College to re-open on 7th September!

At last, we have positive news. We aim to re-open the College for face-to-face courses from 7th September.

We are receiving enquiries for September 2020 and so we would like to make 7th September our date to look forward to. We wish to assure everyone that precautions will be put in place to help protect the health and safety of all students, hosts, staff and the local community.

It is possible the student experience may be a little different at first as restrictions are gradually lifted and we return to a more normal way of life, but we are committed to providing the best possible course for our students. Class sizes will be smaller and our social programme will be modified to respect social distancing and other guidelines. However, we aim to offer a busy programme and to make each student’s stay beneficial and enjoyable.

We are looking forward to re-opening our doors once again and to welcoming students and staff back to Hilderstone!

Teacher Sue’s trip to Russia, January 2019

Recently one of our teachers, Sue, was invited to teach a small group of teenagers in St Petersburg, Russia, on a trip organised by Perspective Language School. Here is Sue’s account of her trip, with some great photos.

Hi everyone, my name’s Sue and I am one of the teachers at Hilderstone College. I have been working here for nearly five years and I love it!

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to go to St Petersburg in Russia for the college to teach English to a group of teenage students from the Orenburg area in the South of Russia. It was a special project arranged by their school for them to combine learning English with a winter holiday including the period from New Year to the Russian Orthodox religious celebration of Christmas Day on the 7 January. Due to that I had a second Christmas with the students and we enjoyed all the lit up Christmas trees and beautiful sparkling lights in the city and after lessons on Christmas Day, exchanged Christmas presents, played games and compared Christmas traditions in our different countries.

The students were lovely and worked hard in the morning before daily excursions to historical sights, museums and palaces like the Hermitage in Palace Square. Everyday we met our super guide Viktoria, who is Russian and lives in the city… but she spoke in English all the time, which the students had requested so they could practise their English all day.

Of course, we also found time for shopping in Nevsky prospect, which is like Oxford Street in London, and at the Christmas Markets. We did a lot of walking in the snow and the lowest temperature was -16, and we went on the metro every day especially Admiralteyskaya, which is one of the deepest metro stations in the world at 86 metres below ground. We timed it and it took 5 minutes to reach the platform!!

All in all, it was an amazing trip to a beautiful and cosmopolitan city and I am looking forward to meeting some of the students again when they come to Hilderstone in the Spring for some more English lessons!

http://www.hilderstone.ac.uk/teenageschoolgroups/index.html

Lynne Hoenes, our Head of Marketing, talks about meeting our partners abroad.

A part of my role as Head of Marketing is to attend workshops and exhibitions designed to meet new educational tour operators.  These events are a wonderful opportunity to meet new partners from around the world – all in one room!

I pre-make appointments and at the event, each educational tour operator comes to my table for a 20 – 30 minute meeting.  In that time, I need to make Hilderstone stand out as being a language school they would like to send students to.  Of course, there is a lot of follow-up afterwards and getting to know each other on a professional basis.

Our partner educational tour operators are paramount to our student recruitment activity and have a very important role in helping students to enrol in the best possible school to meet their personal needs and goals.

LUIS VIVES, SECONDARY SCHOOL FROM VALENCIA (SPAIN) AT HILDERSTONE COLLEGE, BROADSTAIRS (ENGLAND)

Here is an account written by the group leaders:

Last June, a group of students from our school, with two teachers, went to Hilderstone College to improve their English.

The adventure began at Valencia airport and, after landing in London, we were picked up by a bus from the College, to take us to Broadstairs. There, different families were waiting for us and they took our students back to their homes in pairs.

This was really important because they are fourteen and fifteen years old and, for most of them, it was their first journey alone outside Spain.  It was an interesting way to immerse themselves in British life in a secure environment which gave both them and their parents peace of mind.

The programme was really complete and very intensive. They had to go to the college each day from Monday to Friday for classes with their teachers. They were divided into two groups according to their level. David, Sue and Jonny were responsible for the classes, and, with their methodology and humour, they managed to make them dynamic and fun.

In the morning, the students got up and had breakfast with the families at home. Then, they walked to the college and started the classes. After one and a half hours they had a break (which they usually spent playing table football or air hockey in the games room) and then they continued till lunch time. Every day they had a packed lunch but if anyone wanted to eat something more, they could buy food cheaply at the College snack bar. Kumiko was the cook and always surprised us with her varied, exotic and succulent meals. When they finished, they could go to the media room, to the games room, to the garden to do something else or just relax and unwind.

Their afternoon classes were different, and often involved excursions and games. At five o’ clock, they finished and went back home for free time and dinner until eight o’clock. In the evening there were more activities with Hilderstone, like the talk on British geography (very, very interesting), bowling, karaoke, disco, etc. All of them were unforgettable and great fun thanks especially to Dave and Lynn.

At the weekend, we visited London and walked around the Houses of Parliament and the Westminster area, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, China Town, the Glove Theatre, the Tate Modern Gallery, Tower Bridge, etc. It was a very intense day and we were very tired at last!!

Another day, in the afternoon, we went to Canterbury and walked around its streets, visited the library, cathedral and some parks. A very nice place! As well as that, we went on two excursions more, one walking to Ramsgate around the coast  and the other, visiting nearby towns and places of interest. Teachers and other members of staff were always with us to explain everything we saw.

It was a very interesting experience and we will always  remember this time. Broadstairs is a very nice place. I can hear the beach with the seagulls and see the people in Dickens Week dressed up in the clothes of the 19th century.

The  families were really hospitable and all our pupils were very comfortable with all of them. And, of course, I must mention Hilderstone College and all of its teachers and other staff who did everything possible to help us have a fantastic time. I am grateful to the teachers Dave, Sue and Jonny, to Natacha and Lynne in the marketing department (who helped organise everything before we arrived), Dave and Lynne, the social activities organisers and to the Principal, Director and Deputy Director of Studies. Thanks again and I hope to come back another time.

Carmina Valiente.

Teacher and Principal at IES Lus Vives

 

Valentina writes about Broadstairs

BROADSTAIRS

This charming Victorian town is in the south-east of England in the county of Kent (sometimes called ‘the garden of England’), and it’s 80 miles from London. The town is not too big and the city centre is near the main beach, Viking Bay. There are also other beautiful beaches with golden sand such as Botany Bay, Joss Bay, Louisa Bay and Stone Bay.

Here there are a lot of shops, cafes and restaurants all around the world, including Chinese, Turkish, Mexican, and Italian.

There is also a little train station, with 2 platforms, where you can take a train to London and the nearby towns. Here, the train, in my opinion, is the best way to travel because it is cheaper and faster than the car or the coach.

The town is known for its sandy beaches, which attract a lot of tourists every year, and some of its buildings such as Charles Dickens’ house, in which he wrote his novel ‘David Copperfield’.

In the town centre there are also, in certain periods, some festivals, like the Water Gala, in which there are rides and the ferris wheel and people playing water games and sandcastles competition, or the Folk Week. In this last event there are a lot of people playing an instrument or dancing in the city centre streets. This is a very particular event and I liked it.

There was a very inclusive atmosphere: all people together with no difference. There were also some stands that sold typical food and objects like clothes, garlands of flowers, handmade objects such as ceramic pots or bracelets, plaques written to beautify the house or the garden but also food such as fresh fruit, crepes and donuts.

During the summer there are also fireworks.You can see them near Viking Bay four times: once a week for three weeks (18th, 25th July and 1st August) and finally on the 22nd of August. Before the fireworks you can dance or listen to live music in the square near the beach.

Lisa-Marie from Germany

Who ever believes that Broadstairs is a contemplative sleepy seaside town is far from correct. Especially in the summer months, students from all over the world bustle up and down the streets of Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday destination – in the morning half-asleep on the way to college, during the break at lunchtime in a hurry to the food-to-go shelves in the supermarket or to the picturesque beach, and after a substantial dinner with their host-families they go straight to “The Dolphin” or another quaint English pub. One of the most well-regarded language schools is Hilderstone College – centrally located, just follow your nose from the beach – which is, in my eyes, mainly based on its outstanding teachers. Probably the most charming part is the inner garden, but even more important is the spiritual content of this school. I experienced Hilderstone as an intellectual place where stunning ideas arise, teachers appear to have a never-ending passion for their job, students behave open-mindedly and share each other’s ingenious ideas while having enriching conversations. Teaching thrives on variety, constant encouragement and motivation by the teacher, continuous gain in knowledge, self-confidence and language skills. In addition, recreational activities are also offered in the afternoon such as challenging sports afternoons, amusing folk dance lessons, trips to vibrant and historic cities and places like London and Dover. To top it off, accommodation is provided by caring, responsible and welcoming  host families who make you comfortable during your enjoyable and instructive journey.

 

September 2018

Miori from Japan

I’m Miori. I’m from Japan. I’ve been here for 2 weeks.

I’m having fun studying English at Hilderstone College. I’m always disappointed by my English skill, but I wouldn’t have this experience in Japan. So, I have to keep studying English everyday!

Also, my dream was to study in England, so I’m really happy to be here! I can’t see views like this in Japan. I like walking around my house. Everything is different for me.

What’s more, you can go to Canterbury from Broadstairs by train. It takes about 30 minutes. You can see the beautiful city and Canterbury Cathedral. Now, it is being repaired on the outside, but inside is really beautiful! I like European countries, because I can see  many churches like this.

This Saturday, I’m going to go to London to see “Les Misérables”. It was also my dream to see this show in London! A lot of my dreams have come true in England.

September 2018

Chiara’s update: week 6

Hi! I am Chiara. This is my sixth week here and I am having a great experience.

With Hilderstone College I have been on some excursions, and I really enjoyed those. Two weeks ago I went to Leeds Castle, a beautiful building with a big and lovely garden. Here there is a wide variety of birds, like ducks and swans. Valentina and I went to the maze of the Castle and we also saw the  falconry display.

Last week Valentina and I went to Canterbury, where we went shopping and visited the beautiful and historic city. There we saw Canterbury Cathedral, which is the most important cathedral in Britain. We visited also St Augustine’s Abbey and Eastbridge Hospital (medieval pilgrim’s hospital)

I spend a lot of time with the host family: I play a lot with the kids, we watch movies together (e. g. Harry Potter) and we cook together. With my host family I can also improve my English.  

Recently there have been two festivals in Broadstairs: the Water Gala and Folk Week. Every Wednesday night there were also fireworks and they were very beautiful. There were a lot of people in Broadstairs and there were markets, music and dancers in the streets.