AZ St. Petersburg is a full service language school for Russian as a Foreign Language which specializes in total immersion programs offering a wide range of course options. The school not only provides excellent teaching methods and facilities but further strives to provide their students with the best means of learning Russian. The Russian language school has 15 modern classrooms, free and unlimited internet access (including data port connectors for notebooks), a small restaurant, a resource library, a theater ticket ordering service and a domestic travel desk. In sum, this school offers top quality instruction and has the facilities to appeal to even the most demanding client.

Students have the choice of a variety of quality general and specialized Russian language courses. The variety of options available allow students to "tailor" the Russian course to fit their particular needs. The emphasis of the various course is on conversation but the Russian language school in St. Petersburg also pays attention to grammar, reading, listening and writing. The programs are structured but flexible, allowing the courses to be adapted to the students' level and pace.

Besides offering excellent Russian language programs in St. Petersburg, the Russian school also offers (and or assists in arranging) a variety of interesting cultural activities and weekend excursions allowing student the chance to really get to know Russia.

As with many of our other schools, the language school in St Petersburg not only provides general Russian language study, but can also provide specialized programs for business people, lawyers, teachers, etc. Specialized courses are offered under a private instruction format.

The Russian language school is ideally situated in St Petersburg just a short distance away from most important sites of interest within the city. This part of St Petersburg is well known for its abundance of little cafes, bars where you can drink some vodka with the locals, and numerous theaters where you can catch a small play. From a transportation standpoint the nearest metro station is within a 2-3 minute walk making it both easy to get to and from the school and visit different areas within the city.

The school was founded in 1992 and has gained a reputation as possibly the best language school to learn Russian not only in St Petersburg but in Russia as a whole. This reputation has paid off and today the school receives numerous individual clients from all over the world. In addition businesses and other large organizations have had their members learn Russian in St. Petersburg and the list includes: PWC, Credit Suisse, the EBRD, Scotland Yard, British Airways, the foreign Ministries of Finland and Switzerland, the UNHCR and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to name just a few.

The Russian school was recognized by the local St Petersburg government as a private language training institute in 1995. International recognition followed when, in 1997, the school in St. Petersburg became the first Russian school to join the International Association of Language Centers. IALC member schools are committed to guaranteeing the highest standards of language teaching and leanring within an efficient and reliable organization. Recently the school became one of the few official preparation centers for the state exam "Russian As A Foreign Language."

• One of the most beautiful cities in Russia.
• St Petersburg along with Moscow are the two most important cities in Russia.
• It is one of the main historic and cultural centers in Russia.
• The city offers a wide variety of art, a teeming night life, a lively street life, decent transportation, and interesting restaurants.
• St Petersburg is the Mecca of Russia for art lovers. Students can admire the works of the great masters in one of the best museums in the world, The Hermitage.
• St Petersburg has rich historical past, which is reflected in the famous maze of streets and canals that make up the center of the city.
• The city is a good jumping off point to other destinations in Russia.
• From Russia, one can easily get to most other parts of Europe in just a matter of hours.

Standard Program: Communicative teaching methods with small groups of maximum eight students per class make this popular course of twenty lessons per week a pleasurable and enriching experience for everyone participating.

Group courses are offered throughout the year with a minimum course length of two weeks. The course syllabus is dynamic and follows a modular pattern made of two week units. For participants who stay four weeks or longer, the following units will build up on grammar basics of unit one, treating the same grammar topics from a different angle with more in-depth explanations, with a more complex vocabulary, different exercises, more dialogues and role-play in class.

The small group size of maximum 8 students per group combined with a sizable amount of homework is intended to make an impact right from the beginning. The feeling of success will help to maintain a high level of motivation which in turn is essential for the necessary discipline.

Common lectures in addition to the 20 weekly lessons of proper language teaching will be held once a week covering a number of interesting subjects including the following: The History of St .Petersburg, Literature of Russian classics, Russian Economy, the Mass Media, Current Politics etc.

• Private room in a host family with a host family.
• Students have the option to stay in an residence.
• 2 meals per day with host family during the weekday.
• Access to email, the Internet, phone, and fax service (some services not free).
• Books, handouts, etc.
• Airport pickup
• Cultural Activities (small cost for entrance fees, etc.)
• Weekend Excursions (not free)

Standard Program: Beginners must start on the dates listed in bold.
Individual Instruction:

Anyone can begin on any Monday.

Dates
Start Dates:		Holidays:	Start Dates:		Holidays:
January	14 28	1, 2, 7	July	14 28	-
February	11 25	23	August	11 25	-
March	10 24	8	September	8 22	-
April	7 21	-	October	6 20	-
May	5 19	1, 9	November	3 17	4
June	2 16 30	12	December	1	-

Individual Instruction: One on one courses are individually designed for each customer and are targeted primarily at the corporate sector, executives, government officials, professionals, interpreters and future Russia/CIS representatives. The individual approach speeds up the learning process and focuses on the needs of the particular client without having to compromise on, or take into consideration, other students.

The exact content of the course will be jointly determined by the teacher and the student. The student is invited to specify the fields of interests he or she wants to cover by filling in our comprehensive needs analysis. This gives the teacher a accurate idea of what the student wants to achieve and allows us to select material, establish a study plan and build in the specific vocabulary required.

A One-To-One course is demanding and requires full concentration during the lessons to achieve maximum results. As the course proceeds, success is monitored by regular progress reports. One-To-One courses comprise fifteen (leisure), twenty (standard), thirty (intensive) or forty (crash) lessons per week. Intensive and crash courses are taught by a team of two or three teachers who work closely with one another and prepare the study plan together. One-To-One courses can be booked throughout the year. Minimum course length is one week.