9 THINGS  YOU NEED TO CONSIDER  BEFORE MOVING TO LONDON 1. Why London?  Why London and not, for example Oxford,  Cambridge or Birmingham? What attracts you  to this city? Is it because it is a metropolis  where you can find a mixture  of races and  cultures, is it because it is a young and trendy  city, full  of clubs, bars, discos and  megastores? or is it because it offers those job  and career opportunities you cannot find in  your own country?  2. Yes, it is true, London offers all this and much more but it s a metropolis and as such it is expensive, it has a fast paced lifestyle and people are not very patient, To live in this city you must be used to traveling, be independent and basically look after yourself. . The best thing to do, to see whether you really like it, especially if you have never been here,  is to come for a short course or even just a week end.  Londra does not remain indifferent: you love it or you hate it. 3. Consider your Level of Knowledge of the English language If you come to London to live and work here,  your level of English must be at least upper-  intermediate. You must be able to understand  and express yourself fluently. The best thing to  do, if your English is not good enough, is to  enroll with an English course in your own  country, and once here continue with another  English course, and only when your English is  good enough, look for a job here. Speak to us  about an English course. TECLA Languages  offers a wide variety of flexible courses and if  you are already here in London you can even  have a trial lesson.   4. Where will you go and live? Have you considered it? or are you just going  to come and find a place?  This second option  may become very costly as hotels are pretty  expensive and hostels are sometimes not so  clean. If you are going to remain here just for a  few weeks home-stay accommodation is a very  good option, as being on a half board basis you  would save money for food, moreover living  with an English speaking family would force   News & Reviews Established 2009 Terms & Conditions NEWSLETTER JUNE 2011 TECLA Languages London telephone number: +44 (0) 203 014 8949 you to speak English continuously and you  would learn a bit of the English culture too.   After all, aren't you here to get to know the  culture as well? If instead you are going to remain here for a  longer period, then a flat or house share are  better options At. TECLA Languages we can  offer several types of accommodation: home-  stay, flat or house shares, residences or luxury  serviced flats or apartments. There are quite  a  few agencies in your own countries that let  houses or flats.  Just make sure they are in  safe areas and you won t be sharing your room  with another 5 people! otherwise it may  become a bit too crowded.  If you have the  opportunity pop over here for a week end and  go and see the area and the place where you  would be staying.. DO NOT TRUST those  agencies that ask for payments via Western  Union, Travelers Express and Money Gram, as  there are many scams linked to letting  agencies. Ask us and if we are not able to help  you directly we will refer you to trusted and  recognized agencies.  5. Will you find a job easily?   In London there are many job opportunities but  the employers are demanding and expect a  good command of the English language.  Moreover consider you will compete with many  other people with the same need: that of  finding a little job that allows them to live and  study, and many of them speak a very good  English!   If you don’t speak good English when you  get here, you will struggle to find a job, you  will finish your pocket money and will not even  have enough to pay for that course that could  improve your English and thus your situation.   You will end up working as a kitchen porter or  a cleaner, jobs that are not highly paid and will  prevent you from improving your language  skills further as they will take up lots of your  time… at this point you may have stayed in  your own country!  Our advice, if your English is not good enough,  is to delay your dream of coming and live here,  but still come for a short stay, follow an English  course, live with an English family, go out with  your classmates and your teachers, visit  London, attend all social events, have fun and  talk, talk, talk with your new international  friends. The experience will be useful anyway  as you will have spoken English and you will  be more familiar with the city and the culture.  If, it is  case of "now or never", PLAN  IN  ADVANCE and enroll to an English course a  few months BEFORE you come here.  If it s  the case get a private tutor (MOTHER   TONGUE) and speak to them in English  ONLY!   If your Engish is good enough, however, at  TECLA Languages we can help you  preparing your CV, preparing you for a job  interview and find a job.  6.  How much money will you need at the beginning? It s difficult to say, if you rent a place  normally you will need to pay a month  deposit in advance, plus a month rent. Also  consider that if you need to attend an  English course you would need to enroll  straight away, while you still have the  money, don t wait to find a job first. Consider  that if you find a job you will get paid at the  end of the month therefore you will need  enough money to live at least for a month,  our advice, however is to give yourself a set  time within which you will have to find a job  or go back, otherwise this could become a  very costly adventure and you may have to  go back to your country without a job,  without having improved your language  skills and having wasted lots of money… we  have see it happening a few times…  7. What do you have to take with you from your own country? Very  little really, this is London and you will  find everything here from all over the world.  Just bring jumpers, waterproof jackets and  shoes and an umbrella. English weather is  utterly unpredictable but it can turn very wet.  8. Who will you turn to in case of need?  Moving to London implies a series of steps  necessary to settle down: you will need to  find a job but also you will need to request a  National Insurance Number, to register with  a medical centre, to open a bank account,  etc... who will help you?  Who will advise  and guide you? Moreover what happpens if  you cannot find a job?or if your flat is not as  you expected? what will you do? who will  you turn to? It is important to have a  contact, someone who knows tha language  and the system. 9. Can I contact TECLA Languages?  Even if you are not attending our courses  you are very welcome to contact us. If we  cannot help you directly we will give you  advices or contact details of people who can  help you concretely.    WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON IN JUNE Saturday 11 June 2011 About Trooping the Colour Queen's Birthday Parade:  Trooping The Colour celebrates the Queen's official birthday (her actual birthday is on 21  April). It has traditionally been held in June to try and enjoy better weather!   The ceremony dates back to at least the early 18th century when the colours (flags) of the battalion  were carried (or 'trooped') down the ranks so that they could be seen and recognized by the soldiers.  At 11.00 am, the Royal Procession arrives and The Queen takes the Royal Salute at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. After inspecting the  troops and leading them to Buckingham Palace, the Queen appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1pm to watch the Royal Air Force  flypast, which is accompanied by a gun salute at the Tower of London.  You can get a good view from St. James's Park and along The Mall (the road between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.)  World Naked Bike Day Saturday 11 June  2011 the eighth London World Naked  Bike Ride will return to the  streets of the capital,. The ride  is easy and upbeat, and riders  decorate their bodies and bikes  with messages of protest  against oil dependency and car  culture. Anyone can participate. Taste of London 16 - 19 June Regent Park Wine tasting, cookery  classes, master classes, food  and drinks from all over the  world tickets starting from  £22.00  West End Live Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 June - Trafalgar Square Music Performances, musicals, Gospel Chorus… FREE   Open Air Theatre Regent's Park from 19 May to 10 September 2011 Established in 1932, the Open Air Theatre is the only fully professional, permanent outdoor theater in Britain. Its  steeply raked auditorium is one of the largest in London with 1,240 seats, yet many say it feels much more  intimate than any other theatre.  Cultural Curiosity (from The World s Business Cultures and How to unlock them") B. Tomalin 'Smile? You must be crazy!'   Even smiling carries social meaning.    The French, Russians and Japanese are amazed at  the American and British habit of smiling for the sake  of it. They smile when there's something to smile  about or, in the case of people from the Far East, to  hide embarrassment.   In a famous case, when McDonalds opened in  Moscow in the 1980s, they trained staff to greet the  customer cheerfully with a nice smile. "What?" was the unanimous protest from the  employees, "They'll think we're idiots!"  From: The world Business cultures and how to  unlock them - Barry Tomalin Secret London  If you're coming to visit London, make sure you don't  fly back home without ever having glimpsed the real  city.   To discover the London Londoners know and love  you have to leave the tourist trail, jump on a bus or  Tube and head out into its patchwork of  neighbourhoods.    Clapham Common  Take the Northern Line to Clapham Common or  Clapham South  and you will find yourself in Clapham  Common, a 200-acre triangular park with three ponds,  a paddling pool and a bandstand.  As well as hosting concerts and a funfair through the  year, it's also home to a weekly Latin American  football league and an Australian Rules Football team.  Residents The large houses surrounding the Common have  been home to American statesman and scientist  Benjamin Franklin, Norwegian composer Edward  Grieg and British novelist Graham Greene.  Today many of these properties are flats and the  homes of middle class families and young  professionals.  History On the north side of the Common stands Holy Trinity  Church. This was the meeting place of 'the Clapham  Sect', a nineteenth century group that campaigned  with William Wilberforce for the abolition of the slave  trade.  The two disused air raid shelters on the Common, are  a reminder of the bombing raids the area suffered in  World War Two. Outside the library on the north of the common you  will see a Roman memorial stone, dating from the first  century. Clapham High Street  If you find all this fresh air on the Common makes you  hungry, then wander down Clapham High Street.   Amongst its small shops and trendy bars you'll find a  diverse selection of restaurants, including Spanish,  Italian, Colombian, Japanese and Thai.  Instead of taking the Tube back to central London,  catch a number 88 or 137 bus.  You will see far more.  (from Greg Watts)  Greenwhich and Dockland International Festival  24 June - 2 July From Greenwich to Woolwich,  Canary Wharf to Mile End, the  Festival offers a free and  inclusive programme of world  class theatre and dance, family  entertainment, two extraordinary  spectacles and for the first time  since 1857, a Greenwich Fair.   British sayings:  • 'Every cloud has a silver lining'  • There's always something good in bad times.  Superstitions in Britain:   • it is Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are  featured on many good luck greetings cards and  birthday cards in England.   • Lucky to touch wood. We touch; knock on wood,  to make something come true. • Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.  • White heather is lucky • Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have  good luck.  Every leaf means a lucky month next  year. • Putting money in the pocket of new clothes  brings good luck.  SPANISH LEGEND Camino De Santiago de Compostela or The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is  the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern  Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried.  The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most  important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem,  and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned;[1] other major  pilgrimage routes include the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern  Spain where he was buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.  During the Middle Ages, the route was highly traveled. However, the Black Death, the  Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th-century Europe led to its decline. By the  1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. Since then however the route has  attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe.  The route was  declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987; it  was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.  Would you like to learn more about the Road to Santiago? Would you like to improve your Spanish?  Santiago de Compostela University offers you to participate in the SPANISH LANGUAGE AND THE ROAD TO  SANTIAGO COURSE. During this two-week course you will improve your Spanish while exploring a range of aspects related to the Camino: its historical secrets, myths and  legends; the symbols and traditions of one of the world's oldest known pilgrimage routes. And you will experience what it is to be a pilgrim - walking  the final section of the so called French Route of the St James' Way, accompanied by one of our professors.  This two-week programme includes:  1 week at Santiago de Compostela University. 40 hours of classes and activities.  Six days walk, covering the final section of the Camino Francés - the French Route of the Camino de Santiago, accompanied by a professor.  Seminars on the Camino de Santiago: History, Culture, Art, Literature, Gastronomy and Geography.  Spanish Language Course.  A group of expert professors at the University of Santiago de Compostela.  Cultural activities such us: Guided Visit to Santiago Cathedral, Accompanied Tour of the Historic City Centre, Guided Visit to the Pilgrimage Museum  and to the University's Historic and Artistic Heritage, Gastronomic Tour, Receptions at both Santiago City Hall and University Chancellery, etc.  Board and lodging in Santiago de Compostela and during the walk along the Camino. Medical insurance.  Two editions. 2011 Dates: 20 June-  1 July & 3 - 14 October  For more information contact us!   COME TO THE AMALFITAN COAST THIS SUMMER   Two weeks in the Amalfitan Coast: €750.00 Package includes: • Enrolment fee • Two weeks of the Italian Standard Course* • Course material • Two weeks stay in a shared student apartment • 3 excursions: a visit to the Minerva Gardens, Scuola Medica of Salerno and 3D museum, visit to the  ceramic factory in Vietri and a sport excursion  on the Amalfi Coast • 2 cooking lessons  * (lessons running from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 13.00 with a half hour break at 11.00