30 November 2011

New Zealand Ranked Best & Safest Place to Study English


Best Quality of Living
Auckland is the best English-speaking city in the world to live in says Mercer.  Every year, Mercer ranks the world’s major cities from best Quality of Living to lowest Quality of Living. For the past 3 years, Auckland was ranked 4th equal with Vancouver.  However, in 2011 Vancouver has slipped back to 5th place, and Auckland is now ranked 3rd. (The top 2 cities are Vienna and Zurich, both German-speaking cities.)

Georgina Harley at Mercer had this to say about New Zealand:

“New Zealand cities consistently score highly on all liveability factors, providing expatriates with quality housing, excellent infrastructure, comprehensive health care, a wide selection of restaurants and other amenities, as well as a good education and environment for their families.”

“New Zealand remains an attractive destination for skilled workers who want a high quality of life coupled with economic and physical security. In contrast to Europe and the United States, New Zealand has a relatively strong economic outlook which increases its appeal as a safe haven from economic uncertainty.”


Quality of Living for English Language Travel Destinations

Auckland, New Zealand
5  Vancouver, Canada
11 Sydney, Australia
13 Wellington, New Zealand
14 Ottawa, Canada
15 Toronto, Canada
18 Melbourne, Australia
21 Perth, Australia
26 Canberra, Australia
26 Dublin, Ireland
29 Honolulu, HI United States
30 Adelaide, Australia
30 San Francisco, CA United States
33 Calgary, Canada
36 Boston, MA United States
37 Brisbane, Australia
38 London, United Kingdom
43 Chicago, IL United States
47 New York City, NY United States   
48 Seattle, WA United States




 

Safest Place to Study English
Mercer also ranked New Zealand's major cities safer than the major cities of any other popular English language travel destination.*

Personal Safety Ranking for English Language Travel Destination
Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand
16 Dublin, Ireland
17 Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary, Canada
25 Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, Australia
44 Glasgow and Aberdeen, United Kingdom
50 Adelaide and Brisbane, Australia




*Unless you include Singapore, which came in at number 8. (English is one of Singapore's 4 official languages, and 80% of its population is literate in English as a 1st or 2nd language.)

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11 November 2011

Languages International Christchurch: Home Again!

Languages International Christchurch's permanent premises reopenedSince the beginning of October, we have been back at 69 Worcester Boulevard, our Christchurch home. The building suffered some minor damage in the Christchurch earthquakes and has now been repaired and redecorated, so it looks better than ever! It has been inspected by three independent structural engineers and has been rated at well above the required standard for earthquake safety.


Cashel Mall in ChristchurchChristchurch’s central city is coming back to life, with the exciting Pop Up Mall, a shopping zone made out of shipping containers, opening at the start of November. Public transport and other services are in full operation too, so the central city is once again a great place for students to come to.

Cashel Mall in Christchurch

Our Christchurch school still has pretty low numbers at the moment – between 20 and 30 students – but we’re offering classes at 5 different levels, as well as the same excellent facilities, service and individual student care that we’re well known for. At our competitive prices (please email us at marketing@languages.ac.nz for details), students enrolling at Languages International Christchurch are getting great value for money!

New for 2012: Extension Classes

We’re offering two new courses in 2012 for students who want to increase their classroom contact hours:

  • IELTS Extra – for students at intermediate level and above who want to really focus on IELTS in preparation for sitting the exam. Three times per week from 16.15 to 18.20 (on top of a full-time course, a total of 26 classroom hours per week). $120 per week plus $60 materials fee.

  • Conversation Extra – for students at pre-intermediate level and above who are at Languages International for a short time and want to get as much speaking practice as possible. Two times per week from 16.15 to 18.20 (on top of a full-time course, a total of 24 classroom hours per week). $80 per week plus $20 materials fee.

TESOL/TKT Course: Exciting New Format

TESOL Graduates

We are making some exciting changes to our popular and successful TESOL / TKT Course in 2012:

  • 5-week format – in response to student feedback we’re adding an extra week to the course.
  • TKT Practical – students can now choose to do the new Cambridge TKT Practical exam and get an extra certificate.
  • Teaching real students – course participants will now have the opportunity to teach real students in their teaching practice.
But we will continue to offer what has made the course a success for the past 14 years:
  • Highly practical focus on classroom teaching
  • Highly qualified, inspirational tutors
  • Relevant language study sessions
  • Thorough preparation for the TKT Modules
Course fees: $2,500   
TKT Modules (optional): $220
TKT Practical (optional): $80

Category: News

10 November 2011

Christchurch's funky new CBD shopping centre: Cashel Mall





There is now a funky new shopping centre in Christchurch’s CBD. Just 5-minute’s walk from Languages International, you’ll find Cashel Mall.  Hip and stylish Cashel Mall has been built with brightly coloured shipping containers.  There are more than 30 businesses in the mall.  You’ll find cafés, banking facilities and all sort of shops from high fashion to books.

See inside one of the containers [video link

Photos by: America Holdene

07 November 2011

LI Christchurch student runs Melbourne marathon

Natsuko

I have been studying English for 6 months in New Zealand and would like to be a nurse here. One of my hobbies is running because it makes me relax and gives me a positive way of thinking.  After running, I can feel better and concentrate on my studies. Once or twice a week, I run in Hagley Park, which is near our school and a really beautiful park.

I decided to join the Melbourne marathon with my running mates because we wanted to challenge our ability. This year, I couldn't practise a lot, so I joined the half marathon. despite the bad weather, I really enjoyed running with my friends, as the spectators encouraged us a lot. We promised to join the Sydney marathon next year! And I would really like to join the marathon.
 
Written by: Natsuko Saito, a student at
Languages International