About Eurocentres
Why choose Eurocentres? Customer Focus. Our reliable service and outstanding quality language learning in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese
A good balance of nationalities within the language travel industry (Eastern Europe 7%, Western Europe 42%, Latin America 35%, Middle East 7%, Asia 9%, various 1%)
Students will meet other highly motivated course participants at all Eurocentres schools
Personalised teaching with a standardised range of methodologies, to ensure an individual path to success for every student including testing, advice, feedback and support
EUROCENTRES SUCCESS SYSTEM: We promise to deliver first-class language training, tried and tested learning concepts and methodologies, extra examination course support, and ideal premises for language teaching
EXAM SUCCESS GUARENTEE: We guarantee a minimum pass for our students when we prepare them for the a Cambridge English Language exam
Thorough verification of our progress assessment – The Eurocentres Scale of Language Proficiency cross- referenced to the CEFR, and a final Certificate, provided attendance is minimum 80%
my.Eurocentres is an exciting new online tool for our students to get ahead with English language learning, while becoming a member of the Eurocentres community for life (eligible in UK, San Diego, Cape Town, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Amboise, La Rochelle)
Eurocentres is a member of official quality assurance organizations - EAQUALS, English UK and the British Council, and follows an effective system of internal inspection and regular quality audits
The Eurocentres Sales team aim to make your life as a student advisor as easy as possible by providing excellent training, regular fam-trips, interesting commission schemes and reliable support
For first hand information, please visit our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/eurocentres
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
A Brief History of Eurocentres
Eurocentres – Company History
1948 Erhard Waespi founds his first language school in Bournemouth.
1959 Founder of Migros Co-operative (the largest retail companies in Switzerland) Gottlieb Duttweiler and Erhard Waespi agree to cooperate.
1960 An independent Foundation, under the name Eurocentres, European Language and Educational Centres is set up by Gottlieb Duttweiler and like-minded people. The number of students per year rises to 4,300.
1968 Council of Europe bestows on Eurocentres (as the only non-governmental organisation) the "Status Consultatif de la Catégorie 1" - advisory status in the field of language teaching and learning.
1977 London Lee Green, the first purpose-built school designed for language learning in Britain is inaugurated.
1991 Eurocentres is founding member of EAQUALS (Evaluation & Accreditation of Quality in Language Services).
1993 The "Eurocentres Scale of Language Proficiency" as a basis for new course certification is put into practice.
1995 New strategy for Eurocentres offering consultancy for teaching languages in the home country is introduced. As a result, the first consultancy agreements in Switzerland, Spain and Brazil take shape.
1996 Definition of internal quality standards and continuous improvement of systematic quality management.
2002 Initiation of franchising system for language schools and expansion of school network to Canada and Australia, further schools are added.
2008 Introduction of the EUROCENTRES SUCCESS SYSTEM.
2011 Interactive Whiteboards are introduced in Eurocentres schools.
2013 Eurocentres launches my.Eurocentres, an online learning campus and UNICENTRES, Eurocentres’ university pathway program.
2014 Eurocentres Barranquilla opens in Colombia. For the first time Eurocentres teaches English in a country where it is not spoken as a native language.
Dedicated to quality The Swiss Eurocentres Foundation has been a consultant to the Council of Europe for language learning since 1968 and has played a crucial role in the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for language teaching and learning. Operating as a foundation since 1960, Eurocentres has provided top quality language teaching. Our aims are to contribute towards a better understanding among people by helping to bridge national, cultural and social barriers.
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
Eurocentres Academic Approach – Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the teachers? All Eurocentres teachers are qualified and experienced at teaching their language to foreign learners on intensive courses.
Who are the other students? Eurocentres has a very desirable nationality mix at all language schools, and up-to-date statistics are published in the brochure for each destination country.
How is the study programme organised? A programme of studies is defined for each syllabus level. The learning objectives for student levels is displayed in the class room on a document called “Our Aims.” Every week, the class teacher produces a weekly plan in agreement with the class and explains this to the students every Monday.
Who is responsible for the lessons? The class teacher plans the programme for the whole week. The second teacher plans in detail the lessons they teach. The weekly plans are inspected by the Academic Manager each week.
What teaching materials are used? The type of materials used depends upon the language being taught. The teachers will use a combination of published teaching materials and materials produced in the school.
How are individual needs addressed? Each student completes a “Needs Analysis” form on arrival, and discusses their course aims with their class teacher on the first day. The students’ weaknesses from the entry test are also analyzed and students receive appropriate recommendations for computer and worksheet materials. Students have a short tutorial with their teacher every second week, and they can attend the “Study Club” twice a week. In addition, students can talk to their teacher at any time.
How is the student’s progress measured? The students can monitor their progress between levels by looking at the scale of levels (please see our brochure for further information). Teachers keep a close record and give students regular feedback on their progress. A student’s level is objectively measured: before the course (my.Eurocentres pre-arrival test,); on arrival (entry test & interview); after each course module (progress test & communicative criteria); when students complete the course (progress test & communicative criteria).
Who is responsible for the student’s progress? Eurocentres provide a carefully designed learning environment, and class teachers do everything in their power to ensure students’ progress. Our commitment means that we insist on participants attending lessons.
What happens if a student learns faster than the other students? The regular progress assessment gives students the chance to move up a class if they are making faster progress.
What happens if a student is not making enough progress? Eurocentres are committed to giving all participants a successful stay. If students work hard but still make only modest progress, the school will provide them with extra attention and support.
How can students obtain specialised knowledge required for their profession? Why not book a module of 5 One-to-One lessons per week for a course tailored to your student’s professional needs?
What kind of certificate will the student receive? The students’ certificate will state the proficiency level they have achieved in terms of the Common European Framework recognised by employers and universities. The certificate grade is awarded on the basis of objective tests and teacher assessment in relation to detailed criteria. In addition, students receive a language profile which is part of their my.Eurocentres profile. The description on the language profile – based on extensive research - defines what students are able to do in terms of communicative tasks.
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
EUROCENTRES SUCCESS SYSTEM (Methodology)
We teach the language students need to communicate in real life, with an action-oriented approach (Common European Framework of Reference). The teachers are experts, qualified at teaching their mother tongue, while using a variety of modern methodologies to design an ideal course for a student’s particular group. The students’ class teacher identifies their needs with them, consults with them about the programme and tells them about the plan for each day. On a Eurocentres course we treat our students as partners.
Personalization No other language school delivers such highly personalized learning programmes as Eurocentres does. The treatment of participants as individuals rather than just as members of a class group, is a feature that has characterized Eurocentres courses for decades. Here are some of the standardized methodologies we use to ensure that students receive a truly personalized learning programme, that is constantly adjusted to the progress they make during their stay: A personal interview as part of their entry test A personal chat with their class teacher on the first day Personal, detailed feedback from the entry test, with recommendations for study An explanation of the levels and of how much progress a student can expect Conscious attention to them as an individual in lessons and opportunities to talk to their teacher outside of lessons Clear learning objectives, discussed with students and presented in a weekly plan Monitoring of their performance and learning with on-going personal feedback Weekly reviews of their achievement of the key communicative and linguistic aims Weekly class quizzes with personalised feedback and recommendations Bi-weekly mini-tutorials with the class teacher Recommendations for materials for independent study in the learning centre An opportunity to change class should a student make faster progress Regular progress tests, with diagnostic feedback and detailed recommendations for study A my.Eurocentres profile Use of progressive teaching tools such as interactive whiteboards etc.
A Framework for Learning The framework for our approach is based on over 20 years’ research and development. As an NGO to the Council of Europe, we further developed our Eurocentres Scale of Proficiency to produce the Common European Framework of Reference. When students arrive, we test their language resources (grammar and vocabulary test) and their communicative ability (individual interview; listening test) before putting them in the most suitable class for their level. The course is then organised in balanced weekly modules. In the classroom, there is a display with three documents: the scale of Levels, then Our Aims detailed objectives for their current level, and the Weekly Plan showing students the communicative tasks, the grammar and the vocabulary which are the focus for the week. The class teacher explains how this week’s work relates to the overall aims. Students have a review lesson at the end of each week where they discuss their achievement of the week’s aims and do a test or quiz.
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
Eurocentres Scale of Proficiency Our Aims Weekly Plan
Ensuring Your Success At Eurocentres, we pay great attention to evaluating a student’s progress and to checking that their language is developing successfully. Students are always aware of their progress, strengths and weaknesses. There is regular homework to reinforce what they learn in class. We have also developed our own language assessment approach, which reflects our concern with the development of both their language resources and their communicative ability. At regular intervals and at the end of their stay, the language level reached will be assessed. There are two tests reflecting the philosophy behind our methodology:
The test of a students language resources is taken from a bank of questions testing a student’s knowledge of the grammatical structures, the vocabulary, the turns of phrase necessary in order to be able to communicate at their specific level. This test may be taken on paper, or on computer in the learning centre.
The test of their communicative ability may not appear to be a test. Every week, they have a longer communicative activity, which the teacher uses to spot the strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the teacher uses a detailed set of criteria to evaluate the language level demonstrated by those students who are leaving that week. Of course, the teachers already have a good impression of what a student can do, but they follow a standardised assessment procedure in order to ensure that their impression is fair. It is all part of the Eurocentres guarantee of quality teaching, based on proven methods and objective evaluation standards.
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
STEP 2 STEP 1 Arrival Pre Arrival -Entry assessment my.Eurocentres -Personal interview placement test
Underpinned by ON-GOING In Class the -Our Aims EUROCENTRES -Weekly plan FRAMEWORK
STEP 3 STEP 4 During Course Course End -Progress tests -Certificate - Tutorials -Profile my.Eurocentres my.Eurocentres
my.Eurocentres Eurocentres’ online learning campus provides computer-based language practice and assessment services for students (currently in UK, San Diego, Cape Town, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Amboise, La Rochelle). It allows and supports a more detailed and immediate feedback about learners’ strengths and weaknesses in the language, indicating which area the learner should focus on. my.Eurocentres is available for students before, during and after their face-to-face courses, and they can always see their progress. It allows the use of real world material with authentic language and topics that directly relate to students’ interests. From the moment they enrol students have a personal link to their chosen school, so they can plan to get the most out of their language stay by seeing the weekly school social events, taking a diagnostic pre-course test and working on their personal study plan before arrival. This continues after the course with a month of access to the personal study plan, to consolidate learning and equip learners to continue their studies. Because students never lose their personal account, their progress record continues in a logical, focused way if they wish to extend their personal study plan or take another course.
Certification At the end of the language course a student receives: a certificate recording their overall level in relation to the Eurocentres scale of language proficiency and to the Common European Framework of Reference; a personal language profile describing in detail their practical ability at listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, writing - and last but not least their language resources.
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
Certificate sample
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
Profile sample
2015 eurocentres.com
About Eurocentres
How much progress is expected on a Eurocentres course?
It is impossible to give a simple answer to this question. The amount of progress that an individual learner makes in a given length of time is actually subject to a large number of factors, which makes it difficult to give precise assurances.
Some people are naturally good at languages. Some people are better at studying than others. Some people work harder than others. Some languages are closer to a learner's own mother tongue. Some languages (e.g. German) are more difficult to learn than others.
Pathfinder Nevertheless, it is possible to generalise. Pathfinder (available on www.eurocentres.com) is based on data from students who have attended Eurocentres courses. It is an innovative tool to help sales advisors give fast, competent and detailed advice to their clients. Pathfinder tells you within seconds how the student can reach his/her objectives with Eurocentres. It answers questions about examination courses, levels, and progress. It lets your clients find their present language level in a lively, fun way.
The figures in the Progress Calculator represent realistic challenges. Many people will actually make considerably more progress than is stated. Some may make less. We are confident that students who are willing to enter a partnership and make their share of the investment can achieve these results.
Summary For most students, except at very advanced levels:
Basic Intensive Super-Intensive Shorter courses / single stay: 1 level in 5 weeks 1 level in 4 weeks 1 level in 3 weeks Long-stay Courses 1.5 to 2 levels in 3 months 2 levels in 3 months 3 levels in 3 months
A number of other factors complicate the relationship of progress to learning time on different kinds of courses:
Progress slows down at higher levels: Beginners tend to make visible progress faster than advanced learners - in other words, progress at a higher level takes longer. For English, beginners often take only 3 weeks to master Level 1, whilst the step between Levels 8 and 9 may take a good two months.
LSP/LYP learners make slower progress: Learners staying a long time and studying the same language over several months often reach a plateau in their learning at various points during their stay.
Learners on shorter courses make more apparent progress: Learners on short (2-4 weeks) intensive courses make a different kind of progress to learners on longer (12 weeks or even 8 week) courses. Learners coming on an intensive course in an acquisition-rich environment like a Eurocentres course get a kind of "landing bonus" in the first two to three weeks as previous knowledge gets re-activated. Progress on one 4-week course is thus more than one third of expected progress on a three-month long-stay course.
Learners on long-stay / Exam Courses make more durable progress:
Learners can experience a qualitative leap in their language skills while studying on a long term course, due to:
(i) the structured learning opportunities offered throughout the course, which offers consistency (ii) the reinforcement of regular homework and use of the learning centre (iii) being surrounded in the target language will ensure that language skills improve at a faster rate (iv) With an exam target, the language progression can sometimes be quicker (v) With long term learning the language is imprinted for a longer amount of time
2015 eurocentres.com