international student guide

welcome to the international centreI am delighted you are thinking about joining the Guildford College groupOn behalf of the International Centre staff I would like thank you for taking the time to consider our group of colleges as your next study destination. We have a wide range of courses available starting at different times of the year and I’m sure you will find a programmethat is right for you.

Our international students really enjoy studying here and tell us that they received good advice before coming to us, the teaching is helping them to learn, the tutorials are very useful, the work is challengingand their course is good for their future career.

We have a team of experienced staff working in the International Centre that can help and support you on a daily basis with any queries or problems that you may face during your time with us so please don’t worry about anything!

We look forward to seeing you at the Guildford College Group soon.

Best wishes

Peter WalkerDirector of Commercial and International Development

welcom

e

why choose us...One of the safest destinations in the UK

Excellent location close to London and two international airports

A dedicated International Centre for students

Good university progression

British Council Accredited English language school

Wide range of courses at different levels and in different subjects

Three unique colleges in the beautiful Surrey countryside

Specialist facilities and resources

Excellent tutorial support

Competitive fees and value for money

Multinational classes

BC

location: guildford, surreyCulturally, there is a gallery, a museum, an 11th century castle ruin and a cathedral all set in beautiful surroundings. Other tourist attractions include guided tours of Guildford, rowing down the River Wey, swimming in the Lido open air swimming pool and walking in the Surrey Hills - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There truly is something for everyone in Guildford.

M1

M1

M1

M2

M4

M5

M5

M6

M6

M27

M48

M50

M54

M23

A3(M)

A3

M26

A20M25

M25

M25

M40

M45M42

M42

M42

M18

M69

A1(M)

M11

M20

M4

Portsmouth

Birmingham

Coventry

Leicester

Nottingham

Stoke-On-Trent

Sheffield

Southampton

Bristol

Cardiff

Brighton

Reading

Cambridge

Oxford

Bath London

GuildfordCollege

Merrist WoodCollege

Farnham SixthForm College

Gatwick

Luton Stansted

Heathrow

Guildford provides an excellent location for international students in the UK. It is only a short distance from Heathrow and Gatwick International Airports and the centre of London is only 40 minutes by train.

Guildford is home to the University of Surrey, the University of Law, the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) and Guildford School of Acting (GSA).

Whether you’re into sport, culture, theatre or cinema, shopping or music you can find it all in Guildford. There are a huge range of restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars that cater for everyone. The nine-screen Odeon cinema features the latest in film and for live performances there are two theatres, as well as music venues and G Live entertainment venue. The nearby Spectrum leisure centre is one of the biggest and best in the country. Shopaholics will love the 300 shops and regular markets and festivals.

our collegesGuildford CollegeGuildford College is the largest college of the Guildford College Group and is set in parkland close to Guildford town centre. It is also home to the International Centre and all the English teaching for international students.

Merrist Wood CollegeMerrist Wood College is our award winning, 400 acre College specialising in land-based courses. It is located four miles from Guildford town centre and dates back to 1318. It has presented at RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows since 1973 winning over 40 medals.

Farnham Sixth Form CollegeFarnham College is a sixth form centre with an excellent reputation for providing high quality and standards in education. The College is extremely well regarded for its A Levels and its expanding range of vocational subjects.

Our students regularly secure places at leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge.

Improve your English - Choose from 4 levels and study up to 21 hours per week.

Increase your career prospects - Being fluent in English makes you more in demand with potential employers.

Make new friends - Keep in touch with your new friends from around the world so you can continue to practise your English.

Experience study overseas - Join classes with students from all around the world and live with a British family.

Enjoy British culture - Embrace the UK and all it has to offer. Take part in the organised activities and excursions available.

Create memories - Your teacher will become your mentor, your home stay will become your second family and your class mates will become your 'forever' friends.

this is your year!

http://international.guildford.ac.uk

english language

summer schoolDates Activities

4th July Traditional English Cream Tea

5th July Pizza and Paintballing

6th July CinemaWee

k 1 -

£35

Summer School at Guildford College is for students aged 16 years and over staying in home stay accommodation. Offering the opportunity to have fun, experience British Culture and make friends with people from all over the world whilst improving your English language.

You can look forward to:

• 15 hours of English lessons per week

• Age 16 years and over

• Average class size of 14

• Pre-intermediate to advanced levels

• Mixed nationality classes

• Home stay accommodation

• Activities and excursions available.

Dates Activities

10th July Bowling Strikeout Party

11th July Wild Wood Adventure (zipwire)

12th July Air Hop (trampolining)Wee

k 2

- £55

As a British Council Accredited English Language Centre for the teaching of Englishas a foreign language, we offer 4 levels* of English classes; pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate and advanced.

Students study a minimum of 15 hours per week but can increase this to 17, 19 or 21 hours per week. The core 15 hours of classes are taught Monday to Friday in the morning with additional hours in the afternoons. Under British Council guidelines, there are a maximum of 18 students (average of 16) per class and each class offers a mix of nationalities.

Whether you just want to improve your English for personal reasons or you need

to get the right IELTS grade for further study, our English classes will enable you to improve your skills in grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing and increase your vocabulary.

All of our English teachers are dedicated, certified professionals. It is also possibleto take your Cambridge exam at Guildford College; so you could also consider takingKET, PET, FCE, CAE or CPE.

Every term the tutors arrange a project forall students. These have included International Day, Short Story Competition, Spelling Beeand the writing of an International Newspaper.

*elementary may be available subject to minimum numbers.

Example Activity Programme:

this is your year!

how to apply If you want to discuss your options before applying please contact your local Educational Representative or Email: international@guildford.ac.uk or you can 'instant chat' with us during UK office hours, which can be found on our website.

You can now apply online for our English language courses http://international.guildford ac.uk/ Courses/EnglishProgrammeBooking Form. aspx

Simply fill in all the boxes on the application form and submit with a copy of your passport and evidence of your current English level (if you don’t have this, don’t worry we can organise a Skype Chat for you with one of our teachers). Don’t forget to complete the Accommodation Booking Form if you require home stay accommodation.

Once we have received all the information we need, we will send you an ‘Offer Letter’. This is your chance to check that all of your personal and course details are correct. You can now confirm your acceptance of the ‘Offer’ by paying all requested fees (tuition, accommodation and associated costs). Remember to quote your Student ID number when making a Bank Transfer and send us a copy of the remittance.

When we have received your fees we will then issue your ‘Confirmation Letter’, you can use this to apply for your visa if necessary. You can now book your flights, please remember to let us know the details so we can inform your home stay and arrange your airport transfer.

1

2

3

4

http://international.guildford.ac.ukCall: +44 1483 44 86 90 Email: international@guildford.ac.uk

Guildford College Group Stoke Road Guildford Surrey GU1 1EZ UK

Find us on Facebook as Guildford College Group International Centre

We look forward to meeting you soon!

groups

activities and trips

Many schools, colleges and universities from all over the world return to study at the Guildford College Group every year. There are a variety of study opportunities for groups of students such as Business English, English for Specific Purposes or English Exam Preparation, we can create tailor made all-inclusive packages especially for you. We can organise everything from airport transfers to specialist classes to home stay and activities and excursions. Depending on the time of year that you come we can also arrange for your group to study with other students or as a closed group.

Throughout the year the International Centre and Student Union arrange trips and visits to places of interest so students can get to know the area and country they are studying in. Local activities are arranged on some afternoons during the week to help students get to know each other. These can include bowling, indoor climbing, traditional English cream tea, sightseeing around National Trust properties, historic walks of Guildford, go-karting and paintballing to name but a few! On Saturdays we usually go further afield on all day excursions to London, Oxford, Portsmouth and Windsor.

For keeping fit we have the ActivZone Gym at Guildford College which offers student memberships for use of the gym and a timetable of exercise classes. Behind Guildford College is Guildford's largest park, which has retained its Green Flag Award winning status this year, it has plenty of beautiful open green space, a skate park, tennis courts, paddling pool, boating pond and mini golf course.

Portsmouth

Indoor Climbing

Find us on Facebook as Guildford College Group International Centre

accomModation

student quotes...

Your accommodation in Guildford is one of the most important aspects of your time here. A good home will help you settle into English life quickly and help to improve your language skills. Guildford is an excellent place to live as well as study. It’s just 40 minutes tocentral London and only minutes from the English countryside.

There are many bus services in Guildford so you'll never live more than 30 minutes away from college.

One of the best ways to improve your English is to live with an English family in their home.You will normally have a bed, wardrobe, desk and chair in your bedroom and you will share the kitchen and bathroom with the other members of the home stay.

You will be treated as a full member of the household, eating together and sharing

the common living areas; no more thanthree adults or four junior students will be accommodated in one home stay accommodation at any one time.

All our host families are checked by the Accommodation Officer responsible for accommodation and welfare to ensure an acceptable standard of living. The householder will normally require an accommodation damage deposit of £150. This will be held by the college and returned to you when you leave the property as long as you have paid your rent, your room is clean and tidy and nothing has been damaged.

Most students choose ‘half board’ home stay accommodation which allows you to have breakfast and dinner at home.

Being able to experience the country’s culture and study on a well structured course is the best learning method to solidly acquire another language.

Reneta & Rafaela - Brazil

””

During the class I have never ever been bored because they prepare the education tools and organise the atmosphere to be appropriate in each level.

Chanangrak - Thailand

””

The atmosphere is excellent to improve English.

Aoi Sasaki - Japan” ”

Studying in Guildford College makes my life colourful and different, which enriches my knowledge and broadens my horizons.

Qingya - China

””

english plusWhy not enhance your educational experience at the same time as improving your Englishby taking part in an English Plus Programme? Students study general English in the mornings with other international students and then join classes with UK students for vocational courses on some afternoons.

This will help you to put your skills into practice!

Subjects can include:

• English Plus Golf

• English Plus Business

• English Plus Hairdressing

• English Plus Beauty

• English Plus Travel and Tourism

You can join in Term 1 or Term 2 or studyfor both terms and receive a discount.

”Guildford College has brilliant teachers and smart facilities.

Dongkyu - South Korea” ”

During the lessons there are a lot of activities which I can practice speaking with my class mates.

Angela - Colombia

””

When I went to the first day of classes, I was impressed by the kindness of all staff at Guildford College.

Rosa Lynn - Venezuela

””

The teachers are very attentive and help us to strengthen knowledge in Moodle.

Laura - Spain

””

study abroadFor students aged 16 years and over who come to study in the UK on a Short Term Study Visa (STSV). You can choose to study for a term or a semester starting in September or January for up to 6 months.

This is an excellent opportunity to improve your subject knowledge and studyalongside British students.

• You will join an existing academic or vocational programme at levels 3, 4, 5 or 6 (depending on your age, experience and timetable availability).

• To enable you to fully understand and take part in the classes you must also have a level of English equivalent to at least level B1* (equivalent to 4.0 IELTS). .

Study for 15 hours per week, stay in friendly home stay accommodation and take part inexciting activities and excursions arranged by the International Centre and the Student Union.

*B1 as defined by the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

high school college programmeThis programme is taken at Farnham Sixth Form College and is for students aged 16 years and over with an English level of 5.0 IELTS or equivalent. Students will follow the same curriculum as UK students and can choose from a variety of A Level subjects. This programme may offer credits towards your high school course in your home country. You can start at the beginning of each term in September, January and April and study for a minimum of 8 weeks up to 6 months.

”