Vincenzo from Italy (Individual 20, 2006-10)

I began studying with Educa LS after my friend had advised me that school. Since then I have had 3 courses with different characteristics. A full-month course was the chance to experience living in a family and the support of the school even in the preparation of my trip. During shorter courses I was pleased by the possibility of tailoring the course to the personal needs and time available. The teaching makes full use of all the available media, including multimedia. I experienced mainly intensive courses and found them very efficient, together with some common activity with other students and the possibility of taking advantage of the cultural richness of a city like St. Petersburg. In the end I can say it was a wonderful experience, which I hope to renew soon.

 

Santiago from Italy (Group 20, 2008-10)

The course overall was very good. My teachers were very professional, prepared and always able to convey the message and very importantly able to create a connection with the student. All the school staff was very helpful and available when I needed it.

When I have the opportunity to spend a few weeks in St. Petersburg in summer, I will certainly attend a course at this school!

 

Daniel from Brazil, 2010

Tea programme:  Absolutely fantastic!!! A lot of information about Russian culture.

 

Katharina from Sweden (One-to-one, 2010)

I liked the course a lot. It helped me to get started again with Russian language. And all teachers gave attention to my special demands. Wrote down the words I asked for, talked about sociological things and so on. Very good!

Stephen from Canada, 2008-10

I am now retired but I taught for many years in a Canadian high school (students aged 15-18). I understand the nature of teaching and the qualities of a fine teacher. The teachers I had at Educa were extremely good. My primary teacher form whom I received individual instruction and group instructions was superlative. One of the best I have had in a long academic career. Her ear for detail, knowledge and patience were outstanding.

Martin from Germany, 2010 (Combined 20+10)

Nice and good reachable school near the centre of Petersburg. The teachers are all native speakers, good international flair inside the school and good cultural program. If there are any problems assistants of school help the pupils.

I recommend a combined course which is a very good way to learn Russian language and a good mixture of learning in group and learning eye-to-eye with teacher to assume a big variety of useful topics.  

I enjoyed the time very much and learned a lot in my 5 weeks there. Came back for another course and also had nothing to complain.

All in All great experience.

Jurij from Germany, 2010

I had a great, relaxing stay at my host family and couldn’t wish for more!

Jillian from the UK, 2009-10

Thanks to the voluntary programme at Educa I’ve been doing voluntary work at the Hermitage for six months now.  At the beginning of this time I was able to get interesting experiences helping out with conferences, events and general customer service, all of which was a great chance to see what goes on in this amazing museum whilst being able to practice my Russian. 

However most of my time I have spent working in the Archaeology department where I’ve been learning to do archaeological illustrations.  As part of this work I was invited to spend several weeks this summer at the department’s archaeological excavation in Smolensk.  What a fabulous experience which gave me the opportunity to camp in the middle of the forest side by side with Hermitage staff and other volunteers and get involved with archaeology from the beginning.  This meant getting my hands dirty digging for artefacts, getting an insight into underwater archaeology and learning more about Russia’s Neolithic period from experts whilst being able to see another part of the country, enjoy the stunning Russian countryside and hang out round campfires!

Eleonora, St Andrews University Undergraduate, 2010

An unforgettable first experience in Russia with an outstanding host family and excellent teachers, which catered to all my needs and requirements! My level of spoken Russian improved considerably after three weeks following one to one lessons. The speaking and listening practices coupled with grammar tuition, contributed in developing my Russian language skills which I was also able to test in real situations during my full immersion classes. I would like to underline the particular warmth of hospitality and welcome of host and teachers alike, as well as their teaching proficiency, which rendered my Russian stay particularly productive and enjoyable! I certainly will come back again!

Maj from Denmark, 2009

During my last year at university, I decided to apply for an internship in St. Petersburg and move there for 6 months.... With 2-3 other volunteers I drove to fixed stops in St. Petersburg’s suburbs and gave out hot meals to homeless people. There were many people, so we were quite busy at the stops, but between them there was plenty of time to chat – and practise! Also a great way of meeting Russians of my own age, who shared my interest in social issues and volunteers work. I can recommend everyone interested in Russia to join as an intern of volunteer and supplement with language classes – or the other way around! Be prepared to be challenged – managing a new language, country and colleagues at the same time can be tough from time to time. But I found that it was worth it, and I am now working on my thesis about homelessness in Russia.

Andreas from Germany, 2010

My mission during my three months in the orphanage in central St. Petersburg was to give personal attention to the children and adolescents. Connecting to them has been possible through activities like playing sports (football, basketball, table tennis, badminton), learning English in small groups or just listening to music together. Telling the children about life in other countries was for them as interesting as it was for me to learn about life in Russia, especially in an orphanage. The numerous happy and sad stories have made the experience unforgettable for me.

Lucy from the UK, 2009-10

I found Educa through an internet search and the support and advice I received from the international department before making my decision was the pivotal factor in me deciding on Educa. Never having been so far from home before, I booked an airport transfer and host family and Educa did not disappoint! An integral part of many language courses in the United Kingdom is a year abroad, which is a year of language practice in the country where the target language is spoken. As I was considering becoming a teacher, teaching English on my year abroad seemed like a natural step to take. Having very little teaching experience before my arrival and no TEFL, I was trained by the academic directors in Communicative Language Teaching, Educas teaching philosophy. I really enjoyed the training as it introduced me to a completely different school of teaching to the way. I had learned languages in England – no more mundane gap filling exercises here! The mentoring system was really helpful and I really feel like I have acquired a life skill in teaching; both my confidence speaking in front of a class and my ability to express complicated ideas comprehensibly have noticeably improved.

Kira from the USA, 2009

For four weeks during the summer, I undertook a cultural program at the Hermitage, which was organised by Educa. Seeing some of the inner workings of the Hermitage, and experience some of the wonderful cultural experiences that St Petersburg has to offer, this has provided me with further knowledge in to how Russian culture has developed of the centuries and the need of society to try and protect the cultural heritage of Russia, which is under assualt by the modern demands for economical and  constructural development.


Astrid from Germany, 2010

Good course, very competent and nice teachers who tailored the course to my needs. The organisation was excellent.