So, your friends just got back from an English course in Brighton and are regaling you with stories about barbecues on the beach, the superb shops in North Laine and the general craziness of Britain’s top seaside city. Brighton is a fantastic place to learn English, as are our other most popular destinations including London, Bournemouth, Sydney and New York… they are popular for good reasons.
But don’t be afraid to expand your horizons when choosing a destination for your language course. At ESL, we have partnerships with schools in diverse and exciting parts of the world. You will have a very different experience studying in a city where there is only one language school, for example, to studying in one that welcomes tens of thousands of students each year.
Here are some of our more unexpected destinations for an English course:
New Delhi, India
photo: Dave Binks
India has the second largest English-speaking population in the world, after the USA. Learning English in New Delhi is an experience far from a typical language course. See a completely different way of life, taste new flavours, witness an incredible mix of beliefs, colours and… cows on the streets. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the experience is unlike any other. Our partner school ILSC New Delhi is in a lovely residential district in the south of the city and works with carefully-selected local host families to offer you a unique insight into Indian life.
Find out more about English courses in New Delhi, India
Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
photo: Julien Carnot
Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa is a wonderful destination if you want to really spend some time learning English, enjoying the surf and giving something back to the community. We offer volunteering programs in this beautiful corner of the African continent which is home to one of the most popular annual surfing competitions. Or you could enjoy the great weather, improve your English and then set off along the breathtaking Garden Route. Decisions, decisions…
Find out more about English courses in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
Belfast, Northern Ireland
photo: Iker Merodio
English courses in Dublin are consistently popular with language students, but Northern Ireland’s capital is an original alternative. The popular university city is much smaller than Dublin and still relatively untouched by tourism, so language students receive an extra-warm welcome. The surrounding Antrim countryside is blissfully peaceful, the coastline rugged and enchanting.
Find out more about English courses in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Whitianga, New Zealand
photo: César González Palomo
200km from Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula is a sanctuary of blissful sandy beaches and untouched forests. About as far from Europe as is geographically possible, this is a place for an English course with a difference. You won’t be the only one that has travelled a long way to be there; orcas regularly visit the bay.
Find out more about English courses in Whitianga, New Zealand
Gozo
photo: Marion Doss
The Maltese Archipelago is a great place to learn English. The main island is famous not only for superb weather throughout the year, but the kind of Mediterranean party vibe that means you will be chatting away in English until the early hours of the morning. Gozo, in contrast, is blissfully peaceful and can easily be traversed on a bicycle. After your English class, dip in the Ocean, learn to dive in the warm water or simply enjoy the laid back atmosphere. When Homer’s Odysseus was trapped here by the nymph Calypso, he may just have been in two minds about continuing his journey back to Ithaca. We’d rather stay on Gozo!
Find out more about English courses in Gozo
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