Help for students after language school shuts (From Thisisdorset)
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Help for students after language school shuts
11:00am Saturday 15th September 2012 in Latest By Stephen Bailey
Help for students after language school shuts
A LANGUAGE school suddenly closed leaving around 90 students and host families in limbo.
SNT on St Peter’s Road in Bournemouth shut on Wednesday and a trade body has now stepped in to help.
One Bournemouth woman, who had an SNT pupil staying with them, said: “Host families like us were owed hundreds of pounds.”
Mustafa Dogan, 21, from Turkey, paid £2,000 for 22 weeks of lessons and accommodation but has only been there for two weeks.
He said: “I maybe have money for lessons at another school. I don’t know.”
The membership body English UK held an emergency meeting on Thursday at another school, ETC, on West Hill Road .
It has an emergency fund that is normally only activated when an accredited school becomes insolvent.
But English UK has decided yesterday to use the fund now because SNT’s status is unclear.
An English UK spokesman said: “We were made aware on Wednesday that the doors of SNT were locked.
“We don’t know where the owners of the school are at the moment.
“The emergency fund provides for places on suitable courses at schools nearby and where the student has paid in advance for accommodation the fund will pay for that.”
A former owner of SNT, who declined to be named, said she sold the school in January when it had around 300 pupils.
She said: “They new owners really hoped it would be successful and they kept all the staff. I think there were 20.
“But the changes in the Border Agency rules from 1 July last year really affected the business.
“Agents said it was not easy to get into the UK and they felt more welcome going to Australia and Canada.”
Jenny Brunyee, from World Choice Education, which helped arrange accommodation for SNT students said: “The host families are generally paid by the school 1-2 weeks in arrears.
“They didn’t want to put the students on the street so they were in a bit of a predicament.”
Owners of other English schools came to the meeting to offer help.
Mark Venus, from Bournemouth School of English on St Stephen’s Road, said: “The industry in Bournemouth has a strong image but it’s not very nice when something like this happens.”
The Echo phoned and emailed SNT and also left a note at the apparently empty office but did not get any reply.
Industry worth £200m a year to the area
David Jones, chairman of the Dorset-based International Education Forum, is also principal of ETC language school.
He said: “Language schools are worth £200 million a year to the area.
“Generally the industry is buoyant and last year was as good as any we have had.
“A couple of markets are down – Columbia and South Korea – as a result of the changes to the system.
“But our school, for example, is probably about 10 per cent up on last year.”
Comments(18)
pete woodley
says...
11:24am Sat 15 Sep 12
nat-365
says...
11:37am Sat 15 Sep 12
typical attitude - money first, i think its wrong that many of these students live in council and housing assosciation placements in clear breach of tenancy agreements , another tax dodge .
Couchy125
says...
11:45am Sat 15 Sep 12
nat-365 wrote:Well said.
One Bournemouth woman, who had an SNT pupil staying with them, said: “Host families like us were owed hundreds of pounds.”
typical attitude - money first, i think its wrong that many of these students live in council and housing assosciation placements in clear breach of tenancy agreements , another tax dodge .
High Treason
says...
12:28pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Paying such a small amount would make it obvious all is not as it should be. How was the accommodation because lessons would be at least £2000.
Teel_Bmouth
says...
12:41pm Sat 15 Sep 12
nat-365 wrote:I wonder what sort of horrible places these students live. I see them coming out of the most horrible houses where foul chavvy families live. I bet most of the families needed that money to pay their rent! lol
One Bournemouth woman, who had an SNT pupil staying with them, said: “Host families like us were owed hundreds of pounds.”
typical attitude - money first, i think its wrong that many of these students live in council and housing assosciation placements in clear breach of tenancy agreements , another tax dodge .
I just hope the students are taken care of like they deserve. Bournemouth makes a lot of money from these guys with benefits flowing through to all the local businesses. This can only dent our reputation as a town for English language.
Controversial But True
says...
4:40pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Please go there. It may seriously increase the national IQ....!!
Bournemouth air
says...
7:59pm Sat 15 Sep 12
O'Reilly
says...
8:12pm Sat 15 Sep 12
O'Reilly
says...
8:12pm Sat 15 Sep 12
manana
says...
8:30pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Yankee1
says...
10:16pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Controversial But True wrote:I find it rather sad that you need to slander Australia in such a way. Perhaps you should take a look at its economy and its low unemployment rate before you take a pot shot at it.
"Felt more welcome going to Australia"??
Please go there. It may seriously increase the national IQ....!!
Yankee1
says...
10:17pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Controversial But True wrote:I find it rather sad that you need to slander Australia in such a way. Perhaps you should take a look at its economy and its low unemployment rate before you take a pot shot at it.
"Felt more welcome going to Australia"??
Please go there. It may seriously increase the national IQ....!!
Yankee1
says...
10:18pm Sat 15 Sep 12
Dorset Office of Fair Trading...over to you.
Bournemouth air
says...
9:49am Sun 16 Sep 12
Bournemouth air
says...
8:31pm Tue 18 Sep 12
jtwoody
says...
5:27pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Bournemouth air wrote:Patrick Joseph McGrath
Can you advise the names of the irish owners then so we can get our money.
34 Westcliffe
Ballincollig
Co Cork
Ireland
Shane Moloney
10 Orange Street
London
United Kingdom
WC2H 7DQ
http://companycheck.
co.uk/company/044326
14
emery26
says...
8:08pm Fri 28 Sep 12
whataboutthat says...
11:22am Sat 15 Sep 12