Christmas in London

Volunteer at a

We all know that London is a great city, whether you live here, are a visitor or student. What a lot of people don’t know is how great it is to spend Christmas here in London.

One of the many wonderful things about London is that you can become a Londoner wherever you’re from originally. You could be from another part of the UK or the other side of the world, but once you’ve decided to make London your home that’s it – you are officially a Londoner.

And it’s at this time of year that you start to get an idea of how many people aren’t actually born and bred Londoners – because so many people leave at this time.

London is all yours for Christmas

For one week only, somewhere between 22 December and 30 December, London practically empties. Tens of thousands of Londoners head back to where they originally came from to be with family and friends for the festive season.

This is a great time for those with family in London, or those with commitments that keep in London for the last week of December. And increasingly, there are those that have just decided to stay in the city and enjoy this time with their friends.

If you travel on the tube you’re guaranteed a seat, if you go to your local pub you’ll be welcomed like a real local and you may even get a nod of acknowledgement from other Londoners as you walk around town.

The downside may be that many places shut for this period too. A lot of bars and restaurants are closed in the week between Christmas Day and New Years Eve as most of their customers have left, but those that do stay open tend to be very welcoming – and have tables available without booking in advance.

Help out at a London charity at Christmas

But then, Christmas in London isn’t all about restaurants, bars  shopping and eating . It’s also provides an opportunity to give something back and volunteering at a homeless shelter is one of the best and most popular activities for those that stay in London.

The housing and homelessness charity Crisis opens Christmas centres across London from 22-30 December that offer vital companionship, hot meals and warmth, and a wide range of essential services that homeless people often miss out on.

What volunteers can do

There are lots of options for  charity volunteers :

• General volunteers welcome guests, serve food, sort bedding or just make sure things go to plan
• Logistics volunteers co-ordinate food deliveries, volunteer as drivers or navigators and input data
• Service volunteers give guests access to services they usually miss out on. Crisis are looking for medical professionals, advice practitioners, hairdressers, alternative therapists, caterers, dog handlers and many more
• Activities and entertainment volunteers such as performers, musicians, magicians and sports trainers to help to inspire and entertain guests at the centres

The centres are open from  22-30 December. Volunteers are asked to sign up to a minimum of two shifts on two separate days and are welcome to apply for more should they wish.

How to volunteer at Crisis

You can  find out more about what Crisis do at Christmas on their website and to apply online at the Crisis website or telephone 0300 636 1000. 

International House Trust and Crisis 

Crisis have education, training and employment centres, called Skylight centres, across the UK. International House Trust have partnered with Crisis Skylight in London by offering intensive International English Language Testing System (IELTS) programmes to Skylight members.

Improve your CV with a second language

Evening and weekend language classes

Learning a second language and adding it to your CV could help you stand out in a crowded job market.

Recent university graduates don't need to be told about how tough finding a job is right now. According to figures released by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) there are 83 applications for every graduate role advertised.

With this kind of competition, more and more graduate job hunters are looking for ways to stand out from other job applicants.

Graduate courses to side step the recession

A popular route graduating students are taking is via postgraduate courses. A growing number of students finishing undergraduate courses are moving directly on to Masters and Doctorate degrees. 

This may seem surprising when the economy and jobs market are depressed, but many students continue to study to improve their employment prospects by adding further academic qualifications to their resumes. And increasingly, students are choosing to sit out the worst of the recession by staying on at university.

Learn a language to increase job prospects

As attractive as studying for post graduate qualifications may be it is not necessarily the right option for everyone. Post graduate courses can be expensive for those who don’t qualify for bursaries or funding, and not all graduates want to continue with academic study after 3 or 4 years of undergraduate study.

Learning a second language can be an affordable and manageable way to improve your CV and impress prospective employers.  

Even if a company or organisation has no apparent need for speakers of a language other than English, adding a language to your CV can really add value.

 Learning a new language shows prospective employers that you have the ability, determination and dedication to acquire new skills.

Learning a second language improves your first language

Along with the ability to speak and understand a new language, learning a language can also help you develop communication skills in your native language.

Language learning gives you a better understanding of language structure, the rules of grammar and can improve the clarity of your communications.

A good recruiter will understand the advantages a candidate with a second language can bring to a role, but don’t be shy about telling them this on your CV and in interviews.

Once you’ve decided that learning a second language is the way to go for you, all that’s left to do is to decide which language you should learn…

Study Modern Languages at International House London

Learn a language at International House London. We are the largest and most established language school in London with over 50 years experience.

At our central London location you can choose  which language you'd like to study from French , Spanish , German , Japanese , Italian or Arabic

Prepare for CASS Business School with a University Foundation Programme

International House London's University Foundation Programme helps students prepare for life at the UK's top universities.

In November we were very pleased to welcome  Andy Durban, Recruitment and Events Officer for undergraduate programmes at CASS Business School, to International House London.

Andy joined us to talk about the different undergraduate courses on offer to our University Foundation Programme students , specifically those students interested in studying for a business related degree. 

From International House London to CASS Business School

The Guardian University Guide 2013 ranks CASS business school number 1 in London and second throughout the whole of the UK for undergraduate Business and Management Studies.

In 2011/12 International House London had 7 students progressing to CASS business school to study business and management.

The undergraduate courses on offer at CASS Business School are:

BSc Business Studies

BSc Business Management

BSc Banking and International Finance

BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management

BSc Accounting & Finance

BSc Actuarial Science

Professional placements with leading global companies

All Cass students who take a four-year degree have the opportunity to take a professional placement year in their third year with one of a wide range of leading global companies. This gives the student the opportunity to gain real-world skills and road test your future career.

Companies who provided Cass students with a placement for the 2011/12 academic year include the Bank of England, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Universal Pictures and Nomura.

Study abroad with a partner university

All Cass students can study abroad at one of our 25 highly-ranked worldwide partner universities as part of their degree.

Studying abroad gives students an exceptional opportunity to enhance their degree with an international dimension, develop future business contacts, and prepare them for the global employment market.

CASS Business School entry requirements

To gain a place at one of the world’s top business schools you’ll need to provide personal statements, gain a 75% overall module score (including mathematics) with no less than 65% in any module and achieve English Language Proficiency: IELTS 6.5.

Prepare for university with International House London

To prepare to study at CASS business school or any other leading university requires the very best teaching  support, the most inspirational environment and most best possible education and social experience. 

You want to learn in a place where you really belong.

International House London is that place.

It's the only place.

Find out more about the University Foundation Programme at International House London

Ice skating in London

IH London students on ice

The dark nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping, which can only mean one thing - it's time to wrap up warm and head to London's winter ice rinks.

There are few better ways to enjoy winter and keep warm in the city than by getting your skates on and hitting the ice - sometimes literally!

Get your skates on with International House London

The Social Programme team at International House London have organised two trips to London's best ice rinks this winter.

• Somerset House Ice Rink
  3:30pm, 22 November 2012
• Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park
  2:30pm, 03 December 2012

Visit the Social Programme desk on the ground floor at International House London to find out more and book a place on these ice skating trips.

Booking, timetables and locations for ice rinks in London 

If you can't make Social Programme dates, or you miss out on a place, there are plenty of options and opportunities to organise your own trip.

Below you'll find information on venues, prices and timetables to organise your own ice skating outing.

• Somerset House Ice Rink
• Hampton Court Ice Rink
•  Tower of London Ice Rink
• Natural History Museum Ice Rink
• London Eye Ice Rink
• Hyde Park Winter Wonderland Ice Age 4 Ice Skating Rink
• Canary Wharf Ice Rink

Ice skating venues around London

Students skating at Somerset House 

You can wrap up like a mammoth to ice skate in front of the Natural History Museum, ice dance around Somerset House ice rink, slip and slide around Hyde Park ice rink, skate under the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf ice rink, run royal ice rinks around your friends at Hampton Court and hold onto your head at the Tower of London ice rink.

All venues provide ice skates as part of the booking, you can take your own if you've got them, some run classes and offer discounts for group bookings.

Ice rings in London start to open in the middle of November and most stay open until early January, one or two until March.

Many venues have other winter events going on and  most have cafes and bars serving food and drinks – from hot chocolate to mulled wine (if you drink alcohol we recommend trying mulled cider too) to warm you up and help you wind down after your time on ice.

Learn a language and experience London

International House London has been welcoming students from all over the world for 50 years. Based in the heart of London we offer a range language and teacher training courses, fantastic facilities and great social activities.

• Find out more about International House London

Corporate social responsibility at IH London

With corporate social responsibility in the news, we asked Alex Hammond from ESL Language Travel which promotes sustainable development within the language education industry, to take a look at what we’re doing at IH London.

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The phrase ‘sustainable development’ probably brings to mind environmental issues. It’s hard to miss the huge debates going on internationally about combating global warming, reducing carbon emissions and energy extraction. But the ideas of sustainable development extend beyond the physical environment and ‘green’ issues. For businesses, sustainability is often divided under three headings: environmental, social and economic.

E-moderating: learning to train and teach online

Since launching last year, our online E-moderating training has become one of our most popular short online teacher training courses. The course is designed for CELTA Tutors who wish to become Online Course Tutors on the new Online CELTA programme - or for any ELT professionals who wish to develop their skills and awareness of how to teach online.

With our next course starting 6 May, we thought it was a good time to catch up with previous course participant Ana. 

In this interview Ana, who is based in Madrid, tells us about her experience and how her view of online training has changed. 

If you are interested in joining our next course visit the E-moderating course page for more information about how to apply.

Our Guide to IH London at IATEFL 2012

This week is the 46th Annual IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) Conference and Exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland. After the first morning of pre-conference events Twitter is already buzzing with reports from delegates about some fascinating sessions (search for #iatefl).

So far, we've been especially proud to see lots of praise for IH London teacher and trainer Chia Suan Chong who is part of the Business English Special Interest Group. We're looking forward to catching up with her about her research and presentation on 'English as a Lingua Franca – what should we be teaching?' after the conference.

With a whole week of TEFL talk to come, here's our guide to IH London at IATEFL. 

IH London's Own Rock Star!

Watch a video of Tom from the IH London team performing with his band I am a Pilot. He's the one playing the big double bass! We think their song 'Fell asleep in the city' is great and they are sure to be famous.

Let us know what you think!

I Am A Pilot - "Fell Asleep In The City" from Another Lazy Sunday on Vimeo.

And our competition winner is..

Congratulations to Tasha who is the winner of our student writing competition for February.

All the girls are swooning over this letter to the one he loves..

Celebrating 50 Years of Teacher Training

In 1962 International House London introduced the world's first teacher training qualification for English language teaching (ELT). Now we are one of the largest ELT training centres in the world - and celebrating 50 years of training in 2012!

The origin of the CELTA at IH London

IH London's original training course was the basis for the Royal Society of Arts/University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate qualification in the teaching of English as a foreign language to adults. More recently, this became the Cambridge CELTA or Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, which is the most recognised ELT qualification worldwide.

An advert for the original teacher training course