Your First Day at St Giles International!

Why the first day at an English language school is the hardest – and how to make it much easier!

You’ve decided to learn English abroad with St Giles International, but how do you make the first day of your English language course go as smoothly as possible? It’s natural to feel nervous, you will experience new environments, new people and of course, language challenges! Read our top tips on making your first day much easier.

Make sure that your SIM card works and that you have plenty of credit.
There is nothing worse than discovering you have no credit or your SIM card doesn’t work abroad! Make it a priority to get a SIM card and credit so that you have access to the internet, phone calls and texts.
At St Giles we offer free SIM cards in the office and if you want one sooner you can buy SIM cards at the airport and in shops like Tesco, Spar, Sainsburys and Nisa. Put in your host family number and other useful numbers like the British emergency services number (999) as soon as possible.

The day before you start: Plan your journeys to and from your school.
If you’re staying with a host family then they will help you with this. Give yourself lots of time to get to school, learn the words that you need for the journeys and make a plan for yourself. If you have data you can use an app like Google Maps, but it is good to research the area just in case your phone doesn’t work.

On the day: Don’t stress about your English Language test!
Whether you are studying General English, IELTS or TOEIC we will give you a test. It is nothing to worry about, we want to know how we can teach you in the best way and this means finding out where you can improve. This is the first step in your development, so relax and enjoy the challenge.

On the day: Say hello to everyone.
The first day is a great time to be confident – it is easy to make conversation with the other students that have arrived because you all have lots in common. You can ask about where they are from, how their journeys were, where they are staying and what they are doing after school.

On the day: Prepare for your first Lesson.
Your teacher will begin your first lesson by welcoming you to the class and asking a few questions to get to know you. Learn a few sentences about yourself so that you are ready with answers. The lesson will be fun and you will work a lot with the other students, so be confident, friendly and brave – you will quickly improve.

On the day: Say yes! Join the Social Programme.
On your first day St Giles will tell you all about the Social Programme and about the events planned. The Social Programme is designed to help you meet people, try new things, discover the best local activities and enhance your language skills. Ask questions, sign up for as much as you can and encourage your new friends to join you!

Good luck with your first day! If you are still deciding if you want to learn English in the UK, USA or Canada take a look at our course dates and prices and contact us for more information