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Canada Feedback
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With Western European numbers falling, Canadian schools appear to be attracting a greater number of students from the Middle East. Meanwhile, students are increasingly turning to agents when it comes to finding out about a new school.
Canada Feedback at a glance
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Total number of students: (female 99, male 82, unknown 12) 193
Average age in years: 23
Average length of programme in weeks: 15.5
Average number of students in class: 11
Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 24
% of students who found out about their course through an agent: 62
% of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 59
% of students who had been on another language programme: 33
% of students who would recommend their school: 97
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| Respondents by world region of origin |
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Top nationalities |
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1. Asia 52%
2. S America 16%
3. Middle East 11%
4. W Europe 7%
5. C & E Europe 3%
6. Africa 2%
No reply 9%
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1. Korean 29%
2. Chinese 10%
3. Japanese 9%
3. Saudi Arabian 9%
5. Brazilian 7%
6. Mexican 4%
6. Swiss 4%
6. Venezuelan 4%
9. German 2%
9. Taiwanese 2%
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| In my class there are... |
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How easy is it to practise your language skills with native speakers? |
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1. The right amount of students (38%)
2. Too many students who speak my language (24%)
3. Too many students from one other country (23%)
Too many students from (14%)
No reply 1%
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1. Quite hard (43%)
2. Quite easy (38%)
3. Very easy (10%)
4. Very hard (9%)
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| How did you find your programme? |
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Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
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1. Recommended by an agent (62%)
2. Recommended by a friend/relative (18%)
3. I found it on the Internet (14%)
4. I saw it advertised (4%)
No reply 2%
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Yes (59%)
No (34%)
Unknown (7%)
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Student reasons for school selection included:
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“Because the publicity on the Internet was good”
“Prestige – small number of students per group”
“They have different kinds of classes, the nationality balance is pretty good”
“I heard the school has strict classes and teaching skill is good”
“It had an interesting English programme”
“It was the only one that offered a professional internship”
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| Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study? |
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Country
Yes (80%)
No (16%)
Unknown (4%)
City/town
Yes (67%)
No (28%)
Unknown (5%)
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School
Yes (39%)
No (55%)
Unknown (6%)
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Student nationality
According to this month’s Feedback survey on Canada, Asia continues to dominate the English language teaching market. Korean students are the most numerous, up 15 percentage points to 29 per cent this year, followed by Chinese with 10 per cent and Japanese with a nine per cent share. However, it should be noted that 67 per cent of the Korean sample attended the same school, while 70 per cent of all Chinese respondents attended one other institute. If omitted entirely, the Chinese contingent drops down into eighth place, while the Koreans share the top spot with the Japanese. Latin American numbers also fell a little flat this year, down 13 percentage points to 16 per cent, however, Brazilian (seven per cent) and Venezuelan (four per cent) student numbers remained consistent with last year’s results (see LTM, December 2009, pages 30-31). Lost market share was gobbled up by the Middle East (11 per cent compared with three per cent), who leap-frogged Western Europe to become the third largest region of origin.
Student motivation
Over half (54 per cent) of all respondents were university students. The next most numerous occupation cited was “business professional” with a 10 per cent market share. Student respondents were typically aged between 16 and 44 with a vast majority falling into the 19-to-24 age category. Average student age was therefore relatively young, 23.3 years compared with 24.9 years previously. A greater proportion (47 per cent) of respondents said they were presently using English for their studies, while 31 per cent said they were using English at work and a further 12 per cent said that they were using it for both.
Student enrolment
According to our survey, advice given by educational advisers or agents was key to the decision making process; 62 per cent first found out about their school via this means, compared with 41 per cent in 2009. Recommendations from family and friends were less important, down 13 percentage points to 18 per cent and only 14 per cent found their school by browsing the web. Overall, 59 per cent of respondents booked following the advice of an agent (up from 50 per cent previously). Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian and Mexican students were among the most likely to act upon agent advice received.
Standard of the schools
On average, there were 11 students per class – with class sizes ranging from three to 23. Respondents were not necessarily content with class demographics, however, with 14 per cent agreeing there were were too many students present, 24 per cent agreeing there were too many students who spoke the same language and 23 per cent who thought there too many students from one other country. Chinese and Korean students were the most likely to share this opinion. Just 38 per cent thought that their school had the right balance in terms of numbers and nationalities, compared with 48 per cent previously.
Living in Canada
The average cost of a one-week course, including accommodation, was estimated to be CAN$491 (US$432), slightly more than the CAN$439 (US$409) recorded last year. Seventy-one per cent found living costs to be much higher than at home, a majority of whom were either Korean, Chinese, Brazilian or Saudi Arabian in origin.
Thank you to the following schools for participating in our survey: Vanwest College, Vancouver, BC; Saint Mary’s University Tesl Centre, Halifax, NS; Geos Language Academy, Calgary, AB; Geos Language Academy, Ottawa, ON; Geos Language Academy, Montreal, QC; LSC Language Studies Canada, various; International Language School of Canada (ILSC), Vancouver, BC; East Coast School of Languages, Halifax, NS; Ashton College, Vancouver, BC; Global Village, Vancouver, BC; Vancouver English Centre, Vancouver, BC; Langara College, Vancouver, BC; Berlitz, Vancouver, BC; University of British Columbia, English Language Institute, Vancouver, BC; Global Village, Calgary, AB; St George International College, Toronto, ON; College Platon, Montreal, QC; ELS Language Centers, Vancouver, BC; University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, Toronto, ON; Sprott Shaw International Language College, Vancouver, BC.
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Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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