Language Courses and Cultural Exchanges Worldwide

English in Sydney, Australia

The sixth largest country in the world, this country-continent features some of the most unique landscapes in the world. Australia offers an immense variety of excursions, sports, and of course, opportunities to learn and perfect the English language. From the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland to the mystical rock formation of Uluru in the mid-region, the unique combination of the Australian lifestyle and landscape offers endless opportunities for an unforgettable experience.

Sydney is the largest city in Australia, with a population of over 4 million people, and it is the capital city of New South Wales.  In the center of the city lies the historic waterside Rocks area, where Sydney’s earliest settlers lived.  The area offers many restaurants, bars, cafes and shops containing Australian souvenirs.  Beside the Rocks is Sydney Harbor Bridge --- climb to the top and get a bird’s-eye view of the city, including Circular Quay where ferries leave for stops all round the harbor, and the stunning Opera House, Australia’s most famous building. A short stroll from the Opera House are the Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery of NSW --- both well worth a visit.

Bondi, perhaps Sydney’s best known beach, with it’s white sand and sparkling blue waves, is only a 15 minute drive from our school.  But there are also many other beautiful beaches to visit much closer the school.  To the north, Palm Beach and Whale Beach offer great swimming and surfing, as does Manly Beach which can be reached by taking an inexpensive scenic ferry ride from Circular Quay.  South of Bondi are Bronte, Coogee and Cronulla Beaches --- each with it’s own special character.

Life isn’t all outdoors in Sydney --- there is also a very vibrant cultural scene, including regular art festivals that attract performers from all over the world.  Staff at the school will give you all the information about what’s going on and where to go.  Try to catch some traditional Australian Aboriginal dance performances and see Aboriginal art in the Art Gallery of NSW. Compared to many big cities, going to the theatre or a music concert is often surprisingly affordable.  In fact, during summer, there are many free opera and classical music concerts held outside under the stars.  Just bring a picnic, find a spot on the grass and enjoy yourself.  For those who like the latest in music, from rock to techno and jazz, there are numerous night clubs with live bands. Many of these are in areas only minutes away from the school.

The School

The school offers English (ELICOS) and Business Courses to international students and is located in Sydney’s Central Business District, looking out over Sydney Harbor blue waters.  The beautiful blue waters of Sydney Harbor, surfing beaches, cafes, restaurants and shopping centers are all at our doorstep.

Facilities and resources:

• Fully-equipped and air-conditioned classrooms
• Computer labs
• FREE Student intranet and Internet access
• Audio/Visual equipment including DVD, Video, TV, overhead and data projectors, and cassette and CD players in the classrooms
  
• Afternoon activities options, including singing club, movie club, conversation class and social club
• Experienced, qualified and enthusiastic staff
• Student resource room (listening and reading materials)
• Student kitchen and common room areas
• Printing and photocopying services
• Daily newspapers
• Student support services

Language Courses

We offer three major programs in our catalogue:

• General English
  This course is designed to enable students to learn to speak, understand and read and write English in a variety of communication situations.  Emphasis is on speaking and listening with additional reading and writing.
  
  There are six levels of General English;
  1. Beginner
  2. Elementary
  3. Pre-Intermediate
  4. Intermediate
  5. Upper Intermediate
  6. Advanced
  Our courses focus on improving student speaking and listening skills and encouraging them to ’think in English’ while learning to work independently and establish control over the direction of their studies.  We also strive to impart an understanding of Australia and Australians, and teach students about cross-cultural differences through direct contact with Australian people in schools, social groups and businesses.
  
  
• Academic English
  EAP is an intensive course for students planning to enroll in a university, either at an undergraduate or postgraduate level, a Foundation Studies Program, or at a Technical (such as TAFE), Business or Vocational College.  This program includes optional IELTS, Cambridge FCE and TOEFL preparation.
  
  Students are expected to be at the intermediate to post-intermediate level with scores of at least 5.0 overall in a recent IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test or equivalent (eg. TOEFL score of 480 or above) for entry into the EAP course.
  
  The course focuses upon increasing skills for academic study in English, and extending students’ abilities for such study.  Library Research Skills is a course component as is Introduction to Computer Skills, which includes multimedia, Internet and email for study and research.
  
  Students may apply to undertake the following optional electives:
  • IELTS
  • Cambridge FCE
  • Cambridge CAE
  • TOEFL
  Optional electives are included in the course and only standard course fees apply (no additional fees apply to undertake an elective).
  
  
• Business and IT Courses
  The school also offers business and IT courses for those students who wish to gain a broad understanding of the main areas of business and IT and to develop skills necessary for practical application of knowledge within these functional areas.  The IT courses we offer specialize in client support, project management, network administration and software applications.
  
  The Business and IT courses are structured around four 9-week terms (36 weeks per calendar year).  Typically, you would complete 5-6 subjects (modules) per term, depending on the electives you choose.  These courses are completed via a combination of classroom attendance and student self-study.  Assessment is competency-based and varies from one module to another.  The core modules for both Business and IT courses focus on areas such as business communication, word processing and spreadsheets, databases, workplace safety and Windows applications. You progress through the modules, starting at Certificate III, through to Certificate IV and on to Diploma if you wish.
  
  

Activities

The school staff is happy to help students find activities and excursions to occupy their free time in th best possible way.  The social program includes sports and occasional visits  during the week, as well as different excursions on the weekend: Canberra, Thredbo, Wollongong, Jelonan, Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, etc.

Accommodation

The school organizes family home stay for students, in order to get to know the Australian way of life.  Students will have a private room and half-board (2 meals a day) during the week and full-board on the weekends.  All home stays are carefully selected by the Center, to allow students to stay in a relaxed and comfortable environment where they can practice English on a daily basis. 

Accommodation can be kept between the two school terms, or the student can chose to take a break and travel.

Fees

Accommodation Fees: The first 4 weeks of accommodation in a host family must be paid with the enrollment fees.  Starting the 5th week, you can pay the rest of the amount to the school directly and choose to stay in a student residence if you want.

For stays from 4 to 12 weeks, the total amount for accommodation must be paid in advance. For longer stays, you can choose between anticipated payment per trimester (in €), or payment directly to the school (in AU$) beginning the 5th week.

Course Fees: The complete fee structure for this program is laid out in the table to the right. Fees include:

• Program chosen by the student,
• Accommodation in a private room in a host family
• Half-board (2 meals a day) during the week and full-board on the weekends, if in a host family
  
• School facilities: language lab, computer lab, library, Internet
• Some of our sports and cultural activities
• All administration and enrollment fees

Fees do not include:

• Flight
• Airport pickup
• Fees for optional exams (IELTS, Cambridge FCE, Cambridge CAE, TOEFL)
  
• Optional excursions
• Student or Work and Travel visa if you are staying more than 12 weeks.
• Obligatory heath insurance for stays of more than 12 weeks (on a student visa)
  

Dates 2010

Standard English Courses: Courses begin every Monday.
IELTS start dates: 4 January- 1  February- 1 March-  29 March-  26 April-  24 May-  21 June- 19 July, 16 August- 13 September- 11 October- 8 November- 6 December  
Business and IT courses: Course terms run on the following dates (2010): 1 February to 2 April, 26 April to 25 June, 19 July to 17 September and 11 October to 10 December

Holidays (no classes): 01/01, 26/01, 09/03, 10/04, 11/04, 13/04, 27/04, 08/06, 05/10, 03/11, 25/12 and 26/12

Please contact us for the dates of the IELTS and Cambridge Exam Preparations.
 

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28 Rue de la Loi - 1040 Bruxelles   |   Tel +32 (0) 2 230 01 90   |   Fax +32 (0) 2 280 07 87