Since we opened the school in 2002 over 2,500 students from countries all over the world have made Leeds Languages their chosen school to study English in the UK. From their feedback, and our local knowledge, here are five of the better reasons why we believe a student from overseas should choose Leeds Languages for their English school in the UK:
1. Location
Leeds offers a perfect base from which to explore the whole of the UK. We are just over 2 hours away from both London and Edinburgh, and not much more than an hour to Manchester or Liverpool. The Yorkshire Dales offer some of England's most beautiful countryside, and they are minutes away from our school. And Leeds itself is a wonderful, vibrant city with shopping, nightlife and entertainment to rival any other city in Europe.
2. English is spoken here!
You may be surprised to learn that English is not as widely spoken in some English cities as you may think. Take a walk down a busy street in London, or a ride on the underground, and you will hear voices from all over the world - speaking in their own languages! Whilst Leeds is a cosmopolitan city with a wide mix of nationalities, it remains a traditional English city with English spoken all around.
Some students I met on a recent trip to China told me they didnt want to study in England because it is so expensive. I told them I dont like going to London much for the same reason. Like most tourist locations, London (and Oxford and Cambridge) can be very expensive with a cup of tea costing anything up to £3.50 and a pint of beer even more.
Leeds has some exclusive restaurants, bars and shops - with prices to match - but on the whole students living here can expect to survive on anything up to 60% less money than those living in London and the south east.
Leeds is not an obvious tourist city, so we dont charge tourist prices. As an example, a weekly travelcard in Leeds costs £20.00. The same travelcard in London costs £36.80!
4. Travel Time Vs Study Time
If your main reason for coming to the UK is to study & improve your English then you want to spend as much of your valuable time as possible doing just that. We are lucky to have excellent student halls of residence just five minutes walk away from our school. Most of our homestays are located less than 25 minutes away by bus. Compare this to the experience of students studying in central London, who will share a packed Tube train with millions of commuters, sitting in train carriages or buses for maybe 2 hours a day or more at the start & end of each day.
Pound for pound, studying English in Leeds - both at school and practising your speaking with a homestay host - offers a better use of your time than sitting on public transport!
5. Leeds Languages
Leeds may be the best city in the UK for your English studies, but why choose Leeds Languages? If its a large school you want with a sports centre, fast-food outlets and Costa coffee then Leeds Languages isnt for you! If you'd like to be part of a small, friendly, family-owned school (typically 80-100 students in school year-round) then we may be your best choice.
We are British Council accredited so our school and courses have been inspected and proved to meet a high standard. Take a few minutes to look through this website to find out about our teachers, courses, fees, social programme, accommodation, and all other aspects of studying here. And don't just take our word for it - have a look at the student feedback page with comments from previous Leeds Languages students.
We hope that we will be able to include you in that number very soon!
