Sandra de Bresser, Head of the BSN Language Centre at The British School in The Netherlands tells us the Centre has been providing high quality British English education for 30 years to its students
Could you describe what the major goals of BSN Language Centre are?
The BSN Language Centre is part of the British School in the Netherlands. It serves the International (Business) Community of The Hague and surrounding cities with high quality British English and Dutch language courses for adults and children who live and work here.
The British education system and methodology has an excellent reputation worldwide and we are happy to share our teaching expertise with the local community. Many companies and individuals have been taught by the BSN Language Centre and we are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year.
What sets the Centre apart from other language schools with regards to its programmes? Could you elaborate on some of the unique courses that it offers?
The BSN Language Centre is one of the two institutes in The Netherlands that is certified to teach the CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to speakers of Other Languages) teacher training programme, which is recognised worldwide. This is a very popular programme with people, who have a high level of English and who wish to study for a new career such as expats who have followed their spouse to The Netherlands.
The Summer Intensive courses for adults and the English Summer School for children are also very popular and attract many students because of our unique teaching methodology. Being part of a larger education institute and working with native speaker teachers only sets us apart from other language schools.
BSN Language Centre offers language programmes for business employees. How can they benefit from these courses?
English is the mostly used language in business worldwide, so any internationally operating company has a competitive advantage if its employees are fluent in (Business) English and know how to communicate well in both business meetings and social settings. We offer customised training to employees of companies and to individuals who wish to improve their communication skills in English. This not only improves their performance at work, but it also enhances their career opportunities proving to be a worthwhile investment for the company and for the employees’ professional development.
BSN Language Centre also offers English language programmes to young learners (ages 7-13). How can they benefit from these courses and are they catered only towards Dutch children?
More and more parents want their children to learn to speak English well from a young age and to prepare them for an (international) university programme or other course where English is a requirement. Our English courses for Young Learners help improve their communication skills and are taught through playful activities. Learning is made fun! We also help teenagers who struggle with English in the Dutch education system and who need more support to prepare for school exams. Our lessons are aimed at building learners’ confidence in English. This applies to Dutch children as well as to children of other nationalities living in The Hague. The Summer School programme hosts children of many nationalities for example.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The BSN Language Centre can be reached easily by car and has ample free parking, free Wi-Fi and a cosy lounge where students and / or parents can also meet or study outside class hours. We also offer courses in the centre of the Hague, Mariahoeve and Voorschoten.
Please come to one of our free testing and registration Mondays all year round. Our friendly staff will be there to answer your questions. You can also visit our website for more information: www.bsnlanguagecentre.nl