LEARNING English in London for a Spanish person, whether a child or an adult, can really be fun. Even though London is not part of the European mainland and therefore not part of the Schengen agreement, it is still so easy for Spaniards to travel there because it is part of the European Union.

European Union laws have mandated that all visas from nationalities and citizens of member countries are relaxed when they visit another member country. So the first real challenge in coming here in London is where to billet during your six-month language program here. It’s because a beginner’s program in acquiring English as a second language takes six months long. During this time of rigid training, the student is taught the basics in listening, reading and writing not only English grammar but literature as well. Every day, each student is encouraged to write an essay and as the days progress, the lengths of the essay will be extended too from just a quarter of a page to about five pages long during the last week of the class. Students are also encouraged to recite during class not only to practice their English speaking skills but also to show to their instructors that they are learning.

Thus, it is imperative that the students must show extra effort during these six months to learn English diligently. So by the time afternoon sessions are over at 3 p.m., students must either study alone in their dormitories or huddle with their new-found classmates and learn collectively. There is another alternative though and this is where a student’s billeting concern has got a solution. Some English language schools in London offer immersions to London-based families during the entire six months of the student’s stay here.

These families have been scouted and pre-selected by the language institutions so practically; the student must not be wary of them in terms of security concerns or otherwise. Some of these families have even applied to the language schools for them to get selected in the program. If you are a Spanish student, you will embed with your host family for the whole three months – eat with them, laugh with them, sleep with them, go to church with them, go shopping with them, go to the London Eye with them, and go strolling with them. They will help you in every way they can to make you adept in learning English. You will be encouraged to eavesdrop on conversations certainly not to spy on Londoners but to attempt to understand what they’ve been saying. You will eat purely British cuisine, purely British breakfast consisting of bagels, cheese, orange juice and then some. You will go to a West End play, you will stroll Notting Hill with your host family.

All the expenses are charged against your tuition. But certainly, do not forget what you’re here for – to learn English. That’s why don’t be distracted by the tourist activities because they are just extra-curricular. Listen to the language tapes assigned to you, research at the library. For in the end, you will reap the most beautiful reward of all – that you already have acquired English as a second language.