Ef Academic Year Abroad - 11 min - Adults, 16+

Every year, in January, April and September, new students arrive at our schools to do their EF Academic Year Abroad programme. It's incredibly exciting to meet these young people with dreams and ambitions and wanting to create something meaningful for their futures. All of them know that the EF Academic Year Abroad programme will allow them to become really fluent in another language. But many will also want to study other academic subjects, prepare for university, do an internship, take official exams, and get a real international experience. An Academic Year Abroad programme is a big investment on behalf of the students who enroll on courses with us. EF has over 40 years' experience in study abroad programmes. It gives me great pleasure to know that we have all the right schools and resources to help them achieve their goals during their year with us. I'm always really interested in why a student chooses a particular EF school for their Academic Year Abroad. With over 40 schools in 15 countries it's a tough decision. For English alone students can study in eight different countries: The UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malta or South Africa. Beyond that students can study Spanish, Italian, French, German, or Chinese. Every student is different, and it's great to find out which characteristics of a school are appealing to them. But whichever school a student chooses, they will benefit from the same high standard of school the same efficient language learning and the benefit of living in a country where the language is natively spoken. EF was founded in 1965, and today we have schools and offices in over 50 countries. At EF, we run all our schools ourselves, in order to maintain the same high standard of teaching in all of the schools. Our schools are accredited according to the highest standards in every country. But the best quality assurance is that we take care of the students all the way. Our EF staff around the world give students counselling, help them organise flight tickets, transfers and visas. On arrival in the school, our academic staff will organise their language course, their academic studies, and their internship. The University Placement Advisor can help those students who wish to pursue higher education overseas. Our Accommodation Managers help to select the most comfortable place for students to stay. And our Activity Organisers will make sure there's always something fun and interesting for them to do in their free time. By taking control of all parts of this process, EF can guarantee that the students will reach their study goals, and have a great time in the process. The EF Academic Year Abroad programme is divided into three terms of about three months each. In the first term we focus on the language and developing essential language skills. Then in the second term we focus more and more on special interest courses around various academic subjects. And finally in the third term, students have even more freedom to personalise their studies. Students have many different goals with their Academic Year Abroad, and that's why we offer such a wide range of course types at EF. With the EF General Course students have 26 lessons per week, and they also have special interest courses that they choose themselves. On the EF Intensive Course students have even more elective options. In fact we have over 100 special interest courses that students can choose from. From Grammar and Writing to Music, Media or Marketing. On an EF Exam Preparation course, students prepare for an official language examination such as the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS or one of the Cambridge ESOL examinations. The EF University Foundation Year is specially designed for students who want to prepare for studies abroad. The EF Pre-MBA programme prepares students for entry into a top international MBA programme. With EF Twin Centres students can study a language in 2 different locations, such as English in Boston and Miami, French in Paris and Nice, or Spanish in Quito, Ecuador and Costa Rica. For students who want to study more than one language, the EF Multi Language Year offers them the opportunity to study up to 3 languages in 3 different locations around the world. And then we have our popular EF Master English programmes. These comprehensive 6 and 9 month programmes prepare students not only language, but also for a specific chosen career field. We offer programmes in Business English, Media and Art, Hospitality and Tourism, IT, Fitness and Health, and International Affairs. On all of our courses we use our own exclusive educational package, the Efekta System, which combines the best in classroom teaching with the latest in interactive learning tools. We publish our own text books, and we also use the best available material in our special interest courses. Also, all of our schools are equipped with state of the art language labs, and wireless internet connections, which students can freely use. We understand that students have different goals in life, so our aim is to provide a range of opportunities to help them reach those goals. When students go abroad for an entire academic year, we want to find them a place where they can live, that is comfortable, like a home away from home. So in all of our schools we have a dedicated Accommodations Team. This team goes out and visits host families to determine the most suitable ones. In fact, in many of our schools across the world these host families have hosted EF students for a long, long time, and our staff and students know the families very well. Another option for students is to live in a residence. Here they live with other students where they can practise the language and spend time together - a little bit more independent living. Here in North America we have a third option, and that is, students have an opportunity to live on university campuses. Here they live the life of a North American university student. They get to participate in the athletic activities, they take advantage of the library, they go to the cafeteria and they basically live the life of a student that would normally be at the university. Among our participants, we have many young professionals who want to get work experience from abroad. They realise that it's a great way to get work experience and practise the language, especially picking up vocabulary that's relevant to their particular industry. Our students want to do internships because they realise it is going to be a valuable addition to their resumes. All of our EF schools have Internship Coordinators who can help students to arrange an internship during their Academic Year Abroad. We always try to place students in a company or organisation that will suit the student's professional goals. Lots of our students choose to take official language exams, as a proof of their English language progress. They know they have become fluent during their year abroad, but they also want to have proof on paper, to show future employers or universities. Here at the English language schools we prepare students for all the popular English exams, including TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS and all the Cambridge exams. And our colleagues in the other EF schools can prepare students for official exams in French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Chinese. Many students who study with EF achieve a really high level in the language that they're learning. They also love being in the country that they are in, and that is why many choose to continue on to universities abroad. That's also why in every EF school we offer the University Placement Service, and this is where an experienced University Advisor will assist the student in choosing a suitable university for them, including applications and eventually to get accepted. Students can also choose special classes to help them prepare for university abroad, and again this can include applications and any interviews that may be needed. Of course the quality education programmes is the main reason for studying with EF, however you must have fun outside of the classroom to fully enjoy your experience overseas. At each of our schools we have an Activities Officer who is there to make sure there is always something fun going on. They organise cultural activities, excursions and weekend trips, lots of sports, and social happenings and of course parties. It could be flamenco dancing in Malaga, walking on top of the Great Wall of China near Beijing, beach volleyball in Sydney or even a safari in Cape Town. To take part in all these activities is not just great fun, it's also a great way to learn the language all the time. After nine months, we've gotten to know our students really well, and it's always sad to see them go. We know though, that they bring a lot home with them. They've become fluent in a foreign language, and they have certificates and exams to prove this. They've learned skills that will help them in their future careers. They've participated in internships in local companies. And, in addition to the friends that they've made here in their host country, they have made friends from all over the world. When you see what can happen in just one Academic Year, it's pretty incredible. So even though we feel sad at departure time, we feel very proud as well. And we can't wait to hear what our students are doing after graduation.