Hello everyone,

We are here one more time to show you our visit to the school Shane Global.

We have interviewed Steven the Sales Manager of the school. Before we start with the interview I want to say that this school is settled in a great area, just the centre of London. The nearest tube station is Bond Street and from there you will only walk 1 minute.

The school from outside

Can you tell us more about the history of the school?

The school was founded by Shane Lipscombe. He was travelling around the world. He went to Japan where he started to teach English in his kitchen and the number of students grew so fast that he decided to open a school and settled up his first company.  We have a big group of schools in Japan about 160 schools.

It was in the 90s when the first Shane Global School was opened in UK, here in London. 

How is one lesson in Shane Global? Do students need a book?

Basically, we are also a teaching training centre, therefore our trainers teach our students as well. They use audiovisuals and a book, so the students need to buy a book which we sell in the school. Also, all our teachers are high qualified, having CELTA + a degree.

One classroom inside

Do students need to take am English level test before enrolling a course? 

Yes. On the first day in the morning they need to take it and according to the result we will put them in the correct group.Students can start any course every Monday as the courses are designed in order to give the opportunity to students for joining the course any time. 

How many students do you have per classroom? 

We have a maximum of 12, however the average is 10 students.

The computer's room

Do you have exam preparation courses for IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL, TOEIC? 

Yes we do IELTS and TOEIC. For TOEFL yes and no, it is a bit difficult to say at this moment, but definitely we do IELTS. 

Do you have a special programme or extra activities for students?

Yes, minimum 3 times per week we do activities as well as in summer 


And the last one, why do we should choose Global Shane? 

Well as you can see we have a great location. You can walk just 1 minute from Oxford Street and Bond Street what is perfect for students to hang out, go for a coffee, do their shopping, etc.Furthermore, the very friendly atmosphere that we have in the school and our fantastic roof terrace.

The cafe of the school

This is all for Shane Global, if you are interested in this school contact us at education@polarchoice.com or check our new website: www.polarchoice.com. Remember you can follow us in Twitter and give us a like on Facebook. 

Soon you will find a great surprise for those who like us on Facebook. 

See you next week with more schools or maybe something new.

Hello everyone,

As every week we have a visit to a School.  This week we were in British Study Centres London which in near Baker street and close to Bond Street.

This school belongs to a group, having school in Brighton, Oxford and Bournemouth. They offer courses for Adult Learners (from 16 on) and Young Learners (from 8 to 16).

We have met Santi who works as marketing manager in the school and he has showed us around.

Tell us more about the history of the school...

British Study Group has a long path, they started in the 50s as a family. At the beginning they did correspondence courses being the biggest group in England, later they founded schools, the first one was West London College, however this school doesn’t offer English courses.

It was in 1996 when the English School were founded. The first school was in Oxford, the second one was in Brighton in 2002, the school in London opened in 2004 and the last one in Bournemouth in 2009.

How is one lesson in British Study Centre? Do the students need a book?

Yes, we use a book which is included in the course price, this means the students don’t have to buy an extra book or pay more for the book. Furthermore, the teachers also use photocopies in the lessons for doing exercises or theory.

All our teachers are native speakers.

The building where the school is settled

Do students need to take a level test before enrolling a course?

Yes they have to take a level test but the first day they come to the school not before. You can start every Monday and when you start you have to do a grammar test with 40 questions all of them multi options. Then, you have to do a short writing and to finish we speak with you to test your speaking level. The good thing of this test is that for example if your level of speaking is higher than the grammar you will go to a different lesson depends on the level, therefore you will not be in the same level for everything, we place you in the correct level for each part.

However, we don’t offer beginning courses or proficiency courses.

How many students do you have per classroom?

The maximum 14 students, but the average is 11.

This is the library

Do you have exam preparation courses for IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL, TOEIC, etc?

Yes of course. We offer this kind of course. IELTS is very popular for Universities. For Cambridge we only offer FCE and CAE, not PET or CPE. However, if a student wants to prepare the PET exam we give him extra material. Besides we have what we call study centre which is open from Monday to Friday and where you always will find a teacher to help you and more material for the exam preparations. Therefore students can use it even if this is not included in the course price, it is for free. It is recommended for TOEFL and TOEIC exam preparation.

What we normally do for TOEFL and TOEIC is a combination between the general lessons in the morning and 2 private lessons for these exams in the afternoon per week.

One of the classrooms

Do you have a social programme or extra activities for students?

Yes, we have a football team and we plan minimum 3 activities per week, sometimes we have 4 or 5 and in summer we have activities every day. We think they are important as it helps the students to know the others deeper and therefore they have a better integration.

In summer for example we have a party in a boat which is very popular. We also visit the tourist places in London and organise parties in the school such as the international food party in which students bring typical food from their countries.

The cafeteria 

And the last one, why do should choose British Study Centre?

There are a lot of schools in London and in UK, but we have gained experience during these years which is important in order to offer a good quality and service to our students. Another important point for me is the average of the age, here the average is between 20 and 25. Also our students come from different countries, having in the school 92 nationalities, so you will meet people from all around the world.

The party on the boat

If you want to know more about the offers and prices of this school contact us at: education@polarchoice.com

Also, you can give us a like on Facebook 

and follow us on Twitter

Hello, hello.!! :)

Once again we visit a school. It is Bell International. This school is in the same area than Klapan and Bloomsbury (you can find the visits below this one), therefore you can compare different school which are in the same zone : Holborn.

We have interviewed Silvina the Marketing Manager at Bell London. This school has another one in Cambridge.

Entrance of the school

Hello Silvinia, can you tell us a bit of the Bell’s History?

Yes, of course. Bell was founded in 1955 by Frank Bell, now you know why the name of the school. Frank Bell was a teacher of Spanish and French, he was a war prisoner in the Second World War. It was with his partner in prison when he founded a clandestine university.  After the war he founded what today is Bell school which before was called Bell Language School.

How is one lesson in Bell? What about teacher’s methods? do the students need a book?

Well, it depends on the course you are. We have programmes for young learners from 7 to 17. This group doesn’t need a book. It is the teacher who plan the lesson through excursion, activities, etc..

For adult programmes, they need a book, however, when they enroll the course we give for free the book, they don’t have to buy it.

In our classrooms we have the interactive blackboard, which is really good for students so the lesson is more dynamic.

One classroom

How many students do you have per lesson?

The classrooms can have a maximum of 14 students but the average is between 7 and 8.

Do you have exam preparation courses like IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL, TOEIC...?

Yes, we prepare IELTS and all the exams for Cambridge, being specialist in BULATS on of the Business exam for Cambridge. Unfortunately we don’t prepare TOEFL or TOEIC as a course, but people can prepare it by one-to-one (individual lessons)

One of the computer's room

Do you have a social programme or extra activities for students?

Yes in both programmes. In the adult programme the have one which is included with their programme, this is 2 excursions : one is all day, the other one it is only half of the day, but they have these both excursions every 2 weeks. However every day we suggest an activity and on the weekend they can have an excursion during a whole day to Cambridge, Oxford, or Bath...

And the last one, why do we should choose Bell International?

As you can see apart from the zone, which is central London, Bell is high quality in teaching with a very personal treatment for the students. We are special because our treat with the students.

Study centre of the school

This was everything, I hope you like it.

This school also offers:

- University Foundation Courses

- Pre master courses

- Diploma in Business

If you are interested in this school you always can find us at: education@polarchoice.com

Follow us in Facebook and Twitter.

Hello again!!

This week we have visited Bloomsbury International. This is school is in the center of London, near Holborn (tube station).

We have interview Marc the Sales Executive of the School.

Tell us more about the history of the school...

We are the first school here in this area, we open in 2004. The reason why started was to offer a really good, high quality, lots of choices, different courses and flexibility for students and a good price for central London.

How is one lesson in Bloomsbury?

Well, we have 26 classrooms and 22 of them have interactive blackboard which is really good for students as they can participate and interact with internet, different links, etc, through the blackboard.

So, it is very interactive a lesson here.

Entrance of the school

Do the students need a book?

Yes, we supply a book depending on which class they are going to. We use different books for each language level. Whenever you come in, you will need and use a book.

Then, the students need to take a level test, right?

Well, what we usually do is when we have an enquiry, we send them an English test just to get an idea of the level before they arrive. Then, once you arrive to the school on Monday we test them again, this time we will speak with them and check their speaking level, thus we make sure to place them in the correct level.

One of the classrooms with the interactive blackboard

How many students do you have per lesson?

We have a maximum number of 14 students, however the average is about 8 or 9.

Talking about lessons, I see that you prepare specific exams like IELTS, CAE, FCE, is this right?

Yes, correct. Probably our most popular course is IELTS. We also prepare TOEFL and TOEIC as we are a test centre.

A classroom

Well, to finish the interview, do you do extra activities or have a social programme?

Yes of course. In the summer we run a social programme everyday as we have a lot of students and in the lower seasons we do 2 or 3 activities weekly such as going to the pub, walking around the city and visiting museums.

Why do we should choose Bloomsbury International for studying?

Because we give a great experience to the student as we are an independent school so it is easier for us to give a more personal service to students.

We are friendly and the atmosphere in the school is relaxed and fun. Also, the zone is absolutely good, in central London with a tube station very close to the school.

This was everything. If you are interested in this school, feel free to contact us at : education@polarchoice.com

Or check our web page, soon it will be new with a fresh look J

Also, you can find us on the social nets:

Facebook and Twitter: polar choice

Have a good beginning of the week, we will come back soon J

REMEMBER you will ALWAYS GET A DISCOUNT.

Hello guys,

One more time we come with a new school, this time we were visiting Kaplan a group of Schools.

This group have Schools and offices around the world, it is one of the biggest groups.

We are in the central office in London where the different departments work. We see a lot of people who are working, you are really big, tell us more:

Well, we started being a small group of schools and we were growing until become a strong group in this sector.

As you see each department is divided into countries, so we guarantee a better service as the students can speak in their mother tongues and it is easier the communication.

How many schools do you have in London?

Here in London we have 2, one in Covent Garden and other one in Leicester Square, both are good zones to meet and enjoy more the city.

However, we have schools in Ireland and along UK such as Bath, Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburg, Dublin, etc..

After visiting the central offices, we are going to one of the Schools in Covent Garden, the school is easy to find because is near the tube station Holborn.

The school outside

We would like to know more of your courses, what courses do you offer? Do you prepare specific exams?

We offer courses for all levels of General English and Intensive English. We also offer Business English and exam preparation for IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge.

For Cambridge and IELTS exam students need to take a level exam to make sure they have the level required.

How many students do you have per lesson?

We accept a maximum of 15 students, but the average is 12.

Also, we guarantee you that you only will find a 5% of a students from your same country.

Computer’s rooms

We want to know how a lesson in Klapan is !

We use our own books which are made by teachers and specialists. Therefore they are exclusive of our schools, every 2 weeks we use a different book as we change the level.

Usually, the courses are 10 weeks so you will have to use 5 books to study.

Something really good and innovative is that in addition every week and day you could have a lesson to improve a specific part, for example: if you are not good at Listening, you can find here tutoring lessons.

We also use exercises online and different apps for Smartphone, so that you learn playing and with books.

All classrooms are equipped with an interactive blackboard, so that you can see your book on the blackboard. Therefore the lesson is more interactive, students will participate more and pay more attention to the teacher as they don’t have to look the book constantly.

The interactive blackboard

-  We see that you have a lot of students and you keep growing. Do you have activities for students?

     Yes, and we have a lot. Every week and every day we have activities. We have activities in Christmas, Halloween and in summer we have a party in a boat. Also, we go to pubs. Furthermore if the students are interested in going to the cinema or theatres we get them cheaper tickets.

What we want to give them is a whole experience not only lesson, so that they enjoy their stay, meet more people and feel like at home.

Some students during the break

-  To finish, why do we should choose Kaplan?
      As I said before we use an exclusive method of teaching with our own books, so students will not think why they are using the same books than in their home countries.
     Our schools are chosen as the best, we always encourage customers to look for references of former students.We also offer help to find university and in the application process you have when you apply it.What we want to offer is a unique experience, either academic or social, that doubtless will be amazing.

This was the visit of the week. You know, even if it is a bit more money it worth because of the quality.

Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget that you can find us at: education@polarchoice.com

In our web: www.polarchoice.com (which we are improving)

Also on the social nets: Facebook and Twitter: polar choice

Thank you for your time

Hello again!!! 

Don’t think we forget you because not at all J

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR :) I am sure this year would be better tan the one we just left.

We start this year with more motivations and with new projects. We want to give you a better service as without you we would not exist.

One of our changes is the redesign of the web page. Yes, we are changing the webpage in order to make it more attractive and easier for you.

That is why we ask you for help.

It will take you only a couple of minutes and for us it is very important because we can know better your tastes, what you like or not as well as to improve our services making them easier for the customers.

Here you have links, I am sure we will receive a lot of comments.

For those who want to leave a comment you can do it through Facebook: polar choice.

Any doubt or comment would be very useful for us, so do not hesitate to tell us what you think.

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Hello everyone as every Friday.

This we had a visit from INLINGUA CHELTENHAM, this school belongs to Inlingua Group and it was a pleasure for us. 

This school is in Cheltenham, a city in the west of England. Their strongest point is that they guarantee you to be surrounded by British people all the time, what is really good as maybe in other cities we would find more people from our nationality. Therefore you will speak only English.

Here we show you pictures of the shool and some questions that we made them:

Hello, we know that your strongest point is that the school is placed in a typical English city with 100% British people, but we want to know more, does the school offer evening courses?

Yes we offer afternoon/evening courses but not for English, only for languages like German, French, Spanish...

To know more of the lessons, how many students do you have per classroom in Inlingua Cheltenham?

Our maximun per classroom is the 10 students, but the average is 8 students.

We know that in other school the students need to take a level test before enrolling the course, do the student in the school take a test level?

Yes, before enrolling a course, you need to do a test online. Thus we can know the group and level they need. Students can take the exam in the school when they arrive, though.

And to finish, do you prepare exams like IELTS or Cambridge?

Indeed, yes. The most popular course is IELTS as people need it to enter in the University. But also, of course, we prepare Cambridge exams: PET, CAE, FCE, etc.

This is everything.

It is a great opportunity for those who want to stay in a typical British city.

For mor information, you can contact us at: education@polarchoice.com

We like the social nets, so follow us and find more about POLAR CHOICE on: Facebook and Twitter: polarchoice

And we have our webpage for you:  www.polarchoice.com