Good news to start off 2018! Hosts International, British Council approved provider of homestay accommodation in more than 5,000 locations nationwide becomes one of the first Corporate members of English UK, a registered charity and accredited network of English language schools aimed at advancing the education of international students in the English language. Membership of English UK is recognised as a “badge of quality”, which requires all members to pass Accreditation UK – one of the world’s most rigorous inspection schemes.
In the first days of the new year, most students in further education will be returning to college to continue with their studies. However, throughout the year, there will also be a steady stream of around half a million international students who annually choose to come to the UK to complete an English Learning course.
Many of the students will be living away from home for the first time and prefer the comfort and convenience of staying in a family hosted accommodation for the much shorter duration of an English Learning course, and to learn about an often very different culture, first hand.
Trustworthy and reliable source of information and choice
English UK, founded in 2004, runs more than 450 study centres and also works closely with the British Council to offer students a trustworthy and reliable source of information, and choice of schools when applying to study English in the UK. Their latest Market Report (Q3 2017) on the UK English language teaching (ELT) marketplace shows a trend in student applications from particular countries largely unchanged from previous reports.
Of the top 10 leading markets there was a notable shift within the ranking to China, Spain and France, and of the top 10 countries for international student applications to English Learning centres, Italy had the highest share with nearly half of all junior student weeks (46 per cent), followed by France (45 per cent). Clearly figures which appear to defy a rash of recent reports pointing to falling numbers of international students from EU countries since the UK Brexit Referendum vote in 2016.
In fact, the top five countries for international English Learning students in 2016 include three from the EU, i.e. Italy (15.2 per cent of total student weeks), Saudi Arabia (9.6 per cent), Spain (7.5 per cent), France (5.9 per cent), and China (5.8 per cent) – Private Sector Data, Student Statistics Report May 2017, English UK.
There is also a well-established tradition of younger English Learning students from countries as far away as China, Japan or Brazil, for example, to live with a host family, complete with their own private room (and study desk), cleaning and laundry arrangements, catered meal plans – and even lunchtime sandwiches!
Reassure students and parents from many thousands of miles away while researching online
The greater ties forged between trusted organisations such as English UK and Hosts International – under the watchful eyes of Accreditations UK and the British Council – can only help to reassure students and parents from many thousands of miles away while researching online, both student courses and temporary accommodation in the UK.
English UK also organise the annual StudyWorld Exhibition – to be held in 2018 at the QEII Centre, Westminster on 3-5 September – promoting UK education excellence to the global marketplace. Hosts International, who have regularly attended StudyWorld since the 1990s, also sponsor many education industry events, including a gathering of 100 attendees from the EFL industry at the Churchill War rooms in September 2017. One month later, at the #WIE (Women In Industry) Awards in Berlin, English UK sponsored The Charitable Endeavour of the Year Award 2017 while Hosts were recipients of two Bronze #WIE awards – ‘Enlightened Employer 2017’, and ‘Champion of Change 2017’, given specifically to Hosts founding Director, Peter Brown.
Championing change continues in 2018! Hosts are expanding their homestay accommodation network once more. New management offices are opening, which reflect the needs of international students drawn to the great cultural hotspots of Edinburgh in Scotland and Dublin in Ireland, where coincidentally, Hosts organised host families for a student group from current top student sending country, Italy.
In 2018, Hosts International and English UK will continue working to serve the education industry for international students from inside and outside the EU who seek the best living experience and study opportunities in the UK.