Ho, Thi Diem Phoung – Vietnam

Ozford College is located in the heart of Melbourne city, recognised as the most liveable city in the world. Being located in the centre of the city, students have many educational facilities, sporting facilities and entertainment venues at their doorstep.

Ozford College has been fitted with the most modern furnishings and fittings using state of the art design. The library has a wide range of essential texts and the ELICOS students have class sets of text books to use free of charge. Ozford College also has common areas, where students can get to know one another and study amongst themselves.

Students can travel to Australia on a Student Visa or Working Holiday Visa. Students on a Student Visa have strict rules and must comply with the following.

• Must have an attendance level of 80%
• Must notify the college of change of address
• Must meet the course requirements set
• Are not permitted to work unless you have applied for permission to do so.

Australia is very safe, with a low crime rate, political stability and a harmonious society. The incidence of robbery and assault is relatively low and Australia has strict anti-gun and drug laws. A peaceful country, Australia has never had a civil war. The government is democratically elected, and is not ruled by the military nor based on religion. Melbourne, capital city of Victoria is the arts centre of Australia, and people are drawn to historical grand old buildings, fantastic dining and an abundance of arts events. Melbourne has an exciting multicultural society with a history of both European and Asian immigrants.

The Melbourne weather can be unpredictable at times but isn't as humid as many other cities of Australia. The temperature ranges from 18-35°C between November to April and 7-18°C May to October.

All of Ozford College's classes are small where teachers can provide attention to the academic need of each student. The Ozford College High School has an average class size of 15-20 students and the English Language Centre 10-15 students per class.

At Ozford College we have the latest computers and state-of-the-art technology such as high speed Internet connections. Students are able to access these computers outside their classes and are able to type and communicate in a vast number of languages. Each student is also issued with their own password to enable them to access their individual webmail account from anywhere in the world.

All of our teachers are highly qualified and experienced in their field. At Ozford you will find our teachers are caring, interesting and friendly. Ozford teachers are dedicated to helping students succeed in their academic and personal aspirations. At Ozford learning has never been more enjoyable.

Melbourne is inexpensive compared to other cities in Australia. It costs about $50- $60 per week for public transport and lunches. If you are planning to live independently, you can find shared accommodation from $80- $130 per week; or rent a one bedroom flat for $160-$250 per week.

Homestay usually costs $200 to $250 per week including accommodation, meals and utility bills except for phone bills. Please allow a minimum of AUD $12, 000 per annum for living costs.

Our student welfare officer will ensure students are placed in suitable accommodation to meet their individual requirements. If a student wishes to stay with homestay accommodation we have a high standard selection process of homestay families and match families to the individual student, to ensure students are both safe and happy with their homestay.

Ozford College offers a wide range of support to help students reach their full academic potential. This includes providing free tutorial classes for each subject, individual tutorial support when required, study skills support and two additional English classes per week outside of the scheduled High School timetable.

Due to the central location of Ozford College students can use a wide range of public transport including trains, trams and buses. These services drop students to the College.

Students under 18 must live in accommodation that is approved by the school and complies with DIAC regulations. This means that students under 18 must live in a home stay approved by Ozford College or with relatives or someone aged at least 21 nominated by the parent. If the student requires guardianship Ozford College will arrange this at no additional cost.

It can be difficult to make friends in a new place so Ozford College organises a range of activities throughout the year to help students make more friends and get to know classmates better. There are fortnightly sporting activities, a school camp, school formal and regular excursions to many places in and around Melbourne.

On your first day you will have an orientation to the school and get to meet your teachers. This orientation also includes familiarising yourself with living and studying in Melbourne. Students are made aware of the social and cultural issues associated with living in Melbourne and shown how to do things that are often strange and different a new country like banking and sending mail.

Ozford College understands that it is not easy to study and live in another country so we offer a wide range of support to all our students. We pride ourselves on our small and tight community with bi-lingual staff and close relationship between students and staff where students feel comfortable approaching staff about any problems they have.

High School and English language students are allocated into small student Home Groups with a teacher they meet with regularly who understands each individual student providing counselling when needed. There is also a full time Student Welfare Coordinator to take of any problems students might have and to also provide student counselling.

In addition to this Ozford College also has a strong relationship with external welfare support agencies and offers a 24 hour emergency help line to all students.

Ozford College conducts regular university information seminars on campus where many different university come to discuss study options and courses with students. Ozford College also offers individual advice to each student about selecting subjects, university courses and career paths that they are most suited to.