As I am currently on a volunteer assignment in South Africa, it made sense to combine this with a language study trip. However, the main motivation for me was not this assignment, but my association work with Youngstars International. Youngstars International is a network that brings together youth organizations from different countries. And as I am on the board there, it is important for me to be able to understand the discussions and documents, which are mainly held in English, precisely.
My language study trip took place in Cape Town, South Africa.
I completed my language study trip directly before my volunteer placement in South Africa, which began in September 2016 and lasted 6 weeks.
My school class was very small, which allowed for very active participation and individual support. The detailed and individual feedback on presentations and written work was also very helpful. I really appreciated going to school in the morning and being able to organize the afternoons freely. It almost felt like a vacation, even though I learned a lot. It was also good to be able to put my English into practice in my free time with other students or with my host family. I am very happy with my stay and have fond memories of it.
In conversations with friends and coworkers here in South Africa, I always notice expressions that I have learned at the language school. This makes communication easier and it's nice to notice how you can express yourself more and more precisely. Professionally, I also see a benefit in better understanding English specialist literature or the opportunity to attend further training courses in other countries, as the language barrier has been massively reduced.
It's good to choose a place that you like and that also has something to offer outside of school hours. After all, it's worth using the language not only in school lessons, but also in your free time, be it with a host family, with friends, in the city or at the movies. The more you are exposed to the new language, the faster you learn it. In other words, the easiest way to learn a language is to learn it where it is spoken. If you are out and about with fellow students from different countries, the temptation to simply converse in your mother tongue is also much less. I can highly recommend the combination of a language school and a volunteer placement or otherwise living and working in the country for a while afterwards. This massively expands and deepens what you have learned without having to invest a lot of money in a school again.
The registration was made via the provider "Surprise Reisen" and the stay was organized by the IH School Cape Town.
I felt well looked after, both by the school and the tour operator. The location of the IH School in Cape Town Seapoint was simply great and I would choose it again in a heartbeat.
Linda, deine Weiterbildungsfinderin