Sven OBERMAIER and Mandy STEPHAN

This German couple were planning to settle in Christchurch. To become a bit more familar with English again they were looking for morning class courses for two to four weeks and maybe afternoon face-to-face lessons with a private teacher.

Staff at the school were soon "tickled pink" to hear that the couple had chosen Canterbury Language College over 6 other "candidates" in Christchurch. Sven and Mandy said that this school's proposal was not the cheapest option, but it matched their requirements in every way. These students both also appreciated extra information available from staff about support programmes available to migrants to New Zealand.

Because of some circumstances Mandy and Sven were arriving in Christchurch on Monday morning, so they appreciated the school's flexibility in allowing them to start their course the next day, Tuesday - rather than waiting until the week after. In additon, they were glad to minimise the administration required - by submitting their IELTS test result sheets, the school was able to place them in suitable classes without making them sit further placement tests.

Furthermore, as they had been in Christchurch twice for some days on an earlier visit, Sven and Mandy knew some basics of the city such as buildings, institutions and public transport. So they were able to skip the City Orientation and get straight down to business with a part-time General English class (mornings) and an hour of One-to-One English each afternoon.

Sven explained that "Germans are like that - we expect to have everything exactly as agreed!" In the event, they extended their courses and their homestay several times - the proof that they were more than satisfied with their teachers and the college, which Mandy and Sven found friendlier, because smaller, than the Auckland language school where they had studied before.

"Here, the teachers and staff take the time not only to help with language, but also to help the students get settled in New Zealand".