ADULT LEARNING: GOING ABROAD

Being an adult isn't easy. There are taxes to pay, jobs to go to, and responsibility to be taken with often little thanks or recognition. Compound that with an increasingly fluctuating job market, unfathomable technological advances and a wardrobe that seems to need updating every season, and it is easy to see why many people are in need of an invigorating boost to their system. Finally however, a solution has arisen, in the form of the newly created 'language holiday'. The premise of these holidays is simple: take a well-needed break without feeling guilty. Inbetween the sight-seeing, the shopping and the dining, travellers can enrol themselves in a course to give them the invaluable skill of a foreign language for the job market upon their return. Moreover, with courses tailored to adult learning, students are privy to an altogether different style of teaching that allows for programs suited to each individual, which won't rush you in the same way as lessons for children. As intense as needed, or as relaxed; in a group or on an individual basis, these courses, whilst being able to give you a recognised qualification at the end, are most certainly unconventional.

The key word here is flexibility . These opportunities are created to provide an opening that for many adults would not be otherwise readily available - after all, it can be difficult enough simply to commit to the same evening every week as is required for most conventional language courses. Moreover, by adding the dimension of travel, pupils feel more inspired and learn first-hand not only a language, but facets of the culture. Equally, there is literally a whole world of locations to choose from. If a French school France has to offer doesn't quite appeal, there are other options. Perhaps a visit to Switzerland tickles your fancy, in which case a French school Switzerland -based would be right for you. Maybe you're not interested in French at all, but want to combine German or Italian with your travels, or get a crash course in cuisine and wine tasting. Whatever you want, these schools are designed to help the traveller both away and at home, to educate them far and beyond the classroom, which only being "on location" can do. With opportunities like this, it's no wonder many are opting for a language as a souvenir, rather than a t-shirt.