Why Edinburgh? Why ELA?
The castle to the left, Princes Street to the right
Edinburgh is a major tourist destination within the UK. This unique Scottish city is arguably one of the most attractive in Europe. It is famous for the many world-class festivals that take place here in the month of August. You can take in the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, the International Film Festival, the Book Festival and the Military Tattoo, which ends each night with a spectacular fireworks display. All of these combine to make Edinburgh an ideal place to enjoy the summer while learning English.
Great events are not just limited to the summer months. Winter sees the Hogmanay Street Party, which takes place on December 31st every year. This event is held on Princes Street, where there is food, drink and entertainment up until the moment of midnight, when the new year is welcomed with a spectacular fireworks display.
However, Edinburgh is not just a tourist destination. Edinburgh's role as an intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and its beauty earned it the nickname “Athens of the North”, and its cultural life is greatly enriched by the presence of several well-regarded universities, colleges and other schools.
Edinburgh Language Academy offers high-quality English language courses accredited by the British Council, and courses in other modern languages such as Polish, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and German. The English courses we offer range from General English, to English for Academic Purposes and Cambridge IELTS, FCE, CAE and CPE exam preparation. We also offer Business English courses tailored to meet the individual needs of our customers. Our English teachers are all qualified and experienced within the field, and the school operates a professional development program to ensure that our methodologies are up-to-date and relevant for the needs of our learners.
The Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals
A Performer on The Fringe
Every August, Edinburgh rocks the country with the biggest arts festival in the world. According to the readers of the Rough Guide series, the Fringe festival is the number one tourist attraction in the UK.
If you are a real travel-lover and adventure-seeker, Edinburgh is just the right place for you! Not only is it a photographer's paradise - you can admire the historical buildings, cathedrals, castle and old Georgian houses, but it also has a special atmosphere that will touch your heart and leave you enchanted with the city.
No wonder Edinburgh is a home for artists - some of the most famous are Sean Connery, J.K. Rowling, Ewan McGregor and Irving Welsh. This place can inspire you, give you positive energy, motivation to be creative and belief that whatever you do is right!
During the Fringe festival the capital city of Scotland turns into a fairyland. Coming here, you are thrown from your country to an extraordinary place: interesting, mysterious and fascinating! Edinburgh is liberating and exciting. It is like a dream you won't want to wake up from. That is why it is so hard to leave Edinburgh, and whoever visits will always have a special feeling for the capital of Scotland.
Some highlights from this year's Fringe:
Comedy:
Adam, Jason and friends(13-16/08); Alistair McGowan and Charlotte Page: Cocktails with Coward (6-31/08)
Theatre:
The Assassination of Paris Hilton (13-30/08); Austen’s Women (6-31/08) or Becoming Marylin (6-31/08)
Music:
Camille O’Sullivan: The Dark Angel (6-31/08)
Exhibitions:
Zimbabwe sculpture (6-31/08)
And much, much more! See the edfringe website for more details of events at this year's Fringe.
If you want to take the most of your stay in Edinburgh, study English with ELA! You can study at school during the mornings and afternoons, meet new and interesting people from all over the world, and then use English while attending Festival shows with your new friends! Learning by doing is the most effective way of learning and acquiring a new language - practice makes perfect! Why not practice in Edinburgh at ELA?
The photograph on this entry was taken by duckydebs and retrieved from flickr.com's Creative Commons pool
Enrol now and save on the exchange rate!
05 January 2009.
The economic downturn has dominated the news for the last six months. However, it's not all doom and gloom. One of the effects of the recession on the UK economy has been to lower the exchange rate of sterling against a great many other currencies. For example, six months ago, the Japanese yen was trading at ¥220/£1. When this article was written, it was trading at ¥130/£1.
It's the same story with the Euro. Six months ago, €1 bought £0.78. On January 14th, 2009, it bought £0.90 - an appreciation of more than 10%.
These are just two examples, the same thing is happening with a great many other currencies as well. This means that your money will go further in the UK now than it did six months or a year ago, so despite the less than positive economic news, it's actually a good time to study in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Language Academy is accredited by the British Council
15 December 2008.
The staff at Edinburgh Language Academy are pleased to announce that we have been accredited by the British Council. We would like to thank all our students, who are our main motivation as teachers, and without whom this important achievement would not have been possible.
So, what does British Council Accreditation mean?
The British Council is the body that oversees and represents the English teaching profession and industry in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for ensuring that schools which bear its logo meet and maintain its high standards of teaching and learning.
In Late October, the British Council sent a team of highly-qualified inspectors to the school to observe our teaching practices and how we work with the students to help them achieve their goals. Achieving accreditation is proof that the British Council believes that Edinburgh Language Academy is a good school that provides high-quality English teaching and learning.
For the teachers, this means that we are constantly improving our skills and developing as professionals. For the student, it means that you can be confident that you will receive high-quality English teaching from a team that has proven that they understand and care about your learning.
(British Council Accreditation certificate)
