Why study English at the British Council?

The British Council is world famous for high quality teachers using modern communicative methodology to get the best progress from you.

Who are the teachers?

All British Council teachers are:

• Native level speakers of English with a recognised university degree
• Qualified  - all our teachers have internationally recognised English teaching qualifications, many of our teachers are also active IELTS examiners
• Experienced – the British Council only recruits teachers with a minimum of several years of experience. Our teachers have a broad range of experience including general English, business English, exam preparation, young learners, English for academic or specific purposes…

What will we do in class?

We aim to make learning English enjoyable by encouraging students to use the language they are learning in the classroom with their teacher and with other students. Lessons focus on different tasks and activities and give practice in speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Teachers use a variety of methods to make lessons interesting and effective. You will do many of the tasks in class in pairs or groups because this creates a need to communicate in English and gives you maximum opportunity to practise speaking in class.

How many students will be in my class?

Classes will not have more than 16 students in them in Riyadh and Al-Khobar and 18 in Jeddah, although they may be smaller.

What books and resources will we use?

Our teachers use a wide variety of resources to meet your learning needs. In your first class you will receive a coursebook and workbook if this is your first course with the British Council. You will also be given a special British Council notebook. All our classrooms have interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and, in addition to the coursebook, we also use supplementary activities and technology such as the Internet, video and CD ROM.

Will I get a certificate at the end of my course?

Yes, you will get a certificate if you successfully finish the course.

How many courses are there?

The number of courses you need to take will depend on your starting level and your goal. In general, one course will not be enough to improve your English level significantly, so you should plan to take several courses.

How long are the courses?

All courses are 36 hours long, over 6 weeks. Classes are 3 hours twice a week or 2 hours three times a week. See our timetable for more information. IELTS preparation classes are 18 hours.