Testimonials

Great! Energizing! Outstanding! Super! That's how I would describe my TESL course at GEOS. I've loved this course. I cannot believe how much I've learnt in 4 weeks. The teaching method is very hands-on and practical. We have been learning by doing - it's been vibrant, interesting, empowering and fun. Through Diane's skilled tutelage we have become confident and capable teachers. This is a wonderful communication course - I've learnt how to teach English and so much more!

I love GEOS, I love Victoria and the people, and I’m delighted to be here. I have been at GEOS for three months and I’ve improved my English skills a lot thanks to my teachers; they are really good and always so helpful. GEOS has various activities every Friday, and I can practice my English skills through these fun activities as well. I’ve met many people of other countries, we’ve had fun time and it’s how we can learn and improve this language. This is one of the best ways to learn English.

 

I love GEOS, I love Victoria and the people, and I’m delighted to be here. I have been at GEOS for three months and I’ve improved my English skills a lot thanks to my teachers; they are really good and always so helpful. GEOS has various activities every Friday, and I can practice my English skills through these fun activities as well. I’ve met many people of other countries, we’ve had fun time and it’s how we can learn and improve this language. This is one of the best ways to learn English.

I'm extremely surprised that I can write down these sentences.
Actually, when I just came to Victoria, I was so nervous and confused because I couldn't communicate in English very well.
Also, I had a terrible grammar skill. However, everything has been changed after I started to study at GEOS.
I remember my first day at GEOS; I was not saying anything because I was a little bit shy, but others talked to me first, soon we became good friends.
In addition, all teachers in GEOS give courage to every student.
The one thing I like the most about GEOS is their 'ENGLISH-ONLY RULES'.
Consequently I could improve my English skills a lot in a month.
I think, GEOS has everything such as good friends, good teachers, and good system of studying.
I've been having a good time and I believe that I’ll have a great experience at GEOS for the rest of time.

TESL course

 

The four week long TESL Couse offered by GEOS provided me with all the methods and techniques to become an effective and skilled English teacher. The lectures coupled with lively class discussions and practical lesson planning exercises were the perfect combination and right mix. Our teacher was consistently well prepared with excellent lectures while providing great insight from her years of ESL experience. And she delivered her lectures with greatest flair and a sense of humor! The mix of Canadian and Asians students in my class was wonderful; we learnt so much from each other about English teaching and language learning. The GEOS staff members were always helpful, peasant and accommodating.

 

I am truly glad that I have taken the TESL course and I found the GEOS learning experience enjoyable, fun and enriching. Thanks to my teacher Diane and all the GEOS staff for a job well done. I discovered that teaching English is not as easy as I imagined. However armed with your TESL course diploma, I am now confident, eager and ready to head overseas to Asia as an ESL teacher! I look forward to the challenge.

I love studying here at GEOS because the teachers and the students are very friendly and kind. It is very comfortable to study here. Since I came here I have been studying very hard, so my host family told me that my English is much better since I came here and I can feel my improvements. I like the "English Only Policy". Of course it is stressful sometimes because I cannot explain what I want to say exactly but I know that even though I cannot express my idea quickly and correctly, thinking and speaking only English make my English skills strong.

 

I joined Halloween Events at GEOS. I made a Jack O’ Lantern and won the first prize. The following week I won the first prize at the costume contest. They were very exciting events and I was so happy that I got 2 first prizes.

My agent recommended GEOS to me because their reputation is very high and they offer a good environment to the students. I think it is very true. GEOS is great school. The teachers, staff and classmates are very friendly and nice. I think that my classmates are more friendly and nicer than other international schools. My English skills have improved a lot since I came here in February. Through presentations and group work, the teachers made me speak a lot so I was able to improve my speaking skills as well as listening skills. While preparing presentations and for the next day’s class. I checked all vocabulary. It was time consuming but it helped me to build my vocabulary.

 

I am very happy that I study here. Thank you.

At GEOS I have been studying 'how to teach English as a second language' - TESL Course.

 

I would like to thank the teacher for being an inspiring, passionate and supportive teacher. She has gently guided me and my class mates through each stage of the course and made the lessons informative, fun and wanting to return back for more.

 

The staff at GEOS are kind, friendly, supportive and there to give advice if and when needed.

 

The students at GEOS are treated with kindness, gentleness and respect. I know this, because I am a home stay host and the students that stay with me look forward to going to GEOS each morning and return excited with what they have learnt during the day.

 

So I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you ALL at GEOS.

I was overwhelmed when I started the class because suddenly my world became all English. However thanks to my teachers and classmates, I was able to speak English eventually. When I had difficulty with using English, they always helped me and gave me some tip. My speaking was very slow but they listened to me very carefully with smile.

 

I am very happy that I made a lot of friends here and many classmates in here were interested in Japanese culture. Every school activities such as class and Friday activities made my school life more fun. Canadian school is very different from Japanese so it was great experience for me.

I came here to improve my English skills because I need it for my business and for traveling around the world. I am very sure that this was a good decision to come to GEOS. I am glad that I can talk to everybody because everyone at GEOS is very friendly, kind and nice. I still have difficulty to catch up with the class because I do not know some vocabulary and also grammar is tough sometimes. However I have been getting used to thinking and speaking English since I came here. I can feel my improvement. I also would like to talk about my homestay family. GEOS placed me in a very nice family and the host showed me how to get to the school and go back to the house. That was very helpful and I was able to start my school life without any problems. Thank you so much.

I came to Victoria because I wanted to travel and study. Victoria is a beautiful town; trees, flowers, mountains and ocean. The scenery is more beautiful than Taiwan which I like the most. My teacher is very friendly and funny. She always makes us laugh by telling lots of interesting stories. My classmates are also friendly. It is interesting to know their daily life like foods and fashion. Some cultures are very similar to me but some are totally different from mine. GEOS placed me a very nice homestay family. They have a child who is the same age as me. It was a lot of fun to spend time with him. We often played video games and went swimming. It was very funny because although we had a language problem, it didn’t matter for us. We were able to understand each other naturally. Here at GEOS I made wonderful friends and a brother. This is the best summer vacation ever!

What I like the most at GEOS is the friendly teachers and their teaching styles. They give us a lot of speaking and listening activities. Teachers give us several conversation topics, so I had to study not only new vocabularies but also the knowledge of the topics. Thanks to them I improve my skills day by day. Now I am taking a full time IELTS course because I need it to go to a university in Canada. IELTS is challenging for me. However, because I had taken the regular ESL class and studied basic English for a while, the basic English skills helps me how to succeed in IELTS. I am happy to meet friends of all different nationalities. Especially two Japanese friends, who were very kind to me. I appreciate it. I also want to say thank you to the manager of GEOS. He is always friendly and helpful.

It has already been 4 weeks since I came here. I cannot believe how fast it has passed. The first week it was hard to get used to this school life because everything was new and I got a lot of homework and tests. I always asked my host mother for help when I didn't understand something at school or my homework. She is very kind and always willing to help me. I appreciate it. It was great time to spend with them and to get to know Canadian life. Here you can study with many people from different countries. This precious moment that I studied with students my grand children's ages gave me some new ideas for my life. I believe this experience makes my life more meaningful. I appreciate the Japanese staff. I was only allowed to speak Japanese in the office which made me relax and get rid of the pressure from using only English. I know it is no meaning of using own language because we came to study English here; however, I needed to refresh my mind. Thanks to the staff I refreshed and was able to study with a clear mind. In the class, I was confused how to catch the teacher's instructions at first. However, I learned a lot though it was a very short time study. I still don't understand some so I will review little by little when I go back to Japan and I would like to use what I learned as much as I can. I have no idea what to express, it was such a wonderful experience and I really appreciate the teachers, classmates and the staff. Thank you so much.

I really love GEOS. I love the teachers, friends, staff, my class, homestay and activities. I love everything! I just started studying a month and half ago and will study until next January. I am thinking to go to University in Canada so I am studying very hard to improve my English skills as much as possible. One of my weak points is grammar; however, I have already improved a lot because the teacher always tells us the reason why it is wrong. My classmates always help me with my homework and answer my questions. That’s also helping to improve my skills a lot. I appreciate them.

 

I’ve made a lot of friends here. Especially I often hang out with Korean students. They took me to a Korean restaurant and I took them to a Thai restaurant. It was fun to share our culture and the best way to know each other! I had a very good time with them. I am having a great experience in GEOS now. Thank you so much!

Victoria is a safe place and has beautiful weather as well as good neighbours and people. I chose to study at GEOS because I read positive comments about GEOS so I’m studying here and so happy to be here. I will study for 36-weeks.You will like it here because the teachers are very funny, nice and have great teaching experiences and tolerance. I am going to go to University in Canada thus I will take the IELTS full time course. I am really looking forward to taking it. GEOS and I are waiting for you to join us!

I came here on a Holiday Group Study Tour. This is my first time studying abroad. I missed my home sometimes but my great experience at GEOS swept away all my negative feelings. This is because GEOS staff and teachers are friendly and the city of Victoria is very comfortable place to live and People are very kind. They made me comfortable. I did a lot of activities; Kayaking and Horse back riding was very fun. I had never done such an exciting activity. It was like I was really in Canada. It was a special moment for me.

 

I am studying Fine Arts at my University. I use a lot of English books thus English is essential to understand the History of Arts. It was only a month stay here but obviously my English is much better than before I came here. I am glad I can understand my major more deeply.

I came to Canada because I like to know new people and culture and also I like nature. The students at GEOS are very gentle and mature. It is comfortable to study English. When I started studying here, I answered only Yes or No but now I can speak as much as I want to. I am happy I was able to improve my English skills. In the class, I had a lot of activities so I never get bored. I really enjoyed studying English here. Debates and discussions helped to improve my speaking skills. It is often said that for Japanese people grammar and vocabulary skills are better than speaking. The problem is the same as mine; I had a difficulty with speaking. Through those two activities I tried not to hesitate but to speak a lot. Eventually I was able to speak more fluently. I also had to introduce my culture so it was good to know about Japan more deeply.
I am going to find a job using English. I am sure this great experience will help a lot for my future. Thank you!

I came here on Holiday Group Study Tour. I made a lot of friends here. One of the Arabic students invited me to her house and we had a nice time together dancing, chatting about our family and so on. It was very fun and good to know each other and the other culture. At school, I loved one of the activities called "Direction". We got a partner and found objects following the directions. Here in GEOS you can study English through a lot of activities. It didn't feel like I was studying so I was able to learn and improve my English skills with joy. I had a great summer vacation here.

My studies in the GEOS TESL course will soon finish. I joined this course one week later than my classmates, but managed to catch up with them thanks to their warm-hearted assistance. I am an English teacher in Japan. Although this course is focused on those who want to teach English as a second language, it gave me a precious opportunity to reflect on my own lessons. Indeed, this course has a lot of implications for my teaching.

 

To make a presentation with classmates, to demonstrate an impromptu lesson, to read a textbook and write an essay at home... these are all hard for me. However, our instructor has always encouraged my classmates and me. Her feedback was really appropriate and useful for us. As a teacher, I respect her from the bottom of my heart.

 

Finally, I recommend this TESL course to all the people interested in TESL. Thank you to every teacher, classmates and staff members!!

I have been having a wonderful time here in Victoria. Every experience is a great opportunity for my future. I had taught Arabic to foreigners for 4 years before I came here so it is good for me not only improving my English skills but also knowing how to teach a language to foreigners. In the class, I can study English through a lot of activities such as watching movies, playing games and so on. Outdoor activities are an especially exciting way to study. We go outside of the class and ask some questions to those who are hanging out for shopping. It's great that I can talk to native speakers in a real situation. People in Victoria are so nice and friendly. They love to talk to students and answer the questions. I like this activity the best. The teachers are wonderful. They tell us Canadian manners and Victoria sightseeing places other than studying. That makes our life here more valuable for sure. Every Friday GEOS has an activity. I like to join them. I went Kayaking, Mini golf, Whale watching and so on. Through these activities I can talk to different level students and make friends. I am very glad to be having a nice time here.

My dad came to Victoria ten years ago. He wanted to send me to this lovely city in this summer vacation because before I enter my university, I have lots of leisure time. My aunt recommended that I join the study tour at GEOS Victoria. Thanks to her, I had a chance to learn English here.

 

In addition, I'm grateful to the GEOS staff for helping me find such a nice homestay family. It's really a valuable experience for me. Furthermore, I'm glad to meet Taiwanese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Saudi Arabian students at GEOS. I had a great time interacting with these funny-ha ha guys, especially one of the students. She chatted with me a lot and told me about her study abroad experiences. In class, the role play activities make us not only talk more but also try to express ourselves in English. Moreover, I enjoyed small games like practicing grammar by creating stories in the class and the teacher always had some interesting warm up games.

 

Thank you, GEOS!

I had a great time at GEOS Victoria. I came here on Holiday Group Study Tour. Thanks to the teachers I found that studying English is a lot of fun. Their teaching styles are really great and they are kind and friendly. To study grammar, I had a lot of activities like story making, playing with vocabulary and so on. I think it is the best way to learn and I was also able to improve speaking skills. One of my favorite teachers always entertained students. She always encouraged the students to talk a lot which was really fun and I could know my classmates backgrounds and cultures. It was one of the greatest benefits to study abroad!

Victoria is a safe place, and has a beautiful weather as well as there are good neighbors & people in this city.
I chose to study at GEOS because I was told from my agent that this is great place to learn English communication skills and also all the staff and teachers are very friendly and nice. I studied at GEOS for 6 months and I think my English Communication skills & Listening Skills definitely improved through my study at GEOS. Not only English, but also I learned how to make a good Resume & cover letter in Business English class at GEOS school.
That helped a lot to get a job and volunteer job!
The study & work program of GEOS is definitely helpful for your English.
You’ll get good memories and work experiences as well.
I usually speak English a lot at my work place. It helped me be more comfortable to speak in English.
I had a hard time understanding a variety of English accents of all visitors.
Actually, it’s still not that easy, but trying not to be too nervous was helpful.
To improve your English, study English at school first and try to use that out of school as well. The Study & Work program is perfect to learn since you can apply what you learn at school to many places at your work place. Volunteer job is also really good for you. You can get various experiences and meet friends. Sometimes it can be a chance to find a job in Canada.
I really enjoyed my program at GEOS, and
Thank you very much for everything, GEOS!

I am a chef in Mexico and it is a very popular job so I need to have more special skills other than cooking. I am taking the study & work program at GEOS Victoria so that I can have work experience after studying. That experience will be a great value when I find a job in Mexico. Since I came here, thanks to the great teachers, my English skills have been getting better and better as I use only English every day. Especially my speaking and reading skills have improved a lot. The moment that I realized my improvement was when I could understand a movie which I watched with Spanish subtitles before. It is very interesting because I was not able to understand at all without the subtitles but now I can understand what they talk about in the movie!

 

Finally I would like to thank all the staff who helped me to fill in my work permit form not only English but also Spanish. They really helped me a lot.

I came to Victoria to study English. What surprised me about Victoria at first was everyone is very welcoming to different nationalities and disabled people. Especially on the bus; it is easy to ride for those who carry baby carriage and wheel chair, which is very nice. I like it.

 

Since I have studied at GEOS, my speaking skills have been improving a lot. I had been afraid of speaking in English before I came here, because I had never had any chance to talk to native speakers. I felt kind of awkward speaking English in Russia. Now thanks to my teachers and friends, I am confident when speaking it. They always make a comfortable atmosphere to talk in. Though it is simple words such as "actually" or "you know", I have never been taught them in school, so I had no idea how to use them. However, those words are very functional and useful. It is one of the benefits of studying abroad. I am really enjoying studying English at GEOS. Thank you GEOS!

People in Victoria are very friendly, and here at GEOS Victoria, it's no different. It is comfortable to study here. The teachers, the students and the staff are always very nice to me. I am very happy to have a lot of friends from different countries. In my class my teacher always corrects my English and so do the students. It helps me a lot to improve my English skills. I have studied here only a month so it is hard to tell how much I could improve my skills; however, thanks to GEOS English only policy, I got used to living without my mother tongue. I am sure my skills are improving day by day. If I can use English more fluently, I will have a great opportunity to use it for a work. I study hard to get the chance!

Studying in Canada was my 15th birthday present from my parents. In Mexico, we believe 15 marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood.
I chose Canada because there are less Mexicans and Victoria, being a small city reminds me of my hometown.
This is the first time I've come abroad, so for the first few months I was lonely and missed my family but I tried to relax and told my host family what I was thinking about. They gave me a lot of advice. I do love my host family, they are wonderful. We talk about school, my parents and so on. Last Christmas my host sister and I went back to my home for a short vacation where we celebrated the holiday the Mexican way and had a wonderful time together.
In the class, teachers always correct my grammar and pronunciation. That's I like the most. One of GEOS staff Emilie helps me a lot not only in English but also in Spanish. I really appreciate her kindness; she makes me feel at home.
At home I usually watch movies to improve my English; Comedy, especially, helps me a lot. When I just arrived I couldn't understand what was funny but now I can understand most of it and can laugh. Even though I am used to my life in Victoria now, everyday is still new to me. I try to talk as much as I can with teachers, my host family and friends.

I have been taking IELTS at GEOS because I need a high score to enter college so I wanted to focus on IELTS and brush up on my English skills. My teacher is really great and she gives us a lot of practice tests other than our text book which helps me a lot.

 

In the class we study how to answer IELTS reading, listening, writing and speaking questions. Especially the writing part. It is very useful to learn how to make structured sentences. Whenever she gives back a writing assignment, she points out what I have to change instead of just correcting my answer. She also gives me a score and feedback. Thanks to her writing practice, I was able to improve my writing skills a lot. I enjoy my IELTS class.

I have enjoyed my month studying the TESL course at GEOS. I had a lot of fun, and my teacher was wonderful! Everyone here is very helpful and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this course, especially at GEOS. I feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity to be part of this class. I have learned so much in regards to the English language along with how to teach it. Thank you!

I have taken GEOS High School Preparation Program. I have learned a lot of things and have been supported by a lot of people through my high school life in Victoria. Needless to say, one of my supporters was GEOS Victoria. For the first 5 months, I went to GEOS to prepare for studying at a local high school. I studied not only English but also Math, Chemistry and so on. During that time, I met people with different backgrounds so I felt culture shock; however, I eventually found out it was fun to see cultural differences. I was able to prepare for my studies before I went to high school so I did not fall behind. When I entered high school, I still kept studying private lessons at GEOS. I disliked studying because everything was very tough but the tutors taught me how to study. Thanks to them, I learned the pleasure of studying. They were very kind and taught me patiently and in detail all of the time until I got to understand. I was very happy when I was able to understand the problem which I had not been able to do by myself. I have learned a lot in 3 years. Thank you so much GEOS and Victoria. I'd like to make good use of this experience for my university life in the U.S.

It was the first time for me to go abroad, so I was very nervous about everything.

 

However I found out I was too anxious, because when I arrived at GEOS, all the teachers, staff, and students were so friendly, kind and made me feel comfortable feelings.

 

I love the teachers, especially in the morning the teacher gave us 10 minutes writing assignment and then returned the correct writing on the following day. Although it was only 10 minutes, I definitely feel that my English skills improved a lot.

 

In the afternoon class, we often studied together with the other same class of the level; one of the debate activities was quite fun and exciting. Although it was hard to get everyone on the same page to address our opinion effectively, it was great practice to think and speak quickly in a limited time.

 

Finally, thank you so much for everything to teachers and staff. They always took care of my problems and answered me very quickly. I really appreciate it! I wish I could stay longer.

As my GEOS TESL course nears completion, I would first of all like to mention that I now have more respect for teachers than I ever did before. They have quite a task to perform and I have seen them in action here at GEOS. My teacher has always been kind and fair, yet very proficient.

 

I have been learning how to teach English as a second language and I must say it has been an experience I'll never forget. I feel I have begun a new chapter in my life, and I look forward to continuing on this journey and am anxious to see where it might lead. I hope this is just the beginning to more knowledge in the field. In my opinion, the students here at GEOS are treated with genuine kindness, gentleness and respect. Finally, the atmosphere is of learning, but there is fun and laughter at the same time. Thank you to all the staff who make it easier for the students in so many ways.

I am very happy to have a lot of wonderful friends and great teachers here in GEOS. Grammar is one of my weak points but my teacher always helped me and not only corrected my English but also told me the reason why it was wrong. It really helped me and I was able to improve my skills quickly. Although it was short time that I was able to study at GEOS because of my school in Thailand, I have made a best friend in Victoria. He asked me to go hiking, which was the first time for me because it is so hot in Thailand, no one wants to go hiking, it was exciting and a good experience. We had a nice time together. I had a great time here. Thank you so much GEOS!

I have been taking Business Skill Course. Our teacher is really good and he has a lot of experience in teaching Business English. I really enjoy this class. He gives us various topics week by week so that we can study deeply and widely. Once we role played a business dinner, it was good to know about Canadian business etiquette, especially about taboos. We all were able to imagine the dinner situation but it was even very hard to introduce myself in English so it was great practice.

 

I am going to join study & work program at GEOS Victoria so that I can have a work experience after studying. I really want to improve my communication skills. After I graduate from GEOS I am going to go back to the hotel field in Taiwan so this course helps me a lot. I would like to make use of this opportunity for my life in Victoria and my career.

I was very touched that everybody was so friendly and tried to help. Teachers and staff create a very comfortable atmosphere at GEOS Victoria. They were very helpful! I am very thankful to them for that. I would like to give my personal thanks to GEOS staff for their assistance with my visa. They also helped my insurance when I had a health problem. Whenever I had any questions about study or something else, teachers and staff always were willing to help me.

 

My class was excellent! Thank you very much to teachers! I studied with 3 teachers. One teacher was like a father for us, he worried about every student. One was always ready to help whenever we had questions. I liked the class, because it was always fun. One was very friendly. I was very comfortable in the class and learned a lot of new things every single day. I was able to improve my English skill a lot. I got wonderful friends here and all are amazing people. I like them very much. I miss everybody and hope to return.

I have been having a good time here. Everyone at GEOS is friendly and kind. It is very comfortable to talk to them. I have gotten to know a lot of cultural differences since I came here and it is very interesting for me. In the class, teachers give us a lot of activities; I can learn English in a lot of different ways which is very fun and helpful to improve my English skills.

 

My host father loves watching Hockey game so I joined school activity to watch a game. It was so exciting especially the fighting. It was good to know Canadian national sports. When I missed Brazilian tea, my mother sent it to me a lot so I made some tea for my classmate, teachers and staff. It was a good way to show my culture. Some liked it and said the tea is like Green Tea, but some didn't like it. I have met people different cultures so I have learned different ways of thinking. That has made me grow up.

I love studying at GEOS because all teachers, staff and students are friendly, polite and kind. To encourage myself to improve my English skill, I took the SIE course. Thanks to the course I was able to switch my entire mind from Japanese to English. I learned a lot.

 

My final class activity was a group "Election". We decided who were going to be the candidates, divided groups and made statements or posters. It was very difficult to get everyone on the same page because our backgrounds are different as well as it was hard to discuss in second language. Although it was tough, we shared the work and tried to take a step forward together. To my great surprise, we won the election! Thinking about the difficulties I was so happy. It was good experience and the best memory!

I love the teachers, students and staff in GEOS. They are very friendly, kind and helpful. I use English at work, so that's why I came here, and at this moment I am the only Swiss student, so this is a very good opportunity to improve my skills a lot. Understanding the cultural differences is interesting; especially Saudi culture because it is so different from mine. I love studying about all of this in the class. Thanks to GEOS, I can understand everything in English, but it's still hard to speak. I would like to be able to say whatever I want in English by the time I go back home. That's my goal.

I am taking TEC because I wanted to learn something new and the certificate will be useful when I go back to Korea. I am studying how to teach, make lesson plans and deal with children. The best part of this course is that I can use these methods right away through the practice which means I can get to learn more quickly than usual.
I like Cindy's teaching style. It helps me a lot. My classmates are enthusiastic. I enjoy the class very much.

I really like everything here in GEOS and in Victoria. Everybody is so friendly and always smiling. My teacher gives me advice, not only about english but also about my life. It helps me a lot.
In the class, I can do a lot of activities. It is fun and I can learn new things everyday.
Sometimes I miss my family but it is not a big problem because I do enjoy the life in Victoria. I would like to be like Matt (school manager) in the future. He is friendly and helpful.

Again, thank you, Soo and Matt for all your help, it was a great pleasure to stay in GEOS and to study english. My time in Victoria is one of my biggest experiences I've ever had! Also, because of you!

All the best