Discover English
247 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Discover English
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Preparation program focuses on developing exam techniques and preparing students for the listening, speaking, reading and writing tasks they will undertake in the IELTS exam. The program is intensive and is designed for students who wish to maximise their scoring potential on the IELTS exam within a short time frame.
The course provides practice and guidance in both general and academic test modes and aims to improve the student’s test taking techniques and their knowledge about the IELTS test format. Students undertake weekly tests based on IELTS past papers. Minimum entry level requirement for IELTS Preparation is IELTS Band 5.0 or PTE Academic Score 36.
On the top of standard 20 hrs per week, students can attend additional 10 hrs of free classes - 5 hrs of supervised library with a teacher and 5 hrs of extras - different electives each day.
Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing
Discover English does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
You can choose from the following class times:
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
Average | 14 students |
Maximum | 18 students |
Age range | 18 years old and older |
Average | 27 years old (24 in the summer) |
Discover English was formed in Melbourne in February 2010 with the objective of being one of Australia’s premier English language colleges. The college is quality endorsed by NEAS and is a member of English Australia.
Discover English currently recruits students for study in General English, English for Academic Purposes, Business English, IELTS Preparation and Cambridge ESOL courses.
General English classes are run from Beginner to Advanced levels.
English for Academic Purposes classes is run at Upper Intermediate and Advanced levels.
Business English is at Upper Intermediate level.
IELTS Preparation is at Upper Intermediate plus level.
Cambridge ESOL courses are offered for PET, FCE, CAE, and CPE.
Students are at the centre of our organization. We provide flexibility and choice to ensure that each individual student is doing the course that’s right for them.
Discover English was the first school to offer its students an extra 10 hours per week of free instructions (an optional 5 hours in the library with a teacher and 5 hours of electives). We also run a free weekly job seminar and activities 7 days a week. Academically, students are tested and evaluated weekly to ensure individuals can level up at their own pace.
Awards
2016-2017
Cambridge Assessment English Awards
- Best New Centre (winner)
2015
Cambridge English Assessment Awards for Preparation Centres
- Outstanding Business Growth (finalist)
- Outstanding Service to Customers (highly commended)
Victorian International Education Awards
- English Language Training (finalist)
2014
Cambridge English Assessment Awards for Preparation Centres
- Student Support (finalist)
2013
Victorian International Education Awards
- Student Support (Highly Commended)
- English Language Training (finalist)
- Student Experience (finalist)
Discover English is an authorized TOEIC and Cambridge test center.
Reasons to choose Discover English:
- Students come first
- First class student services
- 10 hrs of free classes/teacher support each week
- English only campus
- Two different timetables and greater flexibility
- An academic and fun approach
- Central location and modern facilities with free wifi
- Handpicked homestay families and student lodge as accommodation options
- A broad range of articulation agreements with a number of TAFEs, Colleges and Universities.
Resource base – staffing, qualifications, library, buildings, etc.
Discover English is located at 247 Collins Street Melbourne and occupies 6 floors of the building. The basic facilities comprise 18 classrooms, 1 student lounge, 5 common lounge areas, 1 student kitchen, a fully resourced Student Library and computer room with 20 student computers, an additional computer room with 10 student computers, free wireless access throughout the building.
The location provides students with ready access to all forms of public transport, city library facilities and a wide range of shops and conveniences.
All academic staff have the minimum qualifications as per NEAS accreditation standards.
has partnerships with the following universities and colleges in Australia. You can gain full or conditional acceptance into one of these institutions.
The nationality and age mix at Discover English varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 27. In the summer, the average age is 24.
teaches students from all over the world, including:
does not hold classes on the holiday dates below. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
Discover English is located in the heart of Melbourne CBD, at the doorstep of public transport and short walking distance to the shops, restaurants and cafes.
Voted the Most Livable City in the World from 2011 - 2017, Melbourne offers international students an exciting and vibrant city lifestyle.
Melbourne is surrounded by parks with the famous beaches of St Kilda, Port Melbourne and Brighton nearby.
On your first day at Discover English, you will be given the opportunity to join the free city tour of Melbourne. This tour is a great way to orientate yourself, to see some of the local key areas and business and to ask Discover English staff questions about your new life in Melbourne.
I liked to study english with people from all over the world and the classes were very varied. Furthermore, I liked that you don’t have the same teacher every day. If you like you could do every day activities.
Show details » Read more...It was a good experience to improve my English level. During one month of study, I felt improvements in my spoken English, confidence when talking.The study is very interesting and fun. Teachers explain the topic very clearly, use various techniques, games. There are many things that I didn't understand before, now I understand better. The school is located in the center, which is very convenient, there are many attractions nearby. You can take a walk after school. Many thanks to the teachers and the whole Discover English team.
Show details » Read more...The teachers are absolutely wonderful, kind, interested, funny and the lesson methods are very varied. The location is perfect with one of the nicest bars and restaurants around. The facility is very clean and everything is fine. There is only one negative thing in my mind: unfortunately most of the students just don’t meet the needs compared to the outstanding abilities of the teachers. 80 percent are not punctual at all, extremely lazy, not participating in discussions and they simply cannot speak English very well, even when they are sitting in a upper intermediate class. This has a huge negative impact on the learning capacity and the learning success. In the end ambitious and diligent students are disappointed, because they have to slow down a lot. Could be more pressure, more homework’s and higher expectations regarding the students’ performance. I think the excellent teachers deserve it. I would recommend this school, but only for a ,fun/relaxed’ holiday learning, not for business or academic purposes.
Show details » Read more...Was a short 3 days experience so could not really say too much. The school likes great and has multi language speakers work there. Location was convenient.
Tam was great. However, I do not think he had much time to prepare my lessons. We could not go through everything in details.
I am still bit confused with infinitive and gerund. It would be great if I could be provided with some learning materials.
Students were very noisy after their classes and were sitting outside my classroom and talking loudly.
One student even asked Tam to go out and speak with him during my class. I was not very happy with that because my lessons are all one on one.
I liked the nice people in class and I was welcomed even though I was much older. Chris was a very good teacher and crazy (in a good way) man. We had a lot of fun. The staff at the reception area were very nice and helpful. It's good to have strong rules.
About the activities I can't comment on it, because I didn't participate in any of it. The location was good as well as the housing.
First of all, if you feel that the class is too easy for you, do not hesitate to take the level-up test. You can get more opportunity to learn English. I was in the upper-intermediate class in general English. There were about 18 students in class. Use your opportunity to speak English in classes. Participate in every class. Also, there were extra classes everyday.
Show details » Read more...Teachers are competent and engaged! They gave me sincere feedback and it was stimulating. They ensured that I was assigned to the proper group that best suited my level. The location is perfect at Bourke Street!
Also, they gave me a great opportunity to practice. They organized an activity that allowed me to make a two-hour presentation. After my presentation, they offered me flowers to celebrate!
They are attentive to their students and they provide an excellent customer service.
Everything is good.
I have the best experience in classes.
I had a very good experience at Discover English.
The school location in CBD Melbourne is excellent for taking the transport or visiting Melbourne.
The atmosphere in courses is excellent for studying and the classmates are friendly.
The teachers and the teaching is good; I think it is a great idea to have two teachers in a week per class, because the teaching is different and if you don't understand a teacher you can understand the second teacher.
The activities are good because they are different.
The housing and the family are very different and it is difficult to give an answer but in general this is good.
When I arrived here, I was in expectation of how could the course be? But I was disappointed as far as how the course was developed; I found teachers without structure, not respectful and boring classes. In my experience as a teacher, I found some classes without pedagogy and lacking in didactic. Only one person provided me with feedback about mistakes I made in the language.
The course did not satisfy my expectations. I found some strict rules for students but not for workers.
One thing must be said in favor of the institute: you provide us a huge quantity of photocopies, this was good.
You need to improve the integration between all members of the institute; I think relations are cold and they do not get to know each other, even workers themselves.
Teachers were really sophisticated. When I took Cambridge classes, I felt that a lot. The staff were very helpful and supportive. They were friendly, so I could enjoy school life. I think the number of toilets were not enough.
Show details » Read more...I spent two weeks at your school for my job. I did appreciate the teachers; Claire was fantastic! I preferred the second week as the students were a bit older and it was better for me.
I will come back within 3 years as I have to take an English course for my job every three years!!
In fact, I know that for most of the students, the teacher had to use the book. But for me I really preferred when we didn't use the book - except for grammar!
The overall experience in Discover English was clearly positive! The teachers are motivated, competent, and undeniably friendly. The "on-the-side offers" like the STS tours are a clear addition to the value of the school and the help about the booking of an accommodation was really appreciated. The staff is always available and happy to help. Thanks for your hard work!
The only few minor negative points I have are:
IELTS Class. The level is sometimes too different (aiming to a 5 for some and a 7.5 for others) between classmates, making some of them unable to work at their real level of skill. Moreover, the class appears sometimes slightly simpler than the real exam, which may cause some unfortunate surprises.
EAP adv/Excel. The first weeks in the class were absolutely delightful, but recently the class become a little bit disappointing. IMO, a class with 15 to 20 people, is maybe too crowded for a proper Excel teaching which requires a lot of personal coaching by the teacher. Moreover, expecting Excel and not EAP, I was kind of sad to have to comply to EAP/pathways "requirements", focused more on academic English than really trying to reach the more native level achievable like displayed in the presentation of the lesson.
This having been said, El is definitely one of the best teachers I have ever had the chance to meet. She is clearly working hard for this class and does an outstanding job! Thanks and congratulations to her!
Homestays are carefully selected and offer students the opportunity to learn more about the local culture in a comfortable setting while studying English in Melbourne. These homes are often between 20 - 50 minutes away from the school by public transport. Families usually offer affordable meal plans that allow you to sample the local cuisine. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. You must check out 1 day after your classes end (usually a Saturday). Learn more about homestay housing
Student residences are more suitable for an independent student, who is looking for clean, basic accommodation at an economic price. All students must be 18+. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Student residences often do not include any meal plan. Learn more about student residence accommodation
We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.
Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged A$ 15 when you register.
Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Melbourne based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.
Have questions? Get answers from Discover English staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.
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