Here’s a great article written about our school! Thanks to our new teacher Melanie and her education column at examiner.com
Here is a link to the article at examiner. com
http://www.examiner.com/education-in-san-francisco/new-addition-the-best-places-for-esl-the-city-part-4
And here is the complete article below:
EC San Francisco
Here is the buzz on the newest, and coolest English school in San Francisco. EC San Francisco, is a beautiful new school located in the oh-so-convenient Financial District, and the latest addition to this long-time, respected group of international English schools.
Headquartered in Malta, EC San Francisco opened in May 2010, so the first anniversary is almost here. It is the 4th American location, joining the New York, Boston, and San Diego schools. International schools are located in England (4 schools), Malta, and Cape Town, South Africa.
Still family owned, the school has grown and morphed from its 1905 beginnings on Malta. For those who might say they had no idea, Malta has established itself as an English learning destination, and in 1991 the owners founded the European Centre of English Language Studies, the school’s original incarnation.
What makes EC different from other ESL schools is their college format design, to start. Classes are Monday-Wednesday-Friday, and Tuesday-Thursday, which emulates the typical college course schedule. The school is very focused on student oversight, and only tests every six weeks will allow student transfers to the next level, not simply teacher recommendation, as at some other schools.
According to Cindy Ochoa, the very competent and amiable Center Director, the classes and levels were developed by the EC team, but conform to the CEFR, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which is the guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages throughout Europe, and more and more, in other countries. The school also has ACCET accreditation, which is important to have.
The school’s General English morning program is supplemented by an array of afternoon elective classes, such as Business classes, including Academic Writing, and Presentation Skills, with more course titles to come. Also available are courses specifically for the Business English learner. A morning mini-group class, along with afternoon one-on-one private classes, maximize the intensive learning format.
A unique opportunity is also available at EC San Francisco: the Academic Year program. This is a focused, 6 to 9-month intensive English training designed to achieve a very high level of English proficiency. Meeting this goal gives a real advantage to students in their selected education or career. The school also offers TOEFL, FCE, and CAE preparation courses.
Contact: EC San Francisco, 100 Montgomery Street, 18th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104, 415.362.3300