Studying can be a great thing to do when you first move to a new country – you’ll be making new friends on your course and you’ll also be learning new skills to increase your embloyability. But what’s available in the capital? There are plenty of full-time courses you can totally immerse yourself in or you could pick a part-time course to fit around your job.
For full-time courses apply in plenty of advance – most university-level ones will have application deadlines months before the course start date. Short-term courses can be picked up depending on availability at shorter notice.
Medical & Health
If you fancy yourself in a white coat, apply to do a degree in medicine and come out with Doctor at the start of your name at King’s College. The prestigious university’s med school is one of the country’s biggest and oldest. London Metropolitan University has launched a new medical degree.
City University (city.ac.uk) offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in nursing, radiography, biomedical engineering and medical ultrasound.
If you’re more of a gym bunny than a lifesaver, on the health and fitness side of things you can take full-time and distance learning courses at Discovery UK. They specialise in personal training and nutrition.
Numbers and figures
Demand is high for qualified accountants right now, so it’s a savvy decision for number crunchers to do an accountancy course. London College of Accountancy (londoncollege.org) offers degree level and professional courses in accountancy and finance, as does the London School of Accountancy and Management.
Language
If you fancy picking up some new lingo skills to impress with on your travels, then Language Courses UK offer part-time foreign language classes in 20 different locations across London. They offer a host of courses, from Italian to Farsi with French, Thai, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Italian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish and Japanese in between.
If you see your language learning becoming a little bit more serious, universities to look at in London for full-time courses are SOAS for Oriental languages or UCL for European languages.
Or take a TEFL course, which will allow you take your English teaching skills anywhere in the world – that should help you fund
a few more trips. TNT offers two-day TEFL courses from around £150. Visit tntmagazine.com for more information on TEFL, plus foreign language courses.
Sciences
For science degrees, Imperial College in Knightsbridge offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in natural sciences plus engineering, aeronautics, bioengineering, chemical engineering and chemical technology.
The Open University offers scientific degrees on a distance-learning basis (alongside a host of other subjects). It also allows students to study in 40 countries, so you can get a head start before you make the move.
The arts
Goldsmiths and Camberwell College of the Arts are probably the artiest universities you’ll find in London, so head to either of those for courses in art, design and music.
IT & computing
Having the right computer skills for a job is essential, so if yours are rusty, this is a highly valuable area to brush up on. IT and computing courses range from simple Microsoft Office training to full-on programming or web design. There are lots out there, so you will definitely find something to suit your needs.
Kensington College offers a range of computing courses or you can get courses to work through from home from Learn Direct.
London Metropolitan University also has several undergraduate and postgraduate computing courses, plus more practical courses like business computing.
Practical courses
Fancy something a bit more hands-on? London has lots of practical courses to offer too, from plumbing to beauty.
OLCI offer courses in plumbing, gas and electrics from their central London training centre – and there’s always a demand for that type of work. Plus they also teach courses on renewable energy, bricklaying and plastering, which are all transferrable skills you can use in other countries.
The London School of Beauty & Make Up offers part-time and evening make-up artistry and beauty courses, so you can fit classes around your job.
