Ideal for students who are very independent and want to take an autonomous approach to their learning.
Not ideal for students looking for a close-knit community school. This school has a large student intake.
The good
- Well-maintained facilities, spacious classrooms and up-to-date technological equipment.
- Business courses are offered, with an exclusive Executive Centre for Business English students.
- Several courses for different age groups including a Junior Summer School.
- Truly multicultural and inclusive, no class has more than 2 people of the same ethnicity.
The bad
- They have a large intake, this can feel a bit impersonal.
- For a large school, there are no large communal areas, i.e. a large cafeteria, student lounge etc.
Date of my inspection visit at International House London: April 8, 2024
My overall take
I think International House (IH) is a great school for students looking for a fantastic location to learn while exploring London.
There are not many communal areas, there is a small cafeteria and seating area on the ground floor that serves sandwiches, snacks and hot drinks. The communal spaces are minimal for the number of students in the school. Luckily, IH is located only 5 minutes from a busy high street with numerous restaurants and cafes, but this can easily cost you a fortune over an extended period.
They have a dedicated “Executive Lounge” which provides a communal space and smaller classrooms for students studying Business English. With newspapers, a kitchenette, a private study and a seating area, this lounge is ideal for Business English students who want to study and work remotely in the same place.
As far as education is concerned, I believe IH provide high-quality education, but beware, you will have to be proactive inside and outside the classroom if you want your English to improve rapidly. The students that thrive here are usually the ones who are more motivated to improve their English.
From my unbiased perspective, this school seems to work on the philosophy of helping those who want to help themselves; they do not handhold you and they have an autonomous approach to learning. For this reason, I think this school would cater well to mature students (23+ years).
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International House London at a glance
| Rating of former students | 4.0 (54 reviews) |
| Class size | Lingo Traveller rating: Average Max. 14 students in General English course |
| Diversity of nationalities | Lingo Traveller rating: Excellent diversity No nationality more than 13% Top nationality: Korean |
| Learning Intensity | No set homework time per lesson/week and this is dictated by what the students want |
| Number of students | 500 adults + 600 juniors in July 250 adults in January |
| Minimum student age | 8 years for specific Junior Summer Courses 16 years for General English Courses |
| Accreditations | British Council, Eaquals, Private Further Education and International House World Organisation |
| Course range | General English, Junior Summer Course, Business English, Business English for specific professions, OET, IELTS exam preparation, Cambridge exam preparation, Modern Foreign Languages |
| Accommodation types | Homestay, Residence, Studios |
| Price | |
| Standard Group course 20 lessons/week: 55min/lesson | 1 week: £466 3 weeks: £1398 |
| Additional fees | Inscription fee: £98 Course material fee: none |
| Price Level – Standard Group course (based on 3 weeks incl. all fees) | £26.40 per 60 minute tuition |
My tour of the school & video review
Student voices
Comments from randomly selected students I met at the school and asked about their experience.
“I feel like the teachers really work for us. The classes are really funny and not boring. But I wish there was more space within the school for individual study, there is not so much space in the cafe“
Alicia
23 years from Italy
“The teachers and staff members are so kind, I really enjoy the classes. The location of the school is really good, we can go out with our classmates to lunch and easily watch musicals. My only complaint is, London is quite expensive“
Akari
from Japan
“I chose IH London because it is in the centre of London, it is easy to get around. I would only like to see more social programmes, for example for trips“
Yen
18 years from Taiwan
Questions to school director
Excerpts below from my conversation with Mark Trevarton, Assistant Director of English at International House.
Me: “What sets your school apart from others in the city?“
Mark Trevarton: “One of the things that make IH London stand out is that we’re right in Covent Garden, a beautiful central London location, and the school facilities are amazing. We have got a library, a café, and an executive centre for our Business Language courses”
Me: “Is there a particular type of student for whom your school is especially suitable?
Mark Trevarton: “Students who want to improve their English through an immersive experience”
School inspection report
Classrooms
Every classroom is very clean, well-lit, extremely spacious with up-to-date technology, i.e. interactive whiteboards.
Facilities
The facilities are modern and well-kept. They are, in my opinion, not big enough for the number of students that attend the school, but having a library is great as not many other schools have a dedicated silent study room.
The exclusive Executive Lounge is particularly great for networking and meeting other business professionals, this is a nice touch for professional students who want to work at the school outside of lesson time.
Surrounding area
A very good walkable location right in the centre of London, in Holborn to be specific. The school is close to many museums, galleries, theatres, landmarks and eateries.
Social activities
There was a good variety of social activities such as museum trips, theatre visits, pub crawls, and dance classes. One activity that stood out to me was the conversation club, which encourages students from different classes to meet and practice their English. This also allows students to make friends outside of their classes.
Trusted student ratings of International House on the web
| Total | 4.0 (54 reviews) |
|---|---|
| LanguageCourse.net | 3.0 (1 review) |
| ESL | 4.2 (53 reviews) |
Ratings as of June 17, 2024
Why no Google or Facebook ratings? Schools may have requested Facebook, Google or Trustpilot reviews only from those students that previously gave positive after-course evaluations. I only trust ratings from independent booking platforms/agencies, that allow exclusively clients who booked via their platform to rate the schools. I have checked each of these sites above and they have no disproportional number of positive vs negative reviews.
