Loans Debts And Students
Ted Hastings
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Posts by Ted Hastings
Enjoying London: Four Tours
Aug 26th
Hosts International, London’s top homestay accomodation company is pleased to recommend the following tours for you to enjoy during your stay in London. The area is filled with beautiful and historical landmarks, all of which are considered must-visits. If you not only want to view these landmarks, but learn about their history or see them in a slightly unusual way, a guided tour of London is right for you. When researching London guided tours online, you will find that you have a number of options.
Fat Tire Bike Tours was established in 1999. Their tours began in Paris and Berlin, but they have since arrived in London and you will be glad they did! Due to the method of travel for this tour, which is by bike, only those who are healthy and fit are encouraged to take the journey, as it can be long. The average length of a tour of london is four hours. En route, you will stop and see Hyde Park, the Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. One unique aspect of this tour is that reservations are not required. All you need to do is arrive on time at the starting point. Tours are available in all weather conditions and begin promptly at 11am, starting outside of the Queensway Underground stop.
The Original London Sightseeing Tour has been in the business for almost 60 years. This means that they have perfected the sightseeing journey of London. As a tourist, this works to your advantage. With multiple buses and tour paths, it is difficult to pinpoint what you will see along the way, but it should include the Thames River, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the Trafalgar Square, just to name a few. Since you are traveling on an opened top bus, also commonly referred to as a double-decker bus, this tour is perfect for individuals of all ages. In fact, special activities can be found onboard for children! What is unique about this group tour is the ability to hop on and hop off. When you purchase tickets, your tickets are valid for 24 hours. At a scheduled stop, do you want to stop and look around? You can do so. Simply just wait until the next available tour bus arrives and you can continue your journey of exploring London.
Buckingham Palace is a well-known and popular location in London. It acts as both the office and the residence of the Queen and is as one of the few remaining working palaces in the world. During most of the summer, visitors can tour portions of the palace. including the nineteen staterooms. Inside you will find some of the greatest treasures in Britain’s history, including paintings and sculptures. Guided tours are available at Buckingham Palace. You will be matched with a guide who will lead you on your journey, as well as share the history and interesting facts about this historical landmark.
However, of all the tours available in London, the Duck Tour must be the most exciting and unique. Your journey begins by entering an authentic amphibious landing vehicle from World War II. These vehicles, which tend to resemble a duck, have been restored for sightseeing. Duck Tours of London are available all day. A tour lasts approximately 75 minutes and you will travel through Westminster. The tour ends with a “Splashdown.” This is when your duck vehicle travels right into the River Thames!
These four guided tours of London are just a few of the available options. You do have hundreds to choose from. You select a private tour company or the tour guide supplied to by each individual establishment, provided guided tours are available. Whatever choice you make, you can make considerable savings by staying in carefully-selected homestay accommodation from Hosts International, rather than an expensive hotel.
Visit Hosts International to find out more about homestay accommodation in London. Don’t forget to check our Direct Booking Service as well.
HNC and HND: The Forgotten Qualifications
Jul 1st
British degrees are respected worldwide as the gold standard for qualifications. However, it is worth remembering that there are other UK qualifications which are nearly as valuable and can serve as stepping stones on the route to a degree, the Higher National Certificate(HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND).
HNCs and HNDs have been around for many years and are highly valued by both British and overseas employers, both in the UK and overseas. They can lead to membership of professional bodies or allow admission to the final years of an undergraduate degree programme. HNCs and HNDs are available in a wide range of subjects from engineering to social sciences, but the most popular subjects are Business Studies, Computing and Information Technology.
In the UK HNCs and HNDs are offered by more than 500 Universities and Colleges of Further and Higher Education. They are at levels 5 and 6 on the National Qualifications Framework, meaning that they are equivalent to the first and second years of an undergraduate degree. Indeed, in Scotland almost half of the entrants to Higher Education follow and HNC or HND programme before proceeding to university.
Many Universities accredit their own HNC and HND programmes, but there are also two other bodies authorised by the UK Government to accredit HNCs and HNDs, the Business and Technical Education Council (BTEC) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). If you are considering an HND programme, it is important to ensure that it is accredited by one of these bodies and that the institution offering the course is approved to do so.
Students who lack the formal entrance qualifications for a degree programme can often overcome this disadvantage by taking an HNC or HND, which allows progression to a degree. HNCs and HNDs are work-related and focus on learning by doing. The entry requirements for most courses is the successful completion of five years of secondary education, but candidates who lack this level of education can often obtain admission by undertaking a short preparatory course. Candidates aged older than 21 can often be admitted without formal qualifications.
HNCs and HNDs is often studied part-time by students who are also working, and may also be available by also be available by distance learning. Doing an HNC or HND by distance learning can be attractive to overseas students, as it can be done without leaving their home country, and can help demonstrate their credibility as students if they wish to come to the UK later to complete a degree. Students who complete an HNC can normally gain direct admission to the second and third year of a degree course. An HND is usually studied for two years full time or longer if part time. Students who complete an HND can normally obtain direct entry to the third year of a degree course.
About the Author:
Peter Brown is Principal of London Graduate School of Management (LGSM), one of London’s leading Business Schools. LGSM offers HNCs and HNDs in Computer Networking, Information Technology and Business which can be studied via Distance Learning.