Good news, EC Montreal students!  EC has purchased a printer for you to use in Room 2.  You can feel free to use it to print your boarding passes, event tickets and class presentations! A reminder that room 2 is available for you to use anytime Tuesday to Friday as a study lab and homework room.  It is set up with 10 computers and now a printer! Please remember EC’s mission to stay as green as possible, so no wasteful printing please!   Enjoy the computer lab and let us know if you have any other suggestions to make your time here more productive and enjoyable! Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!

Yesterday was Montreal’s 375th Birthday and one of the highlights of the day was the illumination of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.  The bridge is an iconic symbol of Montreal and reminds us that Montreal is an island and the bridges connect us to the world!  There are spectacular views of the bridge from Old Montreal and the Old Port at the Clock Tower Beach. EC Montreal students gathered in Old Montreal to participate in this event!  It was a beautiful warm evening in Montreal!  It felt like the entire city was having a party and the world was invited!  Everyone was so excited to see the bridge light up! The light show was accompanied by a symphony orchestra live performance.  The audience was surprised by the fireworks that lit up the sky above the bridge. The students managed to take amazing pictures that they generously shared with us! Happy Birthday, once again, to our magical Montreal!   Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!

Yesterday was Montreal’s Birthday!  Our magical city turned 375 years old!  There were festivities all around the city and EC Montreal was no exception! We decorated the student lounge with balloons and banners and served Birthday cake and sparkling cider to our students.  We also had a giant Birthday card for everyone to write their greeting to a city they now call home! All the students were so excited to take part in the festivities!  They posed proudly with the Birthday card and balloons!   We all sang Happy Birthday to Montreal in both English and French and then toasted the city! It was so nice to hear all our students talk about how much they love Montreal and how they feel at home here!  This always makes us so happy and proud!   Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!  

Today is Montreal’s Birthday!  EC Montreal is throwing a huge Birthday bash for this magical city!  We will be serving cake and champagne in the student lounge and later this evening, we will be taking our students to the illumination of the Jacque Cartier bridge show!  It doesn’t take long for our students to fall in love with our city and to call it their home!   There are festivities all over the island of Montreal.  All the church bells rang their bells at the same time this morning and there was a special celebration at the Notre Dame Basilica.  Montreal’s mayor, Denis Coderre, as well as Quebec’s premier, Philippe Couillard and our beloved Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau were there to honor Montreal! We are so proud to share Justin Trudeau’s statement with all of you: “Three hundred and seventy-five years ago today, French colonists led by Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, and Jeanne Mance established the fur trade settlement of Ville-Marie. Centuries later, we celebrate this major anniversary for the diverse and thriving Montréal we know today. “The fourth largest Francophone city in the world, Montréal is a hallmark of the central role Canada’s Francophone community has played, and continues to play, in building our country. We honour the foundational contributions the French-speaking community has made to Canada, and we celebrate Montréal as a dynamic economic and cultural hub. “We also recognize the Indigenous People who originally inhabited this island and knew it by its Indigenous name, Hochelaga. Thanks in great part to its Francophone and Indigenous roots, Montréal represents the best of Canada’s openness, diversity, and inclusiveness. Today, Montréal is home to people from all over the world who speak different languages, practice different religions, and represent different cultures. This diversity sets the city apart as … Read more

Bonjour and welcome to EC Montreal! I am Elisa and we are all looking forward to meeting you. To make the most of your time in this magical city, here are a few things you just must see and do while you live and learn English and French in Montreal!   Montreal has become the gastronomy capital of North America.  We encourage you to devour all the flavours and savours of Montreal!  Discover the different neighborhoods through the various food tours.  Little Italy, Old Montreal, Chinatown and the Mile End are among the many quarters to visit. One of my favorite spots in Montreal is Mount-Royal.  Mount-Royal park is located at the centre of the island of Montreal.  We call it the heartbeat of the city.  It was designed by the same person who designed central park in New York – Olmstead.  No matter the season, the park is a must-see.  It offers a panoramic view of the city and has the most spectacular nature trails.  As the weather warms up, it is the ideal spot for picnicking and sunbathing.  Every Sunday, the mountain hosts the tam-tams, an impressive drum circle. The tam-tams showcase the bohemian nature of our city.  Thirdly, nothing will make you feel more like a Montrealer than attending an outdoor concert or Festival.  No matter the season, Montreal is hosting a festival.  The Jazz Festival has to be my favorite!  It feels like the entire city is having a party and the world is invited!   Montreal has something for everyone. The only thing missing is you!  A bientot!   Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!

Do you want to learn how to prepare yourself for a job interview? Come to participate in our English or French for Work Workshops! This special lesson is one of many free academic activities offered at EC Montreal and part of the Academic Year experience. If you plan to study French or English at EC Montreal, you will be able to practice French and English through participating in the free afternoon academic activities. Whether it is a Lecture, a movie afternoon or a French/ English for work preparation clinic – all these activities will allow you to improve your language additionally to your courses. And the best thing is: we offer them for free!   Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!

1.  The weather Montreal has lovely weather during the summer months.  We have hot and sunny days perfect for picnicking and sunbathing! 2.  The outdoor festivals Montreal is host to so many festivals including one of the largest jazz festivals in the world!  In addition, we have the Just For Laughs comedy festival as well as Les Francofolies that welcomes enormous crowds! 3.  The food Montreal has become the gastronomy capital of North America.  We have over 6000 restaurants on the island of Montreal.  If you are a foodie, you will fall in love with all the savors and flavors of Montreal!  You can frequent eateries owned by some of the most famous celebrity chefs – Jaime Oliver and Chuck Hughes to name a few. In addition, Montreal offers so many gastronomy sessions and food tours in various neighborhoods.   4.  Six Flags Amusement Park Montreal’s amusement park is a six flags park.  It has one of the biggest roller coasters in North America and so many different rides.  The park is set on the south shore off the island of Montreal and offers a spectacular view of the city. 5.  Mount-Royal Park Mount-Royal park is a mountain located right in the centre of the island of Montreal.  It offers the most spectacular view of the city from the peak.  It has beautiful nature trails and a man-made lake called Beaver lake where you can go boating.  Mount-Royal park is the perfect spot to picnic and hang out with friends. 6.  Parc Jean-Drapeau Beach As Montreal is an island, we are surrounded by water.  We have the St. Lawrence river on one side and the rivière de prairies on the other.  In the summertime, the city has a beach on the man-made island of Isle Saint-Helene.  The Parc Jean-Drapeau beach … Read more

This little piece of information might just be the bridge that connects generations because it may be interesting for both teens and their parents! So, if you are a teenager aged 13 to 17 or the parent of a teenager and you are looking for an educational and exciting summer camp this year, search no more, you are in the right place! EC Montreal offers a summer programme that caters to your teenager’s language learning needs from July 3 to August 11. The programme combines language courses, either English or French in the morning with interesting activities in the afternoon.  These activities are considered active learning.  The students are fully immersed in English or French while exploring the city! The programme gives the teens an excellent opportunity to improve their English or French skills. At the same time the wide range of activities that are offered in the afternoon- from sports to museums and sightseeing make learning fun & easy! It is an opportunity to meet teens from so many different countries and to make a lot of friends. Discovering a lot of interesting places that Montreal has to offer is also part of this language adventure! In addition, EC Montreal organizes a variety of evening activities and weekend excursions.  Students will have a chance to discover neighboring cities like Ottawa, Quebec, Mont-Tremblant and the famous St-Sauveur waterpark, while being supervised by our dynamic and dedicated Young Learners staff. Montreal is the ideal city to offer a language camp to teens!  It is safe, clean, fun and diverse! We hope you will decide to send your teens to study English in Canada with EC Montreal!  Your children will be in very good hands at EC!   Follow the link if you are interested in taking English or French Courses in Montreal!

  When you arrive in Canada to participate in a language programme, you have many adjustments to make. Some of the biggest differences are: food, social customs, schedules, and language. It is normal to experience Culture Shock. Here is some information to help you through this challenging, but exciting time. There are usually 4 stages of Culture Shock. Everyone spends different amounts of time in each stage. The honeymoon stage: Differences are interesting. You feel excited and curious. The shock stage: The differences begin to affect you. You may feel confused, unconfident or lonely. Frustration and anger can also be a result of Culture Shock. You may start to dislike or be annoyed by some of the differences you see in Canadian culture. The negotiation stage: You learn to deal with the problems of cultural difference. You begin to see the similarities to your culture and you start to accept the differences. Acceptance: You can live well in your new environment. When experiencing culture shock, you may demonstrate many, some or none of these symptoms: feeling angry, being lonely, feeling like you want to be alone, extreme homesickness, overeating or loss of appetite, boredom, sleepiness, headaches, stomach aches and inexplicable crying. When dealing with culture shock it is important to be patient and understanding with yourself. The first thing to tell yourself is that it’s normal! Be kind to yourself and understand that you will feel better as you learn and adjust to living in Canada! Some suggestions to dealing with culture shock are:   Keeping Active: Don’t stay in your room, get out and experience Canadian culture first-hand. Spend time with your homestay family or friends. Get involved in EC’s Activities programme. Watch and learn how Canadian customs are practiced. Talk!: Talk to your homestay family, other students and EC’s office staff. Ask questions! … Read more

Looking for a family vacation this summer?  Look no further.  EC Montreal can offer your family an adventure of a lifetime.  We offer programmes for Young Learners and adults.  Are your children between the ages of 13 and 17?  If so, EC Montreal’s Young Learner’s programme is ideal. The programme combines language instruction with a fun & dynamic activities programme.  The activities are all age appropriate and showcase everything our city has to offer during the summer!  The activities are considered active learning.  Students have a chance to practice their English and French skills outside the classroom.  The activities range from sports, cultural, tourist attractions and workshops.  Some of the workshops we have planned this summer are circus school, singing lessons, art lessons, self-defence class and acting lessons. Three evenings a week, EC Montreal organizes outings for our young students.  Again, these activities are age appropriate and supervised.  The evening activities include movie nights, group dinners and festival outings. If you are traveling with your teens, you can make your own plans during the evening with your spouse – how about a romantic dinner or a cruise along the Saint-Lawrence river?  You can plan these outings guilt-free as your children will be off having a marvelous time with EC, making friends and most importantly under the watchful eye of our activity leaders. The parents can participate in EC Montreal’s General English or French, Semi-Intensive or Intensive programmes.  We also offer IELTS, DELF and Business Electives should you wish to focus on key areas. In regards to accommodation, we strongly recommend Trylon apartments.  They are furnished apartments located walking distance to both the EC Montreal main campus and Dawson College, where the Young Learners Programme is run.  Your family can have all the comforts of home right in the city centre … Read more