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Agent viewpoint
'We decided to represent [the school] because of its reliability and the warm atmosphere at the school. All the staff and the host families are reliable and welcoming to our students. Our clients mainly take the short-term vacation course. They generally enjoy the afternoon activities and camping, and being close to the sea and nature. Some of [our younger clients] were homesick once but the school staff and host families did their best to comfort them. I really appreciated the way they [dealt with the situation].'
Yuki Kuroda, ECC International, Japan
'We have been sending students to New Horizon for about two years now. The school offers a very high quality of courses and teaching materials. It has qualified and professional teachers, and warm and helpful staff. The atmosphere at the school is like one big family. The location is nice and the history of the town is very interesting. The host families are well chosen, the weather is great, and there are good possibilities for travelling around to see the natural beauty of New Zealand. New Horizon is one of my favourite schools because of its great staff. [If I have any queries] I always have an answer the next day, which is great.'
Katerina Vojtkova, Student Agency, Czech Republic
'I have been working with New Horizon for four years, and send them about 20 to 30 students per year. They are generally at beginner's level. The students say that the teachers are good, and they enjoy the friendliness of the people and the good weather.'
Monika Peduzzi, Independent Agent, Switzerland
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New Horizon College of English in the seaside city of Napier, New Zealand, is the subject of In focus this issue. Principal Christine Schmidli answers our questions, while some of the institution's overseas agents share their impressions of the school.
Year established: 1988
School location: small city
Top student nationalities: Japanese, 20%; Korean, 15%; Czech Republic, 15%; Russia, 10%; Thai, 10%; Swiss, 10%
Min. student age: 14
Min. length of course: two weeks
School's facilities: library, students' room, café, computer room, games room with table tennis and billiards, outside balconies and garden area
Total no. of language students at the school at any one time: 65
Max. class size: 10
Transfer time from airport to school: one hour from Napier airport
Accommodation: host family, shared apartment, guesthouse, youth hostel, backpacker hotel, motel
Max. travel time from accommodation to school: 20 minutes by bicycle
Two-week lang. course (with full-board host family accom.): NZ$950 (US$386)
Contact details: New Horizon College of English, PO Box 66, Napier, New Zealand. Tel: +64 6835 6423; Fax: +64 6835 6523;
Email: office:@nhce.ac.nz
Q: Why was New Horizon College of English established?
A: To offer an alternative destination for English language students who enjoy a smaller, quieter, beautiful city with friendly welcoming people.
Q: How was the school set up?
A: New Horizon College of English was set up by three women from Napier all involved in teaching and welfare services. It was registered with the Ministry of Education in 1989 in response to the increasing number of foreign students wanting to study English in Napier. With a combination of great staff and host families, we quickly outgrew our first two school buildings and moved to our current building in 1999.
Q: What is the philosophy behind your school?
A: To provide English language education that nurtures the whole student by giving them a full language and cultural experience in a caring environment.
Q: What has been the most rewarding moment in the school's history?
A: The recent optimum numbers of students achieving passes in Ielts, Cambridge Advanced and First Certificate [exams], especially people in their 40's and 50's, who study so hard and achieve so much. A personal highlight for me was meeting past Swiss students in a mountain chalet in central Switzerland for a big party in June 2001. Some of the students had studied with us [as far back as] 1996 and it was fantastic meeting them all again.
Q: Please give an example of a student problem you have encountered and tell us how you dealt with it.
A: Most students at our school are on student visas so attendance is strictly monitored. One young 15-year-old student didn't come to school on time for two to three days and always blamed the bus company when he arrived. Then one day he didn't attend afternoon lessons. When we rang his host family, his host mother said she thought he was only a morning student. We explained the situation to her and then our office assistant went and picked him up and brought him back to school. Since then he has had excellent attendance and a good attitude to study.
Q: How do you see your school devel- oping in the future?
A: Our current central location, overlooking the beach and city, suits us well, and we plan to build on [our] strengths and advantages to ensure we are seen as one of the best private English language providers in the country.
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