They are the most popular type of course for international students when they come to Australia for the first time. Regardless of your level or why you want to study English in Australia, we will help you find an English course that suits your goals and budget.
These are the different types of English courses you can choose from:
- General English: you will prepare yourself to control the primary needs of the language: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
- Preparation for official exams: you will prepare to obtain degrees such as Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL, ESOL, PTE, etc.
- Business English: aimed at professionals who want to improve their English for the day-to-day work.
As you can see, the variety of English courses is wide regardless of your level of English.
If you have a basic English level and do not control the language beyond “How are you? I’m fine, thank you, and you?”, We recommend that you enrol in a general English course for at least six months.
On the other hand, if you already have an advanced English level and what you are looking for is an official qualification or perfecting the language to function at work, you will have the option of choosing between an official exam preparation course or a business English course. In either of these two cases, three months of study could be enough.
In addition, English courses offer a lot of flexibility to organize your travel plans. And, you can start your course any week of the year and in this way choose when you want to arrive to begin studying in Australia.
English courses (ELICOS) are evaluated through attendance. Therefore, you must complete an attendance percentage higher than 80% to obtain the certificate that will certify the level of English you have reached at the end of the course.
Regarding schedules, English courses can be full-time or part-time (also known as part-time or condensed).
In full-time English courses, you can usually choose between morning, afternoon or even evening hours in some schools. A full-time schedule is a perfect option if you have a shallow level of English or feel that your fluency when speaking is rusty. At Dingoos, we do not usually recommend enrolling for more than three months full time because once you start to notice that your English improves, you will want to have more time to work or enjoy the hundreds of plans and events that we organize. For this reason, we usually offer to combine three months of English course with a full-time schedule with 3 or 6 more months of English with a part-time program. In any case, the decision is entirely up to you, but if you miss an event later, don’t say we didn’t let you know.
The next option is the part-time schedule. If you choose a part-time English course, you will give the same 20 or 25 hours per week as in the full-time mode, but condensed into fewer days (hence the Aussies call them “condensed”). Let’s say it’s like studying English intensively for two and a half days a week. This option also allows you to choose between morning, afternoon or evening hours depending on the school.
And wait for the best; what happens if I enrol full-time, find a job and want to change to a part-time schedule? Well, our Student Support Team will help you request a change in the school’s plan, and if the school has free places, in principle, there would be no significant problem in changing you. The same goes for the morning, afternoon or evening schedules. So do not be afraid to choose one or the other if you are unsure because your choice does not have to be ultimately final.
