"In a traditional English language school … you listen to what THEY say.

In Pilgrims… they listen to what YOU say."  Christoph Looschelders, Plant Controller, Hydro Aluminium, Germany

"In a traditional English language school you are just an attendee.

In Pilgrims you are a member of a big sincere family with an excellent approach that helps you in a joyful and easy way to learn English. I left that wonderful school with tears and with a huge self-confidence. Best experience ever!"  

Senem Birinci, Senem Birinci Celebrations, Switzerland

"In a traditional English language school, to learn just a little we make a great effort.

In Pilgrims, effortlessly we learn a lot, and it’s amazing, because the teaching method is as natural and effective, that we learn without thinking we are learning!" Miguel Cerqueira Gomes, Senior Lawyer, Cerqueira Gomes & Associados, Portugal

"In a traditional English language school  Lessons are boring

In Pilgrims Lessons are completely different from standard lessons at school. Students can create their lessons. Teachers and trainers teach students how they can use language not ony using words and gramar but also body language. Lessons don't take the same time like normal school from hour "x" to hour "y" but as much as students want. Lessons in Pilgrims are not only classroom but also in restautants, during common events ,shopping, sightseeng Canterbury etc. Students learn also while staying in the home people who host their. After lessons with Kevin I understood that I shouldn't translate sentences in my head but I should speak directly from my intuition and heart. Kevin sent my "head translator " on long vacations. Thanks to all Pilgrims People for "Great English Journey".  Mariusz Rogoz, Production Specialist, NKT Cables, Poland

"In a traditional English language school  he pedagogy is led by grammar, vocabulary, etc.

In Pilgrims the pedagogy is based on getting more confidence. I remember a phrase said by Kevin that summarises my feeling “Your English is not your fault” . We remove our inhibition.

The trainees are at the heart of the approach and the English language is just a  communication tool. We are in real life with many different topics to discuss. And the content is built by the group of trainees with many approaches, many topics, many places (Pilgrim’s building and also in restaurants and pubs).  The trainee is the King or Queen of the week!" Elisabeth Hild, EMEA Learning & Development Manager, BioMerieux

"In a traditional English language school you follow a pre-defined structured  approach (i.e. grammar, reading & comprehension, speaking…).

In Pilgrims you have to define your “communication objective”,  then you will be stimulated by a multitude of inputs and interactions helping you to achieve it." Pietro Soldini, Head of HR, BSI Bank, Switzerland

"In a traditional English language school they will teach you and you will learn.

@ Pilgrims they let you have an experience and it will change your life!"  

Fred Feuerstake, Director, Rotterdam University, The Netherlands

"In a traditional English language school it´s all about learning vocabulary and grammar. Less focus on speaking / learning by doing

In Pilgrims the approach is completely different. It´s like learning a language as kids do. You will learn and remember a lot of expressions because you are practically using them. You walk out much more self-confident because you have realized your language skills are much better than you think."  

Georg Abels, Sales Manager, WILD, Germany

"In a traditional English language school  you listen, write, speak ....as a "meaning making machine".

In Pilgrims I was listening, writing, speaking  as member of  a friendly group with the vision to change my approach to English language. In this way I have managed to change my point of view and I have changed my attitude towards English. English is not horrible anymore, English is a nice language, I like to speak English."  Michaela Sojdrova, M.E.P., Czech Republic

"Maybe I can say that the difference between traditional school and Pilgrims is only one.

In a traditional English language school, the focus is on the language. I mean that usually the traditional method involves studying grammar, reading English books (usually made for student), listening to dialogues, repeating words, making a lot of exercises, to understand if you are learning or not. There are two different parts in this scenery: you and your English. Is not important who you are. You have to do these different things to learn as best as you can.

"In Pilgrims the things are different. The focus is on YOU! Who are you? What’s your background? Why you want to learn English? And, mainly, what are your goals? The process of English learning is more natural. There is not only one way to learn. Ir depends on you. You can choose what's your favourite one. English is a part of you and becomes one of the million ways you can use to communicate with the other people. So it is not important how your English is or speaking like a teacher or what is your “English level”. You are able to communicate so you are able to speak English. Just relax and see how does it works on you, and Enjoy!

The experience in Pilgrims has taught me this. I hope you’ll understand what I mean."  Davide Cattunar, Technical Manager, Masterwatt, Italy

"In Pilgrims, you won't learn English speaking, you will speak it ! That's all!"  

Jean-Baptiste Verdier, Sales Development Manager, Groupe Poult, France

"In a traditional English language school you get bored and learn not to learn. That means, you won’t be motivated to feel a language by solving tests.

In Pilgrims you get the spirit, power, motivation and feeling for your own English. You can decide how to work with this grateful tool – speaking English."

Kerstin Engelhardt, Industrial Engineering, Magnapowertrain, Germany 

"I stayed in Pilgrims for two weeks and during that time I felt like I was part of an English society that likes to get together for events and enjoy the city. We hardly even used our pen and notebooks so it was more relaxing and less stressful for a foreigner to talk in English because you do not get lost in the grammar. I had the chance to communicate in English every second of every day and it felt less artificial and more casual.  

In a traditional English Language School I think that I would not have that much opportunity to use my knowledge of a new language in real life. It would be more writing and less practicing. And probably I woud not have the chance to socialize this much with new people." 

Pinar Kamci, Sales Manager, Borusan Otomotiv, Turkey

"In a traditional English language school the students have to study in a specific classroom with many students, where each person is part of a group like a number, to be more specific and graphic it would be like an “industrialized program”, where the core business is to maximize the number of students and as a consequence the return of the business. In my experience, I went to a specific course in London, actually a “typical program course” and I finished thinking that those kind of programs don’t put their minds on the student, contrary, they think of the institution itself. One example of this is related with teachers, maybe one teacher can be a really good one, however, he (she) has to adapt to the program structure and follow the course as a mandate, then the teacher doesn’t deploy all his skills and finally the student doesn’t receive the best of the teacher.

In Pilgrims the students go to a comfortable place, not a typical classroom but where they want to be at that time. Students can feel free to start the class with the topic that they want and where they want meaning the student has the possibility to create his own space. Everything in Pilgrims is different, even the classes are more than a typical class. They are coaching classes where the teacher (mentor) works by helping to change the mind of the student giving more confidence to him.  I think It is part of success of this program. Moreover, something very special is the possibility to have lot of opportunities to communicate in different ways, for example, meeting with different teachers to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or even having fun in a pub, that’s great!.  In conclusion, I would say, Pilgrims focuses on the mind on the student, helps the student to create and to have more confidence, and the people who work in Pilgrims are amazing!. That’s why the program is a success."  Ricardo Perez, Chief Risk Officer, LarrainVial, Chile

"In a traditional English language school it is sometimes so boring and conventional. You get lost and tired.

In Pilgrims it is different. The atmosphere is much more like learning with friends and having fun.

There is a big variety of different lessons and that makes it very efficient to learn. The days and the week fly."  Kay Nolte, Technical Manager, MacGregor, Germany

"In a traditional English language school you´re sitting together with other students in a classroom, a teacher tells you how to improve by doing exercises.

In Pilgrims communication is the absolute key. The entire atmosphere at the Pilgrims school creates a warm and positive feeling so that you´re feeling “at home”. Together with awesome and fantastic teachers you´re improving your English by talking, talking, talking. This might happen in the school but also out and about. For me it was an exciting week which broke down a barrier so I could rediscover my English skills from school and love to communicate in this language again." Carsten Schutz, HR Manager, Hydro Aluminium,Germany

"A tratitional English language school often makes you feel like in a school.

In Pilgrims learning contents are conveyed in dialogue."  Rainer Weis, Board Member, Deutsche Leasing, Germany

"In a traditional language school the groups are quite big and the programme is fixed.  You don’t always have the possibility to talk about things that interest you.

In Pilgrims the groups are very small, maybe only two students.  You can choose the topics that interest you.  Pilgrims is not at all a “School”, it’s more like an experience.  People at my age don’t want to sit at the table and learn from books. We want to do things and experience things.  When I went to Pilgrims, my first day was a little shock.  But on the third day I felt totally different.  I was totally “inside” and enjoyed it 100%.  A “school day” at Pilgrims was more like a day in real life where I had to react to real situations and real people.  And one of the best things was visiting interesting places nearby and going to the pub with other students and our teachers." Hannu Heinonen, Saloteam, Finland

"In a traditional English school you feel like a pupil with a teacher. You learn grammar, vocabulary in a traditional classroom. You are passive and your expectations are often disappointed. A traditional method is not based on an intensive practice.

With Pilgrims you feel more like an actor of your progression. You are coached to feel more relaxed to speak and it is the key for improvement. Indeed, you feel more connected to give, take and communicate. You go through a real and intensive immersion with nice people. It’s a pleasure to learn English in such a great environment. I could really appreciate my improvements after two weeks with Pilgrims. " Philippe Gambini, Directeur Fiscal - Head of Tax, Vinci Construction, France

"In a traditional English language school I feel frustrated, I always do the same method so I don’t improve my English language skills.

In Pilgrims it focuses on “Learning by doing” , fixes the English with your life experiences and they taught me to love my English in only one week! After that, I feel more comfortable speaking English and self-confident in Business negotiations." Maria Alvarez Coomonte, Talent Management, Volkswagen-Audi Espana, S.A.

"Pilgrims helped me realised that, despite what I thought, I already knew a lot of English and that I was able to do a lot with my current knowledge of English. 

People at Pilgrims were not there to put a mark on an exercice, write a report or judge my English but they were there to help me improve my English by being more confident and at ease with it. They were kind and caring which helped create a great atmosphere in which I learned a lot without really realising it. 

It was only at the end of the week I spent at Pilgrims that I realised that I have learned more than I could possibly have imagined.

Since then, meetings and presentations I have to do in English have gone much better than before. Attending Pilgrims in Canterburry really helped me." 

David Dehaene, Risk Manager, EDF, France

"In a traditional English language school

         - you are probably in a larger class or you have private lessons

         - you work with learning material (books, drafts)

         - usually there is one teacher only for the class

         - you learn a lot of grammar

         - the atmosphere is similar to a regular school

         - your class starts at 8 or 9 a.m. and ends in the late afternoon

In Pilgrims

         - you are in a small group together with people from all over the world

         - the conversations are in a pleasant lounge atmosphere

         - your English knowledge level is not the most important thing, more important is to speak and to use your vocabulary

         - the trainer gives you self confidence

         - there are many ways to have conversations such as role plays, games, talks with the other students or to give a lecture for example.

         - you have a business breakfast and lunch together with your class and trainer

         - in the evening do you have further events such as visit of a pub, going out for dinner, to have a role play with the students in a relaxed atmosphere

         - you have really a great time, a lot of fun and entertainment"   Karin Steinberg, Management Assistant, NKT Cables, Germany

"In a traditional English language school you can have a teacher and you can learn the grammar. The feeling with your teacher is exactly like a school, a little bit “cold”. The works books and the notebooks are constant company, but, from my point of view, this is boring. 

During my experience in Pilgrims, I learned a new method to learn the English language. 

From the first day I was surprised about the method used. I understand the benefit after 3 days, but after that I learned lot of words but the main things was the climb over my fear of speaking bad English. 

At the end of the hard week of intensive Pilgrims school I completely lose my fear and I found trust in myself. 

Now my English language level it is not perfect, but nothing is. I discuss by phone, by mail, by Skype with 100% of our Customers in English language without fear."  Michele Langhi, Quality & Engineering Manager, Texno Srl, Italy

"In a traditional English language school they present to you the grammar, the rules, do not think about this method.

In Pilgrims you have a life experience, discover your full potential and that you must not be afraid of the English language.  You become powerful, stay with wonderful people, feel like a family and experience a little of Britannic life style. It is a fantastic and unforgettable experience.  I recommend it". Andre De-Stefani, Marketing Manager, Ipiranga, Brazil 

"In a traditional English language school, we follow the training.

In Pilgrims we command the training."

Herve Debruyne, Program Manager, EDF, France

“In a traditional English school, you learn vocabulary, conjugations, but not the essentials : that means to love the language or to not fear picking up the phone to talk to someone. In Pilgrims speaking becomes natural , the objective is to be understood even if we make mistakes , and to enjoy it . Even in our native language we are not perfect, the same in a foreign language. After four years I am always comfortable talking with simple words and I communicate. I returned from a trip to Hungary and every day I took this way to learn and express myself - Thanks to this training” Benoit Cuingnet, Back Office Management, Ag2r La Mondiale, France

"In a traditional English language school, we always start the training with an evaluation always with the same questions and always the same doubts for the student. It’s very stressful for the student and I’m not convinced that’s a good trigger of motivation for improving English.

In Pilgrims the atmosphere is totally different and you need perhaps an adaptation at the beginning to be sure that you are in a school to improve your English. But for me it was a really useful experience to gain confidence and to share with other students from different countries. I discovered a very nice city, where it’s nice to live. It was a great experience to share time with you after the lessons at the pub too, and a good opportunity to test local draft beer !

Since these 2 trainings, and my daily practice too, I have less and less difficulty to understand English native speakers face to face, by phone, ...

For my daily business, I focus less and less on my English, and more on the objectives of my job!"

Vincent Rousseaux, Laboratoires-Thea, France

"In a traditional English language school  you learn about vocabulary and grammar from a teacher.

In Pilgrims you learn that English isn’t just about grammar or vocabulary. You learn about your life and the influence of self-confidence when you speak a foreign language. In addition you are supported by experienced mentors." 

Stefanie Buschbeck, HR, Hydro Aluminium, Germany

"Nothing to do with traditional…

Feeling better and easy with our own level of english is the first step to go forward, to start believing that we are able to improve. Pilgrims plays with that to gather the parameters you need on your own. Everybody is different, everybody needs different parameter. Pilgrims is able to bring different things for each of us even in a group session.

Far from a traditional school, I spent my time gathering experiences with friends, led by Pilgrims coaches…Living a piece of our life shared with Pilgrims brings much more than a life of studying English.

I wish I could come back soon."

Lionel Comole, Directeur General, Fondation ARTHRITIS/Clarins, France

"Pilgrims is an amazing experience" The English you speak is not a boring language but a new and exciting way to communicate with the entire world. The English language is like a horse to ride and can take you everywhere."

Alessandra Berzuini, Ospedale Alessandro Manzoni, Italy