With the beginning of the summer vacation, many Saudi students are preparing to travel abroad to study English in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or other countries where English is the native language. Proficiency in the English language has become increasingly important for Saudis because of the globalization of the world economy and the investment of foreign firms in the Kingdom's massive infrastructure projects. The success of Saudi students in learning English by spending the summer abroad is not guaranteed and is actually dependent upon where they live and study as well as their own motivation and language learning ability. “Some students go overseas for the summer to learn English without ever having taken private English language courses here in the Kingdom. This tends to make them unsure of themselves and they usually do not profit as much as they might from spending three months abroad,” said Hussam Shaban, the former manager of an English language center in Jeddah. According to Shaban, it would be better if the student prepared himself for his trip abroad by taking intensive English course in the Kingdom before arranging to study overseas. “These days many of the Kingdom's English language teaching institutions are using latest techniques to develop students' proficiency in the language. It is much better for a student to complete seven levels of language instruction here before making preparations to travel to another country. In doing so, he will get a lot more out of his language learning experience abroad,” added Shaban. Travel agencies have prepared summer education packages for students with special services and fees. “We coordinate with an international English language teaching organization which has branches in many countries. We can offer students quality language courses in the country of their choice,” said Nuha Ghazawi, a travel and tourism consultant at a local travel agency. According to Ghazawi, a student who wishes to study abroad should take an English test, which the travel agency will send to the overseas language school so that the student's language level can be determined and he can be registered in the appropriate course. “After defining the student's level, we interview him to determine his requirements,” Ghazawi added. “As far as living arrangements in the foreign country are concerned, we offer the student two choices: Living in private accommodation provided by the language school or living with a foreign English-speaking family,” she explained. “Most Saudi students prefer to live with a family as it helps them learn the language faster,” she added. Ghazawi pointed out that Saudi students who choose to live with a foreign family have certain requirements, such as: “The family should live near the language school, the family should be Muslim, and there should be no girls in the family”. The length of English language courses varies, but they are usually one, two, or three months in duration. “Most students decide to take a three-month English course because it gives them more opportunity to learn and practice the language,” added Ghazawi. Studying English abroad during the summer can cost as much as SR40,000 for a three-month course. Some people expected a decrease in the number of Saudi students studying abroad this summer because of the world financial crisis and the spread of swine flu, but Ghazawi said that this was not the case. “Students do not seem to have been affected by the economic crisis or by the news about swine flu as they are confirming their reservations and preparing to travel abroad,” she said. Ahmad Marzoog Al-Kesabri, a 20-year-old Saudi student, failed to gain entry to university because his high school grades were not good enough, which is why he decided to travel to New Zealand this summer to improve his English language proficiency. “I am preparing to travel to New Zealand soon, where I am going to live with a local family,” he said. “This experience will be very important for me as it will help me gain admission to a government college when I come back to the Kingdom,” he added.
