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Frequently asked questions

Junior summer courses

Language courses

What’s the difference between a general course and an intensive course?

If you join the general course you have three lessons each morning. Each lesson focuses on a specific area of language learning: grammar or language work, reading and/or listening, communicative activities like role plays and/or speaking practice like pronunciation. If you join the intensive course, you will get a fourth lesson with extra practice in key areas of language.

What kind of teaching materials will be used?

We use our own teaching materials that have been carefully compiled and selected for originality, content and relevance to young people.

Are good school marks necessary to attend a language course?

You don’t need excellent school marks to join a language course. All you need is some previous knowledge of the corresponding language (1-2 years in school).

Who are the teachers?

90 % of our teachers are English native speakers and a maximum of 10 % are native level speakers. They have an additional qualification, i.e. teaching English, French, Spanish or German as a second language. Most of the teachers are young.

Accommodation

What are the advantages and disadvantages between a stay in a private home and a residential stay?

If you live in a private home you have direct contact with native speakers. You can dive into their culture and learn about their daily lives. Furthermore, you can improve your language skills by using the language constantly.
Living in a private home requires an open mind, tolerance and flexibility. Each host leads a different life and each host has different rules. These might be different to the rules of your own family, but you are expected to adapt to the rules of your host. The minimum age for a host family accommodation is 13 years.
If you don’t want the obligations that are connected with home stay accommodation you should choose to stay in a residence. Of course, there are also certain rules, but you are more independent and you live with other students. The language courses and the activity program take place in or near the residence. In a residence you are usually closer to all the happenings than those students living in a private home. Normally you share a room with students of another nationality, but this might not always be possible.

What kind of home stay hosts are in your program?

Our hosts are local people – not only traditional families but also single parents or elderly couples without children who enjoy welcoming young people from all over the world into their homes.  Most of the hosts have taken part in our programme for many years. Our local Welfare Officer (WO) is responsible for selecting the hosts and placing the students.

How far away are the private homes from school?

The hosts live in all parts of the town, so, on occasions, the journey to school could take up to 60 minutes.

Do the hosts have children of my age?

It depends. Only a few families have children of your age and most have younger children or children that already have their own homes. The reason for this is that the hosts need enough space for students without restricting their own family life. If you would like to stay with a host who has children of your age, please indicate this request in your booking form. We will try to find a suitable host for you – but we cannot promise anything!

Can I change a private home if any problems arise?

Our hosts are carefully selected and most of them have been working for us for several years. For this reason problems rarely occur. However, if they do you can contact your group leader at any time and they will be there to help you. Many of the problems are caused by communication difficulties. If the problem cannot be solved you may change your host family. To find a new one takes time so it could take 3 or 4 days before you can change.

Can I stay with my friend in the same room?

No problem, if you are of the same sex. Just indicate this in your booking form. We try to make it possible – most of the time it works out.

Can three friends stay together in the same private home?

If three of you want to live together in one private home or the same room, please indicate it in your booking form. We’ll try to find a host that can take three students.

Is it allowed for boys and girls to share a room?

NO. Unfortunately this is not possible. We respect the rules and customs of the host country.

Could I live with students from another country?

In all destinations we offer internationally mixed accommodation as long as the personal requirements of all students correspond. Please indicate your requests on the booking form.

What about the food?

Food is usually typical of the country where you are staying, more so in private homes than in a residence. Most of the home stay hosts as well as the chefs in the residence are familiar with the dietary requirements of international students. If you live in a private home you will get a typical breakfast and a hot meal in the evening.  If you book full board, you will get a packed lunch or a warm lunch in the residence. In most residences you normally have half board – in buffet style or a set menu. In addition, we offer full board. Please find more details in the descriptions of the relevant accommodation. Please note that often only tap water will be served to drink.

May I get vegetarian food?

Yes, residences always offer vegetarian meal options. Home stay hosts may also adapt to it. Please point out in your booking form that you are vegetarian so that we can choose an appropriate host for you or inform the kitchen in the residence about the number of vegetarians before arrival.

Do I have to bring along towels and bed linen?

The home stay hosts and the staff in the residences take care of bed linen but you must bring your own towels. You will find more detailed information in the travel documents that will be sent to you before departure. Please bear in mind that you always need extra towels for the beach.

Where can I wash my clothes?

In all our centres public launderettes are on campus or close by.

Is there a safe or somewhere to lock away valuables?

Normally, safe storage for valuables is available in all our centres, if the rooms are not lockable.

Supervision and Activity Programme

What is a day in a centre like?

To give you an idea of what to expect, here is a typical timetable! Changes may occur from centre to centre.

Who are the supervisors?

Our supervisors are normally young people between 21 and 30 years old. Most of them are students who love to spend their holidays with younger people.
They are carefully selected and they receive intensive residential training. Many of them already have first-hand experience of this type of work.

Do the supervisors live in residence?

Yes! There is at least one supervisor living in each residence. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact him/her.

Do I always have to stay with the group or may I do something on my own?

You may always do something on your own within the centre. If you want to leave the campus on your own you have to be older than 12 and you need the permission of your supervisor. There must be three of you for personal safety reasons. The only exception is when you are returning to your host family. These rules also apply on excursions.

How late can we stay out?

Each centre has its own specific rules, but generally you have to be home between 10 p.m. and 12 p.m. depending on your age and the day of the week.

Do you pay attention to abuse of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs?

Of course! Cigarettes and drugs are not permitted in any of our centres and alcohol, like beer and wine, is permitted only in France, if you are 16 or older.

Other

How are the transfers organized?

After your arrival you will be welcomed by our Meet & Greet Service and taken to the residence or your home stay accommodation. In some cases there may be periods of waiting while we await the arrival of other students. If you take our Low Cost transfer, departure from the airport to your destination will be at about 6 p.m. Please allow for changes to this schedule.

How much pocket money do I need?

It depends on what you are planning to do. We recommend an appropriate budget for ice cream, coke, etc…. If you want to buy clothes, CDs or other things, you will obviously need more money. When you book half board meal plan, please remember that you will need money for lunches. You will need extra money for some activities. Experience has shown that our students spend approximately 100 euro (70 GBP) per week.

Is there going to be any other children coming alone?

Normally there are always children who travel on their own, as well as students who come with their friends. So don’t worry, you’ll find new friends very soon!

Family language programmes

Does every family member have to attend a language course?

At least one child and one parent have to attend a language course; accommodation can also be provided for additional family members.

Can I attend a language course without having previous knowledge?

No. Parents and children should have a basic knowledge of the chosen language.
I want to bring my 5-years-old child? Can you organize supervision whilst I’m taking classes?
No. Unfortunately, we cannot organize supervision for children that are not taking part in our lessons and activities.

Does our child have to participate in the activity programme?

No! Your child or children can participate in the activities on offer, but you can also spend some time together as a family. As the programme is very flexible and can be arranged to suit your needs, you can make up your mind on a daily basis.

Are there activities on offer for parents?

No. We know by experience, that most parents prefer to organize their own days. We will therefore provide you with detailed information about your destination during a Welcome Meeting.  

Do the parents live together with their children?

Depending on your favoured destination, you can either stay together as a family, or your children stay in a residence with other children while you are accommodated separately. 

How far away is the accommodation from school?

It always depends on the course town. Some accommodation is very close to the school while some is a walk, a bus ride or a short drive away. Please let us know whether you will have the use of a car during your holidays.

Language schools for adults

Language Course

Can I attend a course without having any knowledge of the language?

Yes! In most of our partner schools it is possible to attend courses for beginners, but often there are certain starting dates for these courses. Please check the pages of the respective schools or contact us for further information.

When do the courses start?

Normally, you can start your course every Monday throughout the year except for public holidays. Most schools also have Christmas holidays. Please note: Often there are certain starting dates for beginners!

How long do the courses take?

You can book our courses from a minimum of 1 or 2 weeks up to a year.

Do I have to purchase teaching material?

In most of our schools teaching material is provided and will be handed out to you on arrival. If you have to pay for teaching material, you will find this information on the page of the respective destination.

Is there a minimum age for attending the course?

The minimum age for our courses for adults is 18.

Accommodation

What kind of home stay hosts are in your programme?

Our hosts are local people – not only traditional families but also single parents or elderly couples without children who enjoy welcoming people from all over the world into their homes.  Most of the hosts have taken part in our programme for many years. Our local Welfare Officer (WO) is responsible for selecting suitable hosts.

How far away are the private homes from school?

The hosts live in all parts of the town, so, on occasions, the journey to school could take up to 60 minutes.
Do I have to bring along towels and bed linen?
The home stay hosts and the staff at your accommodation take care of bed linen but you must bring your own towels.

Other

Does the school offer an activity programme?

Most of our partner schools offer a programme with different activities, e.g. trips, cultural activities and social evenings.   

Do I have to pay for the programme?

Some of the activities are already included in the price, others can be booked on arrival for an additional fee.

What extra costs should I expect?

Besides the costs for the journey and the transfers, you will have to keep in mind the cost of food depending on your accommodation, as well as the cost for any activity programme you would like to participate in. You may also have to consider the cost of public transport from your accommodation to the school.

General questions

Why should I take a language holiday?

Learning a language at home can be exhausting and, after a while, ineffective. In our everyday life we can’t often find enough time to concern ourselves with the language in an appropriate way. On the contrary, on your holiday you can fully concentrate on what you would like or have to learn – providing greater progress in a shorter time. A language holiday gives you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the foreign language. Besides spending time in a foreign-language speaking environment, you will receive language lessons from qualified teachers – the combination of both is the most effective way to learn a language. Furthermore you will get to know about the culture of your host country, which is always a valuable experience.
IP International Projects offers language holidays for children of all ages, for adults and even for whole families. You will surely be able to find a language programme that suits your needs from our choice of great destinations and courses on offer. The friendly team in our head office in Bremen will be glad to assist you.

How far in advance do I need to register for my language course?

Although we process bookings shortly before the start date of the course we generally advise clients to book as early as possible, since the best accommodation options are normally allocated on a first-come-first served basis. To ensure that you receive all documents on time you should book a minimum of five working days before the intended starting date of your course. However, we will accept your booking request even if it arrives at the last minute.

Will I get further information after my booking?

After having booked your language course, you’ll receive booking confirmation. Please check carefully that all details are correct. Approximately 10 days before the start of your language course, you’ll receive more detailed information, giving you the address of the school and your accommodation and what to do on the first day.