8 PRINCIPLES OF CHOOSING A GOOD LANGUAGE SCHOOL:

1. Don’t be guided by the results of rankings in newspapers.
Rankings in newspapers are drawn up based on brief surveys, or sometimes even without any survey at all! Another method is questionnaires that are filled in by the schools themselves and – in most cases – not independently verified. Another equally worrying fact is that the names of the experts assessing the questionnaires are secret. Hence there are many surprising positions in rankings, or in fact they may even be made up.

2. Attach great importance to recommendations of recognised institutions whose job it is to monitor the learning quality in language schools. Examples of these institutions are PASE (in Poland) and EAQUALS (in Europe).
Any school which is endorsed by PASE and/ or EAQUALS (and therefore entitled to use their quality marks) has been carefully examined by these institutions during a number of extremely careful and thorough visits. Such visits are conducted by recognised and well known, within Polish and European language education environment, experienced methodologists (that is people dealing with the analysis of teaching methods, and in the theory of language teaching) and linguists. They consider each aspect of teaching and courses on offer by the school. Sometimes the quality marks are not granted straight away, but only after any shortcomings have been eliminated and all the necessary amendments have been made according to the inspectors’ recommendations. Obtaining a recommendation by PASE or EAQUALS is a highly significant distinction for a school, as well as guaranteeing high standards of teaching. When enroling for a course at a school with the PASE and EAQUALS quality mark, you can avoid having to ask many questions which are necessary to make a good choice – the PASE and EAQUALS inspectors have already checked everything for you before they accredit the school. This means that you can trust the school.

3. If the school does not have the PASE or EAQUALS recommendation, it is essential to ask about the following:

• the staff qualifications, including the methodologist’s;
• the way in which students are tested, interviewed and placed at the correct level (selection for the group should be determined by the result of a written placement test and an oral interview, or a recommendation from the previous school year);
• extra classes (the school should offer extra classes – including, above all, debating clubs and language workshops);
• premises conditions (the rooms in which classes take place should be bright, clean, well ventilated and well appointed);
• equipment (a free library, access to the Internet and a computer room should be available to students);
• reliability of marketing and publicity materials – for example, make certain:
  1. that the school interprets the length of the ‘lesson unit’ the same way as you do,
  2. whether a school offers free conversation classes, and if so – who runs them and what the number of students in the group is,
  3. whether it is possible to get your money back if you fail your exam and what you have to do to apply for a refund.

4. Ask about the teaching method that the school employs.
There are a lot of different teaching methods, and additionally – they can occur in various combinations. It is important to know which of them the school uses. Think over whether that method has a chance to succeed for you. Not everyone can stand a method of constant repetition of the same phrases, whereas others may not be happy that the content of each lesson unit is slightly archaic (i.e. a detailed programme was written many years ago and no deviation from it is allowed). Perhaps you will not like a system based mainly on individual work with a computer and little contact with other learners; or a group which is constantly changing. It can also be that the ‘relaxation method’ does not suit you, because you need the inspiration and energy that working with a teacher and a group can give you.

5. Don’t be satisfied with the information that the school employs “the communicative method”.
It is a very common way of answering a question about a method, or actually of avoiding an answer. It happens because a school – even though it may sound like a paradox – often does not know itself which method they employ. It comes from the fact that in spite of being called a school, it is just an agent whose role is to provide premises and initiate the contact between the teacher and the learners, and then to organise the finances after they have taken their fee. It sometimes happens that no one who is employed at the school has any idea about language education and the school regards employing a methodologist as a waste of money. Due to this, there are as many methods employed at the school as there are teachers, and each teacher, not inspected by supervisory bodies, uses their own favourite method. In such cases, the only answers to the questions about the method will be that the method is “modern”, “communicative”, “very effective”. A lack of concrete detail or the ability to give examples, as well as ignorance of the basic differences between the methods currently used on the market do not bode well.

6. Remember that the school which works without methodological supervision does not guarantee a thoughtful educational path.
Of course it is true that the best teaching results depend mainly on the teacher and his skills and personality. However, even if we are happy with the teacher one year, we will not always have a chance to be taught by them in the following year. If every teacher is independant and the school does not employ a methodologist (a qualified person to guide and supervise them), then we will have to trust to luck and the good will of another autonomous teacher.

7. Pay attention to promotional materials concerning the courses the school offers.
They should be legible, written in clear and correct language, and of a good design and quality. A school that does not attach importance to the materials that represent it, may not attach weight to other ”details” either.
8. Take notice of the way in which the school keeps in contact with its students and potential students.
A low level of reception service, incompetence, a lack of confidence in their product are undesirable features which are obvious. They must not be disregarded. A school that does not train its employees in the courses on offer does not augur well also in terms of entrusted money and the level of services. 

And what about International House Integra in the light of the above principles?

We have taken top places in rankings of a known weekly magazine twice. Though, we have recently decided to withdraw from participation bacause of our dislike of the obscure and doubtful methods of ranking.
Our schools are distinguished by PASE recommendation (IH Katowice and IH Opole) and EAQUALS (IH Katowice and IH Wrocław). Additionally, since 2006 the IH Bielsko school has been an authorised British Council Examination Centre. Thereby, we meet all the requirements concerning staff qualifications, employing an effective and reliable teaching method, the way of placing students in a suitable group, flexibility when it comes to the payment system, as well as reliable information and accurate advertisements.
We employ the International House method. Its author is John Haycraft – a linguist, journalist and cosmopolitan. The method was accepted by the British Learned Society, and then it was adopted as the basis for the methodological courses of the University of Cambridge. It spread the method to such a degree that it became something apparent, something that seemed to have always been there. Yet, in 1954, when its foundation was created, it was something completely innovative, or even revolutionary. By employing this method, we learn the language, and not “about the language”, we learn how to use and take advantage of the language which is a communication tool for people and is supposed to serve their interests and needs. The essence of the International House method is that most important is ‘the man’, and not the method.

Learning the practical use of a foreign language is carried out through a series of proven and simple techniques. The language used during classes from the beginning is English. New words, phrases and expressions are introduced by simulating the way in which little children learn their mother tongue – through such techniques as mime, drawing, giving examples and role-play.
However, we do not forget about the traditional methods such as learning vocabulary and grammar, or doing homework. Our students, and in the case of children – their parents – are periodically informed about the progress. After completing the course, each attendee receives a known and internationally recognised International House Certificate.
We attach great importance to giving reliable and accurate information to our students about what the school can give them. A lesson unit is 45 minutes. We give a guarantee of passing an exam to those who succeed in our mock exam. We do not offer free conversation classes because this is unrealistic as, for example, 40 free conversations classes would be equal to about 30% of the teaching hours available to a student. Instead, we offer a maximum of 12 people in a group which gives each student ample opportunity to practise the language.
Again this year we have offered 12 scholarships for the most gifted teenagers: The Champions’ Group. The patrons of this programme are the consul of Great Britain – Mr Alan Stretton, ”Gazeta Wyborcza” and ”Pearson Education Polska”.

The Customer Service Office staff are constantly trained in the courses offered by the school and how the service is delivered to the students. We also employ consultants who, either independently or with the methodologist’s participation, offer their advice and information.
A teacher should have a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), or in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). A methodologist should have a diploma in the above.