Our Teachers

Our teachers are experienced in modern teaching methods. Their lessons are very practical. Our small class size means that students improve their speaking and communication skills quickly. Each student will receive personal attention for any special needs.

Our Students

Our students are from all over the world, including the following countries:

Japan, Switzerland, Korea, Thailand, New Caledonia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Taiwan, Russia, Tahiti, Vietnam, China, Germany, Italy, Spain , Chile, and the Czech Republic.

The ratio of nationalities varies according to the time of year, but generally our classes have a good mix.

Our students ages range from 14 to 70. The average age is 22. Younger students are welcome in groups.

Counselling Staff

We have counsellors available who are native speakers of Japanese, Swiss German, Vietnamese, Korean, French, Mandarin, Thai, Portuguese, Arabic and Spanish. They are happy to help students when they have a problem.

About our Language Classes

Class Information

You can start school on any Monday

General English Full Time: 9.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 2.00pm Friday

General English Part Time: 9.00am to 12.00pm Monday to Friday

On the first morning we interview you and give you a short written test, but don't panic - the test is not difficult, it is just to tell us your English level. After the test we put you into a suitable class. The teacher will check you during the morning class, to make sure that the level is OK for you. If you need to go up or down a level, your teacher will tell you.

Daily Timetable

• 9:00 - Warm up
• 9:10 - Grammar/Vocabulary Development
• 9:50 - Conversation/Pronunciation
• 10:40 - Morning Tea/Social Conversation
• 11:00 - Listening/Speaking
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 13:00 - Conversation skills/fluency activities, out of class study, exam preparation, activity programme
• 13:55 - Break - this time may be changed to suit teachers lesson
• 14:05 - As above, 1.00pm continued
• 15:00 - Class finish

The Classroom & Lesson Content

Our teachers are professionals, they have a lot of teaching experience and they work hard to make lessons interesting and useful for you. Our lessons are based on communication, and cover all areas of English - Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Grammar, and Pronunciation.

The Crown way – five reasons to choose Crown

• English PLUS and EnglishPRO: Choose from 18 different general or premium English language options. Combine options for a study path that is just right for you. Change options during your course for more variety and enjoyment.

• Take home more than just English language skills. Earn university credits, or train for a career in business, hospitality or travel and tourism at Crown. New courses begin regularly, and you can transfer your English fees to any other Crown course.

• Join the Crown family: Make new friends … and keep them. With our great resources and many course options, Crown attracts more long-term students. And our great nationality mix means that you will meet people from around the world.

• A school for adults: Crown has no children … and no study tours. Our minimum age is 18 years, and all of our students enrol as individuals, just like you.

• Personal and academic advice at any time: Our team of native-speaking student counsellors will look after  you from your first day in New Zealand.

Southern Lakes English College offers a wide variety of top quality English language courses, including General English, International Examinations, many English plus courses ranging form English plus skiing/snowboarding (June- Oct) to Engllish plus adventure and many others the rest of the year, Group holiday camps and more.

Our staff are well-qualified, experienced and caring. We pride ourselves on our supportive 'family' atmosphere where students make lifetime friendships as they study, play sport and have fun together.

On their first day, students students are given a placement test, so we can ensure that they are placed into the most appropriate class. 


At a glance