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ELICOS
Since the establishment of the National ELICOS Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) in 1994, Australia has become an increasingly popular destination for international students wishing to study English. In 1994 just over 25,000 students came to Australia to study English, mostly from Asian countries. By 2005 the number had risen to over 68,000, with more than 6,500 from European countries and almost 3,500 from Latin America.
Quality Assurance
All English Language Centers in Australia have to be accredited by the NEAS before they start operating, and all centers are regularly monitored to ensure that they maintain the high standards of service and delivery required by the NEAS. This means that when you come to Australia to study English you can be sure that the Language Centre you choose is a good one and that the English course you choose will help your learn English effectively.
English Australia and UECA
Of the nearly 250 English Language Centers in Australia, just over 100 are members of English Australia (EA). The EA is an self-regulatory industry body that works closely with the NEAS and various Australian Government agencies to promote Australian English Language courses internationally and to ensure that international students who come to Australia to learn English go back home happy and satisfied with the experience.
More than 80% of international students studying English in Australia study at an ENGLISH AUSTRALIA college. They recognize the commitment to quality that ENGLISH AUSTRALIA membership represents. If you decide to go to a Language Centre that is a member of the EA, you can be certain of a quality experience.
30 Australian Language Centers that are associated with a university in Australia have joined together in the University English Centers Australia (UECA). For international students who are planning to enter an Australian university a UECA member centre provides the right kind of learning environment, because they are better able to respond to the special needs of students preparing for tertiary study and are specialized in English for Academic Purposes courses and University Direct Entry Programs, including study skills training.
Most centers structure their programs in 4 or 5 week modules, or 10-week modules with blocks of 5 weeks. Students' progress is monitored continuously and promotion to a higher level is usually possible at the end of every module. It is best to plan your arrival date so that you can start at the beginning of a module, though most language centers allow you to start on any Monday. As a general rule, University language centers have a two-week break between courses every 10 weeks, while the other language centers run courses back-to-back. The breaks give you an opportunity to see other parts of Australia or to devote time to independent study.
Teaching Hours
Australian English Language Centers are required by the NEAS to offer their students 25 hours of tuition per week. Language centers in other countries usually offer 18 to 20 hours of tuition per week, so in Australia you will get "more bang for your buck" (an expression for "value for money"). Although they may have different names in the various Language Centers, the Intensive English courses offered in Australia are similar to those offered elsewhere in the world and include:
Intensive General English
English for Academic Purposes
English for Business
English for Health Professionals
Preparation for English Proficiency Tests
(IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, as well as the TOEIC and LCCI examinations)
Specialist English Programs
University Direct Entry Programs
Professional Training Courses in Teaching English as a Second Language
These courses are offered all year round and each is designed to cater for specific student needs. Generally entry to the last four types of course requires an Intermediate level of English proficiency or higher. If you have a lower level you will be placed in an Intensive General English course according to the results of the placement test you are given on arrival
Under Graduates
We do not as a rule recommend to students that they come to Australia to do a full 3- to 6-year undergraduate degree program here, especially if they are from Latin America or Europe. Not that there is something wrong with Australian undergraduate education, but it is often more effective, and certainly more economical, to obtain a first degree in your home country and then enhance it by gaining a postgraduate qualification in an English-speaking country. The exception is, of course, when you want to get a degree which is not available in your home country, for example a Bachelor Degree in Aquaculture, Bio-Technology, Eco-Tourism, Economic Geology, International Hotel Management, Maritime Engineering, Multimedia, Mineral Processing or Occupational Therapy.
However, if you have started undergraduate studies in your home country and have successfully completed the first 2 or 3 years, what may be attractive to you is the possibility of coming to Australia for your final undergraduate year/s. Under this scenario you would be able to get status (transfer of credit) for the years you have completed at home and gain an Australian first degree.
Advantages of completing your final year/s in Australia
A degree from an English-speaking country such as Australia will make you more competitive in the job market, because you will have excellent English, you will have international and intercultural experience and you will have broadened your knowledge from an international perspective. if you go on to a postgraduate program in Australia after you have finished your first degree, you are likely to find that you will have completed a first degree PLUS a postgraduate qualification in the same time it takes you to gain just a first degree in your home country.
certain undergraduate courses in certain universities (for example the Engineering and Information Technology programs at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS)) expect or allow you to undertake work experience as part of your studies. If you perform well, you could be offered paid part-time employment while you are continuing your studies. (In Australia a Student Visa with Permission to Work allows you to work up to 20 hours a week). the total cost of your studies in Australia is likely to be less than the cost of a similar program in the US or the UK, and it it is also often easier, and quicker, to gain a place in an Australian university than it is to gain a place elsewhere, in particular in the US. it is quite likely that at the end of your course you will be eligible to apply for Permanent Residence in Australia without having to return to your home country
Pre-requistes
There are two main pre-requisites for entry to an undergraduate study program at an Australian university:
1. you must have completed your secondary education, and
2. you must provide evidence that your English Proficiency Level is at least equivalent to IELTS level 6, 6.5 or 7, depending on the program and/or the university.
All Australian universities require international students to have a minimum level of English language proficiency, usually equivalent to Level 6 on the IELTS or a score of 213 on the Computer-based TOEFL test (550 on the paper-and-pencil TOEFL test).
You are required to present official evidence of your level of English in order to be accepted. The common experience is that IELTS level 6 (or equivalent) is an absolute minimum and many students coming in with this proficiency level find that their lack of adequate English makes them underperforms. For this reason a large number of universities have increased the required English level to IELTS 6.5. If you have not reached an appropriate level of English and would like to study English in Australia prior to entering a university program, AMES can provide an assessment of your English level together with an estimate of the number of weeks you would need to study English at an English Australia centre in order to achieve the level required for university entry and academic success.
Post Graduates
There are two main pre-requisites for entry to a postgraduate study program:
1. you must have completed a first (undergraduate) degree. (Some universities accept you, at the discretion of the particular Head of School, if you have a lesser qualification, provided you have substantial relevant work experience).
2. you must provide evidence that your English Proficiency Level is at least equivalent to IELTS level 6.5, 7 or 7.5, depending on the program/university.
In many cases, especially with the MBA, a minimum period of appropriate work experience is required, varying from 2 to 5 years depending on the institution.
If there is no relation between your first degree and the Masters program you want to do, you will probably have to enroll first in a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma, which on successful completion leads on to the final part of the Masters. For example, if your first degree is a Bachelor of Science and you want to do a Masters of Commerce, you will need to do an appropriate Graduate Diploma first (e.g. in Commerce or Management). This will give you the fundamental knowledge and skills required for entry to the Masters program and it will give you status towards your Masters of Commerce degree, so that you can enter in the second or third semester.
If your first degree is related to the postgraduate program you wish to enroll in, you can usually gain direct access to a Masters by Coursework program. If you want to do a Masters by Research program, you must have achieved at least an average mark of Credit in your first degree, or you must first complete a Graduate Diploma. Some Australian universities will grant you status for postgraduate work you have done in your own country or elsewhere, as well as for relevant work experience.
For international students one of the main attractions of doing postgraduate studies at an Australian university is that in Australia - if you have the ability - you are strongly encouraged to undertake a Postgraduate Research Program, which can lead to a PhD. If you are aiming to gain a PhD, your best strategy is to enroll first in a Masters by Research program. For this you need to submit full details of your academic record, references from relevant academics, and a research proposal.
Quality Assurance
Australian Universities enjoy an international reputation for excellence and are part of a world-wide community of academic scholarship. Australian academics are recruited from all over the world, and conversely are in high demand to teach and do research at institutions all over the world, as are our graduates.
Since the late eighties there has been a determined effort in Australia to "internationalize" the university system, not only through a growing body of international students, but also through an ever expanding range of collaboration agreements and staff- and student-exchange programs.
Australian universities receive substantial funding from the Australian government for both teaching and research purposes, though there is growing pressure on universities these days to gain additional funds from other sources. Nearly all universities are established by an act of parliament and they are accountable to the government for much of their activity. All institutions that accept international students must comply with the "Education Services for Overseas Students" Act of 2000, which requires such institutions to be officially registered and to conform to a Code of Ethics in relation to the provision of international education, which includes grievance procedures. This means that the quality of the education and the services you receive at an Australian university is covered by legislation.
Why do a TAFE course?
TAFE offers alternative pathway to University
One of the main reasons why students decide to do a TAFE course is because it provides an alternative pathway into a university award program: if you do not have the academic qualifications required for university entrance, you can enroll first at a TAFE institution to do a Diploma or Advanced Diploma and then go on to university. In many cases a TAFE (Advanced) Diploma will give you status for your university course: this means that you can enter the third or fourth semester of the university program of your choice, instead of starting in the first year.
TAFE offers an alternative to an Advanced English
course Another reason why international students do a TAFE course is when they have reached an advanced level of English and want to stay in Australia a little longer. A TAFE course gives them an opportunity to practice their English in a real-life context and at the same time learn more about a subject they are interested in. In other words, if you want to stay in Australia for more than one year, you could begin with an English language course at an English Australia centre and then enroll in a TAFE Certificate or (Advanced) Diploma course. The good thing about this is that if you have done any tertiary study in your home country, you could do an advanced level TAFE course and end up with a TAFE Diploma or Advanced Diploma after a fairly short time.
A TAFE course can add value to your first degree
Increasingly, people with a first (Bachelors) degree are realizing the value of following up with a related TAFE course. The hands-on orientation of TAFE adds a much-appreciated practical dimension to the knowledge and skills they have gained at University. For example, if you have a degree in Engineering, the practical approach of a TAFE course will complement the theoretical bias of your degree program and may enhance your employment prospects.
TAFE provides an affordable pathway to migration.
Many prospective students have the ultimate goal of applying for Permanent Residence on completion of their studies. TAFE offers a less expensive way to meet Australia's 2-year study requirement than do the universities. You have to be careful though! Your choice of program is critical, as it has to lead to a Skills Assessment that is acceptable for migration purposes. The options currently available are broader than the ones typically suggested by agents - Hairdressing and Commercial Cookery. The TAFE institutes listed on the right have been selected by AMES as providers of courses suitable for migration purposes.
Awards offered
TAFE Institutions offer the following awards:
Vocational Graduate Diploma
Vocational Graduate Certificate
Advanced Diploma
Diploma
Advanced Certificate (Certificate IV)
Certificate III
Certificate II
Certificate I
In nearly every case these TAFE awards are "nested" within each other, so that, for example, a Certificate I course is part of the related Certificate II course, which is part of a Certificate III course, and so on.
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for TAFE programs are usually lower than those of the universities, though to be accepted by TAFE you will need to have completed your secondary education. You must have completed the equivalent of the Australian Year 11. Universities require completion of Year 12, which prohibits direct university access for the many students from countries where primary and secondary schooling comprises a total of 11 years of study. You must provide evidence that your level of English competency is equivalent to IELTS level 5.5
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