Burma Study Abroad Website
English as a Second Language (ESL) Centers and Online Information
General
Information
How to evaluate
an ESL program
Selected ESL
Centers by Country
Useful Links
There are different types of English programs:
If you want to study English full-time, university programs are good because you can become familiar with the university environment. Some will be more geared toward teaching academic English and essay-writing skills. However, independent language institutes operating in city centers and other places may be cheaper and the starting dates more flexible.
If you are accepted into a university but are required to take ESL classes, you may be doing only ESL your first semester or year, or you may be taking one or two regular classes as well as ESL classes.
If you are working and want to improve your English, you make take evening or weekend ESL classes at private language institutes. You may also be able to find free classes, particularly through church groups.
How to evaluate an ESL program
How intensive is the program?
Will you learn as much as possible in the shortest time? (Generally, in an intensive program you should spend at least 20 to 25 hours each week in classroom instruction. This schedule includes time spent in the language laboratory.)
How big are the classes?
The smaller the better. There should be 12-15 students maximum in the class.
What is the program's focus?
Does the program teach a broad range of language skills? Do students learn to handle the academic challenges of a college or university? Or does the program simply prepare students for one limited goal: taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)? Is the program designed for students who will enter a specialized field, such as English for business, or English for science students? An intensive program should include some "content-based" instruction so students learn about other subjects while learning English.
Does the program teach study skills?
Will you learn how to take lecture notes, write term papers or research papers, take part in class discussion, and use a library? Are there opportunities to take or audit classes at a college or university?
What services does the program provide?
Is student housing available? If not, does the school help students find their own housing? Does the school arrange for contacts with local families and communities? Does the program offer an orientation program to acquaint you with your new town or city? Are trained counselors available?
What are the academic standards?
Are the faculty members trained as instructors, or are they merely part-time teachers (graduate students, or people who also hold other jobs)? Do they have overseas teaching and living experience?
What are the entrance requirements?
Reputable language schools usually ask entering students to take a test of their ability in English. The schools use the test results to estimate how much time each student will need to study English before he/she is qualified to enter a full-time academic program.
Do students come from many different countries?
It is better to study with people from many countries because this will encourage you to speak English.
After students complete the program, where do they attend college or university?
Are they admitted to the type of school you want to attend? Does the English institute provide admissions counseling for students when they apply to college or university?
How much does the program cost?
Good English training, like your college or university education, is an investment in your future. Be sure the program you choose has trained instructors and proper services and facilities.
Selected ESL Centers by Country
Burma/Myanmar
Bangladesh
India
Indonesia
Japan
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
There are many ESL schools in Yangon, which offer different levels of English and also TOEFL preparation. Try to find a school that includes academic English and critical analysis skills in its teaching. This will help you when you study abroad.
There is one ESL school that offers preparation for the SAT: KMD Computer School.
The British Council and USIS also offer English classes, and the British Council has some limited bursaries (reduction of course fees) which financially-needy students can apply for.
The American Center Rangoon conducts a small English program with highly qualified native speaker TESOL specialists. High school graduates with basic proficient in English may apply for the placement test. Semesters are three months, three times a year.
Cost
Courses at the British Council cost 90 FEC for 40 hours of class. Some bursaries (partial tuition wavers) are available.
Note: The British Council has a library with information on studying abroad and study materials for the IELTS and FCE. There are CD-Rom databases, reference books, and practice cassette tapes for the test. The educational officer can also provide you with information on studying in the UK and in ASEAN countries.
The American Center in Rangoon
American Center Rangoon
14 Tawwin Road
Dagon Township
RANGOON, Burma
Director: Ronald J. Post
Telephone: 95-1-223140/223106/221585
Fax: 95-1-221262
E-mail:
nhlrgn@pd.state.gov
The British Council in Rangoon and Mandalay
The British Council
78 Kanna Road
Yangon
Telephone: 254658, 256290, 256291
Fax: 245345
The British Council Resource
Centre and Examination Services
Building 6/7, SY Compound
30th Street (between 77th & 78th)
Mandalay
Telephone: (0)2 33904
The American Center
The American Center
U.S. Embassy, Dhaka
Road 27, House 110
Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fax: (880) (2) 8813440-4
Telephone: (880) (2) 9881677
E-mail: dhaka@pd.state.gov
Operating hours: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Sunday to Wednesday)
Note:
Although the American Center in Bangladesh does not provide regular ESl classes, it provides the following services for students seeking information about education opportunities in the United States:
- Individual advising sessions with the educational advisor from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Sunday to Wednesday.
- Pre-departure orientation programs to prepare students for their stay at American colleges and universities. Also individual orientation from the Advisor before departure.
- Test information and application bulletins for the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT and USMLE exams, and information on how to register and pay for the tests.
- Catalogs and CDs of colleges and universities in the United States.
- Academic reference materials and directories for undergraduate and graduate study; subject guides; test preparatory guides; video tapes, and other educational training programs.
- Video programs on U.S. higher education and college campuses, every Sunday and Monday at 3:00 PM.
- Financial aid directories.
The British Council
The British Council Teaching Centre
754B Satmasjid Road
Dhanmondi
Dhaka1205
Bangladesh
Telephone: 880 2 9116171
Fax: 880 2 816554
Email: DTO@TheBritishCouncil.net
The American Center
New Delhi
The American Center
24, Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 001
Phone: (11) 331-6841
Fax: (11) 332-7328
Operating Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (except holiddays)
E-Mail: newdelhi@usia.gov
Calcutta
38-A Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Calcutta
Phone: (33) 245-1211 to 1219
Fax: (33) 245-1616
Operating Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday (except holidays)
Chennai
Mount Road
Chennai
Phone: (44) 827-3040
Fax: (44) 826-3407
Operating Hours: 8:15 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday (except holidaays)
Mumbai
4, New Marine Lines
Churchgate
Mumbai
Phone: (22) 262-4590
Fax: (22) 262-4595
Operating Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday (except holidaays)
The British Council
British Council Division
16 Camac Street
Calcutta 700 071
Telephone: 91 33 282 5370
Fax: 91 33 282 4804
Email:
charmaine.bajaj@in.britishcouncil.org
British Council Division
17, Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 001
Telephone: 91 11 371 1401
Fax: 91 11371 0717
Email:
delhi.enquiry@in.britishcouncil.org
The American Indonesian Institute
Lembaga Indonesia Amerika (YAYASAN LIA)
Jl. Pengadegan Timur Raya No. 3
Pancoran, Jakarta 11770
Indonesia
Telephone: 62-021-7943526; 7980960
Fax: 62-0271-7947170
E-mail: info@lia.ac.id
The British Council in Jakarta
Sovie Soetjipto
ELS Marketing Officer
Email: course.enquiry@britishcouncil.or.id
Telephone: +62 (0)21 252 4115
Fax: +62 (0)21 252 4129
Note: On pre-departure English for Academic Purposes courses, learners normally attend class for 25 hours a week over a period of 17, 12 or 6 weeks.
The British Council
Tokyo
Telephone: (03) 3235-8011
Fax: (03) 3235-0049
Email: courses@britishcouncil.or.jp
IDP Education Australia Singapore
4th Level, Regional English Language Centre
30 Orange Grove Road
Tel: 65 732 6988
Fax: 65 737 1736
Email: info@singapore.idp.edu.au
The British Council
30 Napier Road
Singapore
Tel: 473 1111
Fax: 472 1010
Email:
english@britishcouncil.org.sg
Language Training & Testing Center (LTTC)
170 Hsin-hai Road, Sec. 2
TAIPEI, Taiwan 106
Board Chairman: Dr. Chen Wei-chao
Telephone: (886-2) 362-6385
Fax: 886/2-2362-2809
Email: gts@lttc.ntu.edu.tw
Students can contact Shona Kirkwood for information regarding English language training and university preparation courses:
Shona Kirkwood
PO Box 8,
Mae Ping Post Office,
Chiang Mai, 50301
Email: skirkw@ksc15.th.com
American University Alumni Language Center (AUALC)
179 Rajadamri
BANGKOK 10330, Thailand
Director: Captain Adul Pinsuvana
Telephone: (66-2) 252-8170
Fax: (66-2) 255-4632
American University Alumni Language Center
24 Rajdamnern Road
CHIANG MAI 50200, Thailand
Director: John Gunther
Telephone/Fax:(66-53) 211-973
IDP Education Australia
26th Floor, CP Tower
313 Silom Road
Bangkok, 10500
Tel: 66 2 231 0838/9
Fax: 66 2 2310530
Email: ielts@bangkok.idp.edu.au
Australia Centre: Chiang Mai
75 Soi Wat Padang, Suthep Road
Tambol Suthep, A
Muang Chiang Mai 50200
Tel: 66 53276269
Fax: 66 53810554
Email: austcent@loxinfo.co.th
The British Council
254 Chulalongkorn Soi 64
Siam Square, Phyathai Road
Bangkok10330
Pathumwan
Tel: 66 2 611 6830 / 652 5480-9
Fax: 66 2 253 5312
Email: bhongsakara.eiam-ong@britcoun.or.th
The British Council 198
Bumrunraj Road
Chiang Mai, 50000
Tel: 53 242 103
Fax: 53 244 781
Go to www.studyusa.com for a list of universities and independent language institutes with intensive English programs.
Note: the tuition cost is often around $2000 for a 12 week program with 20-25 hours a week of class time.
You can search for ESL programs by city or state in the United States.
Dave's ESL cafe is a place for you to practice and improve your English. It includes discussion forums, lists of idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang, and a help center through which you can e-mail and ESL teacher with questions about the English language for free. It also has links to online English courses.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/
Titled "Interesting Things for ESL Students", this site provides word games, puzzles, quizzes, American English slangs, proverbs, lessons on grammar and pronunciation plus much more in a fun way.
http://www.patsula.com/esltown/lessons/
This site has fun activities for learning English phrases. Listening and reading comprehension lessons are integrated.
You can learn a new phrasal verb everyday and you can take an online test to find out your strength and weaknesses. Mini lessons are presented every three days on this site.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/
This site contains a very large collection of self-study quizzes and activities for ESL students.
This is a great site for both ESL teachers and students. It covers various topics, starting from Business English to sports.
http://www.stuff.co.uk/wicked.htm
This site provides interesting language activities for grammar and listening comprehension. Some of the activities on these pages need plug-ins or recent browsers.
http://www.english-at-home.com/
http://www.CollegesintheUSA.com provides international students with the information they need to know about studying in the USA including a searchable database of academic programs, English language tests, and information on what to expect when students arrive in the USA. This multilingual site also allows students to search and view profiles in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and from 2007, Russian.
http://www.learn-english.co.il
It's a free, on-line educational resource for ESL and EFL students to learn English words. It has 40 topics with 1,500 words and phrases. When you click on the word, you can hear the word spoken.
http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/
Learn English with Pictures is a free, online, resource to learn English words in a fun way. The site has over 400 words and photographs ranging from animals to kitchen appliances.
The interface is simple and both kids and adults who are learning
English will find this educational website entertaining and useful.