Julio was excited by the opportunity to go and study in England. What better place to learn the Queen's English? But the most exciting part was not just learning the language; Julio wanted to take in the sights and sounds of the country. He loved travelling and learning through experience. If he could converse in English on the street, in a shop, or some other everyday place, then he would be truly fluent. The drills in the textbooks were okay for learning the basics of grammar and building vocabulary, but to combine the classroom with the real thing was ideal.

He loved it from the very first day. He was mentally exhausted, not getting a break to chit-chat in Spanish with a couple of other native speakers in the class, but he could already see how being around the teacher with the small group size was helpful. On their excursions it became a game to see who could come up with the most eloquent request for the waiters, or start a conversation with someone at the bus stop.

Sitting through the classes during the day was interesting, because Julio ?loaded up? on new parts of the language that he looked forward to trying out later that evening. He came away convinced this was the best course he would ever experience. On his last night in England, he started a discussion on world politics with a feisty gentleman who was waiting for the same train. The back-and-forth discussion lasted for 15 minutes and he didn't have to have his teacher there to rescue him with vocabulary or explanations. His confidence in speaking English soared.

Paulo needed to have command of the English language, because his father said it was required to work in the family business and conduct business worldwide. Paulo wasn't convinced. He thought that he could get the basics down and then depend on a subordinate to handle the details. Paulo lost that argument with his father and found himself on the MovingOn English course, in England. One look at the timetable and he was already frustrated. No chance there to sit back, speaks your native tongue, and just let the English go at the end of the day. He decided on the first day to say he was too tired to attend the evening meal. The teacher suggested a short nap and then for him to catch up with them at a particular pub. Getting hungry later on, Paulo thought he would give it a try. He never found the right pub and spent too much money on a cab back to the hotel. He simply handed some money to the cab driver and uttered the name of the hotel. The cab driver smiled. Probably his best fare all night.

During the next few days, Paulo stayed very alert in class, took great notes, but seemed to disappear at break time. The teacher started to notice that Paulo was avoiding the immersion part of the programme. She took Paulo aside and advised him that the time outside the classroom was just as important, if not more important than the textbook learning. Paulo felt he was getting what he needed in the classroom.

The course ended and many of its participants were then entering the job market. A position became available at Paulo's family's business and he was sure his father had created it for him. It was an international sales position. Imagine his surprise when he had to actually go through the interview process. Having a conversation in English was part of the evaluation. Paulo still thought this was all a matter of protocol until he saw his father walking out of his office with someone familiar - Julio, the Spanish guy from his English class. Paulo returned to the course again the next time around, with renewed interest as Julio settled in to his position in international sales.