Life @ Kaplan: An Austrian visit to Kaplan Edinburgh
With the Edinburgh festival taking place this month, the city is a very popular place! Today’s blog post has been written by Mike, the Social Program Manager from Kaplan Edinburgh. Mike is sharing his experience of working with Austrian students, who came to the city earlier this year.
Every week here in Edinburgh we’re used to welcoming new students of all different ages, nationalities and backgrounds, to our school and to our city.
Usually, they arrive here on their own, or perhaps with a friend or family member as company, but occasionally throughout the year we also host larger groups of students. Often they are part of a school or college group, and other times just a collection of friends or colleagues aiming to improve their English.
One of the advantages of booking as a group is that it’s possible to organise activities and a social programme in advance. Last year we had a group of French air traffic controllers who visited to the control tower at Edinburgh Airport and a Scotch whisky distillery on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
In April of this year, we were visited by a group of 40 eager teenagers from Austria, all of them keen on improving their English and getting to know this fantastic city. Before they arrived, they planned out their trip with activities including a Welcome Walk in Edinburgh’s Old Town, visits to local landmarks like the National Museum & Art Galleries as well as evening trips to the cinema and ten pin bowling.
After they left, we asked them to tell us about their experiences at Kaplan Edinburgh.
Daniel Peer: "The lessons in Kaplan were always fun. When I sat in the classroom, I didn’t have the feeling I usually have in a classroom. It was like hanging out with my best friends and having a good time. When we had some spare time in the afternoon we simply enjoyed the day. On the warmest day of our trip we sat in Princes Street Gardens and chilled out and played card games.
Our host mother was such a lovely person, she told us everything we had to know and her son showed us the way to the college on the first day. Her meals were amazing and varied but she always made some extra chips for us.”
Anna Nesensohn: “In the morning we were in school and did different exercises with different teachers. I think it is a good decision to classify the pupils according to their English knowledge. In small groups we learned facts about Edinburgh and Scotland and did English games and exercises.
“In the afternoon we usually did some sightseeing or were allowed to decide on our own how to spend our time. I would recommend Kaplan College to other schools and pupils if they are looking for a well-organized journey. They will learn more about the city, about Scotland, its language and its people and, above all, they’ll meet exceptionally friendly people.”"
Are you studying or traveling to Edinburgh hand looking for things to do there? If so, you can check out our students recommendations in this infographic.