- What to bring In homestay accommodation with a homestay hosts bed linen and towels are provided, but you should bring your own toiletries (showergel, shampoo, deodorant, etc.) and any required medication. Slippers are also a good idea as homestay hosts prefer students to take off shoes in the house.
It is also advisable for you to bring an adaptor plug if you have any electrical appliances (hair-dryer, laptop, mobile phone, etc.); however, adaptors can also be easily found here in Margate.
It would also be wise to have some pens and a notebook with you for your first day.
- First day at school The school opens at 8.45am and we strongly advise you to arrive at that time so that you can check-in at reception (please remember to bring your Passport).
Before your arrival, we will send you an email with our Placement Test. Please return it to us no later than the Friday before your arrival. We will use this as the basis of our interview with you, and to enable us to place you in a suitable class.
Testing starts at 9.15 when you will have a 5-minute conversation with one of our teachers to assess your speaking and listening skills as well as to understand better why you are learning English.
After testing we will give you some information about the school (courses, social programme, trips, etc.), Margate and the surrounding area and take you for a short tour of the school and its facilities.
After the break (11am to 11.30am) you will join your class.
At 2pm you will be given a ‘Let’s Learn English’ self- study induction followed by an hour-long tour of Margate on foot.
- Insurance We strongly recommend you to cover yourself and your belongings with an appropriate travel insurance. This will give you the peace of mind you need to study and enjoy yourself here in Margate and protect you in the unlikely situation that you have problems with such things as your arrival or departure journey, fall ill whilst you are with us or perhaps have something stolen.
Your insurance should also protect you against changes or the cancellation of your course and the associated course and accommodation fees still requiring to be paid. For further information on our cancellation and refund policies please refer to our terms and conditions.
If you are unsure which insurance company to use, we recommend: www.guard.me
- Money and credit cards We suggest a minimum of £50 per week if you are living in a homestay or £90 if you are staying in self-catering accommodation.
You can either change cash at the post office or the Bureau de Change in a travel agency.
There are many ATM cash machines in the town from which you can withdraw cash using a debit or credit card.
Virtually all shops accept payments by credit or debit card and, if you are staying here for a longer period, you can even consider opening a bank account here in the U.K. so that you will not have to pay commissions when withdrawing money or making payments in shops.
Finally we do not advise you to carry large amount of cash around with you or to leave it at your accommodation.
- Problems in arriving and emergency contact for arrivals and departures If you have any problems in arriving to Margate please let us know and seek advice, as well as letting your homestay hosts know.
In case of emergency: if you are staying in homestay, then your homestay hosts will be your first point of contact in case of delays, late or early arrivals and also advice on how to get to Margate. If we are organising your airport transfer, or if you are staying in self-catering accommodation, you can phone our emergency number for arrivals and departures: 07944 998916.
If you are aware of problems before leaving your country or if you need any information about transport to Margate, you can contact us by e-mail to info@englishinmargate.com or phone us on 0044 1843 227700 Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Our emergency 24-hour contact for students staying at English in Margate is: 07939 208591.
