Advice to Students at ETC International College (English Language School)

When coming to the UK, we want you to feel welcome, happy, safe and comfortable, and we’re here to help and encourage you to improve your English as much as possible. The following advice is to make your stay a positive experience in every way.

At the airport

Remember to have all your relevant documents ready before you get to passport control and immigration. Don’t forget to put them in your hand luggage and not in your suitcase. Regarding suitcases, for security reasons please make sure that you don’t carry any other person’s luggage or allow anybody else to carry your suitcases.

As regards money, please don’t carry too much cash with you in case it gets stolen, and also because if you’re carrying a lot of cash, Customs officers may take it from you due to official regulations.

If you’ve arranged with us to be picked up, then after immigration, as soon as you come out into the main part of the airport, please look for your full name and the ETC logo on a sign that the driver will be holding. If, for some reason, you can’t find the driver, don’t worry. All you have to do is go to the information desk and ask the assistant to “put out a call to the ETC International College representative”. You can also call the driver yourself – remember that either your agent or we will have given you the driver’s phone number.

If you’re coming to Bournemouth by yourself, make sure that you know the arrival time and you can book a National Express coach from the airport to the Bournemouth Travel Interchange on the Internet before you leave. National Express will e-mail your ticket to you and you then need to print it out so that you can show it to the coach driver. The National Express website is www.nationalexpress.com .

You don’t have to book the ticket on the Internet. You can go to the information desk when you get to the airport and ask them where to buy a National Express ticket and where exactly to catch the coach.

When you arrive at the Bournemouth Travel Interchange by coach, cross over to the other side and take a taxi just outside the railway station. Don’t forget to give the driver the address with the house number.

If you you’re arriving at Bournemouth Airport, you can take the A1 Airport Service (Yellow Buses) to the Bournemouth Travel Interchange (see www.yellowbuses.co.uk for more details). You could take a taxi, but it’s more expensive.

Host Families

Before you come to the UK, please let us know at the school and also tell your host family what time you’re arriving at the airport – either by e-mail, fax or telephone. Our Welfare and Accommodation Officer can give you your host family’s phone number and/or e-mail address. We’d recommend you to contact your host family before you come (either by e-mail, fax, telephone or letter) to give you both a chance to get to know each other a little beforehand.

While you’re staying with your host family, you may notice some things which are different from your own culture and may seem strange, but remember that it’s all part of the advantage of going abroad, as it helps to broaden our minds.
Don’t forget to be polite and say “please” and “thank you”, and please also ask before you use any food, drink or domestic appliances (“Could/May/Can I please . . . ?”). It sounds a bit formal, but English people are used to this. If you’re going out, it’s also important to tell your host family where you’re going and what time you’ll be back so that they don’t get worried about you.

Your English Studies

It’s obviously important to make the most of this opportunity in Bournemouth to learn as much English as possible. That way, you’ll meet more people from different countries, have more fun, get to know more about the UK and feel much more confident about your future with a good level of English.

Please remember to:

• try to speak English as much as possible outside the classroom (and always in the class, of course)

• come to school every day in order to make as much progress as possible (otherwise you’ll feel lost if you’ve missed something important) – if your attendance is under 80%, you won’t get a certificate when you leave the school

• get to class on time so that you take full advantage of the lessons

• take clear notes and revise them every day, as this will help you in the progress tests every four weeks

• do all the homework so that you can follow the class better the next day when you check it with your teacher – if you repeatedly don’t do your homework, you won’t get a certificate when you leave ETC

• get involved in as many extra activities as possible (for example, the weekly film afternoon, the school’s on-line newspaper – www.studentnews.org.uk -, sports activities and parties). This way you’ll meet more people, practise and improve your English, and have more fun.

Around Bournemouth

The roads here in the UK may well be different to what you’re used to in your country, so we want you to be safe, comfortable and confident when you’re going around the town. Please don’t forget:

• to look both ways before crossing the road

• to stay calm and use your common sense if you’re concerned about your safety in any way (and go into the nearest shop for assistance if necessary)

• to use suitable safety equipment when riding a bike

• that you buy a bus ticket (red and yellow buses) as soon as you get on the bus

• that you can save money on the red and yellow buses if you buy a bus pass (it’s called a buzz card for the yellow buses)

• to carry change with you when you’re going to take a bus

• put your hand out when you’re at a bus stop and see a bus coming

Bank Accounts

Remember that if you need a visa to come to the UK, you can only open a bank account if your visa is for six months or more. You should obviously keep your money in a bank account rather than carry a lot of cash with you round the town.

Working in the UK

Please check the visa in your passport and the home office website (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk) to see if you can work or how many hours you can work a week. If you don’t follow the home office regulations, you’ll get into serious trouble.