COURSES

• Can understand simple statements and requests within very familiar situations
• Can respond in short, learned phrases or words.
• Can recognize simple signs
• Can write simple phrases or words generally related to basic personal information

• Can generally express and respond to immediate needs sufficient to be understood, where intentions are   predictable, and communication is on familiar topics.
• Can use learned phrases and say some simple sentences.
• Can recognize the essentials of short and simple written texts on familiar topics
• Can write some simple phrases and basic sentences about self and others

• Can communicate basic personal daily needs, despite inaccuracies
• Can start and maintain a series of very simple conversational exchanges within very familiar contexts
• Can understand and extract essential information from simple written texts on familiar topics
• Can write short simple sentences sufficient to get meaning across in most situations

• Sufficient competent satisfy most daily language needs and can hold simple face-to-face conversations on familiar topics.
• Communication does not rely on the context and go beyond basic personal information and survival needs.
• Can understand and write simple texts on familiar topics with sufficient accuracy to conduct social correspondence.

• Has control of the language sufficient for routine needs and participation in most basic social situations.
• Can use a range of complex sentences
• Can get the gist of a variety of written texts
• Can convey meaning in writing with some precision and can use a range of writing styles
• Can generally handle basic communication of a routine nature related to own vocational field.

• Can participate effectively in social situations and in vocational areas which are not too linguistically demanding
• Can sustain lengthy conversations, especially on familiar topics, with a fair degree of complex language
• Can read and understand authentic texts with some ability to see beyond the surface meaning
• Can tailor writing sufficiently well to meet all social needs and most basic vocational needs

Our current office is Suite 302, 363 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000. Our building is in the corner of Central St and Pitt St (2 minutes of walking from either Town Hall or Museum Station)

All beginner courses have one set starting date. Some courses (often intermediate or advanced level) do not have a fixed starting date as they are continuous courses from previous month.

For beginner courses, you should join class to start from beginning.

For intermediate or advanced classes, you can join existent classes at various times if you want to start as soon as possible. Although you may start a course halfway through, you will be able to catch up to other classmates as topics may vary each month. If you are not confident that your level is the same with the rest of the class, you can also book 1 or 2 sessions of one-to-one tutoring (at your own expense) to catch up with the rest of the class.

As for the private lessons, you can start anytime as long as we have a teacher and a classroom available!

New course times vary and depend on class size and availability of students at the same level. We obviously do not want to lose students and will try our best to find the most suitable class for you.

Most of our classes (for 4-8 adult learners) are from 5:30pm on week nights. We also have class during Saturday and Sunday and workshop for travellers on Sunday afternoon.

You can simply find the general timetable here . If you want to have a one-to-one tutor, you can learn anytime during daytime but please book in advance and give us enough time so we can arrange one for you.

The maximum is 8 students in one group. However, the average number of students per class is 6. If there are more than 8 students in one group, you will hardly have chance to talk!

If you are the private lesson student, yes. If you belong to a group, you need to talk with other classmates, the teacher and our staff. If everyone is ok with the change and the classroom is available, you can change the schedule.

Yes, we can try to make the schedule work for you! You can take a night class and inform us the weeks you have to be away. If you only miss 2 or 3 classes, after you return from your trip, you can either take private lessons to catch up (at your own expense) and still attend your normal class. Alternative, you can change to another group that suits you schedule and learning goals to continue the rest of the course (if we have similar class of the same level).

The other option is you can take a 12 week course of only private tutoring at our school either in day or night time at your convenience.

You will have a short test at the end of your course to review all the lessons and test your level. The test will also ensure that you are satisfied with the outcome of the course. Students are also awarded a Certificate of Participation and are encouraged to continue to the next level with a 10% discount for the next course.

Our school has many programs starting at the same time. If you are a Vietnamese/Chinese person who wants to improve both languages, you can enrol to learn two languages on different days of the week.

You’ll need to dedicate approximately 2 to 3 hours per week outside of class time to your course, mostly to listen to the CD. We encourage you to do it everywhere you can: you can listen to the tape and review your lesson at our school before or after class or any time at your convenience.

You can get a Certificate of Attendance at the end of the course from Sydney Language Solutions if you attend at least 80% of all classes.

Your feedback is very important to us and can help us to improve our quality and training service. Please feel free to email or contact our Director to provide your feedback and opinion.

Yes. Couples, groups of family members or work colleagues who enrol at the same time will receive a 10% discount on our group course price.

Please choose your course carefully. If you cancel the course at least seven days before the commencement of the course, we will refund the $25 administration fee.

If you cancel the course with less than seven days’ notice, no refunds will be available. However, we will arrange for you to study in the next available course (opening every fortnight) to suit your schedule.

You are able to change courses up to 48 hours before the commencement of the course you are booked into.

If you find yourself unable to complete a course, you may put your remaining classes on hold until a later date when you are able to complete it.

You may transfer to another class provided that: 1) there are spaces available in the other class, 2) there are enough students (at least 5) in the class you leave for it to continue without you, and 3) it is within the same term as the original enrolment.

For the group class, the same teacher will teach a class for an entire semester except unexpected circumstances (the teacher is sick). For private lessons, it is possible to have the same teacher or different teachers if you prefer. It is up to your request and your schedule.

Our teachers and tutors are highly qualified and have at least a Masters in Education and many years of teaching experience to adult learners.

It depends on your level. Our teachers try to speak the target language they are teaching as much as they can. But when needed, you can ask questions in English and teachers are able to explain vocabulary and concepts in English.

You can call us and arrange for one of our teachers to carry out an informal assessment over the phone so we can make sure you’re in the right group.

The text book used for Japanese Beginners is Japanese for Busy People (Romanised version). Students will learn the Romanised version of Japanese in beginners’ classes.

The lesson focus is mainly on communication skills for beginner courses. We will start with the Romanised version of Japanese. There will be many oral-activities in the classroom, and reading and writing practice will be taught step by step.

For beginners/pre-intermediate students, we do recommend you learn Hiragana and Katakana. Intermediate students are also advised to learn some Kanji so that you can learn pronunciation and vocabulary efficiently. We are able to focus on other areas or special requests in private lessons.

The head teacher speaks with a southern accent but she will teach, speak and read in both the northern and southern Vietnamese accents whenever a new expression is introduced. This is for learners to speak in and understand both accents.

We also have a team of Vietnamese teachers and tutors who speak with both the northern and southern accents. Please let us know which accent you would prefer to learn if you would like one-to-one tutoring lessons.

You need to be evaluated to determine your level before joining a group class and commencing a private lesson. Please give us a call and book for your level test and visit us on time! We will try to find the best class for you!

The price of a language course is usually based on the number of students in the class.

Most of our classes only have 5 to 12 students because with larger classes students rarely get a chance to practice their new language skills. The small-sized class means that students will have the most attention and care from the teachers.

If the class has more than 12 students, it is very difficult for students to have time to practice any language skill.

If you are attending one class and are interested in learning another language in the next term, you are more than welcome to sit in another class in one session to see whether you are interested in the language. Please inform our school before you do so.

You are entitled to 10% discount if you enroll in 2 different courses at a time, 2 persons into the same course, or if you learn the second course in the following term at SLS.

You can still enrol to start with the class. The teacher will make every effort to teach you the first lesson again to make sure you can catch up to everyone.

We can’t refund your fee for classes you miss but we will try our best to locate you in a similar class at the same level in the same week so you don’t miss the lesson.

Yes, we can try to make the schedule work for you! You can take a night class and inform us the weeks you have to be away. If you only miss 2 or 3 classes, after you return from your trip, you can either take private lessons to catch up (at your own expense) and still attend your normal class. We can’t refund your fee for classes you miss.

Alternatively, after your trip, you can change to another group that suits you schedule and learning goals to finish the remaining lessons of the course (if we have similar class of the same level).