Tag: #EC Activities
February Activity Calendar at EC Manchester

EC Manchester Activity Calendar – February 2018

Category: Activities / Tags: , ,

Monthly Activities and Free Workshop Calendar There are many fun activities and classes to get involved in at EC Manchester this month. Why not come and join us! Every Thursday and Friday there is a language workshop for you to improve areas of your English. The area changes every week so you can choose which you would prefer the most from pronunciation, writing, preparing your CV and grammar. Also, IELTS clinic every week will help you to prepare for the exam. There are many fun trips this month around lovely areas of the UK. If you prefer the quiet countryside and walking among the hills, the Peak District is perfect. If you fancy spending some money, head over to Chester and the Outlet on February 10th to find designer brands at cheaper prices. Or if it’s historical buildings and more of a buzzing city you enjoy, why not join the trip to Edinburgh or York to discover some of the wonderful cathedrals, castles and old shopping streets. As always, we have coffee and chat on Mondays and the welcome drink on Tuesdays to get to know the new students and make friends or if you prefer something a little more active, the football club on Fridays is always a popular option. If you are thinking about studying at a UK University and are interested in preparing for the IELTS, why not register for our EC Manchester IELTS special focus class to get yourself ready. Have a fun February at EC Manchester!    

Trip to magical North Wales with Smile Adventures

Category: Trips / Tags: ,

  Hi I’m Levi, one of the interns at EC English Manchester, on Sunday the 24th I went on a Smile Adventures trip to North Wales. Here’s how I liked it: During the trip we had 4 destinations; Llandudno, Conwy, Snowdonia National Park and Betws Y Coed, I’ll tell you a little bit about all of them. Llandundo After a trip of about 90 minutes we arrived in Llandudno, a beautiful Victorian seaside town where we were able to walk on the beach and the pier, there are all kinds of nostalgic little shops. Foodie tip: try a Welsh meat pie (only try this if you’re REALLY hungry, because there’s a delicious lunch waiting for you in Conwy). Conwy This was our longest stop (two hours), our guide gave us a choice to either visit the old castle, or join him on a walk on the city walls. I chose the walk over the city walls because it was free, yes I am THAT Dutch;), and because I wanted to enjoy the nice weather (no rain Yay!). Foodie tip of the day: After the walk we got pretty hungry so we went to an award winning fish & chips shop, although I usually don’t like fish & chips that much, but it was so good!! The fish batter was golden crispy and the chips were not too greasy Snowdonia national Park After that we drove into the national park where we had a short walk amongst the mountains. As I come from the flattest country in the world I was mesmerized by the beauty of the surroundings and how clean the water was. Betws Y Coed Our last stop was in a little town on the edge of the National Park, this was the perfect ending tot he trip as it combined the friendly town-life with the stunning nature of the park. … Read more

Ninja Warrior: EC Students coming to your TV screen soon! (or not…)

Category: Activities, Outdoor Activity / Tags: ,

For a change of activity, the EC Manchester staff organised a Ninja Warrior training last week. Exactly as the famous TV show, it is a really difficult obstacle run, where all your body is working hard! Nevertheless, a lot of brave students wanted to try. Just in case, we booked the Academic level, it was the first time for everyone after all. When we arrived, it  was the case that the academic level is for young people… So we finally change for the Ninja Recruit level. Fortunately, even for adult runs, there were different level of run. Full of confidence, we were starting with the first obstacle in front of us when a member of the staff interrupted us. We were just starting by the hardest one. So she took us to the easiest one, made us some warm up exercise and gave us the security policy. Now, we were really ready to start our ninja initiation! At this moment, it was possible to see different behaviors between the student : those who went first for it, and the other who preferred to look first how to do and then try. It was very demanding tests:strength, velocity, balance… All the body was solicited! But some students were very comfortable, and succeeded the tests one after the other! The favorite one was the final of each runs, the wall! Students had to run on the wall and jump to reach the border, and it was increasingly difficult! But increasingly fun too!   Only the bravest (and tallest) students were able to partially manage the hardest run! Despite of the challenge, they didn’t give up! For a first time, they were really motivated! It is fatigued that we came back in town, eager to take a good shower!

EC Activities: “Prison Break” with Break Out

Category: Activities, Outdoor Activity, Testimonials / Tags: , ,

Last week-end, EC Manchester organised an Escape room for a couple of students. This is Rene’s testimony, one of the participating students : “We arrived the hall of breakout. One of the staff members welcomed us and wanted to know whether we have some experience in playing escape games. He realized the most of us had their first escape room experience on this day. So he has given us a detailed introduction than. Before the game has been started they took me in the room at first. Because I was the wrongly imprisoned person in this game. He handcuffed me and looked me into a cell. Now the game could finally start. The others came in the room and it was their task to free me from the cell and afterwards we had to escape the room before the warden is back in his office. The room was separated in a cell and the warden’s office. Obviously the warden was a big fan of playing games. We’ve found some play cards, poker chips and a chessboard. Now my mates started to investigate his office and I my cell. Unfortunately my range to move was rather limited because of my handcuffs. But one of my mates found the key and I could free my self from my handcuffs. But I was still locked in my cell. At least from the cell I could help to find some ideas how to manage some of the puzzles. Than we found a connection how to use the poker chips and the chessboard. Also the playcards led us to a new solution. Finally we found a key to open my metal door. We continued together to investigate the rooms, open padlocks and found also some really tricky hidden places. Of course we needed also a … Read more

Paintball with Smile Adventure !

Category: Activities, Outdoor Activity / Tags: , ,

Some of our students played Paintball Saturday 29th July. They left Manchester in the morning with students from others language schools . All the paintball staff welcomed the students with military atmosphere.  Once everybody was fitted with all of the protective clothes, the staff explained all the security instructions and how to play paintball. In total, we had four teams and each team played against the same team every times. The goal of the first game was to take the flag of the opposite camp. For some students, it was the first time they played Paintball so the first game was a discovery. After the second game, the students had a break and enjoyed a free pizza. During this time , they shared their experience of the paintball and tried to make new tactics for the afternoon games.  After a break of one hour, the games restarted. For the third game one team had to steal the money in a bank during the other team had to try to protect it.  The last game was  “one shot” rule, one team had to shoot all the other players of opposite team. If a player is touched, he left the game.  Each round lasted 30 minutes so at the end every student played 2 hours. At the end of the day despite some bruises, students can’t wait to play again! Thanks to EC Manchester and Smile Adventures, students were able to discover a new sport and really enjoyed themselves!  

English in the city: Police Museum Visit!

Category: English in the City, Intensive Classes, Outdoor Class / Tags: , ,

In addition to our general English courses, we also propose some Intensive classes every day from 13:00 to 14:30. While some students are preparing the IELTS exam or learning more professional vocabulary, others are going outside to visit the city. Thanks to the Special Focus class “English in the City”, an Intensive English courses in Manchester, students can improve their English by visiting Manchester. This time, the teacher took them to the Police Museum.   Next to the center of Manchester, this museum expose two hundred years of history until today. The first room was the crime room: an old officer office with a lot of different criminal weapons exposed, from the old and rusty blade to the tommy gun. The second room was the biggest of the museum. In this one, students were able to try some police suits as helmets and coats. A lot of pictures decorate the room, but also mannequin on police motorbike.   The visit continued outside, and it is probably the most animated part of the museum. First, armed policemen presented current police stuff like handcuffs, bulletproof jacket and rifles. Even without magazine, it’s very heavy! Then, a more attractive part for the youngest: a police dog with his master, who liked visitors hugs! The next part of the museum was an old police office. Students started by the reception were a policeman was presenting old handcuff and all sort of things. Next to this room, 4 jails was open to the public. Today they are not use anymore, so visitors was able to try the beds, that were actually made only of wood, very uncomfortable… In the last one, pictures of all people incarcerated decorate the walls. Finally, at the first floor of the police office, a small Court of Justice where they were able … Read more

North Wales Tour with Smile Adventure

Category: Outdoor Activity / Tags: ,

Last weekend fifteen of our students went on a trip to North Wales with Smile Adventure. The students took the bus on Saturday morning in the rain in the direction of the city of Llandudno. A sun was awaiting them, they were able to discover the small seaside town considered  the most pleasant city to live in the Wales. After a walk on the waterfront and many photos proving that in England can also be nice, the students were back on the road to the town of Cowny. Conwy is a small traditional town which is very well known for its magnificent castle built in 1284. The students visited the castle in a “Game Of Thrones” atmosphere. After they enjoyed a traditional Fish & Chips by the river in the sun where good humor was present. After two stops in towns, the students left for the famous Snowdonia National Park. In a completely different atmosphere, the students found themselves in the countryside. The small walk through the greenery was amazing and beautiful. The students were able to admire the different landscapes that were offered to them between the rocks, lake and sheep. In the park, the water is so pure that it can be drunk directly to the river, the more adventurous decided to taste the water. During this trip, new friendships were created between the students who have at the same time where improving their English. All the students were delighted with this trip and discover another version of Britain! It is therefore possible thanks to EC Manchester for students to discover the beauty of England while improving their English.

July activities calendar

EC Manchester July Activity

Category: Activities, Outdoor Activity, Trips / Tags: , , ,

Today, we will discover together the EC Manchester July Activity  creates by the interns especially for the EC Manchester students. All of our interns worked tirelessly to find the best possible activities to do on Manchester. Firstly, on July 5th our students will have the chance to visit the Museum Of Science and Industry, a place inevitable in Manchester, the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Then, every Thursday for July and August, our partner Smile Adventure offers our students a bike tour to discover Manchester under the summer sun. Moreover, we planned to do a bowling July 12nd with all of our students and then rock climbing on July 26th for lovers of strong sensations. In addition, like every Friday night after their classes, EC Manchester offers our passionate football students to compete in a match. Several other activities will also take place, including the international social event in a well known Manchester restaurant on July 11th, an escape room on July 19th for our most lazy students and finally our “Welcome Drink” which takes place every Monday of the month To welcome our new students and to allow them their first friendship in the school. On weekends in July, students will not have time to get bored as we have planned several trips to exceptional places around Manchester such as Peak District, Lake District and York to enjoy the view and relax Under the sun and I no longer think of anything. Otherwise, for the most terrible of them and sensation enthusiasts we organized for the 22nd of July a day at Alton Tower and on the 29th of July a day at the paintball. Thus, our students have to be prepare for the monthly programme created especially for them. We look forward to many of them and hope that … Read more