Case Study
Case Study – Katherine Hudson, August 2026
As required by my degree course, I spent a year abroad: one semester in Spain and one in Bergamo, Italy, the latter in which I was supported financially by the John Speak Trust Grant. While I studied at the University of Bergamo, I was lucky enough to live with an Italian host family and I…
Read MoreCase Study – Latin America, the love of my life – Phoebe Coleman
Spending a year in Colombia was never going to be simply a year abroad. I arrived expecting to develop my Spanish, gain professional experience and explore a new country, but I left with a completely different perspective on work, relationships, culture and who I am. What began as a university placement became one of the…
Read MoreKorea, the country that changed my life – Case Study – Caitlin Manchester
With my first full year here in Seoul coming to an end, I can’t believe how far I’ve come in just 12 months. When I first arrived in Korea, I was so nervous about my future in this new country. Whether I would like it, whether I could learn the language well enough, whether this…
Read MoreCase Study – Hannah Smith
What an amazing and transformative experience! I arrived in a small mountain town located in Haute-Savoie, France in September 2025 with little confidence and almost overwhelming anxiety about what the upcoming months would bring. It is now July 2026, and I return home with new stories, experiences, and memories that I will cherish for life…
Read MoreCase Study – Henrietta Jinivizian, 2025-26
I returned from Strasbourg just over a week ago, and it’s certain that an Alsace-shaped trou is etched on my heart. In limbo between my return to the UK and the beginning of a summer internship in London, I feel as though I am in a sort of grieving period for my year abroad. The…
Read MoreCase Study: Salamanca, Spain 2025-2026
I had the opportunity to study at the University of Salamanca in Spain during my year abroad, and I had a fantastic experience that taught me so much about the Spanish language and culture. Looking back on the past year, I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to improve my Spanish and experience…
Read MoreCase Study: Six Months in Rio de Janeiro! (January – June 2026) – Ben Kittoe
Working at a Record Label in Rio de Janeiro from January to June 2026 has been an incredible experience that has taught me a huge amount about both myself and a Brazilian culture that has fascinated me with ever since I first discovered Bossa Nova music at the age of 15. When I first arrived…
Read MoreCase Study: George Knowles – 2025/2026 in Paris, France
For my year abroad in Paris, I had the opportunity to study at Sciences Po, one of France’s leading universities, while immersing myself fully in French culture, language, and daily life. Looking back, this experience has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and transformative periods of my life, and I am incredibly grateful to…
Read MoreCase Study: Eve Duffy, Latvia, 2025-2026
Studying abroad this year has been by far the most formative experience of my university career. I have had the incredible opportunity to live, work and study in three countries, and develop my language skills in three different languages. The most recent semester I have spent studying in Daugavpils, Latvia, and this is the section…
Read MoreCase Study: Holly Murray, Valencia, Spain 2025-2026
Looking back to September last year, I was just a nervous girl with a suitcase and a passion for Spanish, about to throw myself into a new, city life in Valencia. Little did I know how much confidence and perspective this incredible journey would help me build. I’ve conquered challenges, immersed myself in the language…
Read MoreCase Study: Chloe Salmon, Seville, Spain – 2025
Sevilla case study – Chloe Salmon I have had the most amazing experience of my life studying abroad in Seville, and I feel like the experience genuinely has changed my life. I was so insanely nervous before I arrived, and the visa process scared me so much that I truly thought that going abroad was…
Read MoreCase Study: Grace Dawson, Germany 2024 – 2025
Hamburg has become more of a home to me than I could ever have imagined. Reflecting on the past year I have spent there highlights just how quickly the time has flown by since I arrived at Hamburg Airport, dragging a cumbersome bike box and far too many bags. I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity…
Read MoreCase Study: Bryony Heaviside – La Belle Province 2024-2025
My time in Quebec, Canada, has finally come to an end. After spending a few weeks back in the UK, I have taken the opportunity to reflect on what this experience and being a recipient of the John Speak Bursary has meant to me. When deciding where to undertake my placement year, Quebec seemed the…
Read MoreLauren Maslin: Case Study – Land of the Morning Calm: South Korea 2024 – 2025
I chose to go to South Korea because I was fascinated by its history and very different culture than my own. I also believed that living there would be the best way to learn the language in its natural context, beyond the classroom. “Going to South Korea as a language exchange student showed me that…
Read MoreElodie Sparrow: Case Study – Over and out! – Beijing 2024 – 2025
A year studying in Beijing has been incredible. Getting off the plane and walking into the late August heat feels like a lifetime ago – so much has happened since then. This last year, I have had the privilege to study at Peking University (PKU), supported by John Speak Language Trust. I went out to…
Read MoreCase Study: JJ Daniel – Taiwan, 2025
From starting in Shanghai and ending up in Taiwan, I am grateful to the John Speak Trust for supporting me in my language studies, despite the interruption and change of plans! Coming back to where I spent my university year abroad two years ago, Taiwan, has been a fantastic opportunity. To think that when I…
Read MoreCase Study: Kelly Huynh – Spain, 2024 – 2025
I had the incredible opportunity to spend nine months studying abroad at the academically rigorous Complutense University of Madrid, taking classes in the Economics and Business Science Faculty. It was without doubt one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve grown personally, linguistically, and culturally, and now that the year is…
Read MoreCase Study: Jules Chadderton – Japan, Nagoya 2024 – 2025
Having arrived in Japan in September 2024 and spending just under a year in the country, I’ve come to feel surprisingly at home. Unlike many others embarking on a year abroad, I wasn’t starting from zero—I already had friends in Japan and some existing connections, although not many in Nagoya, where I would be based.…
Read MoreCase Study: Joanna Bowman – France, 2024/25
As I come to the end of my time in Lyon, I marvel at how comfortable I am in my life here. I regularly catch myself slipping into the normalcy of daily life, and often remind myself how abnormal it actually is! For example, I sometimes go days without speaking English in person, whereas at…
Read MoreCase Study: Gabriel Anderson – Croatia 2024 – 2025
My time in Zagreb has come to an end and what an amazing time I have had during this 6 month period. When I first received the news that I would be able to study Croatian language at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, I was overjoyed. After attending language classes at University College…
Read MoreGus Freeman – Case study Lisbon
My time in Lisbon has come to an end, and what an amazing 3 months in turned out to be. Firstly, I cannot thank the John Speak Trust enough for the scholarship I received. It was a big part of why my time in Lisbon was so successful. The money I received allowed me to…
Read MoreCase Study – Maisie Palmer, France – July 2024
My time in France has allowed me to develop in so many ways, and I want to thank the John Speak Foundation bursary for playing a huge role in keeping me on top of my language-learning whilst studying my Master’s. The monthly blogs have kept me focused and allowed me to build my written language…
Read MoreAmelia Walker: Case Study, Italy 2022
I am writing this final entry to the John Speak Language Trust from Milan, Italy, two and a half years after I was first awarded the scholarship. Back in 2022, this foundation helped me to move from Sheffield to Florence in order to complete a yearlong Master’s degree in Fashion Design –this move changed the…
Read MoreJoshua Winfield Case Study Canada 2023-24
I moved to Canada in August 2023 and was lucky enough to spend the next 10 months living and enjoying Montreal and the wider province. My French level before coming to Quebec was high, having studied the language at university for 2 years, but this stay in Montreal still allowed me to improve hugely. By…
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