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| The grand opening of our new Durban school! This exciting new school has now officially opened its doors to students. Situated in the heart of Durban's trendy Florida Road, where there is an array of restaurants, bars, clubs and shops, all within a safe and vibrant atmosphere. The school is on main transport routes to and from the centralbusiness district, beaches and major sporting facilities that are alllocated within a 5 minute drive from the DCC.    School Building Durban Communication Centre have now also finalised their new School Residence which will open in Mid January 2006. This new Victorian style residence is in close proximity to the school and students can enjoy their breakfast in its extraordinary garden. For those who want alternative options, we would recommend the Florida Park Hotel as one. The hotel is also situated on the stylish Florida Road and therefore in walking distance to the school. All rooms are available in both double and twin single beds and are air-conditioned and have en-suite bathrooms. In January, Durban is buzzing with exciting activities, one of them being the A1 Grand Prix. This is the first in Africa and is a major highlight for this oriental city, bringing in a large amount of tourists. So why not start your year afresh by being a part of this incredible adventure and feel the heat of the African sky on you! This is something you surely will not regret! back to top |
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| Interview with Tracy Brylewski, Managing Director at FLC You have been Managing Director of the Florida Language Center for 6 months now – please introduce yourself and your team! My name is Tracy Brylewski and I have been with FLC for 6.5 years now, moving from Director of Studies to Managing Director. Reservations team: Yvonne Hanis, Reservations Manager, Amanda Garvey, Reservations Specialist. Host Family Coordinator: Margaret Kiernan. Studies Department: Diana Silberman, Director of Studies, Mary Sturm, Assistant Director of Studies, and a group of fantastic instructors. Receptionist: Toni Murphy-Joaudi What are the benefits of a language travel programme in Florida and Fort Lauderdale? Florida is a beautiful place to visit all year around. Fort Lauderdale has warm weather always, so it is perfect to visit at any time. The location allows visits to interesting places such as Everglades National Park, Miami and Key West, Disney World , Kennedy Space Center, etc. It is the perfect place to have fun while learning and practicing one's English. What does a typical day at FLC look like for students? Students typically take classes in the AM until around noon. After that, some groups head straight for the beach or shopping and usually meet up in the PM for some type of activity in the local area. Our Activity Director plans fun things for students nearly every day of the week. The weekends often include excursions to Key West or Orlando (Disney World), while others visit The Bahamas (only 45 min. flight).  Bowling  Everglades National Park What are the main changes at FLC for the 2006 season? We are really working to improve our activities and excursion possibilities. We hired an Activities Director in October and students have enjoyed daily activities. Our goal is to continue to improve this throughout 2006. What leisure activities are available to students at FLC? Some leisure activities have already been mentioned above. Some other examples include movie and pizza night, limo night (a limousine is rented and students are taken to Miami!), bingo night held at the school property, bowling night, watching a play at the local performing arts center, Everglades National Park, shopping in Miami at the famous South Beach and Lincoln Road, Miami by Night tour. What accommodations can students at FLC choose from? Students may choose to stay with local host families, the high quality school residence at the Fairfield Inn Marriott which is held on the same property as the school, or the Shore Haven Resort which is beach front and about 2 km from the school. Does FLC accept Academic Year/Semester students outside of the dates published in the brochure? Yes. We really encourage long term students and will accept them any Monday of the year. What do you like best about your job and your daily interaction with the students? Every day is new and different. I enjoy working with people from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Our student population is so diverse and each person has something to bring to the environment of the school. The students are really motivated to learn English and often stop by just to chat and tell me how their day is going. No other job in the world would offer me this opportunity to meet so many wonderful people from different cultures. What advice to you have for students coming to FLC? Bring notebooks for the AM and sunscreen for the PM! :-)  Studying outside  Beach In 2005 the school relocated to its new home within the Fairfield Inn, by Marriott hotel complex. What are the advantages of this set up for our students? One major advantage is that the school residence is located on the same property as the school. Students can relax after breakfast and not have to commute anywhere to school. It is right there for them! For students not staying at the school residence, it is still convenient. Its central location allows easy access from all host families and our other hotel on the beach. Students have access to attractions of downtown, FL’s equivalent of South Beach, swanky Las Olas Boulevard and enjoy the benefits of staying near the stylish beach resort of Lauderdale-by-the-sea. FLC runs both teenager and adult programmes in the summer on the same site. How do you organise this in order that the adults are not inconvenienced? We keep the teenagers and adults separated. Of course, teenagers and adults are not in the same classroom nor do they stay in the same part of the student residence. We divide the school into areas for adults and areas for teenagers. In addition, the teenagers attend a different schedule than the adults, so they do not have the same break times and get out of class at different times. What are your hopes for FLC in 2006? My hope is that we continue to offer quality English language programs to people from diverse cultural, educational, and linguistic backgrounds. We are constantly updating our curricula and improving our activities program to meet the educational and leisure needs of our students. You can contact Tracy Brylewski directly at tracy.brylewski@lalgroup.com. back to top |
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| Link up with University of Malta means conditional acceptances for academic students We are delighted to announce a collaborative venture with the prestigious University of Malta. IELS has joined forces with Malta’s leading higher education organisation in an initiative which means that students successfully attaining the relevant IELTS scores at the school will have the chance to enter the University – subject to appropriate home country qualifications. General Manager, John Dimech comments: `This is an exciting development for our school as it guarantees a coherent higher education pathway for bona fide students seeking to achieve a high IELTS test score in order to progress to a prestigious higher degree programme at the University of Malta.´ For entry to the academic year starting in September 2006 IELS has a wide choice of alternatives, including the Academic Year and Semester Programme with January and April starts as well as IELTS programmes starting throughout the year. For more on the University of Malta and its range of courses please consult http://www.um.edu.mt. For additional information on this initiative please contact John Dimech directly – john.dimech@lalgroup or our Asia based Marketing Manager, Barbara Walder on barbara.walder@lalgroup.com. back to top |
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| Malta hotels & residences – wider choice, greater availability, more flexibility (see new 2006 pricelist) In Malta – as in many language travel destinations – we are experiencing a shift in the demand for a wider variety of accommodation alternatives. While host families remain a popular choice for students the demand grows year on year for ‘residential’ alternatives - be they for groups or individuals, adults or teenagers. By working closely with our partners in Malta we have come up with a wide choice of residential/hotel options designed to meet the requirements of language students. In practice this means that by working with our school in Malta you have the renewed commitment and assurance for 2006 of the following improved levels of service. • Availability of the services you require, even for last minute bookings!For example in the event that your first choice of residential accommodation is not available we will endeavour to place your student in accommodation of a similar standard (or better!) at no extra cost! • More shared room accommodation will be available at many of the hotels and residences offered both for adults and teenagers. This option is NOT limited to students travelling together. • We will aim to place students with speakers of different languages in order to maximise opportunities to practise English! • Complimentary accommodation for foreign group leaders • Improved supervision as we will assign additional group leaders to the hotels where our teenager students will be housed in order to ensure maximum care and attention. • We are committed to a ‘same day’ response time to enquiries in order that your clients are not inconvenienced waiting for answers in the peak season. • Detailed descriptions of the hotels and residences are available within the ‘accommodation’ section of the website. There you will find full descriptions of the facilities and services available. • NEW and revised competitive prices providing even better value for money. • Long-term discounts on tuition only are already calculated in the basic prices in the attached lists: 8 - 15 weeks: 5%, 16 - 23 weeks: 10% and 24 weeks and over: 15 • English [Out There!] - this exciting new programme was introduced at the LAL schools in 2005 and research carried out at our school in Malta revealed that 94% of students would recommend English [Out There!] to a friend - a statistic that exactly reflects the results of student satisfaction rates in London where [Out There!] was launched by founder and director, Jason West. To find out more about the wide range of hotels and residences available please consult the NEW special pricelist dated November 2006* and available as a download in the agents section of the website – IELS hotels & residences. For more information please contact Isabella Conti on isabella.conti@lalgroup.com or Mary Rose Fenech on maryrose.fenech@lalgroup.com. *This pricelist replaces the previous version that was posted on the website. This has now been removed and substituted by the new, improved ‘all-inclusive’ pricelist for 2006. Please amend your records and apologies for any inconvenience caused. For further clarification please consult the paragraph below ‘IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION & REVISIONS’ or contact our reservations team headed by Marx Rose Fenech on maryrose.fenech@lalgroup.com. back to top |
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| Malta pricelists 2006 – IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION & REVISIONS For the 2006 season LAL introduced a pricelist in which the fees for both tuition and accommodation were separated – ‘LAL Prices 2006’. In addition for Malta, where a large selection of hotels and residences is available a supplementary pricelist ‘IELS residences and hotels and residences pricelist’ was produced. In this pricelist the rates are packaged together and include both accommodation and tuition. IMPORTANT – a newly revised and comprehensive ‘IELS Residence and Hotels pricelist’ is now available consisting of • The adult programme in Sliema with all-inclusive rates for host families and the Mercury residence • More attractive rates for the Cambridge exam courses • The adult programme in Gozo – a new centre and accommodation • More competitive rates at a variety of well-known hotels in the vicinity • The teenager programme in Gzira and Sliema offering a selection of homestay, residences and hotels NB – This pricelist is now available in the downloads section of the website within the agents area. LAL Prices 2006 Please note the following clarifications and revisions • Lower rates for ‘private tuition’ (compared to what was published in the LAL Prices 2006) 10MTL/24EUR a lesson • The cost of a return transfer is included in each of the weeks quoted. In order to arrive at the correct figure please deduct 10MTL/24EUR per week for each of the weeks booked after the first week. Please note that this is the basis upon which invoices will be calculated when they are issued by our reservations staff. Should you require further clarification about the above please do not hesitate to contact our reservations team headed by Mary Rose Fenech on maryrose.fenech@lalgroup.com. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. back to top |
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| Fabulous NEW school & residence in Gozo, Malta’s idyllic sister island Another important development in Malta is our superb new adult school which is being specially purpose built ready for the summer 2006 season. For those of you already familiar with Malta but NOT Gozo you are seriously missing out! Gozo is a wonderful location for a language holiday!!  Mgarr Harbour  Ramla Bay 10 reasons for choosing Gozo • An idlyllic island of myth and miracles where it is said Ulysses fell under the charms of the nymph Calypso • A virtually circular island surrounded by cliffs – just 14km by 7km • A peaceful escape from the crowds! Just 10% of the population of the Malta archipelago but 30% of the area and only one set of traffic lights on the whole island! • Less then 30,000 inhabitants. • Peaceful, rustic, charming and a rich cultural heritage • The charming capital of Victoria (or as the locals prefer – Rabat!) with its historic citadel • Beautiful secluded beaches with distinctive red sand • A walkers paradise • A great place to fulfil your ambition of learning to dive! • The charming seaside resort of Marsalforn • Lively village ‘festas’ throughout the summer months Our new school offers a number of key benefits to students • Location in Ghajnsielem overlooking Mgarr Harbour gives easy access to the regular ferry service to the main island of Malta and also Comino • The school building is purpose built for language students with attractive ensuite accommodation available on site for those who have the sense to book early!! • An option for students seeking the full varied experience of language holiday on the Malta islands. Why not combine your stay with some time at the Sliema school before transferring to Gozo for your final week? Enjoy the best of both worlds. Contact maryrose.fenech@lalgroup in reservations if this is a preferred option for you! • The owners of our Mariblu guesthouse also run one of the islands leading diving schools! Migarro School and Residence The school is particularly suitable for adults who prefer a more peaceful and relaxing environment and is open from May to October. Situated on the main road in Ghajnsielem and located on the first floor, the school premises comprise the teaching center and the student residence. The teaching center has 10 classrooms (bright and airy) with windows and fans, a video room, administration office and a reception area with vending machine. Students also have access to the roof terrace with its magnificent views of Comino, Fort Chambray and surrounding villages, church spires and picturesque hills. Here students can assemble during break times to chat and relax, study in peace sitting under umbrellas or to stretch out in the sun with a cool drink. It is an ideal area for barbeques and socialising in the evenings. Like the school, the three self-catering apartments on the second floor are brand-new and finished to a high standard throughout. Each apartment has three twin bedrooms with private balconies, a shower room, bathroom, fully fitted kitchen and spacious living area. Students can choose to share a room with another student or have a single room at a supplement. The penthouse on the top floor has just two twin bedrooms, with bathrooms, fully fitted kitchen and private terrace area. Ghajnsielem, “Spring of Peace”, is an attractive village with a strong sense of community and a thriving social life revolving around its band club, football club and local bars. Unlike an average tourist resort, Ghajnsielem is a proper village equipped with a post office, chemist, butcher, baker, fish shop, and grocer for daily needs. Nearby Mgarr harbour has a good selection of restaurants and wonderfully easy access to Comino and Malta. Mariblu Guesthouse Away from the hustle and bustle of the seaside resorts, the family-run Mariblu guesthouse is set in Xewkija. Dominated by the famous Rotunda church, this old village enjoys the tranquillity and peace typical to rural Gozo. This comfortable guesthouse has a bar lounge, restaurant, swimming pool with surrounding sun deck area and there are 8 bedrooms sleeping 4/6 persons in each, with a maximum occupancy of 30 persons. All bedrooms have a fridge, electric kettle, hot-plates, glasses, cups, saucers and cutlery, as well as private shower and toilet. Students can choose to share an apartment with other students or have a single room at a supplement. All apartments have a fan and air-conditioning is also available at a supplement of Lm4 per day per room (irrespective of number of students sleeping in) to be paid locally.  Mariblu Guesthouse  Pool at Mariblu Guesthouse The guest house is within approximately twenty minutes walking distance of the school but is also situated on a main bus route with a frequent service to Mgarr Harbour in one direction and to the heart of Victoria in the other For more information and prices please go to Downloads in the Agents Area or contact our marketing team headed by Isabella Conti (isabella.conti@lalgroup.com) back to top |
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| English [Out There!] – a success story! Find out more and don’t miss out for 2006! The story of Emmanuel Emmanuel is the sort of average young adult who wasn't overly confident about his English language skills. He went to a bilingual high school with no visible results and visited a top notch language school - nothing. He actually had an attitude against English, the evil of all evils. But one day Emmanuel was dragged into CCC in Cape Town, scared to death and trying to get out of the first day level assessment. There were no signs of increased motivation until he started his English [Out There!] course. He was pushed into a black taxi and made to endure a city tour and a visit to a market. Surprise: back in the hotel he started bragging about his having bought this and that, bartered, bargained and gotten into all sort of sophisticated language transactions. A miracle? No, not at all. Because of this real language activity all his dormant English exploded, he communicated, gained trust, got what he wanted and needed, and then suddenly from that day and till we left South Africa we went on talking in English. And he had changed, he asked for a longer language course, and more English [Out There!]. Believe me, it has made us both proud, when we almost thought he was hopeless. But when you are in it, it happens. Thanks for the big change! Prof. Betty Wolff, BEWNETWORK CORP., Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA  2005 saw the LAL Group offering this exciting new programme in our schools in Torbay, Malta, Cape Town and Fort Lauderdale. In year one of our partnership with English [Out There!] more than 300 students have followed an [Out There!] course in one or other of our schools – students from a variety of countries including Germany, Sweden and Brazil. Research carried out at our school in Malta revealed that 94% of students would recommend [Out There!] to a friend – a statistic that exactly reflects the results of student satisfaction rates in London where [Out There!] was launched by founder and director, Jason West. English [Out There!] – Q&A What exactly is English [Out There!]? [Out There!] is a lot more than just a language course – it's an exciting language learning adventure appealing to visitors of all ages and levels.You learn the language, you speak the language, you see the city and you meet the locals! All with your teacher there to guide and support you. After just one three-hour session you will be able to say “I can do that now” and have the confidence to use your new language skill again and again. Since starting teaching the course in July 2001 almost two thousand people, from 14 to 70 years of age, have tried the course. Research suggests that people learn languages in different ways. If you have been learning a language at home and it just won’t stick or you lack confidence speaking with native speakers, then [Out There!] is the course for you! Our clients, many of them language teachers, tell us that it turns ‘passive’ knowledge into ‘active’ knowledge, fast. Going [Out There!] really does help you to remember language and greatly increases your confidence. How does it work? During an English [Out There!] course we teach you the grammar and vocabulary for the first lesson of the day and then we take you outside to read, write and, most importantly, speak and listen to it. Every class has a clear and achievable linguistic aim. You're taught a small chunk of the language and then use it straight away. By communicating with real people in the real world you get the right accent and pronunciation every time. And by making yourself understood you get a real buzz of success. It's great fun and it works. And [Out There!] what happens? Real practice at listening, speaking, reading and writing. Every activity carefully planned and prepared. Use your new language skills in shops, galleries, markets, museums... with your teacher always there to help. Lesson plans are adapted to both levels and locations. You get to hear different accents and quickly learn how people pronounce words, simply by using them with native speakers. During your class you will meet different people and also learn to understand language that is used in the real world. Although it might seem quite a challenge at first, you will quickly become comfortable with the [Out There!]® method of learning and really enjoy interacting with the culture, through the language. What about results? Successful communication with new language... provides an instant buzz of success. It will give you a thrill, every time! It will also give you a big confidence boost and encourage you to use the language again on your own later. The method is all about real communication and exploration. Once you have had one class you will understand that learning the [Out There!]® way is easy, immediate and exciting. You will also finish your class knowing that you have improved your language skills, without even having to take a test! What is the relationship between LAL and Languages [Out There!]? The LAL schools make up a number of some of the ‘partner’ schools licensed by Languages [Out There!] to deliver the programme. The vision of founder Jason West is that anywhere in the world a student will be able to find an ‘Out There!’ course provider. Through partnerships with LAL and other leading schools [Out There!] is offered in the following English speaking countries - the UK, South Africa, Malta, the USA, Canada and Ireland. Spanish, Italian and French options are also available and when we last spoke to Jason he told us of a possible partnership in China to teach Chinese [Out There!]. To find out more about the course visit www.languagesoutthere.com I would like to promote English [Out there!] at an LAL school. Who do I contact? Please get in touch directly with LAL by writing to our Marketing Manager Jenny Schwarz on jenny.schwarz@lalgroup.com I would like to promote English [Out There] in London or one of the other partner schools. What do I do? Please contact Clare or Jason on +44 20 7813 1633 or via www.languagesoutthere.com English [Out There!] has been an exciting development within the LAL schools – ‘Students find it motivating to meet and practise the language with the locals and the teachers love getting out of the classroom and using their teaching skills in a challenging new environment’ – David Belsey, Academic Director, Torbay Agents are interested to try something new, something a bit different’ – Chris Nolan, Marketing and Sales Director, LAL Group As you look to spice up your offer for 2006 with something new – but at the same time, tried and tested, why not give Languages [Out There!] a try? back to top |
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| Major redevelopments of school building and residence in Torbay Managing Director in Torbay, Alex Perkins explains LAL Torbay is about to have a major face-lift! We are delighted to announce that we have just received approval to commence with building works at our Paignton school from October 3rd, 2005. This consists of a major refurbishment of the student lounge and common room areas, cafeteria, bookshop, leisure and activity department, reception areas and gardens.  artist's impression of the new TLC front in Paignton Our intention is to make TLC a modern school of the highest quality, operating at the cutting edge of English language course provision, whilst maintaining and building on our reputation for student care and responsive customer service. In time for the summer of 2006 the completed renovation will enable us to consolidate all activities onto the one Paignton site. Through the use of designated areas and timetabling both adult and teenager programmes will be run separately leading to an improved quality of service for our students and partners.  student group in front of Castle Chambers  adult lounge at Castle Chambers The building works are scheduled to last until the spring, and during this time our Paignton site will be closed. However there will be no interruption to courses! It will be ‘business as usual’ .All students will follow their courses at our long established Torquay site. All transportation between Paignton and Torquay will be arranged and provided courtesy of the school. For those that don’t know, Castle Chambers (the name of our Torquay School) is a grand, imposing listed building, ideally located in central Torquay, enjoying views across the parks and ideally located within 2 minutes of the main shopping centre including a wide selection of restaurants, coffee shops and bars. Students studying at Castle Chambers will continue to enjoy a normal service with a fully staffed reception, bookshop, tuckshop, learning resources, internet facilities, large classrooms, and a leisure programme. Clients who have already booked to attend TLC from mid-September to mid-March, will be assured an identical level of service, with the added bonus of experiencing the two neighbouring towns of Paignton and Torquay. In addition to the refurbishment of the Paignton school, renovation at Matilda House will begin on November 6th, 2005. The residence will be closed until the end of the year and re-open in January 2006 with a new kitchen and dinig room as well as two dormitory-style bedrooms sleeping a total of eight on the ground floor. The first floor will have five twin rooms and the second floor will have six rooms all with double beds. The residence will continue to house four showers and five WCs and will be finished to the high standards expected by partners and clients. In total, the building will be able to accommodate 24 students.  Matilda House  Hunters Lodge Students currently residing in Matilda House will be upgraded to our premier residence Hunters Lodge, for no additional charge, until Matilda House re-opens. Hunters Lodge, with its panoramic views across Torbay Harbour, is a ten-minute walk from our Paignton School; during the period of improvements whilst the Paignton school is closed, students are able to take advantage of our free door-to-door bus transfer service between the residence and our Castle Chambers school in Torquay. For more information please do not hesitate to contact our reservations and marketing team headed by Kerstin Doerfler and Jules Bowles respectively (kerstin.doerfler@lalgroup.com and jules.bowles@lalgroup.com) and look at our summary. back to top |
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| Go to agents area for brochures, pricelists, special offers, agents manuals and much more We recently updated our downloads section with the newest information. Please go to our Agents Area and download • digital version of 2006 brochure • pricelists • 2006 agent manuals for all of our 5 schools • special offers back to top |
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| Searching for a new Business Development Manager to join the LAL marketing team An exciting new position has become available within the LAL Group international marketing team. We are keen to recruit a Business Development Manager whose responsibilities will be to develop the groups network of representation in both new markets and with new partners in existing markets. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience of sales and marketing in the language travel sector and will have direct knowledge of at least two of the following markets – Eastern Europe/Russian Federation, Latin America and the Middle East. We are looking for a driven individual who is a team player capable of effectively promoting the diversity offered by the LAL Group of schools. Highly motivated, results driven and effective communication and presentation skills are essential.The position will be based either in our head office in Munich or elsewhere in Europe and will combine an attractive base salary plus annual bonus opportunity. Interested candidates should write to Chris Nolan, LAL Group, Marketing & Sales Director on chris.nolan@lalgroup.com back to top |
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| SPECIAL OFFERS for Cambridge exam courses March 2006 One course, five great places to live and learn the English language! Go to Downloads in the Agents Area for more information and prices. Please note that special offers cannot be combined! back to top |
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| TLC Special Offers Long-stay students starting a 24 or 36 week intensive course in January 2006 will get their first 12 weeks for the price of General English - with great discounts on accommodation too! Intensive English for the price of General English is available for all students in January and February 2006! To take advantage of these offers please write to kerstin.doerfler@lalgroup.com Go to Downloads in the Agents Area for more information and prices. Please note that special offers cannot be combined! back to top |
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| IELS SPECIAL OFFERS 27th November, 2005 to 23rd December, 2005: No single supplement at Il-Merill Hotel and Residence (sharing) - €50 savings per week at the hotel and €67 saving per week at the residence! ONE or TWO weeks OFF (on tuition only) • Stay for 4 weeks pay for 3 • Stay for 6 weeks pay for 5 • Stay for 8 weeks pay for 6 • Stay for 11 weeks pay for 9 • Stay for 12 weeks pay for 10 To take advantage of this offer please write to maryrose.fenech@lalgroup.com Go to Downloads in the Agents Area for more information and prices. Please note that special offers cannot be combined. back to top |
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| SPECIAL OFFERS IN SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town and NEW school in Durban! A great offer for long term students following a programme of 20 weeks or more. 4 FREE afternoon classes per week starting from 20 weeks @ Euro 2145 plus 80 free afternoon lessons of choice (excluding private lessons). Students can book that for up to 52 weeks. For more information write to gavin.eyre@lalgroup.com Go to the Special Offers section within our Agents Area for prices. back to top |
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