ENGLISH SCHOOLS - NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand has earned a reputation of being one of the best places in the world to study English as a second language.

Over the years a number of Brazilians have asked me to help them organize their trips to study in New Zealand. Although I have sent students to various schools throughout the country, today I focus on two schools in particular. For those who are interested in studying in a big city I recommend ICL Business School in Auckland and for those who prefer a small town environment, I recommend New Horizon College of English in Napier (less than an hour’s flight from Auckland).

During my last trip to New Zealand in September 2015 I visited both schools. Below is a short report about my visit to New Horizon.

Visit to New Horizon College of English, Napier, New Zealand

I had come to Napier to see how my wife’s cousin was getting on at the English school I had helped him organize. Gustavo is a Brazilian engineer, (my wife is Brazilian. I have lived permanently there for the last twenty years).  When Gustavo had told me that he was thinking of travelling to New Zealand to study English and asked me to recommend a good school, I suggested he went to New Horizon in Napier as in the past some of my Brazilian English students had studied there and had had a great experience. I made contact with New Horizon on Gustavo’s behalf and with little bureaucracy, was able to organize a general English course for him.

As I still had half an hour before meeting Gustavo, I decided to have a walk in the vicinity of New Horizon. I began in the gardens less than two minutes’ walk from the school.

The Public Library is located across the street from the New Horizon,

and in front of the school there is a small square which has coffee shops and other interesting places to eat.

In front of New Horizon, I met some foreign students sitting on a bench in the sun. When I inquired after Gustavo, they directed me upstairs to the reception area.

Justine from the reception told me that Gustavo had still not arrived yet and invited me to wait for him in the student’s recreation area.

As I drank a cup of tea, I began to talk to some of the students there. Everyone I met was very friendly and were adoring their time in Napier.

When Gustavo finally arrived, he appeared to be much more relaxed than when I had put him on an airplane for Napier two weeks previously. He was enjoying himself in New Zealand and was anxious to tell me about his studies and the trip to a farm New Horizon had organized the week before.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Soon after it was time for him to head off for class. I briefly met his teacher and his class colleagues.     

Since I have returned to Brazil, Gustavo has been in regular contact with me. He has been taking the opportunity to see as much of NZ as possible. Last weekend for example he flew with some of his school colleagues to Queenstown in the South Island. He is progressing well in his studies, likes his homestay family and enjoying the cross-cultural experience he is having. He has also informed me he had just extended his stay at New Horizon.

 (For more information about New Horizon, see: http://www.nhce.ac.nz)
(For information about ICL Business School see:  http://www.icl.ac.nz/