New Zealand is becoming more and more popular as a destination for English students nowadays. Why do people like studying English in New Zealand so much, though?
- Convenient for Asian students. New Zealand is only 10 hours away from Tokyo or Hong Kong by plane. It’s even closer for students from Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, too. This makes it more convenient to study English in New Zealand than in the U.K. or U.S.
- High Standards. New Zealand has great universities such as the University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, and the University of Wellington. It also has a lot of dedicated language schools. Studying English in New Zealand can help you get the academic qualifications and practical skills you need to move your career forward.
- Beautiful Scenery. Lots of famous films were shot in New Zealand and the beautiful, diverse scenery will amaze you during your time there. Make sure you take your hiking boots and your camera with you so that you can make the most of the great outdoors when you are not busy studying English!
- Great place to retire. Many people choose to retire to New Zealand to enjoy the natural environment and great standard of living New Zealand has to offer. Living in an English-speaking country is the perfect way to build English fluency, too.
Main English Centres:
Most of the major English schools are located in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch. Most people studying English in New Zealand choose to stay in one of those cities because all the big-name English schools have a presence there and there are lots of other great independent schools, too.
Here is a link to a site with a really detailed list of all the English language schools in New Zealand.
Guide books:
As usual, the Lonely Planet New Zealand (Country Guide)
The Rough Guide to New Zealand 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Good points about studying English in New Zealand:
- convenient for Asian students
- high academic quality
- great if you like outdoor pursuits
Not-so-good points about studying English in New Zealand:
- cities don’t have as many famous sites and museums as some other English learning centres such as London or New York
Today’s image is by Robert MacDonald.
This is part of my Travel Thursdays series.