Student intake into Royal International College is every Monday, and one school session is four weeks in duration. At Royal International College, each session begins on the Mondays (or occasional Tuesdays) listed in our SESSION CALENDAR. A student may begin on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Monday of a school session, however, they may be placed in an ongoing class.

A) REGULAR PROGRAMS

ENGLISH COMMUNICATION CLASSES

The communication program at Royal International College provides students with the opportunity to learn and improve their English speaking skills in a comfortable and effective learning environment. The curriculum focuses on speaking and listening skills through a strongly student centered interactive approach.

ACADEMIC PREPARATION CLASSES

The Academic program at Royal International College provides international students with the skills and knowledge needed to continue their education in North America at a secondary or post secondary institution. This program emphasizes accuracy of language production as well as fluency. Research techniques, essay writing, oral presentations, reading analyses, debate forums and more, provide students with the necessary tools and know-how to succeed in a North American high school, college or university. Skills developed in this program include building vocabulary and improving grammar. Attention is also given to learning how to do research for essays, as well as writing essays and reports. Students also participate in regular class discussion. Through these activities students become acquainted with the skills required to enter into further studies at a Canadian high school, college, or university.

TEST PREPARATION CLASSES (TOEFL AND TOEIC)

Students prepare by examining sample tests and develop excellent study strategies for writing a high scoring TOEFL or TOEIC test through rigorous mock trial sittings. Students study all skill aspects of their respective tests, including listening comprehension, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and speaking.

Students are required to have a score of 550-600 on the TOEFL test to enter most colleges and universities in North America.

COMPUTER EDUCATION

Royal International College offers students a special opportunity to enhance their English skills while working with current computer software programs. The variety of computer classes offered prepares students for today's job market. Classes include office applications demanded by today's companies as well as advanced computer skills, such as exploring the Internet, for tomorrow's needs.

BUSINESS ENGLISH PROGRAM

Topics range from effective Curriculum Vitae composition, interview skills, and telephone conversation, to North American workplace etiquette, co-worker/management relations, and entrepreneurial strategies for the International marketplace. *Business English is open to intermediate students and up.

B) SPECIALTY PROGRAMS

ENGLISH PLUS

Students can study English while enjoying the activities and sites around Vancouver. The mornings are spent studying in the classroom from 9:00am to 12:00pm while afternoons feature tours, cultural activities and sporting events. This offers students a great opportunity to use the English they learn in the classroom in practical situations, such as asking directions, where they are required to speak English.

a)Summer English Plus Activities
The daily afternoon summer activities are recreational and/or cultural activities that will make the most of the beautiful Vancouver summers. Sample activities include small excursions to nearby islands where students can picnic and hike, visits to museums or theatures, cycling, and much more!

b) Winter English Plus Activities
The winter activities include 1/2 day sessions of skiing or snowboarding at either Mount Seymour or Grouse Mountain, ice skating, or attending museums or theatre productions. The ski and snowboarding activities include lessons, lift tickets, and equipment rentals, three afternoons per week.

PARENT WITH CHILDREN CLASSES

The Parent with Children program is set up so that parents attend regular English classes in the morning while their children attend their own English classes with a special ESL teacher. Both the parents and children spend the afternoons together touring Vancouver and the surrounding area with a tour guide. The tours include downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park and the Aquarium, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Science World and the Omnimax Theatre, Grouse Mountain, Bowen Island, Kitsilano Beach, and Chinatown. This is a unique and rewarding program for parents and children alike.

EXECUTIVE NETWORKING PROGRAM

Integral to the program is the network component; meet executives in your field, build bridges, and establish the kinds of contacts you will need to enter the Canadian Marketplace. This program is designed with the busy executive in mind, incorporating the maximum amount of content into an intensive two-week info-packed seminar.

By focusing on practical essentials, executives are prepared quickly and effectively to enter the North American business world. NAFTA, trade laws, tax regulations, trade-marks and copyrights, globalization of the market, and much more, are all looked at in terms of jump-starting the international entrepreneur's or corporate executive's next venture.

CFIE (CERTIFICATE FOR FOREIGN INSTRUCTORS OF ENGLISH)

This program is specially designed for those who want to teach English to students in their own countries. (Note: This program requires an intermediate to advanced level of English proficiency.)

The CFIE offers 3 levels of accreditation. This is an intensive program requiring considerable out-of-class work and commitment.

WORK & STUDY PRACTICUMS

This is an excellent opportunity for career oriented student to learn English specifically related to their work or study backgrounds. The first component is in-class, followed after 6 weeks to 18 weeks by an equally long practicum component.

KID'S PROGRAM

Children are creative and energetic and need to express themselves in dynamic ways. The kinds of creative play children do in our Kid's Program can help them develop self-esteem and leadershiop skills, while in an immersive English environment.

An important goal for us at Royal International College is that each child meet new friends and further develop their social skills -- and learn English at the same time!

WORKSHOPS

Students choose from a whole array of electives as diverse, varied, and individual as the international student population RIC is so proud to host.

Workshops are designed to meet two distinct criteria:

1) To hone-in on the specific areas of weakness a students might be experiencing, be it grammar, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and idioms, listening comprehension, flow and accuracy, or fluency and rhythm.
By departing somewhat from the general (w)holistic learning approach during these "clinic sessions", teachers and students are able to focus on a persistent problem area and address it specifically, quickly, and effectively.

2) To create a context for learning tailored to the everyday needs and interests of the students. This differs from the core RIC curriculum in the degree to which the course is able to do this: each workshop has as its theme a very narrow and specific focus. Students enrolling in a particular workshop understand the intensity and preciseness with which each topic will be tackled, and enroll each Friday accordingly.