for the day. As we were a group of six people, and we were already late, we left the house around 11 am, instead of 8 am, as we had agreed the previous day.

We went to London Bridge Station to get the train that would take us up to Brighton. One of us did not have the ticket, so we had to wait in a long line to buy it. More time passed and we had not left yet. After some time, we checked the time of the next train to leave and found that in 2 minutes.

We had to run. Bags, cafes and tickets in hand, we passed through the turnstile, going up a ramp running when we found out that the correct platform was not that way, but on the other. We race back to the other side and so we entered the train, the door closed. We did it! We began the journey comfortably sitting quietly and then, in one of the stations, the train was stopped for longer than the normal time.

We looked around and realized that all the passengers had left and just we were still on the train. We went down to ask what was happening and the staff informed us that we should have left at the previous station to change trains for Brighton.

We decided to go back and get off at the previous train station. We walked down the platform and looked right, when we climbed all the stairs, an official realized that we had cheated and made us go back up the other side. There was a train approaching, which he told us was the train to Brighton, so then we ran again until the right platform, but the train was packed and there was no place for us all, and as we were in a group, we decided to wait for the next train.

A friend had boarded and we saw that the door closed and he went alone. After a few minutes another train came and the rest of our group boarded. Now everything was quiet. Two stations later we were told that we would have to exit the train and catch a bus that would take us up to Brighton. We ran again because there was too many people and the bus probably would not have seating for everyone.

We asked where the bus was and the official gave us the wrong direction. After running a few more minutes, we pressed on through the other tourists and entered the bus. A friend and I ran to the top of the bus so we find a place to sit, but was not sure if our friends had managed to enter the same bus. We called and they told us that they were standing on the bottom. Ok, at least everybody was there. After around 1 hour because the traffic was intense, we finally arrived in Brighton. We caught up with the friend who had been on the first train.

It was 2.30pm when we eventually saw the sea. None of us believed it had arrived! After much running around we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the famous beach of rocks and cold water. We were so tired that we lay on the rocks a few minutes just resting and admiring the blue sky. It was a beautiful day, few hours on the beach, actually, but worth it.

Arlaine Castro – Journalist

New life in London

2011-11-29T06:09:00.001-08:00

Most people think that coming to London and leaving behind their old life is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life. But usually people are limited to talking and don’t act. This is one of these stories about people who came to London looking for new choices and new memories and came back with a new life.

This story begins like many others. I don’t remember exactly if it was in a flat, in a school or in a bar. However it happened, a group of people from different parts of the world met each other in London, the city that seems like the capital of the world.

Was it destiny or simply the essence of this city that made their relationships remain until today? One of these relationships changed and we became best friends. The first time my friend came to London was six years ago. She came to improve her English, because she wanted to be an English teacher. Last year she came back looking for some experience as a teacher after finishing her degree. And now, surprisingly, she is happily married and lives in Brazil. But we will have to start at the beginning because that is another story.

The first time that she was in London wasn’t so easy. Everyone knows that beginnings are never easy but knowing that is not the same as living it. The first trip was amazing but also a hard experience. The first lesson that she learned was: ‘check transport information before you travel’. In London most weekends are used to fix the underground and she had great difficulty in finding her residence because of this. After one hour taking the wrong buses and tubes she arrived at her residence. Luckily several people helped her during the trip with her heavy luggage!

The second lesson that she learned was ‘don’t leave your dictionary at the airport although your bags are overweight. You need it!’ The issue was that when she arrived at her residence, she didn´t understand anything, she could only go to her room.

Another problem was that when she opened the door to her room there wasn’t anything there, only a bed but without pillow, sheets and cover or blanket. After a silly conversation where no one understood each other, she managed to explain what the problem was and sorted it out.

The third lesson that she learned was ‘mind the gap means mind the gap please!’ When you’ve heard this advice a thousand times, you don’t continue listening but it’s a mistake! When you get to this state and worse if you have drunk some beer, you have to be especially careful. Another less dangerous but still important thing that can happen in these circumstances is that you can lose a shoe!

Be careful and mind the gap!

That summer was definitely unforgettable and despite all the difficult moments, it was a great experience. In fact, everything that happened to her was the reason that she came back every year until last year. She has not returned because now she is living in Brazil with her husband, who she also met in London. But as I said before, this is another story that I’ll tell next month.

Tamara

My IELTS exam preparation course experience

2011-11-11T08:36:00.001-08:00

I've been taking English lessons at Twin English School for the last two months and I really have to say that it has been a great experience! Not only have I improved my English but I'm really having fun here.

I'm attending the IELTS exam preparation course at Twin English School in London. In this course we learn how to face the IELTS exam in the best way. Every day, we do exercises taken from real IELTS exams so that we get used to them; reading, listening, speaking, etc. But also we play games to develop our speaking skills, the people in my class are really funny we laugh all the time. So this course is a mix of serious stuff and distended exercises for fun.

Our teacher is Beka, she is very friendly and helpful. She gives us all the materials we need and she gives useful advices all the time. We are very lucky to have her as our teacher (Although we have to do some homework everyday hahaha).

People in my class come from countries around the world, currently there are guys from Russia, France, Thailand, Guinea, Morocco and Spain. Before this I had classmates from other countries like Italy, Turkey or Japan. This makes the classes much more interesting since you can learn about other cultures while you improve your English.

Another thing I really like about studying at Twin is the Social Programme. During the week students have a wide range of activities to choose from such as sightseeing walks, going to musicals, bowling, playing football or going to night clubs. Attending to these activities helps you the meet new people, to know the city and to have lots of fun!

So I’m having a great time here in London, improving my English without effort, making new friends all the time, going out now and then and visiting this fascinating city.

Enjoy London, Enjoy Twin,

Adrian

Notting Hill Carnival 2011

2011-08-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Lots of my friends had told me about the Notting Hill Carnival and recommended I should go if I got the chance, so since I am studying English in London right now, last Sunday I went with two friends.

It was a nice sunny day, so it was the perfect day to enjoy the Carnival! My friends and I arrived at Westbourne Park underground station at 3 pm. At the exit of the station there were some people giving out the carnival maps so that we could find what we wanted (very useful).

Just 200 metres down the street we found the first Sound system (there were more than 30 sound systems distributed throughout the neighbourhood), and the music was a fantastic mix of reggae and house. Everyone was enjoying it very much. We stayed there about 25 minutes and then we kept on walking down the street.

The environment was beautiful, and the streets were full of people having fun. There were a lot of private parties in the houses, people dancing on the roofs and on the balconies.

After crossing two more sound systems, we saw the parade. Each float had its own Dj playing different kinds of music. I concluded that each float represented a different country, such as Jamaica, Trinidad, Bahamas, etc. because the people behind the float were waving the flags of those countries. It was very exciting!

Every two steps, you could find someone selling beers, and in the main streets there were food stalls as well as souvenirs and merchandising stalls. The atmosphere was great with all the people smiling and dancing. There were lots of different types of music being played on the soundsystems; including R&B, Reggae, Drum ‘n’ Bass, House… The festival was very safe; there were lots of policemen everywhere so that people only cared about having fun.

After four hours of dancing, walking and having fun, it started raining so we decided that we had had enough, and about 7.30pm we went home with a smile on our faces.

For those who can never have enough partying there were lots of after parties, all over the city, maybe next year I’ll go to one of those!

Notting Hill Carnival 100% recommended.

Adrian.

Unique people

2011-08-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

I could tell you for hours about the beauty of England. I could write everything about the unique Big Ben and the indescribable majesty of Buckingham Palace. I could describe to you every detail of the London Eye as no one has ever described it, but I won’t. I won’t write about things that can be seen with naked eye. I won’t write about things that everyone knows because they are not so important. There are more important things than these, things such as people. Yes, people. I want to write about people who radically changed my life for short time I have been in London. People who I will never forget and I will always remember with a smile on my face.

I have been living in London for one month. In this short time I have changed a lot. I came to England with my boyfriend and initially we were very skeptical about staying here. Everyone was talking about the dark and rainy London and dingy English people and foreigners, but it was not true at all. We learned that the moment we stepped onto Heathrow Terminal 4. Everyone was so busy and excited that I could not even realize what was happening around us. At first I thought: "Oh my God, where are we?" but after a few brief seconds I realized that whatever I do at the airport no one would notice. I could go ahead, laugh and sing out loud to myself. And again - no one would notice. I could do everything that I wanted and no one would stop me or laugh at me. I could be myself. You can be yourself in London. I could be free and I liked that a lot.

Having started my English language courses at Twin, people in England surprised me more and more. Each of them was so different and unique that I noticed this the very first day I came here. I noticed that the English people and foreigners were so different from each other, but all of them were smiling. I had never seen so much smiling people in one place, and every one of them was ready to help me in every issue.

When I got lost in North Greenwich I was impressed that an Englishman came and helped me without me even asking for help. This surprised me and amazed me. Why are people all around the world not more like this?

Like I said, in one short month I’ve changed a lot, especially in Twin when I saw with my own eyes how amazing people were. In Twin everything is perfect; from the amazing activities that Twin organizes for us to the International lunches with amazing and incredible food, or the smiling administrators on the first floor to the teachers who are laughing all the time and whom I love very much.

One day in class where we were prepare a certificate for one of the employees of Twin - Lena, who left for home. The certificate was about escaping the Twin mental house and the lunatics in it. We couldn’t stop laughing all the time we were making it. Yes, everything and everyone in Twin are crazy but here I’d learned English three times more than I’d leaned back home. In Twin we are learning while we are having fun and we are laughing. There is nothing better than this, right?

Finally I want to say something about my whole class. Each of us is different but I could call each of them my friend. Together we are laughing all the time, we are having fun and we are learning. We are going together every month to the center of London and experiencing many things. One thing is certain however - when I complete the course I will miss all of them (especially Mariola - our teacher) and I will never forget them. It is not important who are we - it is important what we do. It doesn’t matter if you are from Georgia, Italy, Poland or Brazil. It matters what we are doing and what we want to achieve in our lives. And here in England is full of many people who are doing many good things. That is why I love this city and this country so much. Because of the people – we are unique.

Samira

Harry Potter in Oxford

2011-07-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

I can take advantage of living in London to visit the city itself, but also the other places around like Stonehenge, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury… Maybe I will never come back, so it’s now or never!

This weekend, I went to Oxford, a real lovely town just 1 hour by train from London. I am sure you know this town because of its university, which is famous all over the world.

As for me, another reason made me go there: do you know Harry Potter, the small wizard who studies at Hogwarts School? (the name is Poudlard if you read it in French, I don’t know if the name has been changed in the other countries). The producer was inspired by Oxford university to shoot some scenes of the film. So if you want to see some of the best sights England has to offer, book a ticket to go to Oxford! However, you don’t need to be interested by Harry Potter to visit this town full of beautiful colleges and churches and pace up and down the pavement.

Nevertheless, if you are interested…

You can visit the Bodleian library and Christ Church Cathedral, which inspired the producer of the film. In the latter, you will see the stairs were professor McGonagall was standing on to welcome the first year pupils during the first film. You will see, as well, the dining room from the films. (No parts of the film were actually shot there but the producer used the original tables and chairs and reproduced the set in his studio). It was amazing! I took so many pictures. I was really impressed by this dining room and these long tables. However, the dining room is not as big as in the film and there is not four but only three rows. Moreover, there is no ghost, so no chance to see “Nearly Headless Nick” (Nick quasi-sans-tête) or Moaning Myrtle (Mimi Geignarde)!! Nevertheless, you should visit this place.

Unfortunately, you have to pay to visit these places but if you are a student at Twin or another college, you will receive a discount on the price.

Christ Church is also well known because Lewis Caroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, studied there.

If you want to follow Harry Potter’s steps, you can also visit New College. Do you remember the second film when Ron and Harry miss the Hogwarts express? (or Poudlard express for french people). They took the flying car of Ron’s Dad and when they arrived at Hogwarts they land in a tree, you will see this tree!

I really enjoyed spending time in Oxford and feeling in another world for one day. The English architecture is really dfferent from my country and each time it surprises me.

A last tip before you go there, print a town map! It is very useful to help find the places you want to visit. If you go to the tourist office, they will ask to you pay for the same map you can print for free online.

Enjoy your trip in Oxford.

Marie

Visiting Brighton

2011-07-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at Twin English school, it was easy for me to make a lot of friends. English courses are really friendly and each new week, the teacher asks everybody to introduce him or herself so everyone can get to know them (news students start courses every week).

In my first week, I began talking with an Italian guy who had been in London for four months. Bit by bit, we became good friends and we decided to visit other places in England. The first time, we went with some of his friends who were Italian but also Spanish and everybody had to speak in English! (Italian was not accepted!)

For our first trip we went to Brighton. It is a very lovely, vibrant, colourful and fun town in the south of the United-Kingdom on the seaside, just one hour from London by train. We met up one Saturday morning at London Bridge Station and travelled together. When visiting places in England, it very interesting to travel by group and it can save you a lot of money: travelling as a group to Brighton cost us £10 return each instead of £20.

As soon as we left the train at Brighton station, we saw the sea. It was amazing! I love the sea, the sand, the gulls... it breathed holiday around us! Unfortunately the weather was not so good to go swimming, or even to put one toe in the sea! You have to remember we are in England, the weather changes every hour, so we just spent some time on the beach and relaxed.

At mid-day we decided to find a place to have our lunch. We began to pace up and down in Brighton streets and lanes full of sweet shops. Finally, we sat down in a typical pub: we drank a local beer (of course) and ate a pie. Is this a traditional English lunch? No clue, but it was delicious!

During the afternoon we continued our exploration of Brighton. We visited the Royal Pavilion (the palace of George IV, which is so nice), had a look at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and spent some time at Brighton Pier, which is full of attractions.

After this full day, we drank a last beer before to come back to London: during the return nobody talked, everybody slept but before we fell asleep we exchanged our email addresses to keep in touch.

I spend such a good time with my friends there that we planed to visit Oxford two weeks later.

Marie

How I improved my English with Twin

2011-07-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

It has just been five months I arrived in London in order to improve my English. I have just finished my studies in Communication and English is very important if I want to get a good job in my professional area, that's why I left my lovely France to enhance my language skills.
Maybe when you were at school, you were lazy like me during your English lessons thinking learning another language wasn't useful! It was a non-sense obviously because English is the first language spoken in the world. Nevertheless, I don't regret my lazy attitude because now I'm living in one of the most beautiful capital in the world and it is a fantastic experience!

Since I arrived, I take English lessons at Twin. The school is based in South East London near the DLR, train and bus stations so it is really easy to travel up to Twin's premises. Although Twin is a school, you don't learn English with boring lessons! Here, teachers are enthusiastic, funny, helpful, and don't stress you with exams. They make you love learning English! (I promise you!) You will learn English by playing games, listening to tapes, watching films, speaking in groups with other foreign students and obviously speaking with teachers. I remembered my English lessons in my country and I can't compare the quality of the teaching. Twin's teachers are available at any time of the day and invite you to speak (which the first step because a lot of students are shy about their accent, and then, they correct you).

Here you want to speak and communicate, talk about different topics, learn grammar and spelling, you want people to correct your mistakes... I never wanted to speak English during the lessons in my country but here it is totally different. I can tell you now: nothing is better for learning a language than spending time in a country and being in contact with local people.

After five month here, I can't say I am fluent but my English is much better (I hope so lol!). I can understand native English speakers easier (I am so proud of myself! At the beginning it was so hard!) but I admit some people have strong accents and sometimes it takes me time to get used to it. Now, I treat it like a game and I don't feel guilty to ask them to repeat themselves if I don't understand. Most Londoners are very nice to foreign students.

Concerning my writing, you can judge for yourself! Of course I continue to make mistakes but the most important thing is to be understood by everybody and I think now I am almost there!

I hope you will really enjoy your time in London and at Twin school like I still enjoy mine. I hope to see you during break time.
Marie

:-)

English in London and English in Scotland!

2009-09-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

I've been studying English in London since July 21st, at Twin English Centre, where I meet people from the entire globe - it's really a international English School in London, the most cosmopolitan city in the world. From London, it’s very easy to travel to other cities and countries. My first choice was Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

I went to Edinburgh on 18th of September with a Brazilian friend, João Victor, to spend the weekend and get to know the Scottish accent, which we were looking forward to hear since we arrived from Brazil. Edinburgh is a small city, which you can enjoy by walk, through it's historic buildings, castles, volcanoes, secrets and mysteries, their culture, cold weather, nature around the city, the street where it never rains, a warren of hidden ‘closes’ where real people lived and worked, factories of whiskies…

If you are studying in London or just enjoying the city, you should go and enjoy the Scotland's capital, just 322 miles from London! Scottish are very friendly and happy for being hosts. Start with the Tourist Information Centre, and they’ll tell you the best things you can see in your time there. 4 whole days are enough to enjoy all the attractions and admire this beautiful city. You will hear their traditional music everywhere, played with Scottish Lowland bagpipe, and you will know why they're so proud for being Scottish!

My first impressions of London

2009-08-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

My first impressions about London are very good.
I got information’s about my accommodation, my internship, and my English school before my departure.
I was cordially welcomed at my first day at the English school in London.
It’s easy to catch up with other students and make new friends. Besides grammar, spelling
and pronunciation, conversation a big part of the lessons. I learnt it all with fun and enjoyment. (Also the teacher took time during his break, when we had some questions about situations we were in and don’t know what we should have done or what people meant.)
I made my internship in a company, where everybody was very nice. They helped me if I had questions and really wanted to teach me.
You can go to Twin Internship department and talk to your contact person, if you aren’t pleased with something. They will help you as they helped me.
Of course I liked it to be in London! You can see so many things and go shopping. I knew London is very expensive, but there are plenty of museums you can go and don’t have to pay anything. So I saved a little bit of my money and can go to Madame Tussauds and made a trip to Brighton.
Yes, there are things I don’t like. Someone stole my camera! But that’s not a fault of the organisation. I thought my camera was save. So be careful with your things when you are in the city.
To sum up I would do it again!

By Franziska Schneider

Football in England!

2009-08-11T02:25:00.000-07:00

England has a lot of things.
Football is very famous in England.
English people love football matches.
I went to Chelsea and Arsenal stadium.
It is very easy to get there.
You just have to get off in Arsenal underground station.
I am interested in each team having stadium.
Chelsea is sponsored by Korea company "Samsung"
When I saw the brand name in the stadium, I was proud of that.
Because I am Korean.
Unfortunately, I couldn't join the stadium tour, because I arrived late.
If you want to see stadium, you'd better check the time of stadium tour.
Each team has souvenir shops.
There you can find clothes,football's instruments,cups,balls etc.
Before I go back country, I will absolutely watch a big matches!
Coming to England to learn English means having the chance to visit fantastic places like stadiums.
If you come to England to study English, plan your trip and the places you would like to visit.
by HyeKyoung Kim from Korea.

Afternoon in the Camden Market

2009-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

My afternoon in the Camden Market was great! It was a sunny English day, perfect to go to a market in London. As soon as you come out of the station, you realize that you are in a special place of London: a crowd of people heading toward the market, various styles with people wearing eccentric clothes. When I arrived in the market, it was as if I entered in the Aladdin’s cave! There are so many things and so many shops that at the end of the afternoon, you wonder where you have been or not. There are also different types of food available there, from Chinese and Indian to Italian pizzas!! During my afternoon, I entered a shop to buy a present for my friend, and managed to pay the item half of the former price. It is so easy to bargain there, and this helped me to practice my English with retailers. If you are in London for holidays or if you are here to take some English Courses, it’s worth going there.

By Estelle, from France

Buckingham Palace: Visit of the State Rooms (24/07/2009)

2009-07-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had the privilege to visit the Buckingham Palace in London. Residence of the Royal Family in England, this Palace is sumptuous when you see it from outside. But inside, the palace is more spectacular; we were allowed to enter in some of the 775 rooms of the palace. I was really impressed by the nice and rare furniture in all the rooms, the large windows that let the sun enter the palace, especially in the white drawing room. During the visit, you can also see all the countries visited by the Queen during her reign; in the Buckingham Palace are exhibited all the dresses that she was wearing during some of her visits in all the continents! You can also see that all the gifts received by the Queen during her visits have a place in the Palace, be it statues, trees…
I was also really impressed by the dining room: a large table in the middle of the table, paintings on the walls; this is the room where the Queen receives guests for dinner. But preparing this table is not that simple! All the plates, glasses and cutlers are arranged very precisely, they even use a ruler!
I really enjoyed my visit of the Buckingham Palace and it is something to see if you come to visit London.

Estelle, France

Pub Quiz

2009-07-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

After having our lunch together most of Twin school's students met at the Fused Bar (a pub closed to the English School in London), a perfect place in London to make new friends and have fun.

We decided about 3 or 4 teams and defined prices; one for the best team's name and another one for the winner.
Indeed, everyone gave £0.50 to make the final price.Twin's teachers suggested questions about England, fashion, science and foreign countries.
The subjects were really instructive for all of us but we were not always sure of the answer ... Could you believe that we have 9 senses?
Here is the teachers' answer!!Finally, a team won and paid drinks to the other one!
We spent a nice afternoon together, with more knowledge, friends and paid drinks!

Clea Beze.

France

Hastings Festival - Jack in the Green - 4th May 2009

2009-07-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

This was the first festival I have been to in the UK.
I really enjoyed my time with my friends and people who were participating in this festival.
I liked their costumes very much, as they were different from group to group.
Some wore tree costumes and others had painted their faces and their bodies with different colours.
I saw two uniquely strange figures.
The 'Jack' is the centrepiece of the celebration.
'Jack' is a traditional May Day figure.
Some believe it is just a garland dating from the 17th century; other think he is a much older character and more significant.
The second figure was the 'Bogeyman', part bush and part man.
He is Jack's friend, and he stays with Jack from the beginning to the end of the festival to protect him.
The participants were divided into many bands, and most of them played different musical instruments and nice music.
After the procession had arrived in Hastings Castle, we had lunch on Castle Hill and enjoyed a nice view of the sea.
It was an absolutely wonderful festival.

Twin in Eastbourne.
Mohannad Bafail, Saudi Arabia.

Magnificent Motors-Classic and Vintage Car Show

2009-07-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 2nd May, we went to the Magnificent Motors Display of classic and vintage cars on Western Lawns in Eastbourne.

We saw a lot of old models of cars from many countries such as the UK, the USA, France and Germany.

Some cars were from 1895.

We took some pictures with our teacher, and we saw a dance festival.

After that, we played on the bumper cars with our teacher.

At lunchtime, we ate some food.

I enjoyed the outing because this was the first time I have seen this kind of show.

It was a very enjoyable day.

Twin in Eastbourne.

Murad Saleh, Yemen.

Fantastic Harrods!

2009-07-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

Here London, there are many shops.
Among them, many tourists go to Harrods.
And I'm also a tourist.
They sell in diverse products, such as furniture, home appliance and musical instrument as well as fashion items.
That's why various clothing is that collaborated with a washing machine, an iron, a bed and so on, are displayed in the shop windows.
Something interesting thing is that you will be able to find Egyptian atmosphere when you get on an escalator in the Harrods.
According to the information, one man, who is from Egypt, has bought out the Harrods.
So Sphinx of sculpture has been placed around the store.
It shows his affection about his motherland.
As Harrods is one of the famous tourist spot, they sell their own products as well.
It takes up much space in the lower ground floor and it also treats many sorts of goods.
Most of all, tea, which is one of the own goods of Harrods, is sold so much to customers.
Harrods it seems like sort of exhibition compared with the other stores.
When you get there you must be fascinated with its climate.

by Korean CDP student MinKyoung

Missing Eastbourne!

2009-06-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I am Olivia!
4 months ago I came England from Korea.
I am last PEP student, because PEP programme changed into CDP.
My course is organized by 4 months general English study and 5 months internship programme.
I have studied in Twin English School in Eastbourne for 4 months.
It's the good place for studying, which is peaceful and safe and there are lovely teachers in Eastbourne.
I have experienced a lot of social programme with Twin English School in Eastbourne.
Every friday, I could enjoy Barbeque party in our school garden!
It was very delicious and good chance to talk with teachers and friends
When there were exciting Festival, Jonathan(our school teacher) guied Festival for students
I attended Hastings Festival and Eastbourne Festival.
It was lovely time and memories.
Now I came in London for Internship!
Fortunately, I worked with Twin London about Korea marketing.
It will be good opportunity for me!
Thanks for Twin Eastbourne!
I will never forget Eastbourne!

I ♥ England: my experience

2009-06-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

I am a French student, and I have decided to come to the UK last September to finish my degree. England was the choice of my destination as I really wanted to improve my level of English, and I’ve already been to this country before. When I was younger, I went to the South of England for a summer camp, and I really enjoyed it: contrary to what I’ve heard about the English weather, I was surprised there were high temperatures and that we could even go to the beach. I stayed in a host family and this helped me a lot to improve my level of English.
Ten years later, here I am again. I spent the whole school year at the University of Sheffield to study English, and I decided to come to London this summer to perform an internship in the marketing department. Sheffield and London are completely different; London is a busy city and I was really impressed to be surrounded by businessmen while I was going to work; there is much more traffic (I’ve already experienced the crowded Tube during rush hours), and it’s a lively and a multicultural city. It’s very interesting for me to experience those two different ways of life.
I am really glad to stay here this summer because this work experience will help me to discover the working life in the UK and I will have the opportunity to continue to study English in London.
I really recommend students to come to London, not only to work or to study English, but also to discover the rich culture of a city that seems to never sleep.

Estelle

One of our English Teacher is Leaving: Goodbye Alex!

2009-06-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

If our students love the English School in London and are satisfied with the English Courses they take there, it’s probably because English teachers make them love the language. As in any school, it’s important for students to have lively and enthusiastic teachers.
At the English School in London, all the students know Alex and have a lot of things to say about him: he can explain very clearly, his lessons are really interesting, he is very funny… and so many other compliments.
Unfortunately, Alex is leaving for Mexico where other exciting adventures are waiting for him. Everybody at the English School in London is sad about his departure, it was also a good opportunity to organise a farewell party for him. So, all students were invited to celebrate Alex’s latest days at our English School in London.
Dania and her sister Dyana, two students write a very touching letter.

Dear Alex,
I am writing to thank you very much for everything you gave us. It is very kind of you to teach us so well, and to take so much trouble over it.
The way you teach us is truly inspiring.
I hope that you are happy to go to Mexico and to have a good time there. But you must think about coming up to London. Do let us know if you would like to come and if you might be able to spend a few days with us in Twin. We would all love to see you.
With many thanks and best wishes,
Love,
Dania.

Discovering Salisbury

2009-05-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

Coming to England is a great opportunity to learn English and discover the English culture. But to enjoy your stay, you have to choose the right place to stay. If living in a big busy town is not your cup of tea, you should come to Salisbury. Salisbury is situated in the south Wiltshire and its most famous attraction is its medieval Cathedral. Salisbury Cathedral spire dominates the landscape and never fails to impress.
After your English Courses, you will find it very nice to walk in the historic medieval streets of Salisbury, discovering traditional English eating houses and other attractions dating from the medieval times.
You should take advantage of your stay in Salisbury to organise an excursion to Stonehenge with your friend from the English School in Salisbury. Indeed, apart from its medieval heritage, Salisbury is very close to the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge.
Come to the English School in Salisbury and experience life in an English medieval town.

A Sunny Day Afternoon in Hyde Park

2009-05-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

Summer is on its way. The weather is getting warmer. People have left their coats and pullovers in their closets. If you have been in the English School in London for a few weeks, you probably noticed that it is high time to spend more time outdoors.
London is plenty of parks and green spaces, the most famous of them being probably Hyde Park. After studying English Courses during the morning, it should be very nice for you to give up for a while the excitement of London and enjoy peace and quietness during the afternoon.
Covering 142 hectares, Hyde Park is London’s largest open space. The Serpentine Lake is very famous for sailing and boating. You can also go there and feed the many ducks and swans which live there.
You should also invite all your new friends you met at the English School in London to go to Hyde Park to picnic together. Remember to take a ball with you. There is a large meadow where you can play football or any other game you prefer.
Hyde Park is so big that you can just walk and visit all the landmarks, for instance, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain or the Peter Pan statue.
Remember, if you want to enjoy a relaxing moment, after your English Courses, go to Hyde Park and you will forget that you are in the middle of London.

Discovering London

2009-05-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

London is one of a multicultural city in the world. It is full of history, heritage and culture. It is home to some of the best attractions. London is a fantastic place to travel and experience culture from all over the world. There are lots of things to do and see in London depends on what you like. Here are some landmarks you should go and visit when you are in London:

Museums : There are lots of famous museums in London.You can find all kind of historic museums ,modern museums or specific museums such as British Museum, Tate Modern, V&A Museum, Natural history Museum, Science Museum or National Maritime Museum and they all are free entry!
Changing the Guard : You can watch the Changing the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace. All guards are dressed in traditional red tunics and bearskin hats, and the ceremony is set to music. To catch the royal experience, you can stand outside Buckingham Palace at 11am.
The tower of London : This is one of the most famous buildings in the world. It has a long year history as a royal palace, prison and place of execution, and jewel house.
Madame Tussauds : you will come face-to-face with some of the world’s most famous faces. You will meet different most influential figures here for example historical person,artists etc.
The London Eye : It is a major feature of London’s skyline.It is the world’s highest observation wheel and offers passengers to view the other London’s most famous landmarks too!
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament : The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower are one of London's landmarks. The building is known as the Palace of Westminster and the clock tower is actually the massive bell inside.
Shopping places : London has a lot of shopping places you won’t be dissapointed.You can walk along Oxford Street, Bond street, the famous shopping landmarks – Harrods, Selfridges and the street markets of Portabello Road, Camden, Brick lane.

There are so much to see and do in London, You can avoid wasting your time in queue, just buy your travel passes and attraction tickets online or use the Oyster card to pay-as-you go or using the London pass, which gives you free entry to 50 top attractions in London

Superstitions in England

2009-04-23T08:21:00.001-07:00

As every country, England has some superstitions. It is the kind of very funny subjects you can talk about with your new friends at the English School in London.
In England, it is good luck to meet a black cat. So, if after your English Courses you are walking in the streets of London, don’t be afraid of seeing a black lovely cat on your way. On the contrary, English people think that it is bad luck to see one magpie.
It is also good luck to touch wood. For example, if you are talking to your English School in London’s friends about a project you really care about, just knock on a table, a chair, a door or any other wood thing you can find at the English School in London.
English people are likely to be afraid of seeing you crossing cutlery in your plate because it is synonymous with expecting a quarrel.
Finally, try not to break a mirror, especially on Friday the thirteenth because both of them are bad luck in England…
Ask your new friends at the English School in London, and you will see that superstitions can be very different from one country to another.

Your Free Time in London

2009-04-22T02:14:00.000-07:00

As said Samuel Johnson, a famous English author: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. Indeed, whether the length of your stay at the English School in London, you always find something new to experience.
You have time to study your English Courses with teachers. But you also have enough free time to enjoy activities out of the English School in London.
Each month, Twin English School in London organises a new social programme so that students can discover London’s attractions they have always longed for.
The programme includes a wide range of activities to suit all interests. Sport, music, shopping, and art… no doubt you will find the ideal activities to do with the new friends you met at the English School in London.
You can choose to visit some of the best London’s museums and galleries if you enjoy art and history. After your English courses, you can join your friends to take a look at London’s most famous attractions like Westminster, Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
London’s nightlife is also very lively. You can choose between having dinner in a Chinese, Thai, Indian restaurant, having a drink in a pub or dancing all night long in a disco. These are all good opportunities to socialise with new friends and practice you English.
Enjoy your free time in London to discover the most vibrant city in the world.

Career Development Programme: New Course for Internships

2009-04-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Twin English School in Eastbourne is now hosting a new Career Development Programme (CDP) for students who wish to do internships in businesses in the UK. Aruth Boonthananit and Piyakead Soontallnon from Thailand attending the CDP at the English School in Eastbourne say they chose the CDP course because it combines study and work experience, and is more valuable for students who want to improve their English in real business situations and daily life. During their English course in Eastbourne, they practise many skills such as teamwork; customer relations; letter writing; holding meetings; devising personal performance targets; and creating their own graphics to present information. Like all other students attending an English course in Eastbourne they join the social programme offered by Twin English School in Eastbourne. The students go to cinema, to pubs and do trips to other cities in the UK. Thus they improve their English by attending an English course in Eastbourne and get in touch with the English culture.

The Career Development Programme can also be attended at our English School in London

Being a student in London!

2009-04-20T05:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve been attending the Career Development Programme at Twin English School in London for a while now. And I just can say that I love living in London.
It’s the first time for me to attend an English course in London and I am really enjoying it. I’ve already learned a lot and I can tell that my English gets better, day-by-day. If you are a student of an English School in London it will be impossiblefor you to get bored. There is so much to see and to do in London; you can go to the museums, walk through the parks or do some shopping on the Oxford Street. Twin English School in London also provides an exciting social programme, which can be joined by every student.
What I like best about my life as a student in London is the nightlife. Being a student of an English School in London gives you the opportunity to enter selected nightclubs for free. On weekends you can go out, have fun and enjoy yourself with your new friends from the English School in London.

At the end I just can say that If you are a student of an English School in London you should enjoy your time in this metropolitan city, if you come here you will feel very lucky.

Ersin Şentürk, Turkey

The English School in London: A Mix of Nationalities

2009-04-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Coming to London is a perfect opportunity to study English Courses and to experience English everyday life. But you have to know that London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and is well-known for its ethnic and religious diversity.
Like London, Twin English School in London is proud to welcome students from all over the world. We are experienced in making them living side by side so that a stay in the English School in London becomes a cultural exchange.
If you choose to come to our English School in London, you will make a lot of new friends from every continent. It represents an incredible opportunity to discover new cultures and ways of thinking.
Furthermore, as it is important for career and personal development to learn English, it is also very important to know how to behave in a multicultural environment. That is what you can learn in the English School in London. Even a commonplace situation can give rise to funny misunderstandings (for example, if you give a present to a Chinese friend, don’t be offended if he/she doesn’t open it in front of you).
The process of exchange between different cultures can’t be complete without a food exchange. So, the English School in London often organises international food parties where, after English Courses, students cook something for the others. Come to the English School in London and enjoy a multicultural experience you’ll never forget!

Host Family of the Month

2009-04-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Our host parent for March is Mary Ainsworth (pictured right). She and her late husband enjoyed parenting so much that when their own children had grown up, they settled for hosting overseas students from our English School in Eastbourne. Mary has been a host mother now for 29 years, and has room for six students in her house. It is a very comfortable and welcoming house indeed.
Mary has had hundreds of students who attended English courses at the English School in Eastbourne, many of whom have stayed loyal to her over the years. She often keeps in touch with them, and has a big book of student contacts, letters and photographs. She has been invited by former students to Spain, Venezuela, Australia and New Zealand. ‘Having students from Twin English School in Eastbourne has kept me young’, says Mary. ‘It’s like having another family. My own children have got lots of friends from it.’
At the moment, Peter Song from Korea (pictured left, with Custard the cat) attending an English course at the English School in Eastbourne is staying with Mary. Peter says ‘Mary’s kitchen is like Jamie Oliver’s restaurant. The food is excellent. I can’t miss dinner time here.’

You also can attend English courses in Salisbury and in our Head Office in London

Kensington Garden

2009-04-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

While I am attending an English course in London, I visited many Places.
I really liked the Kensington Garden; there are a lot of interesting things to see. For example Peter Pan’s Statue. Some places in the park really look like “Neverland” described in the novel by J M Barrie.
I really liked the Kensington Garden in London because it is so big and there is so much to see. Especially the ”Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground” is very fun for the children.
In my country we don’t have such big parks so when I’ve been there I took a long walk through the Kensington Garden in London. I was lucky that the weather in London was sunny that day. At the end all I can say that Kensington Garden is really beautiful. While attending an English course in London you should not miss to visit this beautiful garden.

Ayumi Marukawa, Japan

Celebrating Easter in Britain

2009-03-31T03:03:00.001-07:00

Easter is one of the most important events in the Christian calendar because it is the time in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ. If you are in London to study an English Course at that time, you will probably see that children have two weeks off school (which include two bank holidays: Good Friday and Easter Monday). Don’t worry; our English School in London remains open for Easter!
During your stay at the English School in London, have a look at the shops and you will see chocolate eggs and hot cross buns that are the symbols of Easter. Traditionally, schools organise eggs hunts: teachers hide small chocolate eggs in the schoolyard and pupils have to find them. Another important tradition for Easter is to eat roast lamb, which is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Day.
If you want to come to our English School in London, you should choose the host family accommodation in order to live with them this particular period of the year.

Six Good Reasons to Come to the English School in London

2009-03-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

Obviously, there are more than six good reasons to come to our English School in London. We just try to find the six best one to help you to make your final choice. Let’s have a look at these.
Learning English in London is really the best way to improve your language skills but also to experience the English ordinary life. Food, habits and behaviours are part of the cultural set of values you will first discover.
Outside class, our English School in London offers a social programme with a wide range of activities. Indeed, learning a language not only has to do with English courses but also with culture, history and art. London has a lot of attractions, museums, shops and restaurants you will love discovering.
New friends from all over the world… isn’t it exciting to think about all the people you will meet? A stay in the English School in London is a great opportunity to get in touch with young students from Asia, America or Africa and to exchange opinions and cultural features.
Discovery will definitely be the keyword for your stay. London is an amazing and exciting town. It is a perfect mix between modernity (The City, Canary Wharf, etc.) and classicism (Westminster, Tower of London, etc.), excitement (theatres, discos and other restaurants) and tranquillity (parks and gardens).
Other than being qualified and English native-speakers, teachers in the English School in London are approachable and friendly. They do their best to create a good balance between useful class content and developing an enjoyable and relaxed environment in their English lessons.
No doubt that when you go back home and talk about all your unforgettable memories, all your friends will be green with envy!

Attending a Premiere in London’s Leicester Square

2009-03-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

London is a city where a lot of celebrities live. It is also one of the most important steps for them to promote their films all around the world. If you like cinema, glitter and evening dresses, there is a place to be in London: Leicester Square.
With the new friends you met at the English School in London, don’t miss the opportunity to get an autograph of your favourite actor. You will probably have to push and shove to reach the barriers but it is worth it. And if you have the chance to get a ticket to see the movie, don’t forget your camera… You will walk on the red carpet under the photographs’ flashes and spotlights. It is just an unforgettable moment in a lifetime.
Just to give you an idea, yesterday was the premiere of Monsters vs. Aliens in the UK. This animation is about a girl hit by a meteorite which turns her into a giant and changes her life forever. It would be very easy for you to understand everything in the film thanks to the English Courses you study at the English School in London. On the red carpet (which was blue in tribute to one of the monsters of the movie), there were Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde) and Kiefer Sutherland (alias Jack Bauer in 24).
You should really take advantage of your stay at the English School in London to assist a premiere at Leicester Square.

School’s Parties

2009-02-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

Organising Parties can be very important in order to create a good atmosphere inside the school and to forget all the differences between the different students. It is normal to go the Twin English School in London and to see a lot of student groups from all over the world.
A party is a great opportunity to meet all the students, because one thing we all have in common is the desire to enjoy ourselves.
Every week the Twin English School in London organises parties in clubs or students' houses. I really enjoyed the St. Valentine’s Party on 12th February at Piccadilly Circus. You could only enter the club if you were a student thus we could get to know students from other English Schools in London.
The club where the party took place was very beautiful, nice and not very expensive. The students liked it so much that they wanted to repeat the party every week.
All after school activities are very important, that’s why Twin offers the social programme. Providing several activities the students can see how the Twin English School in London cares about their students.
In the end I can say that it is useful to go to the parties in order to settle in in the UK. I can only speak for myself but the social programme really helped me get used to life in London.

Filippo Nardin from Italy

Estudiar inglés en Londres...

2009-02-25T03:55:00.000-08:00

Londres es una ciudad espectacular y mágica con innumerables lugares para conocer y visitar. Aprender inglés en Londres es sin duda el mejor lugar que puedes elegir...Londres tiene algo especial. La capital de Inglaterra es cuna del idioma inglés. Venir a tomar un curso de inglés en Londres es la mejor opción porque te da la posibilidad de poder conocer la ciudad, visitar museos, palacios, hacer nuevos amigos y practicar tu inglés en un lugar donde se habla inglés, valga la redundancia!
Los ingleses son verdaderamente amables y amigables, están acostumbrados a recibir turistas y estudiantes de todo el mundo. Si te decides por un curso de inglés en Londres, no sólo te ayudará aprender inglés sino también a hacer amigos de diferentes países de todo el mundo. Estudiar inglés en Londres también te va a dar la oportunidad de conocer culturas de otras partes del mundo porque Londres es considerada una de las ciudades más cosmopolitas del mundo...Asíque si estás pensando de venir a tomar un curso de inglés en Londres, verás que tendrás la oportunidad de experimentar y conocer culturas de todo el mundo y con ello también aprender inglés...Que venir a estudiar inglés en Londres sea la excusa de venir a empaparte de la cultura británica...

Football in England

2009-02-20T06:39:00.001-08:00

Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville… If these names sound familiar to you, it probably means that you love football. Indeed, they are very famous and popular as football is the national sport in England and plays a significant role in the English culture.
In international football, England is represented by the England national football team. English people are very proud of it because it is one of the only seven national teams which have won the World Cup. The national stadium is the Wembley Stadium, which is the largest one in England with its 90,000 seats.
Going to the stadium is an unforgettable experience as there is an incredible atmosphere. But if you can’t afford it, you should go to a pub to watch a football match; it is likely to become your favourite activity on the evening after your English Courses.
There are several well-known football teams in London: five of them are playing in the Premiere League. When you come to the English School in London, your new English friends will probably tell you about their favourite team.
Our English School in London usually organises a match between staff and international students. It is a good opportunity for boys to show their dexterity and show off.
If you are a girl and you are totally reluctant to football… just take advantage of your stay in the English School in London to have a look to an English football match when David Beckham is playing, and you will change your mind, but maybe not because of his game!

Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament

2009-02-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

While thinking of the United Kingdom, the first image coming to mind is probably Big Ben. And even if you decided to attend English courses at the English School in London primarily to improve your English skills, you have to know this kind of cultural references. Indeed, the clock is one of London’s most famous landmarks and has become the symbol of the UK all over the world.
The name Big Ben does not refer to the clock tower itself, as many believe, but to the thirteen-ton bell hung within. It is located at the north-eastern end of The Palace of Westminster. Londoners are very proud of it as Big Ben holds the title of the world’s largest four-faced chiming clock. As soon as you leave your English course, you shouldn’t miss to visit this popular attraction.
The Palace of Westminster is also known as The Houses of Parliament. It consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Parliament celebrates this year its 150th anniversary. If you are interested in the English political system, you can take advantage of your stay at the English School in London to visit The Houses of Parliament to watch proceedings from the public gallery. Otherwise, if you are interested in art, bring your camera with you: The Houses of Parliament overlook the Thames and, especially by night, it probably offers the most beautiful and photogenic sight in London.
Just half an hour journey by train from the English School in London, The Palace of Westminster and its famous clock Big Ben are definitely the landmarks to see in London.

Prepare Your English

2009-02-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

Coming to England to attend English Courses is the better way to improve your English skills. But the best way to optimise and perfectly enjoy all opportunities to develop your knowledge of the English language and culture is to prepare for the journey before leaving.
In the street, with your new friends or even attending English Courses, you would probably find it difficult to understand some of the people speaking to you. That’s why you need to train yourself. It is very easy and is likely to become entertaining. For example, some weeks before, spend some time every day watching your favourite series and movies in English. What a funny way to get your ears used to the English language!
You can also read some magazines, newspapers or any other book you like in English. It would enable you to recognize some idiomatic expressions and, above all, learn them. In addition, it would be useful for you to choose what you need to learn and practice during your journey in England.
Indeed, get prepared to face any difficulties learning by heart some useful phrases for when you first arrive. Whether with your host family or in a residence with your new friends, you will definitely need some quotidian English terms and expressions. Do not wait for your English courses to prepare yourself.
Another important practical suggestion is to plan your time in England. When you are not attending English Courses, organise your free time in order not to lose a minute. Remember to get a guidebook if it is your first stay in England.
Lastly, before closing your suitcase, remember to bring with you a bi-lingual dictionary. It will save you from difficulties and misunderstandings.

Twin’s Buddy Club

2009-02-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

As part of the social programme theTwin English School in London offers its students the Buddy Club. The aim of this club is to bring the foreign students together in order that they have the possibility to meet different cultures. Every student attending an English course in London has the chance to meet new people and make friends at the events organised by the Buddy Club. These events include excursions, football matches and parties in London. If there are new students attending the English course in London they sure won’t be lonely joining the Buddy Club of the Twin English School in London.

Typical Traditional English Food and Drinks

2009-02-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

Each year, the UK and mainly London welcome a lot of foreign students, just like you, coming here to improve their English. Such an experience not only provides you with the opportunity of learning English but also enable you to discover another culture. And one of the best and delicious ways of discovering a foreign culture is to share some traditional dishes.

A Sunday with a family
Living in a host family can be a good solution for you to discover what a traditional Sunday lunch is in England. It consists of Roast Beef (served with two different kinds of vegetables and potatoes) and Yorkshire pudding. It is often eaten at midday.

Breakfast
During the rest of the week, your typical breakfast is likely to be a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee. But if you choose to book a bedroom in a hotel in England, you will probably be provided with a traditional English breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans and mushrooms).

Lunch
Wherever you are making your journey in England, you can always spend time for lunch with your friends. Between two English courses or excursions with your group, and unless you have taken with you a ‘packed lunch’ (which traditionally consists of a sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink), try the English traditional take-away food, globally known as ‘fish and chips’.

Tea breaks
One of the traditional specificities of England is being a tea-drinking nation. More than a habit, it’s a ritual at 11 am and 4 pm… even if it has evolved with the English way of life, in particular with the working hours. Wherever you go in London, Eastbourne, Salisbury or anywhere else in England, you will find a warm and cosy tearoom to have a rest savoring biscuits after your English course. Don’t worry if tea… is not your cup of tea, as coffee is nowadays as popular in England as tea is.

Multicultural Football

2009-02-11T02:58:00.000-08:00

Hiya!
My name is Filippo, I come from Italy and I attended an English course at the Twin English School in London. I have chosen to join an English course in London because I love the city and I really have to improve my English language skill, that’s very important for our lives.
The experience of Twin English School in London has taught me that in order to learn English quickly I need many friends to practice my speaking skills.
For these reasons Twin English School in London has organised meetings with other students, coming from abroad, and clubs to make new acquaintances.
Playing sports, like football can be another way to meet other students. The English School in London has organised several football matches where I’ve met different people and had the opportunity to invite someone to go out with me at the weekend.
I had a good impression of the first match, the environment was friendly and there were many pretty girls supporting the teams. During the match I saw different styles of playing football and the supporters were cheering for all the players and teams. Everybody was integrated in the group and at the end of the match there was only one winner called friendship
I think by meeting other cultures and people you only make new experiences and the different meetings will expand your horizon.

Filippo Nardin form Italy

Must see places in London

2009-02-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Natural History Museum
Admission: free
Daily: 10- 17.50h
The Natural History Museum in London is one of the biggest museums of natural history in the world and it contains Millions of exhibits portraying different ages of the evolution. From skeletons of dinosaurs over fossils to minerals everything can be found in the different sections of the museum clarifying the coherence in nature. While being a student of the English School in London plan a visit to this extraordinary museum.

Victoria and Albert Museum
Admission: free
Daily: 10-17.45h
Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington London is home of the biggest design and art collection of the world. Visit V&A and you will immerge into a wonderful world of Ceramics, Architecture, Sculptures, Metalwork and Jewellery and Accessories. Take some friends form the English School in London and spend an unforgettable afternoon at V&A.

The Science Museum
Admission: free
Daily: 10-18.00h
The Science Museum in South Kensington London demonstrates the progress of research and technology. The museum consists of five ranks containing different galleries of Art, Energy, Environment, Medicine and Biology, Space and Transport. Plan a visit to the Science Museum with your new mates from the English School in London.

The British Museum
Admission: free
Daily: 10-17.30
The British Museum in London is the biggest and most considerable museum of cultural history in the world. The museum houses about 7 Million exhibits documenting the entire cultural history of mankind form the beginning to the present day. If you are attending an English course in London you should visit this museum and discover the amazing history on your own.

English courses in London

2009-02-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

General English Course
A good opportunity to learn general English in the UK is offered by Twin English Schools. The English course in London, Salisbury and Eastbourne starts weekly every Monday throughout the whole year. It is suitable for students of different levels. The General English course focuses on improving the speaking, listening and writing skills of each student. To score the desired results the students can choose between the following 5 courses:

Standard Course - 15 hours per week
Semi-Intensive Course - 19 hours per week
Intensive Course - 23 hours per week
Combo 5 - 15 group hours + 5 one-to-one hours per week
Combo 10 - 15 group hours + 10 one-to-one hours per week

English for Academic Purposes
Offering English for Academic Purposes Twin English School in London gives students the chance to prepare for University entry in autumn.
The English course in London starts weekly every Monday of July, August or September. The English course in London is composed of 15 hours per week of general English and 10 hours per week of Academic Preparation. Altogether the course should require about 4 to 12 weeks.

IELTS Exam Preparation
The Twin English Schools in London and Salisbury help students to prepare for their IELTS test. The students can choose between the following two English courses:

Standard + IELTS course is composed of 15 hours per week Standard English and 4 hours per week IELTS Examination Preparation. Whereas the Semi-Intensive + IELTS course consists of 15 hours per week Standard English and 4 hours per week conversation and 4 hours per week IELTS Examination Preparation.

Hotel Management Diploma (CTHCM)
Hotel Management Diploma (CTHCM) is offered by Twin English School in London only and starts in January, March and September of the current year. This full course assures a paid work experience in an English company and leads to a Diploma accredited by the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH).

Snow in London.

2009-02-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Poems written by Chinese students at the English school in London

Snowing, it is
snowing.
White houses and
white trees.
What a heavy snowfall.
London in snow
is a beautiful city.

By He Ruixin

Yesterday it snowed in London.
We made a big snowman with our home stay mom.
In the afternoon we slept at home and did our homework.
Yesterday we had a delicious supper.
I liked it very much.

By Zhang Zhi rui

It was snowing yesterday in London.
There were no buses, so we couldn’t go to school.
We stayed with our host family.
We went outside to build a snowman and had
a snowball fight.
While it was snowing we played outside for a long time.
I like snow.

By Yan Yue

There were no buses yesterday. It was terrible.
I spent the whole day with my host family.
I made a snowman with my roommates.

What a day in London!

By Micki Yao YuFei

A French student who learns English in London

2009-01-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

I’m studying in a business school in Marseille, and to get on my 2nd year and boost my CV, I have to perform an internship in a foreign country. This work placement will be very important for my future and I chose England because I like its economic system. Also, my aim is improving my English and I thought that studying English in London would enable me to increase my linguistic skills.

When I came to London the 10th of January 2009 I was very happy because it was the first time I went to an Anglo-Saxon country.
I immediately felt some differences with France, through the behaviour of the people.
In fact, when I arrived to the airport and I caught the train to Central London I walked slowly whilst people ran everywhere. I understood that in this country people are very dynamic but also fairly stressed.

I am doing an internship in marketing and communication at Twin school. This internship is helping me to improve my English a lot. I believe that working in London is a great way to be forced to speak and learn English in a natural, easy way. I am studying English everyday and when I conduct researches or answer the phone I feel like I am learning English a bit more.

Yoshi's London Experience

2009-01-05T04:40:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons why I study in Twin is that the school provides us with the opportunity to study English with the motivated people from other countries and the qualified members of staff, as well as work experience even though mine is short term. I have been here in London since December and I leave in the middle of March to graduate from university in Japan so I decided to come here to enjoy spending the rest of my university life in England, of course hoping to improve my English while I am here.

I came to England just a week before the 2-week winter break so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get on well with life in England, hoping to make friends to make my time more enjoyable. However, my classmates and schoolmates were really friendly and I luckily chose the flat with a few schoolmates as room mates, and that has made my stay really fun!

I hope that my blog here helps those who are thinking of studying in Twin step forward and join me!

By Yoshi, a Japanese Student studying in Twin English School London

Carolina’s London Experience

2008-12-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

I have to confess that I came to London with just one objective in my mind; “to improve my English”. But after 3 weeks here I realised that I am learning much more than a language.

I arrived 3 weeks ago in a country which I have never been to before, to a house that wasn’t mine, with people I have never met in my life but in spite of all this I’ve never felt lonely in fact I felt very supported and welcomed.

As the weeks went on, I realised met very nice and friendly people who make me feel as if I were at home. My school mate, my host family, my teacher and all the staff working here (including the football team!), all of them are my new English family.

Since this is my last week in London I expect to enjoy it till the end with these wonderful people I’ve met.

By Carolina Coscia,
A Twin English School London Student from Argentina

Katherina's Life in Britain

2008-11-28T01:46:00.000-08:00

I’ve been working here in Great Britain for three months as au pair, and within these three months I’ve experienced a lot.
I haven’t been to England before. So it was a great challenge for me to come along with speaking English every day, with the unfamiliar feeling of British people concerning driving on the left side and with a lot of other things as well.
I have to admit that I’ve not only gone through happy times with my host family, but also had to cope with sad moments. In these situations, phone calls with my family and “meetings” with an old friend of mine perked me up because sometimes it can be a bit hard when you have to look after a quite bossy four-year-old child if he is in a bad mood.
The opportunity of taking some lessons at school is very important for me, because on the one hand I can improve my English knowledge and enrich my vocabularies and on the other hand the “funny learning” is some change of the usual duties and sometimes chores and an other positive aspect is that you get in touch with other people.
I think I’ve already got to know a lot of beautiful places in Great Britain and I’m happy about having had the chance to visit them.

By Katharina Broger,
A student at Twin English College Salisbury

A Day Trip to Winchester

2008-11-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Miguel and I am a student at the Twin Salisbury English School.

Last Saturday we went to Winchester, we wanted to do an excursion near to Salisbury, because we had decided to spend only one day there.
Winchester is one hour away from Salisbury. You need to take a train to Southampton (30 minutes far away) and from there another train to Winchester (15 minutes more). If you do the travel in a group of four or more people, the ticket is cheaper than if you go alone. In Winchester you must visit its Cathedral, its College, Jane Austen’s house, the Great Hall, the city centre and a lot more places. You will spend a very nice day like we did. Enjoy!

By Miguel Orellana,
A student at Twin English College Salisbury

Stratford Upon Havon, Home of Shakespeare

2008-11-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

In my opinion Stratford is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. This city is really wonderful. One of the biggest reasons that I visited Stratford was because it is Shakespeare’s homecity. I can suggest to you, that when you arrive there, at the beginning it’s better to visit the Holy Trinity Church, where you can find Shakespeare and his family’s grave. Also it is essential to visit the Shakespeare theatre where you can enjoy Romeo and Juliet for example. And of course his house, really autentic and historic from the 17th century, you can see where William Shakespeare was born, his bed, where he wrote some of his biggest works and his general lifestyle.

By Desislava Koleva,

A Twin Student attending English College Salisbury

Hitomi's London Experience

2008-11-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

London is the center of the United Kingdom. You know, there are a lot of famous tourist attractions; Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the British Museum, British Airways London Eye and so on. You can go to London only one hours and half from Salisbury, so you can enjoy visiting these places on weekend.

I am attending an English Course in Salisbury at the moment but London is easy to travel to from there. I can also see the English School in London when I visit there.

You can enjoy not only tourist attractions but also entertainment, for example discos and pubs. London is so cool and I hope to enjoy my stay here.

By Hitomi Hiroi,
A Student at Twin English College Salisbury

Rita's First Impressions of Salisbury

2008-11-21T04:11:00.000-08:00

Although I have been to England before, I had never been to Salisbury. This is a wonderful small city, with friendly people, beautiful churches and building with lots of Character. Its Cathedral has got the highest spire in England and it is well worth to pay a visit. I live approximately 6 miles away from Salisbury in a small town called Wilton, from where the country gets its name “Wiltshire”. If you like the country side, you will find a variety of country side walks, which are very nice. Wilton is also the home of the earl of Pemeberton and as you approach the town you can see the extraordinary “Wilton House”. You can visit it from April-Sept.

In Wilton, there is also an “Italiarice Church” Which I think is a Romanic treasure. I live just opposite this Church in a small house, attached to our host family home. The house is very convenient for me because it gives me independence and privacy. I can cook my own food and because the house is equipped with a washing machine I can even do my laundry!!

By Rita Garvi

Hyong-Kong Lee's English Course Experience

2008-11-21T03:49:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Hyong-Kong Lee. Coming to England to learn English has some benefits. At first, you can make international friends. Many students who study English come from different countries, especially European students. It is easier for them to go to England than to go to America or Australia. Secondly, it is easy to travel to another country. For example, most of Korean students have a dream to travel to European countries. Therefore it will be a two-bird-one-stone solution for them.

Salisbury, where I have been studying an an English Course, is a small city. I like it here, because I don’t like big, busy and crowded cities. Also my host family are so kind and friendly that I feel like I am living with my family. It’s also convenient. I have three weeks to go to Korea and when I go there I will never forget life in England.

By Hyung-Kon Lee,
A South Korean student at Twin College Salisbury

Salisbury, the Stylish and Historic City

2008-11-20T03:32:00.000-08:00

If you yearn for countryside style, I must recommend Salisbury. This is my best choice.

Salisbury is located South and West area in English, it is near Winchester, Southampton, Bath and Bournemouth. In Salisbury you can see bright green grassland , amazing buildings, then you can meet friendly people, and you can eat delicious scones, and of course other food.
One famous building – Salisbury Cathedral, it has already had 750 years of history, and home of the best preserved original Magna Carta.

If you want explore ancient landscape, absolutely say Stonehenge, it will take 40-45 minutes from Salisbury to Stonehenge by bus. After you arrive there, you have no idea how huge the place is and how magic the “stones” are!!

In twin I come from Taiwan , until now I have not yet met the same as my nationality, it’s a small melting pot, I met Spainish, Belgarian, Thai, Czech, Venezuelan; Arabian and Japanese people. Here we only have same common language – English. Ha!Ha! you can imagine how your English Language improves fast.

I do hope you can explore this City and this country more than me.

Your sincerely,

WAN-YUN CHUANG

Nightlife At My English Course

2008-11-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Abdelkader and I am a student at the Twin English School in London. I have been here now for a few months, and I have really enjoyed it, including the activities organised by Twin.

Last week we went to the Fuse Bar and it was a fantastic evening. I was able to get to know many of the guys in my class and spent the night speaking with them. I believe the bar idea was a very good one because it gave students the chance to practise their English and we could get to know each other more.

By Adbelkader Brahim,
A Twin English School student from Mauritiana

Twin Group

2008-11-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

Twin Group aims to Change lives through work, languages, training and travel. Twin has recently received an award from the Language Travel Magazine for it's excellence in the "Work Experience Provider" category.

This blog will provide information and personal opinions of students that have attended Twin Schools across the UK, in hope that it will prove to be useful to international students considering travelling to learn English.

Twin Group claims and approves of all the articles posted on this blog.

My First Impressions of London

2008-11-12T01:39:00.000-08:00

I arrived in London on Saturday evening, at around 12am. I then started my English Course on Monday morning at 9am. The first thing I did was make a grammar test and then I started the lesson. My English Course in London is from Monday to Friday and starts every day at 9am in the morning and finished at 12.30pm every afternoon.

I have one teacher at my English School in London, and her name is Silvia. She gives us very good lessons and she is very friendly when she teaches. Silvia teaches us every day the English Grammar and pronunciation, which at first was difficult but now it is easier because of Silvia's good teaching.

We have a small class of only six people, but I think this is good because I get more teaching. In the end I would say that the Twin English School in London is serious and professional in helping people to learn English and finding work placements.

By Altan Tezcan,
A Twin English School Student

Karine & Veronica's Eastbourne Impressions

2008-10-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

We just arrived in Eastbourne, so we will just talk about our first impressions. Eastbourne is a little friendly town, very sunny, with looks like quite unusual. Some teacher told us to not go out without an umbrella, which sound like a good idea...

We're here to improve our English skills, and for that we have courses all the day. The teachers are very friendly, and the courses are quite funny. Thanks to Twin school, we have a social organiser who makes trips around Eastbourne, to visit and make friends. We can meet a lot of differents nationalities from all over the world, wich is very important because to have a conversation we must use English. There is also a lot of different accents which sometimes makes understanding quite difficult. But everybody is very nice and makes efforts to understand and reward if needed.

We're now talking about our personnal experience.
K : My accomodation is in a family, really near the twin centre, which is very useful. They're very nice, the lady takes care of me, and they have a very happy young baby. They also have a cat, wich is very nice. A quite surprising thing is that the dinner is at 5:30 pm...I'm a French student and we usually have dinner between 7 and 8 pm...But everybody is nice with me so it will be fine.

V: Here in Eastbourne I'm living with my aunty and my uncle in a lovely house with a little garden. I'm here in England because I need to pass my IELTS to go to university in Eastbourne. At mornings I'm working in a book company and at the afternoon I come to Twin to learn English.

We both think coming to Eastbourne is a very good way to learn English.

Karine and Veronica

Our First Impressions of Eastbourne

2008-10-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

We are HeeSeon and Bonnie from South Korea. We came to Eastbourne in order to study English, and in Bonnie's case, to join in the internship program. The first impression of 'Twin Eastbourne Centre' was friendly. It was smaller than we thought, but we could expect to be close to friends and teachers.

Eastbourne, where we came is located in Southeastern England, and it takes about one hour and half to London by train. Even though it is a very small town, it is quiet and peaceful. Also, there is more amount of sunshine compared to other places in England. There are some attractive places we can go, such as Beachy Head, Seven Sisters, Pevency Castle and so on. Especially, the colour of the cliff is white, so many tourists visit there to hike towards Seven Sisters. Moreover, we can see extraordinary trees to be able to see only on this hill. Trees curve towards an one side because of considerably strong wind.

There are some adventages to staying in Eastbourne. Firstly, we don't have to pay money more for trasportation than London, because Eastbourne is just a small town. Secondly, it is much safer than London. There are many retired people. We can walk in the street at night, but we should be careful, actually. Finally, there is the sea. We can go to the seaside anytime when we want. It is excellent to eat 'Fish and Chips' ,which is English tipical food, looking at sea on the beach when it is sunny. There is an interesting thing that many seagulls would come to us when we eat it. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages. We could get bored in such a small town, and it is too limited to go shopping. However, we know it is up to us for making our life here lively, and we can find somthing to enjoy ourselves.

While we are staying in Eastbourne, we have met many people. They are nice, kind and warm. Nice weather, Sea, Good people........ What can we desire more? Thanks.

By HeeSeon & Bonnie, South Korean Students in Eastbourne

Haruko & Ahmed's Experience of Eastbourne

2008-10-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

My first impression of Eastbourne is a quite small town which has many beautiful places and many kind people, especially old people. The town has many narrow roads and hilly streets. The wether is unexpected so far because we can see the sun although it is in the middle of October. The town is located by the sea so there are a lot of seagulls everywhere.

I live with a host family consisted of man and woman. I stay with another 4 students who are from different contries. They are Chinese, Korean, Slovakina and Saudi Arabian. Most of them are going to the same school as me. My host family is very friendly and kind. They talk to us for a long time. They take care of us.

Twin school in Eastbourne has many multi-national students. Teachers are helpful and enthusiastic. We like them very much. Our school is a little bit small, but it is easy to make friends. Also we have some social programmes, for example we go around and outside Eastbourne, the cinema and the pub. We have a barbeque every Friday lunchtime.
At the weekend we can go to Brighton, Hastings or London. They are not so far away from Eeastbourne and the school arranges some trips also in weekends. Also Eastbourne has a beatiful place called 'Seven sisters'. We can enjoy the nice view from the beach head.
There are more than 10 nationalities of students in my class, so I have a really good oppotunity to make friendship with students who are from different cultures. In the end, thanks to Twin school we can have a lot of precious experiences with great friends and teachers.

By Haruko & Ahmed

Sophia's London Experience

2008-10-23T02:55:00.000-07:00

With time going by I came to London. It is my first time in London. Before I came to London I heard many interesting things about London. London is the best city in England. It is the political, economic and cultural centre of England. Only by visiting London can we have a better understanding of culture in England.

Many other country's people want to take English nationality after they visited London. The weather in London changes from season to season . In the summer the weather very cool, because London is not far from the sea. In the winter the weather in London is very comfortable. Sometimes London will be snowy in winter.

There are many large buildings in London. I live with my host family and I am very happy there. When I arrived on the first day, their house called up memories of my childhood. They are very friendly and warm. When I face many difficult things my host famliy will tell me "you'll pull through. It will teach you a lesson to be free from failure." I am very happy to live with them.

It is important for me to take every chance to live life to the fullest in London. I adapt to the new life in London very quickly. Their food very delicious. Every day I had a big dinner. In London you can go to the beach not far from London. Such as Seven Sisters. It is a very good beach. You will feel the breeze beside the beach and it is very refreshing.

The famous food in London are fish and chips. English people like cheese but I don't like cheese. Even if I don't like it I can adapt to London life. Generally speaking I have a colourful life in London. It can help me to open my eyes about the world. With the development of society London will more and more popular.

By Sophia, An Chinese Student in London

Sami & Cathy go to Eastbourne

2008-10-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

Hi! Our names are Sami and Cathy, and we are students from China. We have been here one month now in the Twin English School in Eastbourne.

We all know England's weather is changable, including Eastbourne's. This is our first time in Eastbourne. So we were feeling not very well because the weather in Beijing is not wet. It is often rainy and windy, but it is not very cold. I think England's kind of climate maybe is good for our health with clean and fresh air.

Eastbourne is near the sea so we often go to seaside with our friends at weekands. We like walking along the beach and chatting with each other. The sunshine is good and there are many old couples enjoying it. Because of this beatiful sightseeing all of us are very happy.

When we were new here, we did not know how to got to some places such as the school and host family. At that time we recieved a lot of help from passers by. We felt very welcomed in this strange country. So we think English people are very friendly and warm-hearted. We all enjoy life in our host family. The host mother is very kind and helpful. I think English food is quite different from our Chinese food. At the beginning, we were unaccustomed to this kind of food, but now we think it is very delicious. We like it. In the UK, fish and chips is popular food.

All in all, we absoulutely enjoy studying in Eastbourne and attending the English Course. This will be the best memory in our lives.

Sami and Cathy, Chinese Students at Twin English School Eastbourne

Sa's Eastbourne Experience

2008-10-23T02:14:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am Sa and I come from China. I have been in the Twin English School in Eastbourne for about one month. My first impressions of Eastbourne have been very good: the blue sky, the fresh air and sunshine...

I think I should make progress here very fast, because in my class the students come from many different countries. So, if I want talk to the other students I must use English.
Through talking to them not only could practice my speaking but I could learn about other countries' cultures. In the class we always have to discuss with our classmates. Now I have made a lot of friends in my school...

In the weekend, I usually go to the town centure or go to beach with my friends. In the beach we drink, and play games. On friday, we have the BBQ in the garden and then we go to have the football match with our teachers.

In here I found the vegetable and the other food are not cheap. So I have spent a lot of money here. However those food are very cheap in China. So I think that this is a difference between China and UK.

In my host family, I usually watch TV at night when I have finished homework. I like BBC ONE, I think it has much more news at night, and watching it can improve my English listening. My host family usually cooks the traditional English food for us. I think they are very friendly.

This weekend I will enjoy a Korean party, I think it is a good way to make friends, learn about other countries' cultures and exercise my speaking. I love here, I will study hard in the next four mouths.

Thank you for your valuable time, Sa

Jasper's Eastbourne Experience

2008-10-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm Jasper. I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. When I was coming to Eastbourne by bus, I saw a lot of beautiful scenery through the glass window which impressed me because I felt I had got a first hand view of British nature.

I know teachers have their own teaching style, but the important thing is that I can digest all the knowledge completely from the course. In the Twin English School in Eastbourne, I have acquainted many foreign people, and it's interesting that I can use their language to express my greeting. I don't understand how to help foreign people's problems or how to consider current international development situations, I can't bring them to change their minds, but I believe the culture gap will be shortened under our conversation. just one or two words. Definitely, there are so many differences between western and eastern culture. Certainly, whenever something is misunderstood it does not matter to our happy communication. I think I will improve my English level under Twin English School Eastbourne's help and with my hard work.

By Jasper, a Chinese Twin Student in Eastbourne

The English Course Experience

2008-10-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

English courses are an integral tool in the improvement, or development of learning English. There is no better environment to learn English than in an English School attending an English Course in England.

English is widely acknowledged as the most widely spoken language in the world, with an estimated 330,000,000 primary English Speakers. English is spoken in an astounding amount of nations; 115 of the 194 countries in the world, be that 84 of those a mixed version of English. Therefore, English appears to be an incredibly useful language to learn for foreign students, and surely the best possible way to learn English is to attend an English Course in an English School in its country of origin; England. There are tens of thousands of foreign students studying abroad, many of whom are attending English courses in English schools. Many of the best English schools and English Courses for foreign students are situated in London. Not only is excellent education offered to the students studying abroad, the richly cultural and historical city has a huge amount to offer in terms of sights and sounds to the students attending English schools in London. Whether the student is attending the English course for their university degree, or they simply want to learn English from native speakers in an English School, London is widely accepted as the most forward, trendy and beautiful city in England. Therefore London is the best choice of location to choose your English Course and English School.

From past experience of working at an English school, I have met and worked with people from all across the globe attending English Courses. Koreans, Saudi Arabians, Ecuadorians, the list of nationalities go on and on, however every single person proved to be hard working and left with an improved level of English having attended their English course in London. It didn’t matter what past experience of English speaking they had, or their level of English. The students left their English School having had a fun and educational experience in their English Course, as well as having absorbed the plethora of sights and sounds London has to offer.

Ultimately, people attend an English School to have the ability to communicate with other people in a different language to their own through an English Course. Having the ability to communicate in a different language gives people the resource to meet new people and make new friends. Making friends and increasing the amount you communicate in English are the pillars of the English Course experience. Many of the past students I have worked with in the Twin English School still keep in touch with each other, still communicating in English having followed a career utilising the English Language Skills they obtained at the English Course they attended in London.

Therefore taking an English Course in an English School in London can be a positive tool in changing the course of your life, as it provides excellent prospectives for your future career, the ability to make new friends and also an incredible experience in the Capital.

James Ong-Fox

Life in Eastbourne's Seafront

2008-10-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I come to Eastbourne, the foot of the beautiful South Downs, Eastbourne is widely acclaimed, I feel so excited because of the exceptional beach which has lots of moist stones, walking along the seaside I feel my foots being kneaded, what a fabulous experience I have; the natural massage...

I love Eastbourne even though it has the most changeable weather than any other city in England, the reason is my host family is near the seafront, located in the Royal Parade------a wonderful road in Eastbourne. I can appreciate the English Channel in my room! I really enjoy the sunrise especially the moment that the sun wakes up and jumps up the horizon where the sky kisses the sea's skin. This maginificent vision makes me feel i ate Tiffany's breakfast.
This is a city rich of wonderful sights, I was enchanted when I visited Seven Sisters, giving a breathtaking view of this East Sussex town.

On the other hand at the English School in Eastbourne, there were some students who came from different countries and brought their own cultural food to the UK, so I could enjoy diffrent kinds of food I had never tasted before. The only pity is the tedious nightlife. I must put all my passion into study in my English Course in Eastbourne.

As a whole, I enjoy the life in Eastbourne very much. I will give all to my stay in this England fantasy.

By Han Gao/Diane

My Long Trip

2008-10-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

My name is Lynn and I joined in to the Twin English School Eastbourne --- the big family since 13th September, 2008. This was the long trip for me because, it is the first time which I go abroad by myself. Before I arrived here, I was worried about it, whether I could adapt to the strange environment, but when I arrived here, I was addicted to the scene of Eastbourne. It is much different from China. My host family told me that usually Eastbourne always raining in October, surprisingly it still have sunshine in this month. And I think it is the best present for me, isn't it?

In the weekend, I went to the seaside with my friends , in my eyes , it was a blue world. The blue sea and the sky. It is very beautiful. We enjoyed sunshine and had a good time. On our way home, we lost our way and we asked a stranger for directions, she was vary kind and took us to our way. We felt very warm in this strange place. If you walk in the road, and some stranger pass you, they will smile with you, so I felt Eastbourne people are very friendly and kind. Not only the good environment but also the good people.

The most important thing for me is that I can make many other friends all around the world. We have the same objective and study hard together. We talk with each other in English to learn each others different cultures. We all enjoy it.
Eastbourne is a memorable place in my mind. Maybe after many years, I will return to here, and find my unforgettable memory.

LTM Star Work Experience Provider 2008

2008-09-29T02:58:00.001-07:00

TWIN is proud to be the LTM Star Work Experience Provider 2008!

We offer Internships, Graduate Training Programme, International Work Trials and Paid Work Experience within the Hospitality industry.

Karola Rajoo
Placement Officer

My London Experience

2008-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

My name is Mara and I am an intern at Twin. I have been here for 3 weeks now and I truly love it so far.

My first impressions of London have actually been pretty good; warm weather, sunshine…however I learned fast that the English weather is unpredictable and you should not leave your house without an umbrella. But whether the weather is good or not there are lots things to see in and around London. Although I have been to London several times before, every time I go there I learn about new things and new places. This is one of the main reasons why I chose London as my destination for my internship. On the one hand you have all the sightseeing places you have heard about, like Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds etc. Whereas on the other hand there are always different festivals or events you can join. For example I went to the “Colourscape Music Festival” in Clapham with some friends last weekend and it was so much fun. It was in a huge inflatable structure with almost 100 brightly coloured chambers of variable shapes arranged in a labyrinth with different music everywhere. And if you are lucky you get the chance to go to some secret hotspots only urban Londoners know about.

Beside the rush of this pulsing city, you can still find a lot of places to relax. Just enter one of the big parks in central London and from one minute to the other you will forget that there are millions of people and cars around you and you get the impression of being somewhere in the country.
Talking of which, the English countryside is also absolutely worth a visit. Kent, Brighton and other nice towns and areas are not far away and easy to reach by national train. You can spend either just a day there or a whole weekend.

But I am not just here to explore London, the main reason I am here is for my internship and I can honestly say I am absolutely happy with my placement. All my colleagues are really nice and though they are working a lot there is always time for some joking, which keeps the working atmosphere really good. My tasks are split half in the Work UK sector and half in the marketing sector, and because I have a lot different things to do it never get bored. Everybody is also very supporting and they give me the feeling of being not just an intern but part of their team. Another good point is that the Twin English School in London is only 10 min to travel by bus from my host family’s house. The English School in London offers English Courses for foreign students to learn English.
By the way they are really nice people and because they had over 50 students staying at there home over the years they are used to the situation and very open minded about people from all over the world.
They also told me wrong about thinking that everybody in the UK only eats fish and chips or beans on toast. You can get food from all over the world in London.
I could go on talking and talking but its weekend time and there are still so many things I have not seen yet…
All in all I am absolutely enjoying my internship and it is definitively going to be one of the best times of my life.

By Mara Anastassopoulos, a German Intern at Twin

A Night Out In London

2008-09-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

My name is Martin and I am from Argentina but now I live in Catford. I arrived in London one month ago. The reason for my trip is that I want to study and work in England, so I applied to join one of Twin Group's English Schools in London. I prefer to speak and to know people of different countries to improve my English, so I thought that going to an English Course in London.

I went to the Salsa Bar with my friends from my English School in London last week. The adventure started at 7 o’clock in Lewisham, where the Twin English School in London is situated. We had only one rule this night but very important. We couldn’t arrive at the Salsa Bar after 9 o’clock because if we did that we would have had to pay the entrance fee. So we waited next to “Little Ben”, the Clock Tower in Lewisham that is compared to Big Ben, for my friends. My friends arrived soon after I did, so we went to go to the Salsa Bar by bus at 7.30pm.

Our situation was very complicated because we didn’t know which bus we had to take after the first bus. The journey was very funny because we stopped all the time and we spoke with everyone we passed. We took pictures at London Bridge and St’s Paul Cathedral.
After that, finally we arrived to the Bar at 8.55 pm. We almost had to pay the entrance. When we entered the Bar the people were learning how dance salsa.

In my case, I am not a good dancer for Salsa. I tried but was very difficult for me. I preferred to drink and talk to new people. My friends from Ecuador knew how dance to this music, and they danced very well.So, the experience from that night was great. I danced and spoke with interesting and fun new people from different countries. Some of them were also attending English Schools in London. These are some of the other things London has to offer other than the many great excursions that I went on. My experience in London has been great, and I am truly happy that I attended Twin’s English Schools in London.

By Martin Almodovar, from Argentina

My Multi-Cultural Food Experience

2008-09-18T07:24:00.003-07:00

Hi! My name is Mayoumi. I am from Japan, and currently living in France!
I’ve been in one of the Twin English Schools in London for one month now. When I worked in Paris, I always felt that English was incredibly important for my work, however I couldn’t speak it. One day, one of my colleagues, who was an ex-student from the Twin English School in London recommended the Twin English School to me.

My first impression of Twin was really positive. All the students and teachers were very friendly, even though I found it difficult to communicate with them because I could not speak any English. I liked this English School in London on the first day.

In the Twin English School, there are many events organised nearly every week so I’ve been able to do activities such as going to a traditional English pub with my classmates.
Today, we had an international food party. As I was a willing participant in the party, I cooked some traditional Japanese food: Sushi. I worked very hard in preparing the Sushi, and it took me several hours to finish making it.

There were some students who came from different countries and brought their own cultural, delicious food, for example: Chinese, Polish, Turkish and Venezuelan. However, not only did the students bring food in but the teachers also brought in their very traditional English food.

I was pleased that we tasted and exchanged our food, as well as our cultures. This day I saw all of the students embracing each other’s cultures, which Twin English School in London gives the students the opportunity. I hope we will have another opportunity during my stay in Twin English School in London. Thanks Twin!

By Mayoumi Horikoshi

The International Food Affair

2008-09-18T07:24:00.002-07:00

Hi! My name is Anna and I am currently attending an English course at one of Twin's English Schools in London.

One of the things that connect people is different food cultures in the world. There is a tradition in Twin Group that, from time to time, students prepare meals from their countries. This fantastic idea helps us to get to know other students and establish new friendships. Moreover, this meeting gives us an opportunity to polish our English conversation too.

We practised this yesterday as well. The students and the teachers gathered again trying dishes prepared by people from: Spain, the Czech Republic, Japan, China, Venezuela and Poland. The English Teachers and the managers also brought their own contributions: London meat pie with mash potatoes, mushy peas and parsley sauce, served with a traditional ginger beer.

Every dish looked appetizing and was absolutely delicious. We took the opportunity to eat: Spanish sausage- chorizo, Czech potato salad with mayonnaise made by Susanna, traditional homemade sushi made by Mayoumi, oriental noodles by Xui Fu, original Venezuelan bread called “arepa” by Marrizio and Polish Summer fruit caked baked by… me!

The rest of the students came with good appetites and a friendly mood. Many of them were interested in the recipes, products and ingredients. Many of them tried oriental or European food for the first time.
I can safely say that everybody enjoyed themselves and we believe that the next International Food Affair will be as successful as this year, all thanks to the Twin English School in London.

By Anna Wilczkowska

What about London…

2008-09-18T07:24:00.001-07:00

I’m an Italian girl who is having her work experience in London for a month and I’ m going to talk about it.

I wrote… What about London... I have never had the experience to live in a city so busy, so full of life and so exciting!
I started my stay attending an English course that I found as something completely new for me because my classmates were nearly all-different nationalities.
It was not only interesting, but also above all educational and important; I met people with different cultures and lifestyles and it’s interesting to learn more about them. The English course was general so it was good to prepare me for my internship. I didn’t feel ready for work experience abroad because I wasn’t enough self-confident but when I thought about having a job in the centre of London at 18 years old I was excited and happy to have this experience... it’s my time!

I’m in London and London gives you an opportunity for everything. Being here is important for me because not everybody has the opportunity or maybe the determination to spend a month in a foreign country far from his or her own family. So… I’m satisfied with myself.
This is a city rich of wonderful sights; I was enchanted when I visited inside Buckingham Palace, the breathtaking Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, without forgetting St. Paul’s Cathedral. In London you can enjoy yourself in a thousand ways, going on a great tour on The London Eye, spending a day shopping or going to pubs or discos with friends… How can’t you have a good time here?!

Anyway, in my opinion, the most important thing that London can offer you is the right opportunity in your life.

Everyday that I spend in London means a lot to me. I am increasing my self-confidence, improving my English and my personal skills at work and of course, enjoying my self.
What more could I ask for? Thanks London!

By Ambra Da Dalt, Italian intern at TWIN

The importance of learning English

2008-09-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

English is widely acknowledged as the most widely used language in the world, with an estimated 330,000,000 primary English Speakers in the world, only bettered by China. English is spoken in an astounding amount of nations, 115 of the 194 countries in the world, be that 84 of those a mixed version of English. Therefore, English appears to be a very useful language to learn for foreign students, and surely the best possible way to learn English is to learn in its country of origin; England.

There are tens of thousands of foreign students studying abroad, many of whom are attending English courses in English schools. Many of the best English schools for foreign students are situated in London. Not only is excellent education offered to the students studying abroad, the richly cultural and historical city has a huge amount to offer in terms of sights and sounds to the students attending English schools in London. Whether the student is attending the English course for their university degree, or they simply want to learn English from native speakers, London is widely accepted as the most forward, trendy and beautiful city in England, therefore London is the best choice of location to choose your English Course. Twin Group has an English school in London, located near the centre and offering an excellent quality of education.

By James Ong-Fox

Me, Myself & London

2008-09-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

I was born and bred in London. I’ve never lived anywhere else. When I meet new people, the initial question is “What's your name?” However, the following question is always asked later in the introductions; “Where are you from?” I always reply proudly “London”. Maybe I should respond with “England”, however I guess why I say London is because I believe that London is the best example of Englishness in En gland, and that London, in my eyes, is the most interesting, diverse and beautiful city in the world.

Although I have lived in London for 18 years, every time I visit Central London I find a new intriguing place and learn a new fact about this richly historical city. For example, a few weeks ago I went on an excursion with a group of French students to London Bridge, and we found ourselves in St. Catherine’s Dock. I was blown away by the peacefulness and beauty of the dock, surrounded by the busyness of London. It was as if someone had pressed the eject button on a stereo playing an ACDC album and replaced it with Vivaldi. Little gems like St. Katharine's Dock can be found all around London. It seems strange to say that I have fallen in love with this city, but to be frank it’s the truth. London never loses its appeal, its intrigue or its history.

London’s diversity provokes the image of a multi-cultural melting pot. Almost every culture in the world is represented in London, and openly celebrated with examples such as Notting Hill Carnival as a celebration of Caribbean culture where around one million people came to enjoy the party. London’s appeal increases its diversity, as many tourists from across the world flock to see London’s sights and sounds. With these tourists, students also come, to attend one of the many English Courses in one of the many English Schools in London. These English courses in London provide students with the opportunity to experience the English culture and also experience what real English schools in London are like.

By James Ong-Fox

English courses and internships in the UK with TWIN GROUP

2008-09-09T03:34:00.000-07:00

TWIN’s blog: Articles on travelling and learning English in the UK, personal experiences, travel tips and ideas.Twin’s blog shares the experiences of our former and current students as they learn English in London, Eastbourne, Salisbury or take an internship in the UK.