New Zealand

 Study English in New Zealand is like merging the knowledge about another language with fantastic landscapes and lots of fun. The courses offered are very high quality and they cost much less than courses in USA or England due to the advantage of the exchange rates. Other correlated costs to study such as accommodation, food and transport are also is less in general. That is one of the reasons New Zealand has been attracting students from all over the world. Besides that, there is another important advantage which is is no need for pre-visas to enter in NZ from many countries in which New Zealand has special agreements (that means savings in visas too). If you are planing to study up to 3 months, a Tourist Visa (or permit) will be enough. With so much beauty and fantastic places to see, these are some of the reasons that New Zealand today is one of the most desirable study destinations in the world.

With the legislation implemented from 2005 students studying English in a Full Time course with more than 6 months of duration may apply for a work permit to work up to 20 hours per week (but please consult the New Zealand Immigration website to confirm, because they change the rules very often). Courses with duration longer than 3 months, will require a Pre-Student Visa or Permit from a New Zealand Embassy, Consulate or representation in your Country. The main types of English Courses offered in New Zealand are:

General English - Indicated for those wanting to learn the day-by-day English used to communicate on the streets and with other people etc. It has a little grammar, lots of communication with listening and some writing, but usually doesn't include academic and assignments used in Universities or academic environments. These courses are offered from the basic level to Advanced. Most of the educational institutions are starting their English courses every Monday and the student on the first day will do an internal evaluation test to see in which level or class will fit in. If you think the level set for you is too strong or to weak for you, just talk with your teacher to change to another level or class. The majority of these courses are usually charged by the number of weeks you want to study.

Academic English - It is similar to the general English but much more comprehensive, including terms and expressions used in academic studies or in an University. There are more deep knowledge, written assignments and research in group. The course is strong in the writing part due to the enormous quantity of assignments (written studies) so you must be prepared for them. It also has different levels and the person must have previous basic English to start it. Some Institutions charge by week and some by the level.

Business English - It is an English course devoted to specific areas of doing business, marketing or trading. But there are other mix "vocational" English courses such as English for Nurses, English for IT, English for Hospitality etc. These courses are also offered in different levels from beginner to advanced but not all English schools may offer them.  Usually when the school runs also a vocational course, they may have the English and "something else vocational", but as we said before, the majority of English Course Schools don't have this alternative. You must research to find out which one is offering them.

English for IELTS - The Test IELTS (International English Language Test System) is the official English test for both in New Zealand and Australia. They are required when applying for an Immigration or to study in an University, with written, speaking, listening and grammar skills tested. The evaluation is made from 0 to 10, being 10 a score that even most New Zealanders and Australians will not be able to achieve. The score to enter a vocational course is around 5.0. To enter a University or to migrate to New Zealand is 6.5. The "English for IELTS" courses have a time frame with set dates  and the student must have at least a basic English knowledge to follow the class. 

Check the table comparing IELTS and TOEFL tests  in this page.

English for Cambridge tests - These courses prepares the students for the diverse types of  Cambridge related test such as FCE, CAE, CPE .

English + Something - or Study English and do something fun at the same time. As example we can name some as English + Surf, English + Golf, English + Rugby, English + Horse riding, etc. The courses are for short time duration, without any academic purpose. They are focus to people in vacations or visiting (Tourist Visa only) while you have fun, you take some time to improve your English skills.

English Course in New Zealand requires 20 hours of study or more per week to be classified as a Full Time course. If the stay and course duration is up to 3 months, a tourist visa would be enough. If the Course is longer than 3 months, a Student Visa or permit will be required. Study any courses do not allow automatically to work in New Zealand and you need to get a work permit in order to carry on any job.

TESOL: Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages There is also an advanced English course to students preparing them to became an English Teacher back in your home country called TESOL.

Homestay and Airport Transfers are also services offered by the schools as optional. Health Insurance is mandatory for all student. 

Click here for English Schools in New Zealand

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