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Preparation Course

Our preparation course is a fun and informative crash course in New Zealand life and culture – and a great way to make new friends. It’s a five-day orientation course that’s open to all students in our high school programme.

As well as helping with any ‘culture shock’ you may experience, the course helps you to feel okay about being away from your family before school starts. You’ll get to know other students at your school or in your area, as well as your native language support person.

How it works

Each morning students practice their English in a classroom setting, covering things like ‘Kiwi slang’, what to expect in a New Zealand high school, and how to communicate with your host family.

A host of fantastic activities fill the afternoons, such as visits to a local Maori marae (meeting house) and harbour cruises. Tour company presentations will introduce you to some of the world-class tourism attractions you can experience while you’re here.

Course benefits for students

We have found that students who take this course often settle better into their host families and schools. We’ll spend time making sure any students who are home sick or have other problems are well supported before they have to deal with a new school and lessons in English.

Course dates

Courses are held in the last week of the school holidays. Preparation courses are held in Wellington in January, April, July and October, and Auckland in January and July. The Wellington course is for students studying in the lower North Island or South Island, and the Auckland course is for those studying in New Plymouth, Taupo, Whakatane, Tauranga, Auckland etc.

Check out a sample Auckland itinerary (PDF 255KB)

Check out a sample Wellington itinerary (PDF 295KB)

What our students say about the Preparation course

  • Letzte Woche, vom 09.07 bis zum 13.07 hat unsere Vorbereitungswoche statt gefunden. Mitten in Auckland, in einer der Städte die niemals schlafen. Es war zwar alles neu, aber auch total aufregend und spannend zu gleich.

    Letzte Woche, vom 09.07 bis zum 13.07 hat unsere Vorbereitungswoche statt gefunden. Mitten in Auckland, in einer der Städte die niemals schlafen. Es war zwar alles neu, aber auch total aufregend und spannend zu gleich. In der Woche haben wir eingies über die Menschen in Neuseeland, den Slang und typisch neuseeländisches Essen gelernt. Aber natürlich haben wir nicht nur im Klassenzimmer gesessen sonder haben auch vieles gesehen, wie den Skytower, die Insel Rangitoto und Mission bay, wo ich die bisher beste Pizza gegessen habe. Ich kann nicht glauben, dass die Woche so schnell vorbei ging und wir ao viel in dieser kurzen Zeit erlebt haben. Vieles was wir in Deutschland nie gesehen hätten. Also bedanke ich mich bei allen die diese Woche so einzig artig gemacht haben und zu etwas ganz besonderem, dass immer in meinem Gedächtnis bleiben wird.

    Translation:

    Last week from 09/07 to 13/07 we took part in the Preparation Week in the centre of Auckland one of these cities that never sleep. Despite it being all new to us we had an exciting time. During the week we learned a lot about people in New Zealand, about the slang here and about typical New Zealand food. But of course we did not just stay in the class room – we went out and saw a lot of the place like the Skytower, Rangitoto Island and Mission Bay where I had the best pizza ever. I can’t believe how quickly this week passed by and how much we experienced in such a short time. Something we would have never done had we stayed in Germany. Thus I would like to say thanks to all the people who made this week such a unique experience – something special which I will always remember.

    Anna L – Germany.

    Read full testimonial

    Anna L – Germany.

  • Mir hat die prep week sehr gut gefallen, da wir viel gelernt haben was uns für unseren Schulaufenhalt in Neuseeland weiterhelfen wird…

    “Mir hat die prep week sehr gut gefallen, da wir viel gelernt haben was uns für unseren Schulaufenhalt in Neuseeland weiterhelfen wird. Wie diese typisch neuseeländischen Wörter. [...]..auch haben mir die Nachmittags Excursionen sehr gut gefallen. Sie waren abwechslungsreich und interessant [...] ..”

    Translation:

    “I really liked the Prep Week in Wellington because we learned a lot about things that might help us during our time at a New Zealand school – like typical New Zealand words and phrases.[...] I loved the afternoon excursions, too. They were diverse and interesting [...]“

    Maeva K – Germany.

    Read full testimonial

    Maeva K – Germany.

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