English courses in the UK | Study English at ELC

Welcome

We provide English courses in Brighton, Chester and Eastbourne. Many types of English course are available at all three locations, so your first task might be to know which sort of course you want, and where you can take it!

Mina Yang from South Korea laughing with Yoshiki Ukai from Japan whilst on their English study year programme in Brighton.

Course types by location

We offer a 12 distinct kinds of course focus in a warm, friendly and professional environment. The following table shows where each is available.

Explore the links in the table or see the summaries of each course type below.

Course types	Brighton	Chester	Eastbourne
Business English
English for ages 50 plus
Exam preparation
General English
General English plus activity
English for adults 25+
One-to-one English
Specialist English
Study year programme
Summer classes
Teacher training
CELTA preparation

Find out more about our different types of English course in England

General English

Our popular, reliable general English programmes are suitable for anyone aged 16 or above, and run throughout the year.

Anika Diaz Linares from Spain pauses to smile at the camera during her English language lesson at ELC Chester.

General English plus activity

Combine our carefully structured English classes with tuition in one of your favourite free-time activities.

A library photo taken from above of a young man mid-serve during a tennis game. The ball is in the foreground above the player who is poised, racquet behind him. The tennis course is blue and the photo is very striking.

Exam preparation

We know how to prepare you for some of the world's best-known English language exams. Step this way.

Students get to work in their English class in Chester. They're referring to their classbooks and it looks like they're trying to agree on which page to look at.

English for ages 50 plus

You're over 50, and now the fun starts. Combine our warm, inclusive English lessons with guided cultural experiences.

A photo of two over 50s English course students in Chester chatting to their teacher. Behind them is a bookshelf suggesting they may be doing some work in the library.

Summer classes

Summer English programmes for teenagers who are independent and ready for a challenge.

A library shot of two people on the beach in Brighton. The photo is evocative of the mood in Brighton in the summer. A young man in an open shirt and sunglasses plays the ukulele whilst a friend eating an ice cream looks on and smiles.

Study year programme

Stay with us for longer to boost your English, take an exam and maybe prepare for life, work and study in the UK.

Three students chat together during their English language lesson in ELC language school in Brighton

Teacher training

Develop your skills as a teacher of English with these 2-week programmes.

A group shot of many English language teachers from around the world who have gathered for this photo in front of the ELC Brighton school building. It's a sunny day and all these teachers will have just completed a two-week English teachers' course. This photo was taken back in 2018, but it's a great photo showing lots of happy faces.

One-to-one English

Time to focus on what matters to you with our one-to-one English lessons. The ultimate luxury if you're prepared to work hard.

Our student Michael smiles for the camera during his English lesson at ELC English language school in Chester.

CELTA preparation

The 4-week CELTA course is probably the most internationally recognised initial TEFL qualification.

An image of what looks like a classroom where CELTA students are going through notes and preparing, possibly for teaching practice, whilst a trainer looks on and gives advice to a student in the background. This is indicative of what it might look like during a CELTA course in Brighton, though this might be a library photograph.

Brighton: Business English

Business English classes for experienced professionals who need to communicate effectively in English for work.

A library shot suggesting a professional business person. The shot is quite dark containing a woman wearing a black roll-top jumper, about to take off or just putting on her black rimmed glasses. The background is very dark and out of focus, and you can just see the lid of a laptop in the foreground. This is suggestive of someone in their work environment, and isn't a photo taken in ELC Brighton.

Brighton: Specialist English

We offer specialist English courses in Brighton, some with fixed dates and durations, and others that you can plan and organise with us.

This is a library shot which shows two technicians looking at a complex series of computer displays and charts. It looks like their at the control desk of a manufacturing facility. This is to suggest people with the need to use specialist and technical English for work, in promotion of the specialist English courses available in Brighton at ELC, but it is not a photo from the school building.

Chester: English for adults 25+

Programmes for people aged 25+ who use English in professional circles, whether socially or in a work environment.

A very happy man in a jazzy red floral shirt gives the thumbs up to the fact he's been given an end of course certificate from the over 25s English course he's attended at ELC Chester. You can spot the familiar bright blue door behind him.

Cool places that are small enough to be friendly, big enough to be fun

We offer year-round English language courses in three English locations. All our schools are classic, historical buildings with up-to-date, modern language learning facilities, and a warm and friendly welcome.

Map of ELC’s locations in England at Brighton, Chester and Eastbourne, with indications of their distance from major cities, airports and national parks. Brighton and Eastbourne are on the south east coast next door to the South Downs National Park and not far from London Gatwick and London Heathrow airports. Chester just to the east of north Wales is close to Liverpool and Manchester airports and roughly half way between Snowdon National Park and the Peak District National Park. An overlaid scale of 50km helps to show that Brighton and Eastbourne are about 120km from central London, and that Chester is about 35km from central Liverpool and 65km from central Manchester.

A photo of the seafront at Brighton which shows an array of white buildings and the sand-coloured pebble beach. There is a large white ferris wheel in the foreground, and a scattering of people sitting looking out to sea. — Brighton

Brighton and Hove is a lively, cosmopolitan seaside city of about 300,000 people with a vivid cultural life. It is about 85 km – 1 hour – south of central London and surrounded by the beautiful Sussex countryside. Learn more about Brighton

A photograph of the famous Eastgate clock in Chester which stands high above the road on a section of the Roman walls. The clock has a round white face with black roman numerals and hands, and lots of ornate black metalwork filled in with orange and gold panels. The letters VR are above it, visible against the turquoise dome roof, and the date 1897. This was erected in memory of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. — Chester

Chester is an English city with 2,000 years of heritage, excellent shopping and a lively nightlife. It is 30km from Liverpool and 60km from Manchester – major cities of around half a million people each. Learn more about Chester

A seafront photo of Eastbourne taken from the west side. The pier can be seen jutting out into the sea towards the top of the photo, as the beach extends round to the left and the emerald sea takes up most of the rest of the shot. The sun is shining and the white hotels on the seafront are very noticeable. — Eastbourne

Eastbourne is a traditional seaside town that’s regularly the UK’s sunniest place. It is about 120 km from central London. The beautiful South Downs national park rises up directly from the western end of its seafront. Learn more about Eastbourne