Quality teachers for quality outcomes

For over 35 years, AEAS has supported international school aged students as they prepare to study abroad.

Our School Preparation Course, introduced in 2012, aims to prepare students for the teaching and learning styles of English medium classrooms, so that they are ready, both from a language and a study skill perspective, to join mainstream classes in their destination country.

In 2019 we introduced our Test Preparation Course in response to growing demand from students wishing to undertake an official, AEAS endorsed preparation program in readiness for their AEAS Test. In contrast to many other test preparation courses available, the AEAS Official Test Preparation Course also focuses on ongoing development and improvement of English language skills, rather than just rote learning.

Designed by qualified teachers and language development experts, AEAS Preparation Courses incorporate feedback and experiences from many of the Australian and international schools with whom we partner. AEAS works with almost 80% of CRICOS registered schools in Australia, and our more recent affiliations and partnerships with schools in other English speaking countries, and international schools where English is not the native language, give us a thorough understanding of the most successful pathway for international students to transition into these schools.

What is the difference between the School Preparation Course and the Official Test Preparation Course?

The AEAS School Preparation Course is designed to assist students to make a successful and smooth transition into life and learning in English medium schools, irrespective of whether they are in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, USA or an international school in a country where English is not the primary language. By undertaking the School Preparation Course, students will acquire English language skills while also developing independent study and organisational skills that will enable them to take personal responsibility for improving their English language skills and in the long term succeed in an English speaking education system.

The Official AEAS Test Preparation Course is designed to actively develop English language ability across the skills of reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, listening and speaking. An important element of this course is to teach students the skills necessary to successfully prepare for any test or exam. It familiarises students with the structure of the AEAS test, with test taking, review and feedback of each of the five components of the English language test.

How does AEAS ensure the quality of its Preparation Courses delivered by partners?

As is the case with all of our Test Administrators, our course providers and their teachers are subject to rigorous and regular quality assurance processes, to ensure they are delivering the curriculum as it is designed, so that students can make optimal progress.

Not everyone can become an AEAS course teacher! In fact, there are quite a number of hurdles for course providers to navigate before they can nominate their teachers. This ensures that students are receiving the most authentic experience possible when undertaking an AEAS course.

Generally speaking, AEAS course teachers must be native English speakers or have equivalent language skills. They will have a Bachelor’s degree in teaching or education from an Australian or western university, as well as a recognised ESL, TESOL or CELTA qualification. In addition, our School Preparation Course teachers must also have significant experience teaching school age students in an Australian, English medium or western school, and should be a registered teacher in Australia or other English speaking country.

Training for a Preparation Course teacher consists of a comprehensive briefing about AEAS and all of our services. This is followed by a detailed study of the Test Preparation Course and its individual modules for Years 7-9 and Years 10-12; and the modules for Years 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 for the School Preparation Course.

Hands-on activities are an integral part of the training for course teachers. This includes taking a mock class so that AEAS trainers can observe a candidate’s teaching behaviours and compatibility with the course curricula, as well as allowing them to demonstrate their ability to teach at a variety of levels.

Upon completion of the AEAS teacher training, successful candidates are issued with a certificate of completion for each course.

Our Manager of Testing Services, Jane Lang who herself holds a Master of Education and a Graduate Diploma of Educational Administration, is responsible for course teacher training at AEAS. Jane has extensive experience working in education and her most recent role prior to AEAS was as Junior School Principal at Korowa Anglican Girls’ School in Melbourne. She recently trained our newest preparation course teacher, Mr Con Zois (pictured above) from the Australian Institute of Language (AIL) in Melbourne.

Con is an experienced teacher with over 34 years teaching in both government and independent schools in Victoria. He has held senior leadership positions in schools and is currently teaching Year 12 Legal Studies at Ivanhoe Grammar School in Melbourne. Con holds a Master of Education degree, a Diploma of TESOL and a Bachelor of Economics degree.

We’re very pleased to let you know that Con passed the teacher training course with flying colours. When asked about the AEAS teacher training program he said:

“The training course was handled very efficiently and I feel extremely comfortable in teaching the courses, given the extensive resources and audio videos available. I am looking forward to teaching my first students!”

If you’re interested in finding out more about AEAS Preparation Courses, please click here.

Our Preparation Courses are available through local partners in major cities around the world. They are currently available in three locations in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast), seven in China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Nanjing, Shanghai and Shenzhen), as well as in Hong Kong SAR. Students outside of these locations are also able to access our preparation courses online via our course partners in Melbourne (Australian Institute of Language) and Sydney (International House).