The British Council is running a series of awareness-raising workshops for students who are due to travel to the UK later this year to take their first steps towards a UK education.

The annual Education UK pre-departure workshops provide students with information about coping with a new culture, managing their finances, adapting to new teaching and learning methods and applying for a student visa.

The sessions are free of charge and are delivered by British Council advisors who are available to answer any question new students may have about studying in the UK.

This year, attendees will also have the chance to win a free flight to the UK courtesy of Virgin Atlantic, a statement said.

The 2008-9 academic year saw around 400 new UAE student enrolments in UK higher education courses, making the total number of UAE-domiciled students studying higher education courses in the UK more than 2800.

This figures jumps to more than 13,000 across the GCC. One of the key strategic aims of the British Council’s education work is to improve the student experience for international students, and as such it aims to reach as many of these candidates as possible, the statement said.

The organisation works closely with education consultants and funding bodies in the UAE to try to achieve this goal, according to the statement.

“This is a major advantage of having offices in over 100 countries worldwide – the ability to provide opportunities for people to learn more about the UK and from an education perspective, prepare them for their arrival in the UK,” said Tim Carnley, Education UK promotion manager.

“Studying in the UK can be an exciting and rewarding experience, and we are here to help new students prepare for that experience,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service