Tips for choosing summer courses

Tip No. 1: be careful when choosing a summer course, make inquiries! There are thousands of summer camps in the UK, all of very different quality.

As a rule, networking organizations rent premises at a school or university and quickly hire teachers who may not even have a teaching diploma. A number of employees “do not have time” to pass the police check. There are no quotas for nationality there are no, therefore there may be 10 Italians and 5 Russians in the class. The promise of “15 people in the class” is also not always observed. These are schools for the mass segment, with mediocre food, not always clean dormitories (and sometimes covered with mold) and excursions for show, when they load a bus, take them to their destination and there offer to go shopping.

The Paradise company works with summer camps for discerning clients, which are conducted by the school itself (and not by tenants), or by an organization operating in the most expensive segment . Here we can be confident about safety, the level of teaching, leisure and food. By contacting us, you will gain peace of mind. 

Tip No. 2: make sure that food will be at a high level. In a cheap camp, this aspect can be a complete disaster (little meat, a lot of fast food). A packed lunch may consist of the cheapest white bread and plasticine, inedible cheese + a green apple and a drink. Cereals and toast for breakfast. Meager dinner. It is very important that the company through which you send your child communicates with the school's chefs in advance and is confident (and not just hoping) that the food will be plentiful.

Tip #3 : make sure that the summer school will have a nationality quota (maximum 20%). To avoid too many children speaking the same language. Such a quota is observed only in the best schools. 

Tip No. 4: under no circumstances do not send your child to a course with accommodation with a family:  in England it is a disaster in 90% of cases. In Canada and Ireland, homestays have a better chance of success than in the UK. But family is always a lottery. Read our tips on why you should not choose a family

Tip No. 5: make sure that representatives of the sending company personally inspected the residence in which your child will live. English sewerage leaves much to be desired; the interiors of old residences often require major repairs. Sometimes there is not enough light. The photo in the brochure or on the website may show a restored wing, but in reality your child will end up in a damp, shabby building with intermittent water.

Tip #6: Find out about any additional costs in advance. The weekly program of low-cost schools in the mass segment often looks promising, but in reality it turns out to be crammed with “show-off” activities such as watching a movie in the school assembly hall or shopping. A number of interesting activities and excursions are available for an additional fee. 

Tip No. 7: ask the company for the phone numbers of its clients who sent their child to this camp. If a company can't provide them, it makes you wonder.

Tip No. 8. find out if the company has a 24-hour telephone line, and check if they answer it in the middle of the night or on weekends. Otherwise, resolving any issues outside of working hours may be difficult. But children fly to summer camps on weekends. 

Tip No. 9: evaluate the reviews of the company’s clients on their website. If the reviews are real, a photo, full name, position and contact information of the client must be provided. Reviews without photos like “John Smith, UK” most often falsified, they cannot be verified.