Toffs up at 'royal' Eton still put the accent on success

In class-conscious Britain, how you say it can outweigh what you have to say

Britain's most exclusive public school is to open its doors to Hong Kong summer school students this year with a boys-only, tailor-made course that aims to help those attending learn 'the accent of the upper classes' in their spoken English.

The three-week programme at Eton College is looking to enrol 40 Asian students, with up to 10 places allocated for Hong Kong.

It has been designed by Eton master Dr Oliver Kramer, a fluent Chinese speaker, to deepen students' knowledge of the English language, British history and culture.

Both the director and the housemaster for the course are Eton masters, with English as a foreign language specialists teaching and Old Etonians helping out as course assistants. The programme, held in July, is open to students between 14 and 16 years and costs GBP4,500 ($64,980).

'For a normal school, it is quite expensive but this is definitely different,' said Miranda Tsang Ming-hang, manager, retail leisure, at Farrington American Express Travel Services which is responsible for the programme locally. 'If you don't get to go to Eton to study, then these three weeks are a good opportunity to have a 'royalty college' experience.'

Eton requires students attending the programme to be able to use English to actively participate in activities, Ms Tsang said. Those accepted will be assessed on arriving at Eton and divided into appropriate groups.