LAL relocates to the ideal Cape Town site - Grand Opening Party on April 25, 2007!

Don't miss out on this event when we celebrate the new home of LAL Cape Town on the site of a long-established Cape Town lodge. Set in the heart of fashionable Sea Point, the centre is just a short drive to the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain and City Centre, and only 2 minutes from the famous Clifton and Camps Bay beaches. The school is on Main Road, convenient for bus and taxi routes. The new centre has 30 spacious classrooms, a large cosy student lounge with a big screen satellite television, free internet access, great entertainment area consisting of pool tables, bar, music and dancing, swimming pool and an exquisite barbecue and garden area. There is also a Social & Activities Desk, where students can book day tours, car hire and get information on local places of interest.
Our student residence as well as the executive residence will be located within the same building as the school. LAL Cape Town runs adult programmes (16+) year round and offers young learner programmes in July/August and January/February.

For more information about LAL Cape Town and our grand opening party please contact Gavin Eyre.

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Top Korean director chooses Malta for commercial
as reported in The Times of Malta 23rd February 2007 by Fiona Galea Debono

Malta will feature in a Korean TV commercial for a wheat-based beverage, scenes having been filmed in Mdina and Valletta earlier this week. Myung-Chun Park, considered to be among the most established Korean commercial directors, was in charge of the project.

He had already filmed a Coca-Cola commercial at the Rinella water tanks a few years back. "In the only free time he had on his way to the airport, he managed to slip in a quick visit to Mdina... It was the unique characteristics of its streets that remained impressed in his memory and that allowed him to 'sell' his concept for the drink commercial in Korea," a spokesman for the Producer's Creative Partnership said, adding that "an exotic and fantasy kind of backdrop" was required.

The filming of the commercial required a number of challenges on the part of the PCP, the production company engaged to organise the shoot. Barely a week's notice was given to scout locations, get permits, bring over specialised technicians and equipment from Germany and coordinate everything from A to Z in time for a hectic two-day shoot, which involved a 40-strong crew of Koreans, Maltese and Germans. The 30-second commercial features a heartbroken guy running fast through various streets. To achieve the director's vision, and a cinematic feel, a special quad bike was brought over from Munich and a steadicam mounted so that the camera could move smoothly alongside the actor at high speed. In Valletta, filming took place by the bastions near the sea, under Fort St Elmo. A famous Korean model, Tae-Pyoung Kim, stars in the commercial, which is typically Asian because it features a celebrity to sell a product. The PCP expressed its gratitude towards the local councils of Mdina, Valletta and Senglea for their cooperation in connection with the urgent preparations that had to be made. "In London, you would usually need two weeks to organise permits. Here, we just had a few days. The residents were all extremely helpful and made us feel very welcome. There was only one who tried to extort us, but such opportunists exist everywhere, unfortunately," executive producer Jae Kim was quoted as saying by the PCP. The commercial is being edited in London and "everyone there is excited about the shots we managed to capture in Malta".

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Over the past 10 years, nearly 300 people have become qualified as EFL teachers at LAL Torbay on the Cambridge University, Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults, course. Here are some facts and figures that people ask…

I am not a native speaker, so can I still do the course?
You can be accepted on the CELTA course if your English is at Cambridge Proficiency level, or you have an IELTS score of 8.

How long is the Course?
It’s a four-week intensive programme introducing the candidates to the methodology required to become successful English language teachers from the first day you are put in a classroom situation under the guidance of one of our five qualified teacher trainers.

What should I expect?
Don’t be fooled by the relatively short time scale of the course, it is not a walk in the park. You will be expected to attend every session and put in additional work at home doing lesson plans and coursework. It is not recommended that you attempt this course if you have a busy social life or work commitments during this time.

How are the days planned?
Morning input usually begins at 8.30 and runs until 11.30. In these sessions you are taught classroom management and practice as well as language analysis and other aspects of teaching. From 12.30 to 2.30 you do teaching practice with a class of students, and then from 3.00 to 5.30 you receive feedback on your teaching and guidance on the following day’s lesson.

How do I know what to teach?
For the first three weeks you are given guidance and assistance with use of a coursebook in your lesson and your planning. In the final week, you are encouraged to use your newly acquired knowledge to plan lessons without guidance from the trainers.

Who will I teach?
There are two levels of class that you will teach, a pre-intermediate and upper intermediate of up to 15 adults. The classes are made up of students from within the school who have been offered free lessons, as well as students who come to the school specifically to enrol on this course and occasionally we have local, hotel workers who wish to improve their English. The popularity of these classes ensures that there is a good mix of nationalities.

Will there be an exam?
No. The final result is determined by continual assessment of your teaching and a series of course assignments that must be completed during the four weeks.

What can I do with my CELTA qualification?
The Cambridge CELTA is recognised throughout the world as the ‘gold standard’ EFL qualification and will be accepted over and above other TEFL qualifications. Once you have passed the course you will be eligible to legitimately work in language schools all over the world, you may also wish to take students for private tuition, work with asylum seekers, or for local councils.

How much will it cost?
At present the course costs GBP 995.

What other qualifications can I get?
Once you have been teaching for the equivalent of two-years full-time, you will be eligible to study for the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults). This is a far more in-depth and rigorous course and usually requires attending an intensive 14-week course or a six-month part-time course. As well as the CELTA LAL Torbay also runs a six-month part-time DELTA course at a cost of GBP 1,800.

Who should I contact if I’m interested in the courses?
If you wish to attend the course as a student attending the lessons taught by the new teachers you should contact your agent or Kerstin Doerfler. If you wish to apply for the course to become a qualified CELTA or DELTA teacher you should contact Laurie Chapman.

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LAL Fort Lauderdale is permitted to issue I 20's again

We are delighted to announce that LAL Fort Lauderdale (Florida Language Center) is once more permitted to issue I20's. This means that henceforth LAL Fort Lauderdale can issue I20's and therefore accept students on any course of full-time study. In strict accordance with Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP), full-time courses of study consist of 18 clock hours or more per week and must be a minimum of four weeks in duration. Therefore, in order to maximize choice to our partners our General English program (published at 20 lessons per week: 16.7 clock hours) will be increased to 22 lessons per week - 2 extra conversation classes per week at no extra charge! This means that both General and Intensive English programs can be made to your clients, as well as examination, academic semester/year and other long term programs. Furthermore, please note that students who stay less than four weeks may attend school on a tourist visa regardless of the hours they study (22 CFR Part 41, N13.6 Short Course of Study). We are aware of the confusion at some embassies, but will diligently work with them to ensure these regulations are understood and abided by.

We would like to offer sincere thanks to all of our partners who have supported our school over these past months.

In combination with last years CEA five-year accreditation, LAL Fort Lauderdale is once again an ideal choice for students looking for a high quality language program in Florida. We are looking forward to a very successful 2007!

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Tracy Brylewski, Managing Director of LAL Fort Lauderdale.

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LAL Torbay: Teacher Training - free course for agents

LAL Torbay is proud of being a centre of academic excellence. Involved in training teachers of English as a Foreign Language since 1990, we are currently one of the few schools in Devon, in the South West of England, training native English speaking teachers on the Cambridge approved CELTA course (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). In addition, having established ourselves as a centre for Initial Teacher Training, in 2005 we began teaching the Cambridge approved DELTA course (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults) becoming the only registered training centre in the South West of England. This expansion to our curriculum has allowed practising teachers to continue to develop skills and obtain higher qualifications.

The team of six qualified trainers is lead by Lucy Gubbin, our Head of Teacher Training. Lucy has an MA in Linguistics from the University of Essex, a PGCE in TEFL and a degree from University College London, is herself a CELTA and DELTA trainer and also a CELTA Assessor registered with the Cambridge University ESOL. She is also an IELTS examiner. Lucy feels that the management of quality and accredited teacher training courses in LAL Torbay has had a dramatic impact on the quality of both staff and courses.

Agents: Please check out our special offers!
Upcoming Courses: April 23 for 2 or 4 weeks and May 7 for 2 weeks.

Please contact Dean Jones for full details and view our pdf.

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NEW! English for Tourism and Hospitality at LAL Fort Lauderdale

English for Tourism & Hospitality is a brand new course for people working or planning to work in the tourism industry. Covering a range of work areas such as hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies, it focuses on employees dealing with clients in a variety of typical situations.
This 4-week course consists of General English - 20 lessons per week in the morning, followed by dedicated English for Tourism - 10 lessons per week in the afternoons Monday through Friday. The course develops all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, placing particular emphasis on students to carry out realistic and engaging communicative tasks. Included in this exciting course are tour guide escorted field trips to local tourist destinations. The course begins on April 2, prices are available in the agents' area.

For more information please contact Ilona Alves.
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