Mind your language with British Council!

Tell us something about the British Council and its role in India.
Here at the British Council our main goal is to build the UK’s role as a leading provider of educational and cultural opportunities. We try to do this by promoting effective education of the English language,while building relationships with people all around the world.

Worldwide,we have issued nearly eight million books and videos,dealt with almost two million enquiries in our libraries and welcomed five and a half million visitors.

We have employed more than 1,900 teachers in 138 teaching centres around the world who have taught almost 1.2 million class hours.

We are very well established in India and in 2000 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our library network over here.

What activities are undertaken by the British Council?
Our activities in India focus on six main areas: learning and teaching English,education,library and information services,arts and culture,rights and society and science.

Learning and teaching English: If you’re interested in learning or teaching English,we’ll help you find the right course or provide the support you need.

As regards education,we can help you to find out about taking qualifications in the UK or India,funding your studies and getting support if you are a teacher and provide you with all the information you need to know about education partnerships and scholarships.

We have an extensive library network around the country. Here you can search for a book or find the information you need using our extensive multimedia and online resources.

We also aim to promote arts and culture. At the British Council,you can explore the best of contemporary arts from the UK. Our events cover a wide range of creative fields,from theatre to photography.

We aim to aid the awareness of issues around rights and society. We promote good practices in government and raise awareness of the rights of individuals.

In science,we create opportunities for people by forging links between UK and Indian scientists,and bringing science to a wider audience. In particular we aim to promote awareness on climate change and the possibilities of a low-carbon futures.

Our broad range of interests means that we have been able to organise over 3,000 arts events globally,more than 1,500 science events in over 60 countries and helped 13,000 young people take part in exchange projects.

Tell us about the English courses that you offer?
Learning and teaching English

If you are an English student or a teacher,we can help you develop your skills and experience through English courses,teacher training courses,exams,online courses,information resources and networks.

We have our teaching centres in Delhi,Chennai and Kolkata and we are looking at opening in more Indian cities in the near future,owing to the enormous demand for English language courses in India.

We have courses both for Adults and Young learners. We normally have eight week courses for both adults and young learners and we offer two classes per week for adults and one class per week for young learners. This summer we are offering English summer intensive courses starting from May 17 in Delhi. This is a 15-day intensive programme and the classes will be held five days a week for 15 days.

Can you elaborate on the courses for the Summer Intensive Programme?
Adult learners: If you want to improve your overall level of English,we recommend a General English course. These courses are offered at all levels from beginners to advanced,and are designed to improve your overall accuracy and fluency in English. You will improve your English skills in grammar,vocabulary,speaking,listening,reading,writing and pronunciation. We call these courses ‘Enhance Your English’. We also have spoken English courses for adults. These courses are designed to develop spoken fluency through developing skills such as group discussions,interview skills and public speaking,for example.

Young learners: For young learners,this is the only time of the year when we offer Summer Holiday Project Courses.

During their summer vacation,young learners will enhance their language skills and also learn about the people who have helped to shape the world we live in. The courses are designed to enhance the confidence of these young learners who will be key players in shaping the future of the world we live in. This is reflected in the course names:
* The Adventurers (13 to 15 yrs)
* The Achievers (11 and 12 yrs)
* The Voyagers (8 to 10 yrs)

These courses are designed to enhance your child’s communication skills and creativity,in addition to improving their overall English language ability.

In these courses a child will:
* Improve their English level i.e. speaking,writing,listening,reading and pronunciation,in addition to grammar and vocabulary.
* Develop his/her team working skills and group discussion skills by working with classmates to design,plan and present their project.

Examples of the projects that the young learners will work on are:
* Writing and performing a mini-drama or play
* Writing and recording a simulated TV chat show
* Designing and writing a magazine/newspaper

On the last day of the course,parents will be invited to watch their child perform on the stage and see their work on display.

Could you give us brief details of the course dates and fee?
The courses are for children who have an intermediate level of English or above and the registration for them is open at the moment:

Course dates: May 17 to June 7,2010
Duration: Monday to Friday — two hours daily
Course fee: Rs 10,400
Course Dates: May 18 to June 5,2010

Duration: Monday to Friday — two hours daily.

Contact Details
You can contact our Customer Service at—
English Language Teaching Centre,British Council Division,
17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg,
New Delhi — 110001
Phone: 42199000
Email: delhi.enquiry@in.britishcouncil.org

The teaching centre reception is open from 9 am to 7 pm,from Monday to Saturday.

What other courses do you offer?
We offer courses for the workplace: If you want to get the edge over your colleagues,do a course in English 4 Business or Presentation Skills. We offer creative writing courses too. You can register for these courses for the term starting June 14,as we are not offering these courses during the Summer Intensive.

How different is your teaching style?
We follow the communicative approach so your lessons will be very interactive.

You work in pairs and small groups and use English as much as possible! This makes the lessons fun and makes you learn more quickly. This is where we are really different from our competitors.

Andrew Carr
Deputy Teaching Centre Manager
British Council Division
British High Commission
17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110001 India
T +91 (0)11 4149 7225
F +91 (0)11 2371 0717
andrew.carr@in.britishcouncil.org