Staff at Embassy

Boston students publish online magazine

Students at Embassy Boston Downtown have put together an online magazine as a class project. Planning to visit Boston? Tap into our students' knowledge with a very handy top ten of the best places to go in the city. After all, they've done all the work getting to know the city in the last few months.

The magazine continues with a project comparing well-known western cities, such as London, San Francisco and Boston itself, with the students' home cities, including Tokyo, Caracas, Busan and Taipei.

What began as a good exercise for the class in persuasive writing ended up as a highly readable resource for potential students. Which city comes out top? You'll have to read the arguments and decide for yourself. Well done, hard-working Boston students, and thanks for the read.

Want to find out more about Embassy schools? Visit our website here.

Find the magazine here. Embassy Boston Downtown students hope you will enjoy reading it.

Meet some students from Embassy Oxford

Students from Embassy Oxford have been writing about their experiences learning English! Read on to find out how they are getting on.

Javier Gonzalez

 
Hello, I’m going to tell you quickly about me. My name is Javier Gonzalez, I’m an 18 years old foreign student from Mexico, learning English in Oxford, specifically at Embassy.

I’m learning this language because nowadays it is absolutely necessary whether you want to be a successful man, or even if you just want to travel around the world you will need English in every new country because it is the global language. Now I’m going to tell you why I chose this city and why I’m so happy for having done it.

If you are looking for a place where you can find the perfect balance between having a great time and learning real English you should chose Oxford, which is the place you are looking for. But, why Oxford?

This is a small city with many things to do.If you are interested in culture and history, there is no better place in the world to learn about it as the university’s campus or the museums (most of them are free, everybody loves free things). The buildings are really amazing, most of them have got gorgeous gardens and you can go to spend an evening with your friends, or your partner if you are lucky.

On the other hand, if you like nightlife, in Oxford you can find busy nightclubs with good music for everyone and very good DJ’s from the typical European danceclub to the most latin “disco”. We can not forget the pubs, which are the perfect place to go with friends and have a chat or drink some beer, even eat traditional food. In a pub you won’t feel  time passing; it is really magical.

Believe it or not, people here are warm and nice, the ambience is student orientated, and you will find and be in touch with people from all over the entire globe, different cultures from yours which will teach you a lot of things and knowledge, and as I said you will find plenty of young people to talk with.

Another of Oxford’s advantages is the easy going way of life, you won’t get lost easily. The bus service is perfect. Oxford is really close to London and you can spend a weekend  there easily and cheaply.
It’s up to you, but trust me, if you choose Oxford you will have the best time in your life as I am doing now.

Eiko Kono

 

In September, 2010, I went to Belgium with my friends. The reason we went there was visiting my friend, Philippe. He was my classmate of afternoon class. We were lucky because he invited us to Belgium and provided his grandmother's house as an accommodation. It was... my first time to travel in Europe except the UK so everything was new. Getting on the Eurostar, speaking to people who speak French, eating Belgian traditional food etc. It was full of exciting experiences. Furthermore, he was as a local guide in Brussels, Brugge and Antwerp so I could know lots of things about Belgium, such as culture, traditional food and behaviour so on.

I think the scenery was totally different between Brussels and Tokyo but I could find a lots of similar things. For example, both senior citizen are vigorous. I saw some of the senior citizen were dancing in the Sunday market. I also met other senior citizen in front of a church. They were very friendly and cheerful. In addition, there were a lot of attractive shops, such as chocolate shops, tea shops and local markets. I enjoyed all of them during the trip. I had a great time with my friends, Philippe and his grandmother. I want to visit to Belgium again.

 

 

Student-centered lessons

Staff and students at Embassy Oxford enjoyed a training session on lessons with a student-centred approach, using the technology of interactive whiteboards (which are now found in all Embassy schools). Andrea Paschoal, Head of Teaching writes:

The workshop was very hands-on and using the laptops was a great idea. Thankfully, everything worked well without any technical hiccups and teachers were engaged and motivated.

Interactive whiteboards are a big part of most teachers' lessons nowadays and it's not often we get an opportunity to reflect on how efficient they actually are as a tool, and how to use them in order to make our lessons more student-centred.

Not sure what an interactive whiteboard is? This video should make everything clear.

Embassy Cambridge starts A Level taster courses this summer

In July and August, Embassy Cambridge and our sister college Bellerbys will be working together to provide a number of A Level taster courses in July and August. These taster sessions follow a successful trial of the programme in 2009, and will provide students with English tuition in the mornings, followed by sample A Level lessons in the afternoons.

Frank Pinner, the Centre Director for Embassy Cambridge explains more about the courses: ‘We have two A Level taster groups coming this summer. The students will do 20 50-minute lessons of English tuition and 10 hours of A level subjects per week. They will sample a wide range of A Level subjects including Politics, Art, Psychology, Physics, Business Studies, Sociology and Chemistry’.

The taster courses are based at our beautiful and historic Queens Campus, where the students’ lessons will be between 9am and 3:15pm. In addition to their English tuition and sample A Level lessons, the students will learn more about universities in the UK.

Moreover, the students will have plenty of things to do after class, as Frank Pinner explains: ‘After class, the students will be able to explore Cambridge and visit many different attractions including museums and the Cambridge Botanic Gardens. At the weekends, there will be organised excursions to other fun and exciting places in the UK such as London, Stratford and Warwick’.

Finally, at the end of the taster courses, the students will be able to enjoy a leaving ceremony and take photos with all of their new friends.

To find out more about Embassy Cambridge, visit the Embassy website to see our photos, read the local information and find out what our current students and staff think about the school. Also, you can join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more news, photos and updates.

Embassy Gold Coast students make a splash at SeaWorld!

Our staff at our Embassy schools work very hard to create a varied and enjoyable programme of activities and trips to keep the students entertained in their spare time. Recently, the students at the Embassy Gold Coast school had a great time visiting their local Sea World park.

Steven Rowe, the Student Services representative for Embassy Gold Coast writes: 'In May a pre-intermediate class from Embassy Gold Coast went on an excursion to SeaWorld, a marine-themed amusement park located only fiftten minutes away from the school.

Here, the students saw various exhibits with animals such as polar bears, sharks, penguins and stingrays,and they also watched live performance shows by dolphins and seals. This combined with riding rollercoasters and other thrill rides, along with watching a jet-ski stunt show made it a very enjoyable and educational day for the students.'

To see all of the great photos from this fantastic day out, visit the Embassy Gold Coast Facebook gallery. Also, you can visit the Embassy activities and excursions page to find out more about the other trips on offer to our students, or ask a question if you have a specific query about studying with Embassy.

 

Award-winning student video!

Embassy staff are always thinking of new and engaging ways to help their students improve their English. That's why staff at Embassy Cambridge asked some of their students to make a video to introduce new students to their school, the town of Cambridge and life in England in general. The video has been so well received that teachers at Embassy Cambridge have used it during induction sessions for their new students, and the video was the winner of the 2009 Embassy Learning Award.

Take a look at the shorter version of the video here:

Celia Short Version

Many thanks to all of the students involved in the making of this great video! They are: Fahad Alkaabi, Ahmed Almaghthawi, Nestor Barros, Chien-chi Chou, Carmen Daniels, Malory Jublot, Sang Woo Lee, Xin Liu, Diego Sanchez, Mariana Santos, Kiri Shakir, Inthira Tangjaroensutth, and Dominga Del Campo Salina.

Would you like to see this video in full? If so, join or log on to our Student Club, a website designed to provide further information and resources for our current students and those considering studying with Embassy. Or, to find out more about our school at Cambridge, take a look at the accomodation available, the courses offered and read what our students and staff think about Embassy Cambridge.

Staff report from Embassy Oxford's Venice Ball

Staff and students at Embassy Oxford recently joined with Bellerbys Oxford students to enjoy a fantastic Venice Ball at the Halkwell House Hotel.

Fabio da Silva Moore, the Social Programme and Extra Curricular Activities Organiser for Embassy and Bellerbys in Oxford was one of the main organisers of the event and writes: ‘Finally, after a lot of hard work and effort from myself and the members of the committee we managed to organize a fantastic event. There were beautiful decorations, posters of Venice, mask decorating activities and even a gondola!

The Venice Ball was a successful event and all the students and staff members enjoyed a great night dancing and singing. This event gives us more incentive to make next year’s Ball even better!’

Visit the Embassy Oxford Facebook gallery to see more photos of this fabulous event, or go to the Embassy Oxford activities and excursions page to find out more about the other activities available to our students after class.

 

Student's success at Embassy Seattle-Tacoma

Here at Embassy, we are always proud of our students who go on to further academic success and   Turkish Pre-Masters student Gurkan Gurler (pictured below) is no exception.

Margo Butcher, Student Services representative for Seattle-Tacoma writes: ‘As a Diploma Pre-Masters student at our centre between September 2009 and March 2010, Gurkan made a positive impression on his classmates and teachers with his well-rounded approach to studying in America. While he was here he participated in many school activities, worked diligently in the classroom and engaged in many volunteer activities in the local community.

Gurkan came to the US with the goal of studying at an American University for his Masters degree in Material Science. So during his course, Gurkan also studied to improve his TOEFL score and worked on his application to Alfred University, an American Study Group partner school.

Fortunately, all of Gurkan’s hard work paid off when he received his acceptance letter to Alfred University the week after graduation! We are happy he is choosing to stay in the Study Group family, and wish him the best of luck in his career and educational goals.’ 

Visit the Embassy website to find out more about the Embassy Seattle-Tacoma school and the courses offered here.

Students and staff at Embassy Boston Merrimack enjoy annual International Tea.

Recently, Embassy students participated in a very special International Tea event. Linda D. Walsh, New England Embassy Manager, writes:'Embassy joined with the Merrimack College to host the college’s annual International Tea. Students brought desserts and tea from their country to share with other students and staff members. There were brigadeiros from Brazil, date and banana cake from Saudi Arabia and a variety of cookies and candies from other countries too. Those who attended also sampled Arabic   coffee, Japanese green tea, and Korean corn tea.  The International Tea event was a great opportunity for Embassy Boston students to interact with Merrimack students and practice English in a fun and enjoyable setting.'

To see more photos from the event, go to the Facebook gallery for the Embassy Boston Merrimack school, or for more information about the school, have a look at the courses offered here and read the local information page.

New Fort Lauderdale school project is all systems go

In Fort Lauderdale in Florida, the building project for the new Embassy school is progressing very well. The state-of-the-art building is starting to take shape and will be opening on the 14th of June. The new facility is very close to the current school and has the advantage of a prominent street-front location in the bustling Riverwalk District on prestigious Las Olas Circle. 

The new school is just a five minute walk away from the current building but has the added advantage of being right next to cinemas, restaurants, night clubs and trendy shops.  It’s also in a great location for sightseeing as it’s a minute’s walk away from the Museum of Modern Art and the historic downtown area.  

Camillo Fontecilla, the recently appointed Centre Director, is excited about the move.  

“Students love the current school, but everyone is thrilled to be moving into our brand new facility, with cutting-edge technology in all the classrooms and sleek interior design throughout the space. The streetfront position will greatly increase the ease of access and students will also find far more amenities in the immediate vicinity. It’s a great spot for an international community.”  

Sean Hale, MD of Embassy added: “I know the students will absolutely love it here”.

Do you want to know more about studying English at our brand new Embassy language school in Fort Lauderdale? Take a look at our photos, read about our students and staff or ask a question.