Our references
Sabbatical year, Gap Year, Long stay: Our references
Duration: 6-week intensive course + 6-week ranchstay
Thanks to ESL’s expert advice, I decided to take a language course combined with a ranch stay. I had a wonderful time in Canada, both in Vancouver and on the ranch, which provided a very enriching experience. I got to know very nice people with whom I’m still in touch. I’ll never forget the amazing excursions I did with them in the Rocky Mountains.
I spent 6 fabulous months in Vancouver and I plan to go back there as soon as I can! I started my trip with a 3-month intensive course. Then, the school arranged an interview with an architects practice looking for an intern. I spent my last three months there and it gave me the opportunity to adopt the Canadian lifestyle and use my English all the time. I got really involved in the daily life of the company and I am now very comfortable speaking English.
Before graduating from college and getting a job, I decided to travel abroad in order to improve my English, so I took a 5-month full-immersion language course in the pleasant and dynamic city of Brighton. I chose to stay at the Student House, which was an amazing experience, both for my personal development and to improve my English skills. I met students from all over the world there, they became my friends and visited me in Paris. At the student house, you could always find someone to talk to and exchange your ideas in English. Besides, the intensive course allowed me to combine classes and leisure, with lessons in the mornings and 3 afternoons per week dedicated to discovering England and taking part in the leisure activities organised by the school. This experience has brought me a lot, as well on a personal level as on a professional level. I had the opportunity to carry out a 2-month internship in an English company, in marketing, a subject which I’m currently studying in France. I could work with English people and professionals, which helped me improve my listening and speaking skills. I believe no words can really describe such an amazing experience, you need to experience it to realise what it means to take a language course abroad.
ILSC Vancouver is a great school. The teachers are brilliant, many activities are organised and you meet tons of people from everywhere in the world! Vancouver is a city which is very very easy to love, but very difficult to leave... everything is close-by (shops, night clubs, restaurants, etc.) and public transport is really convenient! I improved my English a lot! Great experience!
For my law studies, I had to carry out an internship and I got even more from it by doing it abroad. I started with a FCE preparation course. During the course, I had interviews arranged with lawyers’ practices looking for interns. The first practice was fine and I spent three beneficial months there, which allowed me to practice my English and enter the working world.
Vancouver… even in the winter, the city is truly beautiful. Canadian people are open-minded and very friendly. I had the chance to stay with a lovely host family, who went out of its way to make me feel comfortable in Canada. “Best homestay in Vancouver!” My internship: an amazing experience. Great colleagues, pushing me to improve my English, interesting work. Add to this the visit of Vancouver Island, the Art of Native People and snowboarding in Whistler... and you get something simply unique!
My name is Florie Pingoud. I combined a course with an internship in South Africa, more specifically in Cape Town. My role during the internship was to take part in a project to help refugees and migrants defend their rights in the country. This included dealing with interesting issues such as Gay and lesbian rights, HIV, violence against women and refugee rights. Working and studying English in this context helped me learn much more about South Africa. I had lots of fun there and the place is beautiful. I believe South Africa still has a long way to go to become a totally safe country and a mixed-race nation, but I enjoyed learning more about that. My aim is to finally find a job in an NGO as an anthropologist.
With my girlfriend, we wanted to travel while doing something useful and interesting. We both love adventures and the Spanish language so we decided to travel to Mexico for 6 months. My friend was virtually a beginner, but I already had some good knowledge of Spanish acquired in college. We took the first three months of classes together, each in a different group. Interested by social and educational issues, I took part in the internship programme during the next three months and worked as a volunteer in a school for underprivileged children. This experience gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the life of the country, with a level of personal and professional involvement I would never have imagined. In the meantime, my friend continued her Spanish course and after 6 months, she could get by pretty well in Spanish... and in the kitchen, thanks to the “Mexican cuisine” option offered by the school. Six wonderful months!