Associations & Accreditations
IH Bristol is a name you can trust, but don't just take our word for it - below you can find out about our various accreditations, associations and memberships.
International House World Organisation (IHWO)
Founded in 1953, International House is a global network of 130+ affiliated language schools in more than 50 countries. All IH affiliated schools are independently owned and managed and are members of IH because they share a common vision of how language schools should operate. We are committed to doing the best for our clients, our staff and our planet. That is why we make the IH promises of quality. Our overriding aims are to help our clients to achieve their aspirations and open new horizons for themselves through learning with International House, either face-to-face or in an online environment, and make our staff part of a team supporting students to progress and achieve.
IH Bristol began back in 1987 as The Language Project; in 2009 we passed the necessary quality controls to join the IHWO affiliation – and IH Bristol was born.
The British Council
The British Council accreditation scheme gives an assurance of quality to international students who are taking or are planning to take an English language course in the UK; as the most rigorous inspection scheme in the world for English language centres, students can have absolute confidence that a course at a BC accredited school will be all it should be. In order to achieve and maintain British Council accreditation status, we must meet high quality standards in five areas: teaching and learning; school management; student services; premises and resources; and safeguarding under 18s. We are delighted to say that we do.
IH Bristol was accredited by the British Council in 1997, and in 2018 achieved achieved 12 out of 15 in our last inspection, placing us in the top 8% of UK language centres.
English UK
English UK is the national association of accredited English language centres in the UK, and membership of English UK is a badge of quality. English UK educator members have to pass Accreditation UK inspections, a scheme run and developed with the British Council that insists on high-quality care and teaching.
Through our membership with the British Council and English UK, we have been involved in many exciting and innovative projects – such as the recent PRELIM project to help train teachers of English in Cuba.
English UK Southwest
The South West is the hidden jewel of England. A diverse and beautiful region of the UK with an excellent choice of places to study, the South West has something for everybody: historic cities, areas of outstanding natural beauty, a vibrant music and cultural scene, beaches, moors, hill-waking, waterfalls, caves and national parks, UNESCO sites galore (e.g. Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury) traditional crafts and food, there is something for everyone.
English UK South West formed in May 2009 and is a voluntary affiliation of language centres. It aims to promote and enhance the profile of the region to those wishing to improve their English language skills. EUKSW also encourages the maintenance and development of the highest professional standards in the teaching of English as a foreign language within the region, among other things.
Cambridge English
IH Bristol is an authorised Cambridge Assessment English exam centre and offers the internationally recognised Cambridge Exams regularly throughout the year, including General English, Business English and Professional English examinations.
We are the largest Cambridge exam centre in the South West; more than 800 people take their Cambridge English exams at International House Bristol each year. Of all the ‘open’ centres in the UK, IH Bristol have run the highest proportion of exams in 2020/2021 versus pre-pandemic 2018/2019 numbers.
Although we do offer various Cambridge preparation courses (intensive, part-time, and online, you do not need to be a student here to take an exam with us - everyone is welcome.
See upcoming Cambridge exam dates and book here or contact exams@ihbristol.com for more information
OET
IH Bristol is an authorised test and preparation centre for the OET (Occupational English Test) - the first English language assessment designed specifically for the healthcare sector. The exams meet the precise needs of those working in the health care system and are currently recognised by the accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Medical Council (GMC) and most recently the General Pharmaceutical Council in the UK, so will allow them to progress, personally and professionally, in their chosen careers.
We are proud to be part of helping international health care professionals gain the English language qualifications they need and thereby to be part of improving the health care system in the UK.
Following an unannounced quality control inspection in January 2021 we were delighted to receive the highest possible score and confirmation we are fully compliant with all exam procedures. The auditor "congratulated the invigilation staff on their dedication to providing the best possible quality of exam delivery".
OET preparation courses are available monthly, or private individual/group lessons can be arranged to suit. We offer the OET exam usually twice a month throughout the year - see OET test dates here, and OET preparation course information here
EL Gazette
Founded in 1978, the EL Gazette (English Language Gazette) is an international news and media company for the English Language Teaching industry and international English-medium education. It is an independent publication, and features regular reports and rankings to offer an unbiased view for agents and students to consider.
IH Bristol was proud to feature in the 2020/2021 'Centres of Excellence', which summarises the top 25% performers from around 450 UK ELT schools based on last British Council inspection results. In fact, IH Bristol achieved 12 out of 15 in our last inspection, placing us in the top 8% of UK language centres in the UK!
Visit Bristol / Visit West
Visit Bristol is the official tourist guide to our city, and an excellent resource for all there is to know about our city and what’s on offer during your stay. Bristol is an extremely warm and welcoming city and we are proud to be a member of its diverse and creative community.
Bristol & West of England China Bureau
The Bristol & West of England China Bureau is a growing network of people with an interest in China, building connectivity between our two countries. Through the Bureau, we are working to strengthen relationships and expand our connections with China especially southern China and Bristol’s Sister city Guangzhou.
Bildungsurlaub
New for 2021, IH Bristol is delighted to have been awarded Bildungsurlaub recognition from several regions in Germany. Bildungsurlaub is educational leave which German employees are entitled to for 5 paid days a year to study at a recognised institution to develop their skills in a range of areas, including English. Courses must meet a stringent set of requirements to ensure employees are truly making the most of their leave and IH Bristol is proud to be able to offer this service.
Learn more about Bildungsurlaub courses at IH Bristol here
We're Good to Go
“We’re Good To Go” is the official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.
Safe Travels
In addition to the ‘We’re Good To Go’ within the UK, the ‘Safe Travels’ stamp is awarded by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to tourism and hospitality businesses internationally.
The WTTC stamp enables travellers to recognise destinations around the world which have adopted global standardised protocols - so they can experience ‘Safe Travels.’