English in York

On Saturday a small group of us went to the coastal town of Scarborough. On this freezing cold day, we wrapped up warm and braved the temperatures to see this historical town. We arrived by train and walked through the modern, commercial part of the city to arrive at the spectacular coastline.

We went down a steep hill to get to the Victorian style seafront. This consists of brightly lit amusement arcades, where people play on the betting machines and there are many shops selling a range of traditional sweets - candy floss, sticks of rock, fudge and nougat. Even in the freezing cold there were children having donkey rides on the beach! The smell of fish and chips permeated the air. We climbed up the hill again to get to the 12th century castle. The castle has seen many battles, including Scottish Robert the Bruce and the Germans in World War I.

We walked to the most outward point of the cliff, where the wind was so icy cold we couldn't feel our faces anymore! Quickly, we took some photographs and retreated back inland! To warm up, we went for lunch in a lovely old restaurant, and of course we ate fish and chips! As we were eating we saw the snow start to fall outside the window. As we took one more look at the seafront before heading back to York, we saw the spectacular sight of snow falling on the beach and the hardy people of Yorkshire still out walking their dogs!

Yesterday a small group of us went to see the new Steven Spielberg film, ‘War Horse’, at City Screen Cinema. ‘War Horse’ was originally a famous book which was then made into a theatre production.  It is the story of a boy who raises a horse which is taken away to fight in the First World War. The boy is very sad and promises to find the horse again. The film follows the life of the horse as different people take charge of him.

We had great expectations of the film, tissues at the ready expecting to cry. Unfortunately, the film was rather disappointing. The actors were annoying with their fake Devonshire accents and the lighting cast a falseness on the natural beauty of the landscape. AND we didn’t cry!

However, after the film some of us went for a coffee in the Pitcher and Piano bar, overlooking the river – and that was thoroughly enjoyable!

To keep up to date on our social programme and to see pictures please visit our Facebook page, or our Twitter!

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and have enjoyed the first few weeks of 2012!

It's such an exciting year for everyone in the  UK, with the Olympics being held in London in July and August and the Queen celebrating her Diamond Jubilee (sixty years of her reign!) in June.

There has never been a better time to come to the UK and learn English, and English in York is the place for you! We have fantastic teachers, wonderful staff and the most beautiful and historically fascinating surroundings you could imagine! And we're only two hours away from London!

If you're interested in learning with us here at EiY, please don't hesitate to contact us or even book now!

As always, we use our Facebook and Twitter page to keep everyone up to date, so make sure you check in!

On Saturday a small group of us went to Leeds. We visited the Royal Armouries Museum, where we saw an extensive collection of weaponry and armour from various points in history.

We listened to a guide tell us about the famous King Henry VIII and his interest in ‘jousting’ – a medieval sport where the object of the game was to knock your opponent off his horse. We looked at full metal body suits made for use in battle and felt the weight of the swords they had to carry, and saw more guns in one day than I ever want to see again in my life! Upstairs was the Oriental collection with its centrepiece – a life-size model elephant wearing traditional Indian armour.

As we left, we realised that we had spent a full 4 hours in the museum! Luckily, opposite the museum was a fabulous Indian restaurant. Beautifully decorated inside and overlooking the Clarence Dock waterfront, Mumtaz offered us a good variety of Indian dishes at a reasonable price.

Then there was just enough time to have a walk through the centre of Leeds, taking in the large indoor market, and buy a few bargains in Primark before catching the train back to York. A lovely day was had by all!

Just a quick note to let you all know that we are CLOSED FROM THE 23RD DECEMBER TO 2ND JANUARY.

Thank you to everyone for a fantastic year, have a lovely holiday and all best wishes for 2012 from all the team here at EiY!

This weekend we went to the Designer Outlet on the outskirts of York, as they have an ice rink there for the festive period!

We had a fantastic day skating, looking in the shops and going for lunch. Some of us were really experienced skaters, but for some it was their first time. Everyone had a brilliant time - it was the perfect winter day!

On the Sunday 4th December, the famous Coca Cola truck is coming to York!

In the town centre, on Parliament Street, the Coca Cola truck from the famous advert (which can be seen here) will be coming for everyone to see.. And giving out Coca Cola for free!

Make sure you're there for a festive treat that everyone can enjoy!

On Saturday fourteen of us from eight different countries went to Castle Howard. In spite of the chilly winds, hundreds of photographs of the fantastic house, gardens and adventurous travellers were taken by our student photographers! In the play-ground a number of students relived their childhood and gave us all great entertainment.

Freezing cold, we enjoyed the warmth of the cafe for a while before touring the house, which was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Another memorable moment was the superb mini-concert Tatiana and Nasta gave on the grand piano!We caught the last bus back to York and some exhausted people fell asleep on the way (of course the photographers took some final photos of the sleeping beauties!).

It's been a lovely week here at English in York.

A group of us went to Tokyo Joe’s on Wednesday evening.  We were quite a noisy table (14 people!) and enjoyed the opportunity to chat in English with new friends from all over the world.  It was lovely to be able to have the chance to say goodbye to Zeanite and Mayisa (from Angola), Aki (from Japan) and Raffy (from Italy).  Raffy’s mum and cousin came too. We had some great food (sushi, noodles and bento chicken), which most of us managed to eat using chopsticks, and tried some Japanese green tea.  We were there for over four hours!

On Thursday night we went back to salsa evening at a bar near in York city centre - some of us had been the previous week so were a bit more experienced, but even if you don't know the steps it's still lots of fun!

This weekend there's a trip to Castle Howard, an old stately home in North Yorkshire that was built in the 1700's! It will be decorated for Christmas and is a lovely place to visit, especially at this time of year! For more information, click here.

Make sure to check our Facebook page for photos of our social activities, and our Twitter for fast updates on all things EiY!

Sally’s Drama Club evening last week was something new for EiY. The students who were there had lots of fun and found plenty of opportunities to practise their English in an unusual way!

Activities included mime, concentration practice, role plays and vocabulary games. It was such a success that we’re hoping to do it again soon!

The Christmas lights were turned on last week which means that York looks especially beautiful at the moment! This weekend is the annual St Nicholas Fayre, a large festive market specialising in gifts, crafts and delicious food! The fayre runs from the 24th November to the 27th and is immensely popular, with thousands of visitors from all over the country! For more information on the festival, please click here.

As always, for more information please check out our Facebook page, we've recently uploaded some fantastic pictures from our various social activities! Also, follow us on Twitter to get up to date news on all things EiY!

CONGRATULATIONS to our young Qatari students who this week received their IELTS test scores – they have achieved the grades they needed to move on to various Foundation Courses around the country. We will be sorry to lose them, but are very proud of their success!

A group of our students recently attended a Salsa class at Revolution, just across the road in Coney St. We had a wonderful time!

We began with a group warm-up, and then everyone was put into a circle, men and women. The lovely Dance Teacher, Lossie, with her male dance partner, taught us the basic Salsa step. We had to copy her, and then change partner and practise again.

Lossie then introduced a new step and again we moved around the circle, practising with different partners. For some, it was difficult to remember the steps, but everyone did their best, and after the class we carried on dancing to the music playing in the bar.

There was lots of laughter as we tripped and stumbled, but eventually most of us found our rhythm. We can’t wait to go again soon.

There will be lots of fun at Sally’s Drama Club in school on Tuesday evening. Come and join us, relax and find new ways of practising English with your friends.

York turned technicolour this week with the Illuminating York festival - to see pictures of the type of thing on display, click here - and there's still two nights left of it! If you're in York, make sure you take some time to look around the city's famous monuments one evening - they are even more incredible in bright colours and patterns!

We have such an international school this week, a real mixture with students from Qatar, Korea, Spain, China, Germany, Japan, Italy, Angola, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait! Everyone's been having a great time this week, with a trip to the bowling alley! This weekend promises to be another good one - a trip around the many historical sights of York itself, including the bar walls, the Minster and many, many more!

We do still have some places left for November and December, so book now and come and join the fun! As always, make sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages to keep up to date with all English in York!

A very warm welcome to all our new students this week! You really couldn't have come at a better time - York in the run-up to Christmas is always spectacular!

There is not long to go until the Illuminating York festival mentioned in our last news item, and it runs from the 26th - 29th of October... We can't wait to see our beautiful city all lit up!

After that, running from the 27th until the 31st of October is the annual at York's only Maze Hallowscream - get chased by your worst nightmares through the maze, while terrifying creatures stalk you and try to catch you! This event is not for the faint hearted, but if you are brave, it's a lot of fun!

Our students will be experiencing some fear this week - they're all heading to the York Dungeons on Tuesday, where they'll be finding out all about York's (sometimes scary!) history!

As always, find out more and check out photographs, videos and up to date news on our Facebook page, and our Twitter! There are still some places left for the rest of October, and November... Book now and join in the fun at English in York!

There's always lots to do in York, but this October is going to be one of the most exciting months of the year! The finale of York Races will take place from the 7th October, which promises to be a great day out, and a very English experience! To find out more about York Races, click here.

Also in October, there is the annual Illuminating York festival. Every year, lluminating York is one of York’s biggest events, and it attracted more than 60,000 visitors last year! The festival presents specially commissioned digital artworks on several of the city’s historic buildings (including York Minster, the Yorkshire Museum and the Bar Walls), celebrating York’s unique architecture and bringing internationally renowned artists to the city centre for thousands to enjoy. To find out more about Illuminating York, click here.

There's never been a better time to come and study in York! We still have some places available for October, so if you want to come and experience this beautiful city while improving your English skills - please get in touch! You can either email us for more information here or use our Book Now tool to book a place straight away!

Today we have to say goodbye to our wonderful Vivimondo students - they had their last day at EiY today, and will be returning to Italy in the next few days.

Thanks for coming, we've loved having you here and we all hope to see you again very soon!

Make sure you follow us on Twitter or 'like' our Facebook page, to upload any photographs from your time here, or keep in touch with people you have met at English in York!

Everyone at English in York would like to say goodbye to all our lovely Chinese students. We're so proud of you all, and wish you every success at college! Please keep in touch, and if you have any pictures to share from your time here, please post them on the Facebook page!

GOOD LUCK!

What a busy month we've had! The barbecue was a fantastic success - delicious food, great company and no rain! There were 130 people there which created such a great atmosphere, lots of fun and lots of English being spoken - that's what EiY is all about! Pictures from this event, and others are all on the Facebook page, so make sure you have a look!

Throughout August, we've had lots of different students from all over the world! We've done some great activities and had some fantastic excursions, with trips to Whitby, Newcastle and the Lake District! There are some great pictures from these trips as well - all of which are on Facebook too!

A very warm welcome to the people who started our Business English group course last week - We hope you learn lots of useful language to take back and use in your working life! The Business English course is such great value, if you're interested please get in touch!

We still have some free places available for the coming months - if you want to improve your English with dedicated teachers, helpful staff in a relaxed and friendly environment, come and study with us! Use our BOOK NOW tab and start improving your English straight away!

This fun annual event will take place next week, on the evening of Wednesday 27 July 2011.

All students wishing to attend must 'sign up' by Tuesday 26th July at 1:30PM.  Please see the school notice boards for full details.

JULY:   Sorry - we are completely full.  If you can't come at a later date, we wish you a very pleasant summer and hope that you will be able to join us in the future.

AUGUST:  Limited availability on selected dates.  Please contact the school for further details.

SEPTEMBER:  Full availability on all programmes. Book your course online now!

A very warm welcome to all our new students joining us today on this wet Bank Holiday Monday!

Well done to all  students for making it in to class.  We know that many of your friends at other schools don't have classes today, so we appreciate your extra effort.  The more you study, the more you will learn!

Due to the very high demand for our excellent value courses, the school is now completely full between 13/06/2011 and 30/07/2011.

Full availability is currently offered for all dates in August.  Places are limited so please book your course without delay.

We really hope you enjoyed your time here at English in York as much as we enjoyed having you here.  The feedback from our host families and teachers has been exceptional.  You were such a popular group in school too - you will definitely be missed!

We wish you a fabulous onward trip to London.  It should be an exciting place over the next few days with Royal Wedding celebrations! 

Places for the summer months are filling up quickly.   We only have a very limited number of places available in July (full time programmes only).

IMPORTANT NOTE: - Our full time General English Course offers over 26 hours of contact time per week - exceptional value for money and a great way to increase your language skills in fewer study weeks!

Book online today!

We are delighted to announce that the UK Border Agency has recently awarded English in York 'Highly Trusted Sponsor' status.

Here at EiY we have enjoyed a relaxed and happy few months since the start of the year, with students from Saudi Arabia, Angola, Spain, Korea, Kuwait, and Libya.  We have even welcomed into the world a new little Libyan girl whose Mum is studying with us!

Recent and very welcome additions to the school have been:

• a group of Dutch primary school teachers, from the same organisation who visited us last year
• young military students from Qatar, here to prepare for university study
• a large number of Italian teenagers from the north of Italy

The busy summer season is now upon us and we look forward to welcoming many more students, from lots of different nationalities, over the coming months.

On Saturday a group of students form English in York visited Whiby, a picturesque fishing port on the NE of England.  Whitby has a long and interesting history and its harbour was once the sixth largest port in Britain.

The students started their trip high on the hills above the harbour at Whitby Abbey.  They were surprised to discover that it was a Goth weekend with hundreds of Bram Stoker fans fully attired in black leather and Goth costumes, adding a carnival atmosphere to the town.

For those of you that who did not already know, the novelist Bram Stoker wrote "Dracula" whilst staying in Whitby at the Royal hotel. A cult following has emerged ever since with regular Goth meetings and weekend held in this fishing town.  It is a magnet for Bram Stoker fans and admirers.  The Goth crowd come from all walks of life and range in age from 10-90 years!

DEPARTING 11:00AM 

All those left indoors at EiY, would like to wish Luciano, Giovanna, Sara, Maria, and all their wonderful Italian students, a fantastic time at Beamish this afternoon.  We hope that the sun is shining as brightly for you up in County Durham!

On Thursday a large group of us enjoyed an evening out at the beautiful Theatre Royal, watching the Musical 'Crazy for You'.

There was lots of great dancing, singing and drama, with, of course, a happy ending.

As it was the first time many of our party have been to the theatre, it was quite an event!  By the end of the evening everyone was ready to invest in some dancing shoes!

Happy New Year!  We hope all our friends, colleagues and students had a wonderful festive break and that 2011 will bring lots of luck and happiness to you all.

May we remind all students that classes start back today at 9:00am.  English in York is open on all bank holidays throughout the year.  Even when your friends at other schools have the day off, you don't!

2011 promises to be a busy year at the school.  If you are a prospective student please book early to avoid disappointment.  We look forward to another fun and rewarding year at the school!

We're always very happy to see our former students.  In this last week or two we have been inundated with visitors!

From universities in Wales, we have welcomed Saleh, Abdulaziz and Abdullah. From Birmingham University we have had a visit from Mahmoud, and from Huddersfield University, Fahad, Mohammed, Ali, Faisal and Abdulaziz.

Former students now studying at York St John and York University - Habib, Abdulmohsen, Ali, Omar and Abdullah - are such regular visitors to English in York that we wonder if these gentlemen are on 'automatic pilot'!

It's very satisfying to hear of the ongoing success of our students - and to know that they still remember us fondly.

To any former students who are reading this:  You are still part of the EiY family.  Come and see us, and tell us how you are getting on!

On Saturday 6th November, our students travelled by train to Sheffield, one of the Uk's great Northern cities.

Sheffield is famous for its shopping bargains, but has lots of cultural experiences to offer too.  We visited the Millennium Art Gallery and the Winter Gardens, hung out on the set of a Bollywood movie being shot in the city and went shopping at Meadowhall.

We rounded off the day by sampling on of Sheffield's many culinary delights, with a meal in a South Indian restaurant.

Our guide, who clearly enjoyed telling spooky stories, entertained us with tales of York's grisly past as he led us around. Our minds were full of accounts of ghost-sightings, blood-thirsty Roman cults and gruesome medieval execution methods. Lit by torch-light, the statues of Roman gods were very frightening indeed.  Everyone was noticeably more subdued when they left the building than when they entered!

We rounded off the evening, and raised our spirits, with a look at the beautiful light show at the Minster.

A fond farewell to our latest group of RAFO students who departed York at the weekend!  The students said goodbye to the school and to their friends with the now customary farewell meal at one of York's finest Indian restaurants.  We were pleased that so many of our other students went along to wish the RAFO's well in the future and to enjoy a final evening out with them.  A great time was had by all!  We are really looking forward to welcoming our next group of students from the Royal Air Force of Oman.

You can now contact friends and share your experiences on our EiY Facebook page.