Would you like to improve your English skills without having to attend class regularly for months? Perhaps you want a little help with comprehension or accent or idioms. Maybe you're not sure if your skills are strong enough for a presentation you need to make. Perhaps you would simply like to feel more confident when speaking English on the job or in social settings.
Here is a new opportunity to refresh your English skills and take them a step further. Come stay a week in historic Virginia, USA. In the friendly and intimate setting of a rural "bed and breakfast" inn, you will be immersed in English as you enjoy vacation days and study evenings.
You are free to spend the days as you please in an area that offers many vacation delights: playing golf, fishing in the rivers or on a Chesapeake Bay charter, learning to sail, relaxing at the local beach, touring historic sites such as Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, or the homes of Washington and Lee, bicycling, shopping, or just lazing in a garden swing with a good book. You can have as active or as restful a week as you like.
At the end of the day, the group reunites for an early dinner and the evening program of English studies. Your bed-and-breakfast host is an ESL (English as a second language) teacher with 20 years of experience teaching all ages at all levels. Here, with a group of as few as 3 or as many as 8 participants, the exercises will address each person's needs. There are no textbooks or other standard materials. Discussions may be based on newspaper or magazine articles, participants' work materials, news broadcasts or documentaries, as the group chooses. Grammar will be taught as needed. It's a fun way to study yet the results are solid.
If you don't have much confidence about your spoken English, this is the perfect way to overcome your reluctance. Your teacher is patient and kind - but determined to have you express yourself. The atmosphere is friendly and supportive, all having a good time working together to improve their skills. You'll start to understand much more of the English you hear, as well, and get a chance to ask about slang expressions or things you find confusing when you travel.
These programs are for people who have studied English previously. Some weeks will be for people who aren't very comfortable or confident, and other weeks will be for those who are already quite proficient.
Quite a bit! The personal attention you will receive makes all the difference. The small-group setting is excellent for improving your listening comprehension and your oral expression. You will learn many idioms. You'll get help breaking any bad habit of expression. You will learn basic things such as the phrases Americans most typically use in common situations, but you can also use the opportunity for help with specialized fields of work. The level of language will be as advanced as you are ready for, and the amount of correction you receive is mostly your choice.
Outside Deltaville, on the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, by the Chesapeake Bay. This is a rural area with water everywhere, as rivers empty into the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Sailing and fishing are enjoyed by many vacationers. Historic towns, courthouses and houses attract others. Several golf courses are nearby, and all are available to the public. You will need a car to explore the area; rates are reasonable, gasoline is usually less than $1.50 a gallon, and the roads are excellent. A bicycle will get you to the beach (three miles) or to sailing lessons (same).
Airport connections:
Williamsburg, about 45 minutes away, is the closest point served by Greyhound. Amtrak can bring you to downtown Richmond, about an hour and a quarter away.
The program runs one calendar week, from a Sunday evening to the next Sunday morning. Your accomodations are those of a bed & breakfast vacation week: a double room with a queen or king-sized bed. If only three rooms are occupied, all have private baths; if the program is fully booked, two rooms share a bath and two have private baths. The price includes breakfast and and a delicious homecooked dinner (with wine) every day, two private lessons, and a group class every evening from the (early) dinner until bedtime. The evening sessions may be all conversation, reading aloud and discussing material students chose, or involve tv or songs.
From after breakfast until gathering at 5 pm for beverages before dinner, you are free to enjoy your vacation days. If you don't wish to rent a car, you may get assistance in working out a sharing arrangement with other participants so that you can explore together. You can get a ride to a local marina, the beach on the Rappahannock River, or the local golf course. The local library offers free use of computers with a highspeed internet connection, and there are tennis courts in town as well. You are also free to stay at the property and read, write, watch movies, or play games, indoors or out. Besides your own room, the living room and the screened porch are available to you, as are the gardens, with several swings ideal for reading or napping. There is a good collection of books and videos at your disposal.