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Language Travel FAQs

We hope you will find the answers to the questions that we are most often asked, but if not, please contact the office.

Youth Language Travel - Age 12-18

 8 years. We offer courses for young people from 8 – 20 years. The exact age range varies from destination to destination.

Yes! We send our students to serious schools, which take their responsibilities very seriously. You can decide in most destinations whether you prefer your child to stay in a host family or in the school accommodation. Both host parents and the school staff will take care of your child. The schools have many years of experience in arranging language courses for young people, and the young people are well taken care of from the moment they arrive at the airport until they are driven back to the airport on departure. There are staff at the language school that the young people can always reach. Note also that there is a section regarding supervision and rules on each  destination page, where it is stated how much supervision there is in the individual places.

Each school has their own social, activity and excursion schedule for the program. Students will  be involved in lessons or activities and will be given either no free time or little free time, depending on the program and their age. Students will be kept busy and have a lot of fun.

Some schools might give a small amount of homework, but it is understood that this is the student’s holiday and so the day will not be taken up entirely with school work. Lots of language practice can happen during the activities and excursions, so the students are always learning and practicing their skills.

The teaching is done by well-trained teachers who specialise in teaching foreigners in their mother tongue. They target their teaching to a young clientele and make the lessons enjoyable and interesting. All age groups can be represented in the lessons, as it is the language level that forms the basis for the composition of the classes.

Adults live with the young people in the school accommodation, and with the families it is the host couple’s responsibility to supervise. See also the section on supervision on the program info page for the given program, where there are more details about the rules on the selected program.

The rooms in the different dormitories are of different sizes, and we always want our students to be placed in a room with different nationalities. However, a couple of friends have the opportunity to request to be accommodated together (please note this in the comments field on the registration), and then the school does what they can to fulfil this wish – however, it can not be guaranteed.

There are laundry facilities at most dormitories and with host families – in most cases, a small fee might be charged.

We recommend that students have access to around £50 – £100 of pocket money per week. Most programs are full board and all activities and excursions are included, so the money is for small incidentals/gifts/sun cream/snacks etc. We recommend students travel with a debit card to purchase items and a small amount of local currency in cash. Please speak with your bank to set up the best money service for a student. N.B. Students under 12 might not be able to have a debit card.

At most of the schools, they serve a buffet at each meal so students can choose from the variety available. Host families would need to be informed about any requirements prior to accepting a student in their home. Please note that some schools might charge an additional fee to cater for some allergies/dietary restrictions. Please ask at the office for more information or to discuss what your child needs.

Students will arrive either at the school or at their host family from the airport. In most cases, there will be a welcome meeting either on the arrival day or the following morning. Students living with a host family will either be driven to and from school for this initial meeting or they will be given information about how to walk to the school or take public transport.

Most schools send a packing list to help students plan for their departure. As a starting point, you must remember a beach towel and possibly a bath towel, depending on the school. You will need stationery for school and any language support that you use such as dictionary. Sun cream and sunglasses might be necessary as well as a bag that you can use each day to carry your school items and things you need for the activities in the afternoon.

We highly recommend that you take out both a cancellation and travel insurance for this trip. The cancellation insurance covers the amount paid if you are prevented from leaving due to a medical illness. The travel insurance covers things such as repatriation and treatment in a private hospital if necessary. NOTE: Be aware that some youth programs have a limited insurance included in the price – however, it is still recommended to have a more comprehensive travel insurance so that you are fully covered.

The Flight

Students travel alone or with a friend, and on arrival at the destination there is a pick-up by a representative from the language school or by a local transfer firm who work closely with the school. Before departure, you will receive a detailed description of what your child can expect in during their journey and on arrival at their destination.  As there are also parents who choose to accompany their child to the language school (eg in connection with their own holiday), please let us know and we will remove the transfer service from the booking and adjust the overall fee, if there is an effect on the price. 

Unaccompanied Minor or UM service is a service offered by both airlines and some language schools, where you pay an extra fee for a dedicated person from the airline to accompany the young person from the check-in counter and on the entire journey to the arrival airport, where a dedicated person from the language school receives the young person directly and from there on to the school. This is usually a service that is primarily aimed at young people  under  12 years of age (and some airlines do not offer this service at all to young people if they are over 12 years old). UM service must be booked  both at the airline in connection with booking airline tickets AND at the language school (through us). In many cases, it is up to the parents whether they want to purchase this service. However, there are some airlines that require that a UM service is booked if the young person is under a certain age (eg 15 years). It is therefore important that parents examine this carefully before purchasing a plane ticket. If UM service is booked with the airline, UM service  MUST  also be booked through us / the language school as you will need to provide very specific information of who will be at the airport to collect your child, which is why it is important that the parents give us a clear message whether UM service has been booked or not.

If Unaccompanied Minor service is required, MyEducation should be informed, as the language schools charge an extra fee for this – they must provide an extra person at the airport pick-up. 

In the document package we will send before departure, you will find an emergency telephone number, which can be used in case of delays or issues with the flight.  You can contact MyEducation or the language school.

First and foremost, there are often detailed instructions on this on the transfer confirmation, which you will receive approx. 2 weeks before departure together with the travel documents. It is important that your child stays right outside the exit door (after picking up the luggage) if they cannot immediately spot the aforementioned representative from the language school. That person is most likely just around the corner. All students will also receive an emergency phone number they can call if for some reason they do not find the representative from the school immediately.

Yes (unless you have opted out of this in connection with your booking). There will be a person from the language school or from a chosen transfer firm, who stands at the airport with a sign with the student’s or language school’s name on it, and he or she will drive the students to the place of accommodation. On the way home, students are also driven to the airport and shown to the check-in counter.

Most airlines open their check in online around 24 hours before departure. Some require that you check in online and print/download their app so that you can show your boarding pass. Students should arrive at the airport to drop off luggage 2 hours before their departure time for a European destination.

 Yes! You will need to book a flight yourself, but you must be aware of the following: 1) Check the airline’s rules for unaccompanied travel for minors, as some companies, for example Ryanair, require you to fly with an adult if you are under 16 or similar, 2) Remember that arrival / departure must take place to / from a  specific airport  and for a  specific period of time , as stated in the email with booking confirmation etc.,

MyEducation recommends that you do not book a flight before we have confirmed the booking at the language school.

 

You should always clearly label luggage with information about where a student is going, so that if it is lost, it is easy to return. We also recommend that you put a clear sticker or marker of some form on the luggage so that your child can easily identify it on the luggage belt, or so that staff can find it if the luggage is lost in transit.

Adult Language Travel - Age 16+

 Most destinations offer adult programs for people age 18 and up. A small number of destinations will enrol students who are 16 or 17. For these students, some additional forms are required for enrolment and you must have the support of a parent or guardian to book a course.

Most of our destinations offer an option to start an adult course every week of the year. There are some exceptions. Japan only enrols at 4 points each year and if you are a complete beginner in the language, you will only be able to start on set Mondays each month. Please ask staff for available dates if you are a complete beginner.

Each school has their own social, activity and excursion schedule for students to join. The activities are entirely optional and will be run by the language school. They can only be booked once you are at the school and on your course. The activities are not included in your fees and will cost extra.

Some language schools also offer courses that you can sign up to before you depart, such as cookery or dancing or history. These courses run at a different time of the day to the standard language lessons. Please look at individual destination pages to see what is available or speak with the MyEducation team.

Some schools will give homework for students to complete outside of the classroom. However, it is also understood that this is a fun experience and so students would not be overloaded with additional work.

The teaching is done by well-trained teachers who specialise in teaching foreigners in their mother tongue. They target their teaching to the language experience of their group make the lessons enjoyable and interesting. All age groups can be represented in the lessons, as it is the language level that forms the basis for the composition of the classes.

We provide a selection of prices on each destination page. There are a variety of choices you can make regarding the type of language course you choose and the number of lessons, to the accommodation that you wish to stay in and whether you want meals provided or not. Each page gives a selection of prices, but does not list every option available. If you want a price for something that is not listed please contact the MyEducation team and we will provide you with the fee as quickly as possible.

 

If you have chosen your course, please fill in our booking form. You will then be issued with a contract and invoice for the £250 deposit. Once we receive the payment and completed contract, we will register you with the language school and your booking will be confirmed within 5 working days. All payments can be made online by debit or credit card or by bank transfer.

MyEducation can take bookings over 12 months in advance or 2 days in advance! Complete the booking form and we will process your booking. If bookings are for less than 8 weeks ahead we will contact the language school to confirm availability before issuing the contract and invoice for the full program payment.

Yes. We work with a travel agent who can book your flights for you. Payment would be made to the travel agent to secure the flight. Alternatively, you can book your own flight and we ask that you share the itinerary with us so that we can keep the language school informed of your travel plans.

Airport transfers are not included in the course fees for adult language travel. If you would like to book an airport transfer please indicate this on your booking form and we will quote you for the service. Students will be met at the airport by a trusted transfer firm or by a representative from the language school. Most adults choose this service on arrival so that they can easily reach their accommodation, but might opt to travel solo on the return journey as you will have much more knowledge of the local area (and language!)

Students will arrive either at the school or at their host family from the airport. Arrivals are usually on a Sunday and classes start on a Monday. Students staying with a host family would receive advice and information on how to reach the language school for their first day. Students staying in school accommodation would most likely travel with other students or receive information from the accommodation staff about the route to the school. A welcome meeting will be held on your first day to help you settle into the program.

All students complete a test on their first day of the course to assess their language ability. From this test you will then be placed in the appropriate level of class based on your language ability. Ages within your class will vary, but you will all have similar language ability. You will be moved to new classes if during your course your progress to a new/higher level.

The number of students varies from school to school and also by the level of the class that you are placed in. Usually there are less than 12 participants in each class, so you will get a focused amount of teaching and attention.

If you choose a course with private or small group lessons, the class number will be much less.

It varies widely from school to school, but as a rule you may have to travel up to an hour in a large city. Host families are rarely in the centre of a city and you would have to travel by public transport to get to the language school. Some language school accommodation is very close to the school or even on the same campus. Please see the destination page for detail about accommodation location or speak with the MyEducation team.

Each host family is visited in their home to assess their suitability for hosting. The host families are managed and supported by the language school or by an independent firm recommended by the language school. Families can come in all shapes and sizes and are expected to welcome you in as a member of their home. Families will provide bed and breakfast or half board or full board accommodation. Room options also vary from single, twin or triple. Families can host more than one language student at a time and they will not be from the UK.

Your first step would be to speak with the staff at the language school and explain the problem that you are having. They will be able to look into the issue for you or direct you on who to speak with to get the issue resolved. If you wish to change your accommodation you will need to speak with the staff about the options that are available. MyEducation are also here to support you, but you will get more immediate help by approaching the language school team directly even if MyEducation contact them on your behalf to discuss the matter.

Yes (unless you have opted out of this in connection with your booking). There will be a person from the language school or from a chosen transfer firm, who stands at the airport with a sign with the student’s or language school’s name on it, and he or she will drive the students to the place of accommodation. On the way home, students are also driven to the airport and shown to the check-in counter.

The language school team are there to deal with all of your questions and queries and help to ensure that you are making the most of your time on the program. There is no question too big or too small that they cannot manage for you.

MyEducation will also be available to answer questions and provide advice to you, but dealing directly with the school team will allow you to get immediate answers.

MyEducation and the language school have an emergency number for you to contact out of hours if there was a serious issue.

We highly recommend that you take out both a cancellation and travel insurance for this trip. The cancellation insurance covers the amount paid if you are prevented from leaving due to a medical illness. The travel insurance covers things such as repatriation and treatment in a private hospital if necessary.

As the UK is no longer a member of the EU, some reciprocal healthcare agreements have come to an end so you must ensure that you have proper cover before travelling.

We recommend that you only take one suitcase, regardless of how long you will travel for as rooms may not be large and space may be limited. You will need to take a beach towel if staying in a warm area or near water. Some accommodation may also require you to bring your own towel. MyEducation will advise about this. You will want to take some stationery with you so that you can start successfully at school on your first day. You may also want to take a laptop/tablet to help with language learning and classwork.