COMPARING LANGUAGE SCHOOLS AND COURSES: A CHECKLIST
This table has been put on a separate page so that you can print it out and use it if you wish, putting the names of schools or courses at the top.  For each school/course you are thinking about, we suggest that you use a code - something like G (=good) means that the school/course has this factor a lot, or well, while M (= Medium or Middle) means it's all right, and of course B means Bad. If a school's publicity doesn't say anything about a point which you care about, you can email them and ask - if they don't or can't tell you, the answer is normally B!   
There are spaces at the bottom for you to add your own questions.  If you have any ideas you think everyone should know about, please use our form to send them to us.

At the end, have a look at the number of Gs for each school/course, especially near the top of the page.

CRITERIA

 School 1

 

  School 2 School 3 School 4
Prices - High (B) or not (G)? (* see below)        
Class size - big (B) or small (G)?        
Can I get a course on the exact dates I want?        
Can I get the course intensity (= number of lessons per week) I want?        
Are the teachers described as "qualified" (M) or "well-qualified" (G) or nothing (B)?        
(Britain/UK only) Is the school British Council Accredited?        
(Other countries) Is there anything to show that the school is inspected for quality?        
Can I get the specialisms I need (such as Business English)?        
Does the school claim to have good expertise or experience in those specialisms?        
Can I do the exams I want?        
Is the school an examining centre for any of the exams I want to do?        
Will I be in a group with people of a similar level of English to mine?        
Can I get the kind of accommodation I want?        
(Homestay only) Is the school positive about its homestay families?        
Is the school in the country I most want to go to?        
Is it in the kind of place I want to stay in?        
Is it in a good place from which to visit other places of interest to me?        
Is it in a convenient place for transfer from my arrival/departure point?        
If not, does the school offer help with transfer to and from airports?        
Will there be many of my own nationality in the school?        
Will there be many foreign people in the town/place where the school is?        
Does the school offer the facilities I want?        
Is there a good social programme?        
Is the school the right size for me?        
Does the school give its views on teaching and learning English? (If not, B; if a lot G)        
If it does, how much do I agree with those views?        
Will I be treated as an individual or as only one student among many?        
Does the school's publicity give it an image or feeling I like?        
 

 

        
 

 

        
 

 

        
 

 

        

* In comparing prices, it is essential to be sure that you are comparing prices for the same amount of teaching time.  In particular, be careful of the word 'hour': with some schools the word 'hour' means a lesson (which may be only 45 or even 40 minutes) and not sixty minutes. And you also have to be careful that you know what a school means by the word 'lesson', or 'class' - exactly how long in time each 'lesson' or 'class' is.  Making a mistake about these matters can cost you as much as 25% of your course!