Why Learn Spanish?

If you want to get on in today's increasingly diverse and ever-changing commercial world speaking just English is not enough anymore, it really
pays to learn at least one other language. The obvious choice is Spanish as it is the next most widely spoken globally. Because it is the official
language in 21 countries and approximately a further 100 million people speak it as their second language by learning Spanish you'll be able to
communicate with another half billion people and thereby immediately improving your career prospects. With Latin American countries
becoming more important as trading partners and the popularity of Spanish in the United States demand for courses has doubled worldwide
in the last ten years. In view of these facts it's clear that you stand a much better chance of making a success of yourself in the job market if you
speak Spanish.

Naturally there other reasons to learn, take the Spanish culture for instance which has made such a great contribution to architecture, the arts
and to world literature. What could be more satisfying than to be able to read Lorca, Vargas Llosa, Cervantes or Garcia Marquez in their own rich
language. Wouldn't Picasso, Miro, Dali, Goya and Velasquez be much more interesting if you were familiar with their culture?

Learning Spanish in Spain is easier and faster than learning at home, it produces better results and, just as important, it's much more stimulating and fun. Studying a language in your own country whether at an institution or on a correspondence course demands a lot of energy and discipline. You have a million and one other things to do and each time before you go to your class or start your homework you have to reorientate yourself again.

During an in-country course you will be living in Spain and will be completely immersed in the culture and will hear, read and speak nothing but Spanish all day. In this way you will pick up an amazing amount quickly both inside and outside the classroom. A language is more than just grammar and a collection of words: it is the means of communication between peoples, which is why you can never really learn a language from a book - you need to be in the country where it is spoken.

When you learn Spanish in Spain studying includes not only the classroom but an introduction to the rich Spanish culture through the fiestas, the intoxicating effect of the dancers of the Sevillanas and the Flamenco, the variable and numerous "tapas" bars and cafes, the promenading and the colourful streetlife of Spain's exotic cities. Learning Spanish can be the experience of a lifetime.

don Quijote is the largest private organisation providing Spanish courses in Spain. Whatever your motivation - professional, career, examinations, education in general or just for fun - don Quijote schools, located in the centre of Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) and Salamanca, will have a course to suit you. Study programmes start regularly throughout the year for all levels from beginners to advanced.

Learn a language… get a job

Recent reports have revealed that he UK has Europe's biggest concentration of telephone call centres. The reasons for this are a complex mix of the uneven international progress in the telecommunication industry and the benefits of the UK business environment, but include the range of skills and expertise - including languages - found in the UK workforce.

By looking in more detail at the growth of call centre operations, it is possible to build a picture of the likely impact of language skills on employment opportunities more generally in the UK.

Datamonitor has issued a report, according to Andrew Fraser of the Invest in Britain Bureau, which claims that the UK's position as the largest provider of call centres will remain unchallenged for the foreseeable future.

One of the latest organisations to invest is the Halifax Group, which is establishing a centre to create 1,500 jobs in Northern Ireland, and this is in addition to two it already runs in Yorkshire. With its total commitment to training, this large banking company illustrates the sort of employment opportunities which are arising.
It has been claimed that there are over 5,000 call centres in the UK, if you include those in-house, all offering highly professional services. For instance, the international airline Delta has stated that its west London centre handles 1.2 million calls a year, in ten languages, whilst other world companies are constantly expanding in the field and looking for competent foreign language speakers.

Delta is not alone in setting up operations in London, with Air France among other recent arrivals. There have been several references recently to the fact that in London alone there are 275 spoken languages, with 33 ethnic communities. Add this to the increasing international mix of the labour force and you have one of the main reasons for these companies choosing to settle in London.

Indeed, London First, the organisation responsible for attracting inward investment to capital, has argued that it is precisely because employers can find multilingual skills in London that many of them will relocate there.

On the other hand, Gateway computers have established a call centre employing 800 people in Dublin.
However, it has experienced difficulties in finding sufficient staff able to speak the required languages and this has meant an overseas recruitment drive to fill nearly one third of vacancies.

IBM UK Ltd has a similar tale to tell. They located their international technical support call centre in Greenock in Scotland, With the intention of building their workforce from the local population. However, they, too, have had to employ a majority of people from overseas, not because of a lack of technical capability, but because of a shortage of foreign language skill in the local community.

IBM has responded by signing up to the language NTO certificate of commitment scheme, which confirms their dedication to improving the foreign language competence of their employees and to basing this training on the National Language Standards.

However, the message from all these companies is clear: English is a world language of undoubted importance in any job which has an international dimension. But it does not follow that the mono-linguistic English speaker is winning the employment race. Those people with more than one language have demonstrably increased chances in some fact has not gone unnoticed and there appears to be a growing interest in learning foreign languages.

Unlike several of our national competitors, language competence is not yet officially recognised in the UK, for example, as a key graduate skill; but unofficially, there is plenty of evidence that the tide has turned and with good reason.

Figures for 1998 language graduates put their unemployment rate at graduation (4.5%) below the national average for graduates have one of the lowest unemployment rates of any subject: 4.2% for German, 4.3% for French, compared with 6% for business administration and 7.5% for media studies (source HESA 1999).

Graduates with language skills in their portfolio, are finding that employers in the major sectors have increase in job vacancies notified to them which specify a preference for out of the 1998 UK language graduates who went straight into employment, 26.9% were in business services, 12.7% in manufacturing, 11.6% in wholesale/retail sales, and 10.4% in banking and finance.

UK firms with offices abroad or with international trading patterns are clear importance. Equally, companies from outside the UK who locate here are expecting UK employees to be able to operate in the language of the parent company. A new French sportswear company, Decathlon, insists that to speak French or demonstrate a willingness to learn.

So the message is clear - learn another language and get a job!

Why learn German in Germany?

What is Germany's Paris, Germany's London? Some would say Berlin. They might well be right - in a few years time at least, when Berlin, the capital of Germany, has also regained its status as its political and cultural centre.

But what about Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig? That's the difficult bit - there is no obvious centre in Germany. Germany is a federally organised country for more that just political reasons. Germany is historically and culturally made up of many different provinces and regions known as Länder. The result is that Germany is 'provincial' in the best sense of the word. The provinces are themselves centres. Frankfurt is the centre for banking, Hamburg is the press capital, Munich has some of the most important music and theatre venues. Pina Bausch's famous Tanztheater is based in Wuppertal, the electronics trade fair Cebit is in Hannover, Leipzig too is a major centre for trade fairs and much more besides. There are significant museums and art collections in Berlin and Munich, but the centre for modem art is Cologne. And let's not forget Kassel, not only the venue every five years for the documenta, one of the biggest contemporary art exhibitions in the world, but also the location of one of the most significant collections of European painting.

The regional capitals used to be the residences of counts and kings. Bavaria and Prussia both had kings. Castles and palaces in the style of Versailles are to be every town has its theatre, every regional capital has a world class symphony orchestra. Germany boasts as many opera houses as the rest of the world put together.

Found in countless cities almost unknown abroad: Würzburg, Bamberg, Pommersfelden, Schleißheim, Brühl, Schloss Banz - the list goes on and on. And then there are the many universities, sometimes located in comfortably small places such as Marburg, Freiburg, Tübingen or Jena. Every one of them has established an international reputation in at least one specialist field.

So Germany is 'provincial' That is to say, it is fascinating wherever you go and you have to have seen a lot before you can say you have seen Germany, let alone say you know it.

It is precisely because Germany is so multifacetted, so federal, so 'provincial' that studying it from afar is not enough. You have to get to know the country, the Länder and their inhabitants for yourself, not forgetting the language, its dialects, and, of course, the cuisine.

If you thought you knew Germany think again!

Learn English in Australia

Australia offers international students great value - high quality education, unique travel opportunities and a great climate. Recent changes in exchange rates means that students from many countries can now get more for their money in Australia. The cost of education and the cost of living in Australia will now cost less than before in most currencies - without any reduction in quality. That means value!

Despite being away from many parts of the world, Australia is by no means isolated. Flights to and from Australia are offered by many international airlines including Ansett and Qantas, and many international airlines from other countries. Direct flights are available from many countries to Australia' s major cities - Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin. Most ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) centres offer an airport pick-up service for students. Thus, a student is able to say goodbye to family and friends at one end of the journey and be met by someone friendly and helpful in Australia.

Choosing a Region

Australia is a big place - the sixth largest country in the world! Most people tend to think of Australia as being a hot summer country but in fact the climate in Australia is very diverse. In Australia, mid-summer falls around Christmas time and July-August are mid-winter. As a country of the southern hemisphere, the further north you go in Australia, at any time of the year there can be great difference-between the climate in the south and the climate in the north. It is possible to move from skiing in one part of Australia to scuba-diving in another with a few hours of air travel in between.

Many features of Australia and Australian culture can be found in almost any part of the country. Australia is well known as a safe destination with helpful people. Each state or city in Australia has its own unique attractions. Australian embassies and educational travel agents who deal with Australian institutions can usually provide information on the various cities and regions in Australia. The ELICOS Association’s (EA) koala brochure; Education Australia*; contains general information regarding each of the six states or territories in which EA member colleges are located. Students should think about what each region has to offer and compare this to what they most want and which aspects of a place are most important to them.

Visas

Overseas students may undertake ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) courses on a number of different types of visas. Assistance and advice related to the issue of visas; visa requirements and conditions is available from Australian embassies and consulates throughout the world. Applicants for student visas must enrol to undertake full-time study. When in Australia; student visa holders may work for up to 20 hours per week. Visitor / tourist visa holders may undertake ELICOS studies for up to 12 weeks on each entry to Australia; either full-time or part-time. Visitor / tourist holders do not have work privileges in Australia. Working Holiday visa holders have the same study opportunities as do tourist visa holders and may also work in Australia.

Acclimatisation

It is important that students take time to rest and get their bearings when they arrive in Australia. It is a good idea for students to arrive in Australia at least a couple of days prior to commencement of their studies. New arrivals may well suffer from a bit of jet lag. It is important to give your body a chance to recover by combining rest and light exercise. A good way of getting exercise and; at the same time; finding your way around is to do some walking. Many Australians have travelled in overseas countries; or have come to Australia as; new arrivals; themselves. Australians therefore have a good understanding of how newly-arrived students feel and will be pleased to assist.

English Courses

ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) centres are located in capital and regional cities throughout Australia. Some centres are part of universities; vocational education and training institutions or secondary schools; others are private centres. AII ELICOS centres in Australia must be accredited and government-registered and are monitored on an on-going basis to ensure maintenance of standards.

The accreditation of English language centres in Australia is comprehensive. Centres have to prove to the National ELICOS Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) that they have an appropriate management; administration and welfare infrastructure; qualified teaching staff; suitable premises; facilities and resources; and appropriate curricula and syllabi. Centres are currently permitted to have a maximum of 18 students in a class. Inspectors with an excellent knowledge of English language training visit and assess centres to make sure they reach the minimum standards required. The accreditation process is in place to make sure that centres teaching English to international students throughout Australia meet the prescribed minimum standards.

Sixty-three ELICOS centres in Australia are members of the ELICOS Association (EA) - the national professional association of ELICOS centres. EA member centres are required to abide by by-laws which provide a Code of Conduct; a Tuition Assurance Scheme; and Membership Quality Assurance. Member centres must also abide by the minimum requirements of the EA refund and transfer policies.

Courses offered by EA member centres include General English. English for Academic Purposes; English for Specific Purposes; English for Secondary School Preparation; Examination Preparation Courses; Distant English Courses; and Study Tour Programs. Courses are taught at all levels of proficiency from beginner to advanced. Whatever a student’s choice of English language course; the management of staff of EA member centres will do their best to ensure that the student’s stay in Australia is both academically rewarding and culturally fulfilling.

Study and Travel

Australia is a great place to combine English language training with travel. Australia has a wide range of attractions and landscapes - beautiful beaches; rich rain-forests and wilderness areas; vast ‘outback’ deserts; lush farmlands and exciting cities. Because Australia is surrounded by oceans; sharing no land borders with any other countries; Australian flora and fauna have developed in different ways from the remainder of the world. The kangaroo and koala are only two of many examples of the uniqueness of Australia.

The size and diversity of Australia guarantees a vast range of experiences to choose from. International students; in out-of-class or holiday time; may relax by taking it easy in pleasant cafes or restaurants; by visiting a beach; by enjoying a harbour or river cruise or by taking advantage of some of Australia’s many parks and open spaces. For the more adventurous; Australia offers exciting activities; including rock climbing; bush walking; scuba-diving; abseiling; hot air ballooning; para-gliding; orienteering; canoeing; white water rafting - to name just a few! Outback enthusiasts may enjoy farmstays; camping under the stars; cattle mustering; sheep shearing; horse riding and exploring historical Aboriginal sites in the great Australian Outback. And for city lovers, Australia offers modern cosmopolitan cities with shopping centres; art galleries; museums; restaurants and clubs. If sport is your passion, Australia has modem facilities and a wide range of sports to choose from - golf; tennis; football; cricket; baseball; basketball; volley ball; water-sports and more.

Assistance

Students should not worry that once they have arrived in Australia; without family or friends from home; there may be no-one to help. AII ELICOS centres have a counsellor or staff who are able to assist students if something goes wrong or even if students simply need to talk. Homestay families are also a great source of support and assistance to overseas students. The value of assistance and support from fellow students should not be overlooked. In ELICOS centres; students provide one another with an invaluable support group. Furthermore; most countries have an embassy or consulate in capital cities in Australia. Generally speaking; when help is needed it is not difficult to find a number of people who will do their best to help in whatever way they can to make your stay in Australia as an ELICOS student as enjoyable as possible.