Frequently Asked Questions

You will get to know new people from interesting places, broaden your cultural horizons, build friendships, and make memories that last a lifetime. Our teachers have been trained to deliver fun and effective learning and you will have the opportunity to explore a new destination!

The Orange Carpet Experience

We are with you every step of the way!

Your adventure will start with EC Online, before you leave home. We will share all the information about your chosen EC school and location with you, and upon arrival, either an EC representative at our residence or the host of your homestay will welcome you with open arms!

Throughout your course, you will receive personalised learning as we believe that everyone learns at their own pace and in their own way. At the beginning and end of your course, you will take the EC Online Placement Test so you can clearly see your progress and that your progress has been externally validated.

When all your hard work is over, we’ll present you with your certificate, photograph you with your new friends and celebrate all that you’ve accomplished.

Learn more about The Orange Carpet Experience

From the moment you book until you leave us, you will have access to MyEC, your personal toolkit which helps you manage your learning progress. MyEC is how you’ll test your current English level, track your progress, get insight into your strengths and weaknesses, gain access to online practice materials at your level. It also has loads of useful information to help you prepare for your trip and how to maximise your learning at EC schools.

Learn more about MyEC

With a combination of lessons and activities, your days are filled with opportunities to practise your English. Lessons provide you with direct learning, while excursions, free language workshops and activities allow you to learn vocabulary and practice new language in day-to-day life, offering you a balanced and thorough learning schedule.

Free Language Workshops

Add that extra finishing touch to your course with additional teacher-led workshops. Offered in all EC schools, this is your chance to add to your learning with extra language guidance outside the classroom. Free lessons occur at different times in each school so please check with your chosen destination. Click here to see a sample of the activity calendar from EC Brighton detailing activities in orange and language workshops in blue. Both are free of charge!

Yes. To finalise the booking, you will be asked to pay a deposit. The rest of the payment needs to be settled two weeks before your arrival date.

We accept payment by credit/debit card (VISA, MasterCard) using an online payment link we will send to you, or by international bank transfer.

No. All fees must be paid 2 weeks prior to your programme start date.

You can pay in as many instalments as you wish providing the full amount is paid two weeks before your arrival date.

If your booking is for more than 12 weeks and you have booked accommodation, the accommodation can be paid for in monthly instalments.

Please ask for further instructions if you need a visa and you are booking EC Dublin.

We need to receive the payment in the currency detailed on the invoice. Your bank will tell you the equivalent amount in your local currency, taking into account the exchange rate of the day plus bank charges.

Please have a look at our Terms and Conditions

The choice is yours! We have schools around the world, all in prime, central locations with great courses, and activities individual to the location.

Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Toronto 30+, Vancouver, Vancouver 30+

USA: Boston, New York, New York 30+, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Malta: Malta, Malta 30+

Ireland: Dublin, Dublin 30+         

UK: London, London 30+, Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester

South Africa: Cape Town

Our teaching methodology is how our teachers can guide you on your English language journey. Our Approach aims to put you, our students, at the centre of the learning process - The Communicative Approach with a twist!

As well as incorporating all the key elements of the Communicative Approach – learner-centred classes, a focus on communication in real-life situations and an engaging classroom atmosphere, we have also implemented the latest research into learning. This ensures that each student is fully involved in their learning process – so you will:

✓ Know what you are learning.

✓ Know why you are learning it.

✓ Learn how you can use it in real life.

✓ Know what success will look like.

✓ Spend time learning how you can learn more effectively.

A team of at least two teachers will support you throughout your time learning English with EC.

Through ongoing assessment designed to provide the feedback that drives your progress, your teachers will focus on your learning experience, monitoring your needs and offering the resources you need to make progress.

We are one of the only English schools using the highly regarded Net Promoter Score (NPS) system to gather feedback constantly and act swiftly to correct anything reported as being less than perfect.

We have a dedicated Academic Development team made up of industry professionals including a published author and an educational technologist. We are continually researching the latest trends and methods to ensure you have the most effective learning experience.

We also contribute regularly to international conferences, journals, and magazines.

In addition to the core components of your course, we offer teacher-led sessions which are available free of charge. These language workshops and leisure activities make your learning experience as broad and varied as possible.

Here at EC, our aim is simple. We're here to help you set achievable goals and give you the support you need to reach them. We provide the knowledge of language learning, the learning environment and the social programme you need to make the most of your stay.

Our unique EC Promise means that, if you follow your personalised learning programme, we promise that your English will improve.

It is a test that certifies your language level, and it is required by various universities and institutions around the world. There are several types, the best known of these are IELTS, TOEFL, FCE, CAE, CPE. We offer preparation courses for all these exams.

Learn more about our IELTS exam course

Learn more about our TOEFL exam course

Learn more about our Cambridge exam course

Learn more about our TOEIC course

Our General English courses are suitable for all levels, while the courses below require students to be of other minimum levels:

✓ English for Work: Pre-Intermediate level

✓ IELTS / TOEFL / TOEIC: Intermediate

✓ B2 First (FCE): Intermediate

✓ C1 Advanced (CAE): Pre-Advanced

✓ C2 Proficiency (CPE): Advanced

All students take a level test on the first day of class or before arrival through our EC Online, after which they are placed in the class most appropriate to their level.

 

Yes, at the end of each course you will be given a certificate of participation, which states the dates you attended your course, the name of your course, and the language level achieved. It is recognised by the accreditations here.

Kindly note that you need to attend a minimum of 80% of your course to be eligible to for your certificate.

Intensive Academic Year students are awarded with an EC Diploma at the end of their course, and Semi-intensive or General Academic Year students receive an EC Certificate of Merit.

You may also take an exit test on MyEC. This test is certified by OxfordEnglishTesting.com and is accredited by the British Council.

It depends on how long it has been since you completed your course. If less than 3, months you should not have to re-test. If over 3 months you should re-test.

Please see the breakdown of both offerings below.

 English For Work

✓ Requires Pre-Intermediate level of English.

✓ Combination of 20 lessons of General English + 4 or 10 lessons of English For Work.

✓ Classes are max. 12, average 10 students.

✓ In General English, you will be learning the fundamental language skills from provided study materials.

✓ The example contents of English For Work lessons are: language of business meetings, making presentations, critical thinking and problem solving, conducting negotiations, writing reports, emails and letters.

 

Business English

✓ Available for 30+ students only.

✓ Requires Upper-Intermediate level of English.

✓ 20 lessons per week/15 hours.

✓ Mini Group with a maximum of 6 students.

✓ Example Contents: Communications, Crisis Management, Team Building, Finance, International Business, Business Ethics and CSR.

Focus lessons vary from school to school, but they are mainly four and already included in the price:

Speaking with Confidence
Develop confidence while practicing conversation. Increase fluency and improve your speaking, listening and pronunciation skills.

Real Life Listening
Develop your ability to understand and respond in English in real-life situations. Expand your vocabulary by listening to conversations, music, videos, and podcasts.

Expand Your Vocabulary
Develop your vocabulary through topic-based lessons.

Global Awareness
Develop your critical thinking so you have a better understanding of what's happening in current events and world issues. Increase your awareness of different cultures and how communication can vary between them.

You will have the opportunity to keep on learning thanks to some free workshops we offer at our schools.

Conversation Sessions
You pick the topic and flex your conversation skills with other students from various classes, levels, and nationalities.

Skills Clinics
Your chance to pick up tips and pointers to master different language skills. Clinics are in grammar, pronunciation, writing and reading.

Additional workshops are offered and adapted to meet the needs of the students at each school.

Lectures
Learn interesting facts and practise listening skills, note-taking, and summary writing.

Exam Skills
Practise and master key exam skills to help you attain a better score in your English language exams.

Breaking News
Team up with other students to discuss and debate the local and international issues of the day.

Work/CV Clinic
This clinic will help you develop the skills needed to apply and interview for jobs in English.

Local Conversation Partners
Match with a native speaker in the local area to meet and chat on a regular basis.

Writing Clinic
Practise your written English and develop a practical understanding of both formal and informal writing styles.

Homework Club
Meet with other students to help each other with homework and practise your English in a group setting.

Improvisation Hour
Improve your speaking skills while gaining confidence and having fun through improvisation activities.

The 'Hood'
Learn to speak like a local! Learn how literature, history and political movements have shaped the city you're studying in.

Setting Clear Objectives
Class begins with your teacher discussing the objective for the lesson with the class. You are encouraged to think about how what you learn today will help you in your life outside the class. For example, the objective for today is to be better able to order food in a restaurant.

Language Development
The class listens to an example of two people ordering food. Analyse this conversation with your partner, learning adjectives for describing food, how to ask questions about the menu politely and how to order food naturally. Throughout the lesson, work on your pronunciation and intonation.

What Does Success Look Like?
Before practising the conversation, you discuss what a successful conversation looks like and decide what you want to focus on in your practice. You may decide to focus on your natural pronunciation and intonation, while your partner chooses to focus on their use of adjectives.

Practicing the Language
Practise the language with your partner so they can give you feedback on your pronunciation, and so you can give them feedback on the adjectives they use. Based on this feedback, practise the conversation again.

Getting Feedback
Your teacher gives you feedback on how you’ve done. The lesson ends by returning to the lesson objective and discussing what you have learned and how you can use it outside the classroom.

Real Life Practice
After class you will go to Dinner Club on the social programme or go out with friends and order food in a real-life setting. During dinner, you discuss your experience with one friend from class. The next day, discuss the conversation in class with what you used from the lesson the day before.

Our schools are in English-speaking countries, so our main focus is on English. However, we also offer French classes at EC Montreal. Learn more at EC French

Yes! EC Live is our brings English language learning to the comfort of your home using the innovative EC curriculum, and at a very competitive price. Learn more about our online English courses

With a tourist visa you can attend the General English course, which consists of 20 lessons of 45 minutes each per week and you can stay for as long as your visa allows you to stay. If you would like to attend any other course, then you would need to apply for the F1 Student Visa.

✓ Before EC sends out an I-20 form, you must send us:

✓ Full or deposit payment for your course and accommodation.

✓ A copy of your passport (personal information page).

✓ A financial statement (bank statement) from you or a sponsoring business or individual which: a) shows at least USD$3500 for every 4 weeks studying (financial proof of funds are only calculated in 1 month intervals, for example: 4-week course or less = USD$3500, 6-week course = USD$7000, 8-week course = USD$7000) and b) is less than 60 days old.

✓ If the statement is not in your name, an Affidavit of Support form signed by the person whose bank statement you provide must also be submitted.

Learn more about the process of obtaining the I-20 form 

Please have a look at our Terms & Conditions

Students who are speech or visibly impaired are always welcome to study with us. If you need specialist equipment, please remember to bring this with you when joining our courses.

Our facilities vary from school to school so please speak with your student advisor for more information.