ESL English lessons in Melbourne

Background to English language + ESL Melbourne

It goes without saying that the English language opens the most doors in education, business, and life generally, thus learning the language can open doors in Australia and beyond. In fact, English counts over 1.5 billion speakers worldwide, making English the most spoken language, with over 20% of the world's language speakers, and also the title of bearing the most second language students. So in general, it's clear that English is highly useful and used in study and business the world over (not just in countries where it's the native tongue).

What about students whose English lesson are in preparation for a particular purpose? It could be IELTS preparation for work,  working on your sentence construction in academic essays, or it could relate to a certificate for you to study higher education in Melbourne and Australia. Thankfully, although mastery of English can be difficult, there is a language school on almost every corner that can cater to students.

The student market is huge for international students, so English courses run almost non-stop during the year, with a new course or group of courses starting each week at any general languages school. It just so happens too that the revenue generated by international students coming to Australia rose to $37.6 billion in 2019, so it's clear to see why there has been a rise in English courses and schools in recent years, as so many people are keen to learn, leading to more lessons on offer in preparation for their arrival!

English Language Requirements in Melbourne and Australia

Australia is known for having been harsh on English learning in recent years, as a range of demands for academic certificates and proven linguistic skills become more and more difficult during the course of the last quarter-century. It may be that you foresee your arrival in Australia language learning itself, in which case you'll receive a specific student rather than a skills-based Visa, which in general demands that you attend 20 hours of class per week (not good news if you were hoping to come and start working straight away!). This large course workload and associated study will get your English up to scratch, but you won't have much time to use these skills in the workforce, since the government also put limits on the number of hours you can work while being a student.

What about if a business you work for trains you in the language as part of the job, and requires you to be seconded to Australia for a certain project? The government has various classifications for skills-based visas, which range from manual labour to domestic help, which require a low level of English proficiency, to highly qualified, business and organisation, or university and teaching sponsored visas requiring an almost native level of fluency.

The bands for which you can gain a certificate in one of a selection of English language tests, and subsequently enter Australia are as follows: vocational, competent, proficient, superior. Hence, keep in mind this scale while considering what specifically you're entering Australia since all Visas will have different requirements. Permanent migration likewise presents such a mandate, which requires passing of one of the above tests and 4 years continued residency, on top of 12 months as a permanent resident.

Available Class Types 

Students picking their reason for study and academic endeavours, and then choosing a program, may spend weeks in the process. Here, we offer some free information to help in preparation for your study in the city of Melbourne, be it for business, school, or residency; whether you want a title, diploma, or certificate at the end of your course; and also the sorts of services, including academic and group activities, the schools offer.

We also mention the industries that study within your chosen school may permit afterwards. For each part, we give you an example of class styles across, Melbourne that will offer the education you need to learn and develop your desired skills, with the level of educational experience ranging from beginner to advanced, and some being specialist courses, including college, university, or IELTS.

General and Business Courses

A General English course will help those with very little English study behind them to learn,  or who are brand new in Melbourne and need a certain level or equivalent weeks/hours of English instruction in order to qualify for jobs in their chosen industry. It can also include someone who sees the overall benefit of studying English and has a desire to increase their business potential. There are also some free group classes available across the city of Melbourne that you could try upon arrival, but don't spend weeks waiting, as you will learn quickly that the best way to avoid headaches with the Victorian government is to have done your preparation first.

As the requirement is 20 hours per week of study on a students' Visa, you will need to enquire at your school (and this is the same all over Australia) for a proof of attendance slip, otherwise, there's a chance you won't receive your diploma or certificate, and may even be barred from accessing any school in Australia for an indefinite amount of time following. Enquire at your personal school, or ask a teacher for information about this.

On average, a day in such a school would comprise 4 hours of classes, 5 days a week, in the morning, afternoon, or evening. These courses are typically on offer to A1 (absolute beginner) to C1 (fluent advanced user) speakers, although the higher your level, the greater the likelihood you'll have to do a specialised course. Such classes cover grammar, topic-specific vocabulary, social skills and cultural understanding, and also refine reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills - in sum, general English which helps you function in business and social settings day-to-day.

Bridging and IELTS/PTE Courses for an exam, college, and university preparations

If you're wanting to get an education in an English speaking country, yet don't possess English skills, you could consider a bridging course at a university. This prepares you specifically for entry to Australian tertiary education, giving you the necessary skills for your diploma or degree, including essay writing skills and research skills. It also provides information on how to manage stress during your program, and succeed in a social group in an Australian context.

Courses will in general run for 20 hours per week, for a specified range of weeks, and in a group, which will be much more rigorous, thereby endowing students with independent learning skills and task-specific language for lecture attendance and tutorial discussion. This is a large draw for many international students since it provides more direct access to university, which also creates enduring friendships throughout.