You may not have experienced the luxury of a five-star hotel as a customer. But students at one London language school can at least get to work in one.

The English Hospitality Programme brings students to the Twin Towers English College school for either 12 or 24 weeks language improvement and general preparation before sending them off to work in a hotel.

The hotels, in Liverpool, London and Scotland, include the Hilton and all have 3, 4 or 5 stars. The students keep records of what they learn and in their final two weeks back at the school should gain a Cambridge work experience qualification.

School manager Anabela Barros says the students love the course, especially because they are working as part of it.

"I've just seen one of the students who is coming to the end of his time here. He absolutely loves it and wants to stay. And I could not believe it when I saw another of our students, from Japan.

"She's totally different. She dresses differently and her confidence is boosted. I said: 'You are not shy any more,' and she said that the job had meant that she couldn't be shy.

"It's a fantastic course."

During the weeks when the students are at Twin Towers, they improve their English and are taught useful skills. These include lessons in "silver service" - serving in restaurants - from an expert who works at top London hotel the Dorchester.

The students learn skills including how to lay tables and set out dining rooms.

They also learn to use Fidelio, a reservations system widely used in the hotel industry.

During their time working in the hotel, the students can be doing all kinds of different jobs but the idea is that they should be learning how the business works. Even if they are cleaning, they need to be aware of how that fits into the business for their final exam, says Anabela.

She adds: "Quite a lot of the students already have a degree in this kind of area. They come here to get that experience, and to improve their English."

http://www.twintowers.co.uk/

Susan Young - susan@englishuk.com