R = Receptionist C = Customer
R: Good morning, Fairview Lake Camping Centre. Can I help you?
C: Oh yes. I'm interested in bringing a group of schoolchildren to your centre for a week's stay this summer, and I'd like some information. Could you tell me something about your organisation?
R: Certainly, sir. We have three main functions, really. We are a conference centre, an educational institution, and simply a place where you can come and have a fun-filled weekend. Whatever your goal is, our professional staff are on hand to help you.
C: I think we'd like to have an educational visit and some fun at the same time. I was thinking particularly of some of our children who have failed exams, and need to retake them next year.
R: I see. Well, we offer coaching in various subjects at most levels; you know, Maths, Sciences, Geography, languages. We adjust the courses according to the needs of your pupils. As for the recreational side of the centre, we offer sailing, windsurfing, volleyball, rowing, athletics and quite a few other sports. Most children have never tried archery, so we offer courses in that, too. It's very popular.
C: That sounds good. I'll see if there is any interest. And where would the children stay?
R: Well, we have the Birch Unit that sleeps 8 people, and Greenback Row which sleeps the same number. Cabins 1-3 each sleep ten people. Cabins 5 and 6 sleep twelve people each. How many young people are you thinking of bringing?
C: 22. Twelve girls and ten boys.
R: Perfect, then I suggest Cabin 3 for the boys, and Cabin 5 for the girls. How long would you want to stay? Ah, yes, I remember, you said a week, didn't you, Mr...?
C: Bryson, Mike Bryson. Yes, that's right, a week.
R: Good. Groups arrive on a Saturday evening, and leave the following Sunday morning.
C: That would be fine. Now, when are your courses?
R: Tell me the dates that would suit you, and we'll see what we can do.
C: The end of June would be perfect for us.
R: End of June. Let me see... How about the week starting Sunday, June 24th. The week starting Sunday 30th is pretty much booked up.
C: Yes, the 24th would suit us fine. Now, about prices?
R: For one week, including lessons, food, accommodation and all sporting activities, the cost would be £425 per child, and £480 per adult. Could I have your school's telephone number, please, Mr Bryson?
C: Yes, certainly. It's 647864.
R: 647864. And the code?
C: Em, 4304. Sorry, no. 1304. By the way, are you open in the winter? And if so, what do you offer sports-wise?
R: Yes, we certainly are, Mr Bryson, and we offer ice fishing, cross-country skiing and animal tracking. It's actually very popular in the winter.
C: Interesting. Perhaps I'll bring a group then, too. Oh, I almost forgot to ask. What are the eating arrangements?
R: We have an enormous amount of space for dining. We can divide the dining area into several separate rooms, if necessary. If you really want your privacy we can give you a separate room, but actually we find that mealtimes give you the opportunity to meet people from other groups. There's no difference in price, whatever you choose.
C: Right. What if we want to cook our own meals now and again?
R: Yes, that can be arranged. All of the units have their own tiny kitchens, but there are also many outdoor areas where you can cook over an open fire. We try and have several barbecues too, which are very popular.
C: That all sounds very satisfactory. I know the kids will be enthusiastic, and the prices sound fair enough, so I'll speak to my headmaster and get back to you as soon as possible.
R: Good, Mr Bryson. I look forward to hearing from you.
Staff member: I'm delighted to welcome you all here to our magical little outdoor play centre. We feel very privileged and excited today to have our first customers here to attend the official opening. But before we let you, and more importantly your kids, get down to the business of enjoying themselves, I just wanted to make everyone familiar with the centre's main attractions.
If you look at the map I've given you, let's start by following the entrance road straight through the centre to the attraction on the right of the bridge. That is the Petting Zoo; a lovely little area where children can spend time in the company of our very friendly farm animals. Continuing left past the bridge will take you to the Toddler's Play Pool. Alternatively, taking a right at the Petting Zoo will bring you down to the Bouncy Castle and Fairy Palace. If I can draw your attention to the Waterfall and Frog Pond, you'll notice that there are two attractions close by. Following the road that leads to a dead end takes you to Winter Wonderland. Here, we use snow machines to create a magical world of winter delights. We think this will be a big favourite. On the other side of the map, just down from the Fairy Palace, there's another kind of wonderland - Waterworld. Waterworld is for the older kids; a place where they can have fun on the slides and tubes and play about in the water to their heart's content. Jumping back now to the other side of the map again, you'll see not so much an attraction as a service for you poor tired mums; this is the Babysitting Area. You can leave your little ones in the safe hands of our professional carers should you need a rest. The last attraction I've to show you then is the Craft Zone, which is on the right-hand side, down a little closer to the entrance than Waterworld. Here the kiddies can learn how to make all sorts of beautiful things like shiny jewellery and sparkly cards.
That's pretty much everything you need to know, but before I finish, let me just tell you a little more information about the wonderful animals of the Petting Zoo. The Petting Zoo is divided into three areas. The area on the left-hand side is where children can go on rides; hence the name Ride Zone. We have a friendly donkey called Dan, and a gorgeous little pony called Polly. Dan the Donkey and Polly the Pony are joined for this week only by a very special guest; Larry the Lama. Queue for rides at the entrance to the inner circle and pay at the Pay Station located in front of the parents' sit-and-watch stand.
The centre area is known as the Mini-farm Zone. Here the children can see lots of different farm animals living just as they would on a real farm. Join Farmer Tom as he gives half-hourly tours of the farm and shows the little ones how to milk the cows and goats and how to feed the grumpy old pigs.
Zone three is an area we are very excited about. We call it the Performance Zone. Inside the Arena, some of our brightest animals will perform a series of tricks for the children, who'll also be entertained by Cluxy the Clown and his show band, the Racketeers. The Racketeers will perform on the Main Stage at the centre of the Arena on the hour, every hour. That concludes my little introduction. I hope you have a tremendous day.
P = Paddy K = Kate
P: Excuse me, I've come to enquire about your summer school courses. My name's Paddy Deans. Please call me Paddy.
K: OK, Paddy, I'm at your disposal. Are you talking about concentrating on one subject or do you want to study a number of different subjects? And are we talking about graduate studies or preparation for graduate studies? We can also give you advice on a new career, but we're not in the field of Business Management or anything like that.
P: No, nothing like that. I was more interested in your sports programmes. You see, I'm a PE teacher, and I've just got a new post. There's no compulsion to do this, but I really want to improve on my teaching and coaching techniques, if you see what I mean. I believe you have an excellent swimming programme, for example.
K: That's right. Most of our instructors reached international level. Our course is designed to enhance the technical aspects of stroke, training and the strategy for each participant. Technical instruction, stretching and dry land training, training principles and stroke development are integral parts of the programme, so it's for someone who has reached a good standard of swimming. Each athlete will be videotaped and receive a DVD with stroke analysis.
P: That sounds like just what I'm looking for. What will I need for the course?
K: Swimming trunks, towel, swim cap, flippers, goggles and a pillow and bed linen for the week.
P: Right, I understand. Now, would there be any chance of taking part in equestrian events? My new school is horse-riding mad, and to be honest I've never sat on a horse in my life, although I like horses.
K: Well, you've come to the right place, Paddy, and naturally we can provide a horse for you. We have a very well-respected equestrian camp, and don't worry if you're a complete beginner - there are no end of other people in your shoes this year for some reason.
P: What sort of things would I do?
K: Well, the beginners would start off with basic horsemanship, how to sit on a horse, how to make it obey simple instructions, you know. But don't worry. One of our instructors will have a long chat with you and define realistic goals. Are you interested in dressage, flat work or show jumping?
P: To be honest I haven't the faintest idea.
K: That's fine. You can watch the experienced riders and try a bit of everything. I'm sure something will grab your fancy.
P: Great. By the way, what's the enrolment deadline for all this?
K: Well, we've just extended it by a week, so it's now May 2nd.
P: Fine.
K: You arrive on Sunday and leave after lunch on Thursday. The cost is £500. This covers room and board from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last, tuition, programme materials, evening recreational activities and use of one of our horses.
P: So could I do the swimming course, followed immediately by the equestrian course?
K: Oh, yes. They fit in quite nicely, one straight after the other. Now, was there anything else, Paddy?
P: Well, actually yes, now that I'm here. In my new school I'm having to teach girls for the first time in my life, and they're also big on rhythmic gymnastics. Now, although I've got lots of experience with Olympic gymnastics, I don't feel at all qualified to teach rhythmic.
K: We do run a course in rhythmic gymnastics, but it's in September. Would you be able to come back?
P: But I'll be back at school then.
K: We've thought of that, and that's why it's a weekend course. Three weekends to be exact - first three in September.
P: Put me down for that one then. Any idea what the course involves?
K: Well, I know you study the different events like hoop, ribbon, ball, Indian clubs and so on, and you take a dance course.
P: A dance course! But I'm the world's worst dancer. You should see me do the tango.
K: No, Paddy, it's not that type of dancing. It's called educational dance, and teaches you to be aware of your body, and to interpret music. Very important if you want to teach rhythmic gymnastics.
P: Well, I suppose I'd better try that, too. All right, give me the details.
Tonight, I'd like to address myself to parents who are planning to send their children to university, but who might be concerned about the cost. There's no doubt that university education is a great asset. Not only will your children learn and grow but, according to the Department of Skills figures, on average someone with higher education earns 50% more in a lifetime than someone without. But in the last decade or so, the cost of getting a degree has more than doubled - and it looks as if things are going to get worse. Maintenance grants were abolished in 1997 and tuition fees introduced for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. University fees are rising steadily, some of them more than 6,000 pounds a year. If you thought funding a university education was beyond your reach, think again. With sound planning, you can provide your children with this opportunity of a lifetime. If you're a new parent, remember that the earlier you start saving, the less you have to pay every month and the greater your return. Money will give you flexibility over where your children study and the course they choose. But how should you invest? There's no simple answer, but there are a number of options.
The National Union of Students estimates that the average undergraduate needs about £25,000 to finance three years at university. Based on these figures, it is projected that when someone is at university in 20 years' time, the cost will be approaching £40,000, but this is assuming the university fees will only increase with the rate of inflation. It could, of course, be more.
Parents can save money by encouraging their children to study locally and live at home. Almost 80% of the costs students incur are living expenses (rent, food bills, travel, laundry, etc). If your child is already 13 years old, and you haven't started to save yet, there's no time to waste.
If the young person is interested in joining the armed forces, for example the Royal Air Force, he can get the RAF to sponsor him throughout university; then he'll fly fighter jets and after that work in the public sector as a commercial pilot. Sponsorship from the armed forces is an option hundreds of students take every year. The RAF, for example, will sponsor students for at least £4,000 a year. But this involves a minimum service commitment; for the RAF, it's at least 4 years.
If your child likes the idea of engineering or law, he could consider a 'sandwich' course. These normally involve a paid, year-long placement in the industry that he's studying, plus the normal time at university. You get experience in your chosen field - plus a year's salary.
When your child is 16, you should start putting aside what you can, but there's no way you'll be able to fund a degree on savings alone. If your child is a gifted sportsman, you may be able to secure a sports scholarship.
Scholarships and bursaries come in all sizes, are awarded for a variety of reasons and may be a one-off or annual payment. You may be eligible to apply simply because of where you come from or for a specific course you are attending. They are seldom advertised and many go unclaimed every year.
The Internet is a great way to start looking. There is a searchable database at www.studentmoney.org and while you're at the computer, go to www.google.co.uk and type in some key words. If you're a keen cricketer, for example, put in 'university bursary sport cricket', for instance. Top of the results page is the University of Kent, which gives a £1,500 cricket bursary to talented players.
If you haven't put any money aside, your teenager will almost certainly need to get a student loan - by far the best way for him or her to borrow. The maximum yearly loan is about £5,000. There are two reasons why the loan is so attractive; firstly, the index-linked interest rate is very low, far lower than you'd get from the bank. Secondly, you don't have to start paying it back until you've left university and you start earning a decent salary. Now, a few more things to look at...