If you are planning to spend a summer in the UK attending an English language school then you will be pleased to hear that they are not all about hard work, revision and tests. All good schools take great care to make sure that their students have a great time too.

After all language schools shouldn’t just be about grammar and pronunciation, this is your chance to make new friends and enjoy a broader cultural experience that will expand your horizons.

Socializing

A good English school will have a good social programme, otherwise known as ‘fun stuff’, so make sure that you check out what your chosen school offers before deciding whether to book.

As a bare minimum they should be organising events each evening to help you overcome any shyness you might have about meeting new people and making new friendships: in the UK this is known as ‘breaking the ice’.

So don’t expect to spend every night stuck in your room and chatting to friends back home on a social networking site. Instead you will probably find yourself having salsa lessons, playing football or taking part in the UK’s favourite evening activity: visiting the pub.

The Pub

A pub is very different to a bar in the UK. In many rural parts of the UK they act as the central focus point of the local community, so by spending an evening in one you will be sampling some authentic British culture. They are also some of the oldest and most quintessentially British buildings that you are ever likely to see.

A lot of English schools will also put on regular quiz evenings, barbeques and movie nights, in fact it should be the aim of a good English school to make sure that you are never bored, even for a minute!

Social Activities

In addition to all the fun activities in the evening you should also expect the school to organize some weekend excursions to places of special interest. Where you go will obviously depend on your location in the UK, but you could find yourself walking around the ruins of Stonehenge, built by ancient Britons at about the same time that the Pharoes in Egypt were building the pyramids, or maybe a trip to Buckingham Palace or even Hadrian’s Wall.

If you have a special interest you might want to do a bit of research and look into finding an English school that offers special activities for you to enjoy after class. This could be horse riding or tennis classes or maybe even rock climbing, although expect any activities of these kinds to cost you a bit extra.

Dancing

Of course the big social event of the course will probably be the end of course disco, a chance for you to hit the dance floor and engage in some international dance move exchanges with your new best friends, what we in the UK like to call ‘throwing shapes’.

However if you are part of a small school this might turn out to be a bit of a limp affair so perhaps looking into an excursion at your local nightclub would be a better bet. If you have any ideas of activities which you think might be good, then there is no reason why you cannot find out who at the school is responsible for organising the social programme (they will probably be known as the ‘events organiser’) and send your suggestions to them before you arrive. You never know, you might become the founder of a future long-held tradition at your chosen school.

For a list of activities and providers, see our "Find a..." section. 

USEFUL WORDS

Socialising
a housewarming (party) = a party to celebrate moving to a new house or flat
a launch (party) = a party to celebrate the publication of a new book or product
a fancy dress party = a party where everyone dresses up in a costume as other people
a stag party = a party before a wedding for the future husband and his male friends
a hen night = a party before a wedding for the future wife and her female friends
a girls' night out = an evening just for female friends spent at restaurant, theatre or club perhaps
a reception = a formal party e.g. after a wedding or to meet an important visitor
a black / white tie event = a formal party at which men have to wear black or white bow ties respectively

Informal Expressions

I don't like the people Tom hangs out with / knocks around with (spends social time with)
Would you like to come to a bash / do / get-together / booze-up we're having on Saturday? (a party. NB a booze-up suggests a lot of alcohol will be drunk!)
I hope I'm not outstaying my welcome (staying too long)
Sue's a real party animal (someone who loves going to parties) but her boyfriend can be a bit of a party pooper (someone who spoils parties by being disapproving or miserable)
Do you fancy going clubbing this evening? (going to one or more nightclubs)
Let's go out on the town (enjoy the entertainments in a town, e.g. the bars, pubs and clubs)
Tanya's very chummy / pally with the boss's wife (friendly)
I hate it at my new job  everyone's so cliquey (a disapproving word for a small group of people who spend time together and do not allow others to join them)
Are they really an item? (having a romantic relationship)
If he ever stood me up (failed to turn up for a date), I'd drop him (end our relationship)
They've gone on a pub crawl (gone to spend an evening going to several different pubs)