Tag: English Courses in the USA

Andrea’s Testimonial: “Speak English with everybody, all the time!”

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Andrea is an Italian student who recently took English courses at EC San Francisco. Though he was only able to take classes for a week, he made the most of his time at EC SF, participating in the Business for English group and attending several student activities. We wish he had more time to spend with us before he had to return back home! Before he left, however, we asked him to share a few thoughts about the time he spent at EC SF and the advantages of taking English courses in San Francisco. When asked about what his favorite thing was about EC San Francisco, he said that “it’s a very fun community.” He decided to attend EC SF because he found out about the school on the internet and decided that he “would like to improve my English level.” And so even though he only had a short amount of take classes, he decided to do it anyway. Andrea said that his favorite memory of San Francisco was the opportunity he had to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. And what advice would he give to a student who has decided to take English courses in San Francisco and attend EC San Francisco? “Speak English with everybody” he said, “all the time!” It was so nice getting a chance to meet you Andrea, and best of luck with your future studies and entrepreneurial endeavors!

Discover San Francisco on the ‘Hood Walk with Gifford!

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Every week EC San Francisco students get the opportunity to take their English practice out of the classroom and into the streets of beautiful San Francisco by going on the ‘Hood Walk, a student activity led by teacher Gifford. Gifford and the students walk around a different neighborhood each week to visit notable landmarks, sites of historical interest, as well as places that students might want to return to and enjoy on their own time! Last week Gifford and the students explored the Mission District. The Mission is San Francisco’s oldest neighborhood, but in recent years has become one of the trendiest spots in the city. Within the last few years new restaurants, bars, shops, and galleries have opened up, making it a popular place to hang out. Traditionally home to San Francisco’s large Latino community, The Mission is known for its many delicious Latin food restaurants (enjoy Mexican, Nicaraguan, Salvadorenian, Guatemalan, Chilean, and many other national cuisines–even gluten-free Latin-inspired food!), music venues, theaters and performance spaces, as well as iconic historical landmarks such Mission Dolores and Dolores Park. The Mission is well known for its art scene, and there are many murals to be found throughout the neighborhood. A walking tour is the perfect way to view the neighborhood’s vibrant street art, and students on last week’s walk got to see the famous murals on the Women’s Building on 18th Street: The ‘Hood Walk with Gifford takes place every week on Wednesdays–make sure to sign up at the Front Desk, and start discovering San Francisco! [Thank you to Student Ambassador Genie for all of the great photos.] … Find out more about EC San Francisco and how to take English courses in the USA!

Meet the EC SF Staff: Florent, our Residence Coordinator

Category: EC San Francisco, Meet the EC SF Staff / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Meet Florent, the Residence and Student Services Coordinator here at EC San Francisco! Florent joined the EC SF team in April, and is in charge of coordinating student stays at the Monastery Student Residence and several other student residence facilities around San Francisco. Florent brings to his position a passion for creating learning and cultural experiences for students, as he believes that attending EC SF should be more than just taking English courses in the USA, but a potentially transformative life experience as well. As someone who has studied and worked in different places all over the world, he is particularly invested in EC’s commitment to helping students succeed in a global community. One way he has done this is by leading the group for EC SF Working Professionals, a place for adult students to connect and support their learning of English for professional use. Here are a few questions we asked Florent to get to know a little bit more about him and his position at EC SF. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born and raised in Aix en Provence in the South of France. I moved then to Toulouse, in the South West, to pursue a Master degree in Management. From the first year on, I got involved in a newly created student organization dedicated to welcoming international students to our school, similar to the Ambassador Program we have here at EC. This was an amazing experience, both personally and professionally. During the program, I got the chance to be an international student myself during a semester abroad in Victoria, BC, Canada. I also interned in Oxford in the UK, Valparaiso in Chile and now in San Francisco. Students can certainly ask me about culture shock, because I experienced it many times too! I learned a lot about myself through all of these experiences, although it … Read more

An update from Laura, the best intern an English school could have!

Category: EC San Francisco, Meet the EC SF Staff / Tags: , , , , , ,

For four months, every person that walked in the front doors at EC San Francisco was greeted by Laura, our amazing summer intern. Laura was here for an internship for her university located in Grenoble, France. She did an amazing job running the front desk, making sure everything ran smoothly at all times and always managing to do so with a smile. She also had the ability to finding the humor in even the most stressful situations.  All English schools should be so lucky as to have an intern like Laura: EC SF hasn’t been the same since she left us at the end of August, and we miss her very, very much! … Now that Laura has been back home in France for several weeks, we asked for an update on how she is doing, and to share what she most enjoyed about her EC experience, and if she experienced any culture shock upon returning back to France. Tell us a little bit about yourself: My name is Laura. I am a French student, and I am doing a Masters [degree] in Supply Chain Management. I live in Grenoble with a lovely-useless-fat-lazy cat. I have grown up with three amazing brothers. I am really curious in my everyday life, and I am passionate about discovering new culture and people. What was your position at EC San Francisco? And how long were you here for? I was an Intern. I was Student Services Counselor at the Front Desk, and I was there for 4 wonderful months. What is your favorite memory of EC San Francisco? I have so many good memories at EC SF that it is very hard for me to chose one. I would say maybe Monday mornings. I remember that everyone came with a big smile and a huge motivation, no matter how many new … Read more