Everything you need to know about Academia’s EAL courses

At Academia, we offer a range of English courses, each tailored to help you achieve specific goals:

General English – focused on improving everyday English skills
English for Academic Purposes – designed to teach students the formal English skills they need to enrol in an Australian university
English for IELTS Preparation – focused on helping students attain a specific IELTS grade

And thanks to the recent addition of English as an Additional Language, we’re now able to help students build their foundational English skills as well!

FREE English as an Additional Language classes

Whichever EAL course you choose, you’ll be eligible for subsidised training and education!

Victoria’s Skills First funding scheme offers government funded courses for a variety of different subjects – and that includes English as an Additional Language.

Learning an entirely new language can be stressful – luckily, for eligible students, at least they won’t have to worry about paying for tuition and materials on top of that!

Am I eligible for government funded courses in Victoria?

Click here to take our self-assessment.

What does English as an Additional Language mean?

English as an Additional Language (more commonly referred to as EAL) courses are all about one thing: basic English skills.

Our EAL courses are designed to help students build foundational English skills like reading, writing and listening which they can then use in their day-to-day life or to progress to a more advanced General English class.

The focus is on helping students with only very minimal English skills. After all, you need to have the basics before you can function in Australian society or enrol in a more advanced class and learn more mature skills.

How many people in Australia don’t speak English as their first language?

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 193,036 people in Australia in 2016 who reported not being able to speak English at all.

That’s a considerable number – and for many of them, they find it hard to enrol in classes since many assume that they already have a basic foundation.

It’s students like this that EAL classes are tailored for.

While it isn’t intended to help students with mastering English, it is an important first step in becoming more confident and fluent.

Is somebody you know a part of that 193,036 number? If so, you might like to let them know about this course!

What is an EAL pupil?

Each of our current classes is designed for students who already have basic English skills, and who need to:

Build more advanced knowledge
Develop specific English skills
Attain a job that requires a specific level of English fluency
Improve English in order to enrol in an Australian university

If you want to study English in Australia, then we have a course for you!

Of course, each of these students also has a certain basic knowledge of English already – what about students who don’t have those foundational skills?

EAL students are typically students who lack basic English reading, writing or speaking skills.

There are many reasons why this might be the case – while individuals who are studying English as a second language are a large part of them, there are others.

For example, some people who moved overseas when they were young may speak the language relatively comfortably, but may be unable to read or write due to a lack of formal English education in the country they moved to,

Whatever the reason, EAL students typically lack certain foundational skills, be it speaking, reading, and writing.

And that’s what our EAL courses in Melbourne and Brisbane are designed to help remedy.

How do you support pupils with English as an additional language?

While an EAL class can help build basic skills, as with any language, it’s important that students receive support and assistance from their friends.

That means you!

If you know someone who is learning English and developing their skills, there are many ways to help them:

Speaking slowly and clearly
Helping them with their coursework
Offering support
Helping them practice listening and speaking

What EAL classes do we offer?

As with our other English classes, our EAL classes are offered in streams, allowing students to choose a class that matches their fluency and skill level: EAL II or EAL III.

Both of these courses help develop basic conversational skills, teach reading and writing, and train your ability to listen and understand spoken English.

During your course, you’ll learn how to read and understand a range of different types of text, as well develop digital literacy and practice simple conversations.

It even includes classes on Australian culture and society to help students who come from overseas settle into their new home.

What other English courses do we offer?

If someone you know plans on moving on to bigger and better things, they may like to explore a more advanced course.

And our English school offers just that…

General English (GE)

Once the foundation is laid with EAL, General English can help develop those skills and improve speaking, writing and reading even further.

Students who enrol in this course will leave with better listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as a larger vocabulary that they can take into their day-to-day life.

Learn more about General English.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

The English used in Australian universities is much more complex – students will need to read reports and papers, write essays, understand lectures, present speeches and more.

This requires more advanced English skills – skills that English for Academic Purposes provides.

Learn more about English for Academic Purposes.

English for IELTS Preparation

IELTS is an internationally-recognised English test used by immigration authorities, universities and employers around the world to test English fluency.

If you need to attain a specific IELTS grade, English for IELTS Preparation focuses on getting you ready for your test, and helping you get the IELTS band you need.

Learn more about English for IELTS Preparation.

Enrol in Academia’s EAL classes today

Our medium-sized institution means that students will get the support of a larger institute, while also offering the one-on-one care that only a smaller one offers. It’s the best of both worlds!

Find out how we can help improve your English skills: