Sunday | Welcome to London

Welcome to our English + Law Pre-University Program. Today, we transfer you from one of London's airports. We will take you to our dorm in the city centre or our Richmond neighbourhood close to the world-famous Thames River. After a short break, we will start exploring both neighbourhoods with our introduction to bus stops, supermarkets, pharmacies and other important local points. This is what you need when you visit a new place. A light welcome meal is served for tonight

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Monday's English Activity Programme : Westminster City and Buckingham Palace

Your lesson starts at 9 am and our program aims to prepare our students for their upcoming university career while improving their communication skills in English. University taste programs extensively offer grammar, related vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking in the context of an academic, career-focused subject. Lessons also focus on study skills and introduce our students to life as a student. Here is today's curriculum: International Law - Talking about Developments in EU law Legal Terms: - Legal instruments Listening: - A seminar on employment law Debate: - Employment law and unions

Today's afternoon exploration program starts with some of London's highlights. The Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. They lie on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall. The oldest part of the building is still in existence, Westminster Hall, which dates from 1097. The palace originally served as a royal residence, but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century. Most of the present Houses of Parliament structure dates from the 19th century when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architects responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, and the building is an example of the Gothic revival.

Westminster Abbey is a Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding. In many respects the architecture is common. There's the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction. Here at Westminster Abbey lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.

Buckingham Palace is still the official residence of Britain's monarchy, as it has been since Queen Victoria's designation in 1837. Much of the Buckingham Palace was constructed as early as 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham House (as it was then known) was purchased in 1762 by George III, who used it as a private residence. Over the following 75 years the house was expanded to form three wings around a central courtyard. When Queen Victoria discovered Buckingham Palace lacked several 'necessary' rooms - such as a formal ballroom, a nursery, visitor's bedrooms and others - major additions were undertaken, including adding an entire wing to form a quadrangle. Buckingham Palace is the home of the Changing Guard Ceremony in London. The Changing of the Guard has been a tradition for hundreds of years whereby the Household Regiment, the Queen’s Guards at Buckingham Palace, change shift in a fascinating show of pomp and circumstance.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Tuesday's English Activity Programme - Visiting St Mary's University (Or similar)

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: International Law - Reading about US patent laws Case Study: - Microsoft vs. AT&T Listening and Speaking: - Cases involving multiple jurisdictions

In the afternoon, we'll visit one of London's well-known universities to learn about UK student life, majors, degrees and academic searches. For our students, it will be questions and answers based on an interactive visit.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Wednesday's English Activity Programme - Tower of London

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: International Law Language: - Explaining legal terms to non- lawyers Writing: - A follow-up letter to a client

Few prisons can claim to be as popular as the Tower of London, an attraction - unpleasant for some - for over 900 years. Its twenty towers are filled with an ancient tradition of royal blood, armour and jewels and the history to match. The Tower of London central structure began as a fort - used by the original builder William the Conqueror who completed the first tower around 1100 AD. At its completion, it was the tallest building in London. Henry III had it whitewashed in the 13th century and the name, White Tower, has stuck. Later it evolved into a prison, used by Henry VII (and many others). Still later - and continuing to this day - it has acted as a repository for the extensive collection of crown jewels. Henry VII, nearly always short of money, had few jewels to store. But the stone complex, near the Tower Bridge alongside the River Thames, has also been used at various times to house the Royal Mint, the Public Records, the Royal Menagerie (later to form the starting point of the London Zoo) and an observatory (built-in 1675). Listen to the rest of the story of the Tower of London from us today.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Thursday's English Activity Programme - Crimes of London Walking Tour Featuring Jack the Ripper

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum would be: Describing charts and graphs Language: - Using and understanding language to describe increases and decreases, trends and rate and size of the change

Today we will take you to show where some of London’s most notorious crimes were committed and learn about the history of British criminal law. You most probably know the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper and we are now ready to follow his footsteps for today. In our walking, we will try to find out some answers. What were the victims, the suspects, the gang leaders, and what has been the reason for the brutal attacks that have taken place for two centuries? Oh, yes. Throughout the tour, you can learn more about the possible suspects who are believed to be behind the murders. Also hear more about Jack The Ripper’s five famous victims: Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Kelly. Some of the many famous Ripper-related sites covered in your tour include Gunthorpe Street, where Martha Tabram was seen walking with her killer on August 8th, 1888 before she was murdered, The Frying Pan Pub, where Mary Nichols was last seen, and The Ten Bells Pub, a site where many of Jack The Ripper’s victims were spotted before they were murdered. You will also take a stroll past the Goulston Street doorway, now home to the ironically-titled Happy Days Fish and Chip Shop; the only location where police found a clue related to the murders. What a study case!

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Friday's English Activity Programme - Shopping in London

Today's lessons will be scheduled between 9 am and 12 pm and your curriculum will be: Criminal Law Legal Terms: - Identity Theft Listening: - Podcasts about identity theft Language: - Giving advice and expressing obligation Presentation: - Identity Theft

Oxford Street is one of London’s stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Oxford Street is one of London’s artery stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Europe’s busiest shopping street hosting around half million visitors daily. Today, there are more than 300 shops, cafes, restaurants, language schools, department stores and many more. It’s the heart of daily business, fun, leisure and of course shopping in London. Like everywhere in London, Oxford Street has its history. The street route used to be part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman route that passes through London between Hampshire and Essex. It was known as the Tyburn Road during the Middle Ages when Tyburn Gallows was also known for its public hangings. It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use by the late 19th century, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. The first department stores in the UK opened in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis & Partners and HMV. Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street, it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II, and several longstanding stores including John Lewis were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Oxford Street, with several chain stores on the street and a number of buildings listed, remains in demand as a retail place amid competition of other shopping malls, including Westfield Stratford City and the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Because shopping is simply a tradition on this street and especially tourists love this experience during their stay in London.

Welcome to the heart and soul of the fashion industry in the city. Carnaby Street is a pedestrian shopping street in Soho City and its colourful history stemmed from when the street was built in 1682, taking its name from Karnaby House to the first men's boutique, being the epicentre of the Swinging 60s, home to the punks of the 80s and up to today. It is an iconic London area. Between Oxford and Regent Streets, fashion and lifestyle retailers are just located here, including a large quantity of independent fashion shops. In the heart of London's shopping scene, Carnaby Street brings you over 100 foreign and British fashion brands, independent boutiques, one off concepts, trendy beauty emporiums, grooming salons and custom jewellery specialists together. From brand-new flagships and UK firsts to presenting one-off and unique designers, Carnaby's 14 streets are lined up with women's wear, men's clothing, cosmetics and accessories like no other. Not just for shopping of course, more than 60 independent restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs selling cheap à la carte and late-night drinks, even yummy breakfasts bedazzle the tourists and Londoners alike. Now it’s your turn to explore this lovely district with us.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Saturday's English Activity Programme - Full Day Trip to Greenwich

Greenwich is a town, now part of the south eastern urban sprawl of London, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. The Royal Greenwich Observatory is located in Greenwich and the Prime Meridian passes through the building. Greenwich Mean Time was at one time based on the time observations made at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, before being superseded by Coordinated Universal Time. While Greenwich no longer hosts a working astronomical observatory, a ball still drops daily to mark the exact moment of 1 p.m. (13:00), and there is a good museum of astronomical and navigational tools. The Greenwich observatory is situated in Greenwich Park, which used to be the grounds of the Royal Palace of Placentia. At the bottom of the park is the National Maritime Museum which also includes the Queen's House, designed by Inigo Jones. It is free to visit all these buildings. Greenwich also features the world's only museum dedicated to fans, the Fan Museum, in a Georgian townhouse at 10–12 Croom's Hill (fee payable). Also on Croom's Hill, on the corner of the junction with Nevada Street is Greenwich Theatre, formerly Crowder's Music Hall. The Cutty Sark (a clipper ship) is moored in a dry dock by the river. Nearby for many years was also displayed Gipsy Moth IV, the 54ft yacht sailed by Sir Francis Chichester in his single-handed, 226-day circumnavigation of the globe during 1966–67. In 2004, Gypsy Moth IV was removed from Greenwich for extensive restoration work to be followed by a return to the sea and a second sailing career. By the Cutty Sark, there is a pedestrian tunnel, the Greenwich foot tunnel, to the Isle of Dogs. This comes out in Island Gardens, from where the famous view of Greenwich Hospital painted by Canaletto can be seen. On the riverside in front of the north-east corner of the Hospital is an obelisk erected in memory of Arctic explorer Joseph René Bellot. The Millennium Dome was built on a disused British Gas site here. It is next to North Greenwich tube station, about three miles from Greenwich town centre, north of Charlton. The Greenwich Millennium Village is a new development nearby. The church dominating the western side of the town centre is St Alfege's Church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1714, and marks the place where Archbishop of Canterbury Alfege (also spelt 'Alphege') was murdered in 1012. The town centre features Greenwich Market, a covered market popular with tourists at the weekends. In 1997, maritime Greenwich was added to the list of World Heritage Sites, and in recognition of the suburb's astronomical links, Asteroid 2830 has been named Greenwich

Since the middle ages, all stalls have constantly been trading in the historic district of Greenwich where you can find a wide range of goods including street foods, books, vinyl, CD’s, DVD’s, vintage clothes, beads, crocheted and knitted items, jewellery, antiquity, fruits, vegetables, olives, freshly prepared products such as bread, cakes, cookies, scones, health foods, meat products, fish and dairy products, any type of second-hand goods including bikes, garden plants, flowers, electronic gadgets, mobile phone accessories, typical English art and craft stands, hand made things, yarns, embellishments, totes, bags, suitcases, simply beyond your imagination. The Greenwich Market also offers to showcase local street food, arts and crafts market on scheduled days selling organic produce from local farmers and work from some of the region's most talented artists, craftsmen, potters, sculptors and photographers. To feel the soul of this vibrant district, historic Greenwich Market would the best place in this historic naval town. For art & craft lovers, do visit market on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends; for antique and collectable buffs don't forget to pop in on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. We bet you will love this lovely market.

Now that you know the history of Docklands, it's time to pass beneath the River Thames. Greenwich Tunnel is one of the marvels of the late Victorian period in England. The project began in June 1899 and the tunnel opened on August 4, 1902. The tunnel actually replaced an expensive and often unreliable ferry service enabling staff living south of the Thames to access their workplaces in the London docks and shipyards in or around Isle of Dogs. It’s the only pedestrian tunnel beneath the River Thames that allows walkers and cyclists. The tunnel was restored after destruction during World War II. The entrance shafts at both ends are under glazed domes. Built-in 1904, lifts were upgraded in 1992 and again in 2012, and helical staircases allow pedestrians to enter this sloping, tiled tunnel. This cast-iron tunnel is 1,215 feet (370.2 m) wide, 50 feet (15.2 m) deep and about 9 feet (2.74 m) in diameter. The cast-iron rings are coated with some 200,000 white glazed tiles. Bombs weakened the northern end during World War II, and repairs required thick steel and concrete inner lining that significantly reduces diameter for a short span. The North Tower has 87 steps, the South Tower has 100 steps. Greenwich Foot Tunnel is actually one of the best examples to understand London’s subway system because cast iron tunnelling is the main principle of building the tunnels in the late Victorian eras.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Sunday | Transferring to the Airport

Today is the last day in London unless you continue our program. Well, all good things must come to an end. We provide your transfer service back to the airport with a private vehicle. This is the end of our service and we hope to see you in our various programs here in London.