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The Chambers Institute is reasonably-priced while maintaining a high student satisfaction rate. It’s cheap, it’s fun and is home to people of many different nationalities. It’s also in an awesome location!

The Chambers Institute is in the center of Melbourne city. It provides high quality classes in English and business aimed at students serious about their future and careers. The institute maintains that in order for an individual to succeed on a global stage not only is English and academic knowledge important, knowledge of cultural differences and social skills are also essential.

There is an at-home feel to the small-scale campus and the staff and students seem to be quite close. A friendly environment like this one would definitely relieve the nerves of students worried about their study abroad experience and allow them to relax. Many of you out there may be suspicious of the low cost of Chambers compared to other language schools.

Let us show you around the campus and the reasons why you should choose the Chambers Institute.

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Point ①:The multi-cultural school is small-scale with less than 200 students coming from over 30 different countries

Exchange students from many different backgrounds including Asian, European and South American assemble in the same class, and everyone communicates in English. The top nationalities are Colombian and Japanese at around 20%, Italian at 15% and South Korean at 10%.

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A warm reception.

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English learning materials for loan.

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A common room for students to gather and talk.

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Students from 10 different countries study in this class!

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There are plenty of free events and activities to participate in.

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The classroom layout encourages communication.

 

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Point ②:Great location in the middle of Melbourne city!!

The campus is located in the best location on Melbourne’s main Swanston street. It’s right between two main stations, being a 7-minute walk to Flinders station and 10 minutes to Melbourne Central station. It’s close to shops and is in an area popular with tourists, so you can enjoy all the city has to offer on your way home from class!

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A conversation-based class. The secret of success is to speak up in class!

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The teachers are experienced, as well as being close and friendly with the students!

Point ③:Surprisingly cheap but high quality classes!

The Chambers Institute offers quite reasonably priced courses compared to other schools in Melbourne. If the going rate is an average of $350 a week, then here it is almost $100 cheaper at $229, and even cheaper during special promotions such as $150 per week on a working holiday visa when you sign up for more than 4 weeks!! → See the promotion page

People are often wary of extremely cheap programs, however this school also provides excellent service as well as offering reasonable rates. The school is able to keep its fees low because most of their students are long-term rather than short-term students.

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We spoke to Japanese staff member Akiko about the pros of the school.

---Tell us what you think the good points of this school are?

Akiko:We are very small scale with less than 200 students of 31 nationalities, and we have been maintaining this ratio. Even if you are only here short term it’s a very fulfilling school experience where you can meet people from all over the world and feel at ease with the closeness between staff and students. It’s also great for long-term students wanting to study something alongside English with different courses including English to get you ready for university, IELTS and business courses.

---The students tell me it’s great being among so many different nationalities. Tell us more.

Akiko: Chambers Institute is a small school in Melbourne’s CBD with a total of less than 200 students. We maintain a balance of students from 31 different countries, and students from South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa are slowly increasing. The amount of Japanese students we accept is kept at less than 20%, meaning 80% of our students do not understand Japanese.

---Any message for students thinking about studying in Melbourne?

Akiko:This is an environment where English must be spoken and where you can make friends from around the world. The possibilities are endless if you make an effort. Even in a school with a low number of Japanese students, people who want to speak in Japanese will stick together, just as people in a school with many Japanese students can make an effort to hang out with people from other countries or even try speaking in English to their Japanese friends. There is also the impression that Japanese subscribe to a culture where one listens to others and thus does not speak much oneself when compared to people of other cultures. I want the Japanese students who come to this school to learn to communicate on the same level as other nationalities. I’m Japanese myself and am always on campus so should it be necessary I am there to help in my native language. We have groups of Japanese in upper classes who only hang around each other, and then students in beginner classes who enjoy themselves with people from other countries. I love to discuss things like which of these groups can grasp a more international way of thinking, or about new students wanting to learn English, so please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

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Lounge area for taking breaks or eating lunch.

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Free-to-use computer room. There is also WIFI available on campus.

Lastly, having visited Chambers Institute myself I can say that there is indeed a great balance of nationalities, a friendly atmosphere and a great student support system at this sufficient, reliable school.

Talking to Akiko I came to the understanding that the percentage of Japanese students at a school is not related to improvement in English ability. You need to make the effort and create circumstances yourself if you truly wish to study English. Many people choose their school according to the percentage of Japanese students, however what is most important is how you act in that environment. It is natural and almost certain that you will feel uneasy and insecure about living overseas. You will get homesick and have trouble with English. You must remain strong without relying on your mother tongue all the time. Doing so is an indispensable tool in acquiring English. Talking to Akiko, I feel that this is a place attractive not only because of its reasonable price, but also because it’s a school for people who seriously want to study English.

If you would like to visit Melbourne or study abroad there, feel free to contact the Chambers Institute about their free trial. 「Chambers Institute」School particulars

/Author: Kaori