Is Cairns English a school or academy?
Are Cairns English teachers qualified?How many students are in my group?
Do I have to share a room with someone else?
What does your fee of $350 pay for?
What does your fee of $455 pay for?
Do I have to cook my own meals?
Are you more expensive than other schools?
Do you teach exam preparation classes?
Do you teach business English?
Do you teach speaking classes?
Do you teach general English classes?
Do you teach a lot of grammar?
How much must I pay in advance?
Do you give me homework to do?
Why is Clifton Beach better than a school in the city?
Can I stay at your home after my course finishes?
What if I damage things in your home?
Are Cairns people friendly to foreigners?
Will I see many kangaroos and koalas in the wild?
I hear there are many dangerous crocodiles near Cairns, is this true?
Will I learn British English or American English?
Will we go on activities out of school during our course?
Is Cairns English a school?
We are the same as a language school but smaller. We are two qualified and experienced teachers that have worked for many schools around the world. We teach you using methods we have used working for other schools but we do not have to follow their rules. If students don't want a lot of grammar then we will not teach a lot. If you want more speaking then we will do more speaking. So we are not a normal 'school', we are a home school.top of page - home
Are Cairns English teachers qualified?
Yes Paul and Olga are both qualified and experienced language teachers with experience in Russia, China and Australia. Paul has a University of Cambridge CELTA for teaching English as a second language and Olga has 2 degrees in linguistics. top of page - home
How many students are in my group?
We only ever accept a maximum of 6 students at a time. We have 3 twin share student bedrooms. The most students that will ever be in your group is 6. top of page - home
Do I have to share a room with someone else?
We offer two types of packages. If you pay $350 you will be sharing a room with another student. However, if you pay $455 a week you will have your own private room. top of page - home
What does your fee of $350 pay for?
When you pay $350 a week you will get twin share accommodation in a fully furnished room, 15 hours of lessons a week, free internet and free use of a bicycle. Your food is not paid for and you must buy your own food and prepare your own meals. top of page - home
What does your fee of $455 pay for?
If you pay $455 a week you will get your own private room, 15 hours of lessons a week, free internet and free use of a bicycle. Your meals are not included and you will have to buy your own food. top of page - home
Do I have to cook my own meals?
Yes you must cook your own meals. Of course you will have other students to cook with. At times we will all cook and eat together but mostly you will be cooking your own meals and buying your own food. top of page - home
Are you more expensive than other schools?
No we are not more expensive. If you count all costs we are much cheaper than other schools. Most schools charge around $250-$300 a week for lessons. You will be in a class of about 14-18 students. Other schools will charge you an enrolement fee of about $150-$200 and an accommodation placement fee of about $200 and maybe another $80 for material fees. You may have to catch a bus to school and may have to pay up to $30 a week in bus fares. Your accommodation will be from $80 a week in a share house up to $240 a week for homestay.
Our charge is $350 a week twin share or $455 a week for a private room. We do not charge enrolment fees, accommodation placement fees or material fees. And, you will not need to pay for bus fares to class. top of page - home
Do you teach exam preparation classes?
Yes we teach IELTS preparation classes with a maximum of 6 students. We always welcome 1-to-1 students and can offer any course they want to do. Please check the price list for details. top of page - home
Do you teach business English?
Yes we are very happy to teach business English but we must have a minimum of 4 students enrolling to do a course. We always welcome 1-to-1 students and can offer any course they want to do. Please check price lists for details. top of page - home
Do you teach speaking classes?
We offer very good speaking improvement classes. These classes are designed to improve your speaking. listening, vocabulary and pronunciation skills. We do very little grammar in these courses. top of page - home
Do you teach general English classes?
Olga and I are experienced teachers and we have both taught all levels in general English. We offer pre-intermediate to intermediate general English classes. We will do other levels for a minimum of 4 students and of course we always accept 1-to-1 students. Please check the price list for details. top of page - home
Do you teach a lot of grammar?
We only teach a lot of grammar if you ask for it or we believe you need it. If we believe you need to practice more speaking and listening than grammar then we will do very little grammar. top of page - home
How much must I pay in advance?
Other schools ask for all your course fees in advance. We are happy to accept your fees monthly in advance. This gives you freedom of movement knowing you are only paying monthly in advance. top of page - home
Do you give me homework to do?
Homework is your choice. We are happy to set you homework any time you want it. Or if you prefer not doing homework that is ok too. However, we recommend to all our students to read for homework as this will help improve your vocabulary. top of page - home
Will I have to do many tests?
We do not believe in using your time for tests. We only have 6 students at a time and we know each student personally. Your testing is done continuously by us when we speak and listen to you. top of page - home
What levels do you offer?
We are highly experienced teachers and can teach any level of student. However as we are a small school and only have the one group we teach a level that is suitable for pre-intermediate to intermediate students. top of page - home
Why is Clifton Beach better than a school in the city?
We have lived in many parts of Australia and the world. We live at Clifton Beach simply because it is the nicest place we have found to live. The beach is a few minute walk from our home and there are several bars and restaurants along the beach at Palm Cove. There is also a bus stop very close for those times you want to go into the city. top of page - home
Can I stay at your home after my course finishes?
We offer our accommodation and courses at a weekly rate of $350 per person twin share or $455 per week single accommodation. This includes 15 hours of study each week and your accommodation each week. We do not have restrictions like other school that you must start on a Monday, you may start any day of the week with us. Our rate is always the same, $350 a week or $455 a week, whether it starts on Wednesday and ends Sunday or starts Sunday and ends Wednesday. If you are on the $350 a week rate the daily rate is $50 a day or if you are on the $455 rate it is $65 a day. top of page - home
What if I damage things in your home?
We understand that accidents happen and we are not going to make you pay for a broken glass or plate etc. However, if you break something because you have been drinking or handling things in the home you should not be touching, such as ornaments etc then we would expect you to replace the item. But we are understanding people and we are sure problems like that wouldn't happen. top of page - home
Will I be safe in Cairns?
Like most cities in the world there are places you should avoid late at night. But generally speaking Cairns is safer than other countries and cities that offer English lessons.
We are located 22kms north of Cairns city and it is extremely unlikely you would have safety problems near our home. Friday and Saturday night in the city is the most common time for any problems, mainly due to alcohol consumption. top of page - home
Are Cairns people friendly to foreigners?
Cairns is a tourist city. There are only 140,000 permanent residents, however we receive approximately 4,000,000 tourists a year. Of those 3,000,000 are Australians and 1,000,000 are foreigners. Asian tourists make up a large proportion of the international visitors.
Cairns exists because of tourism and for that reason and because 25% of our tourists are foreigners, you will find the people here very friendly and want to enjoy themselves as much as you do. top of page - home
What is Cairns weather like?
Cairns is in the tropics and for that reason we don't really have a winter. The average temperature in our cooler months (March to November) is normally about 28oC, with night time temperature rarely going below about 14oC. In our warmer months (December to February) it is normally about 32oC during the day and about 28oC at night and humid. top of page - home
Will I see many kangaroos and koalas in the wild?
Koalas are very difficult to find in nature and are best seen at Cairns zoo. You can have your photo taken holding a koala for about $15. However, we have many wallabies (small kangaroos) that live naturally and within a couple minutes walk of our home. top of page - home
I hear there are many dangerous crocodiles near Cairns, is this true?
Yes there are crocodiles living in and near Cairns. It is rare to see them near the city or beaches but it can happen. Crocodiles are only dangerous if you are not careful. There will be signs at rivers and beaches if there is a crocodile in the area. If you see a sign warning you not to swim, then don't swim! These signs are in 10 languages including Japanese and Korean.top of page - home
Will I learn British English or American English?
Australia mainly uses British English, however as we are situated between USA and Britain we tend to have a full understanding of both. I am British by birth and teach British English but Olga and I will also point out American English when necessary. top of page - home
Will we go on activities out of school during our course?
This will depend on all students at the time. We enjoy doing field trips but all students must agree. top of page - home
If you have any questions you would like answered please don't hesitate to contact us. We want you to know everything you need to know before coming to Cairns. Contact us here