VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

A global centre of excellence in education

Melbourne, Victoria is the learning capital of Australia and it is a destination of choice for international students. It has a long history of providing international students with the building blocks for their future lives and careers.

Melbourne is one of the world’s most liveable cities. The state’s education system is internationally acclaimed and attracted more than 100,000 international students in 2006.

The International Student Program in Victorian Government Schools includes over 100 specially accredited secondary schools. Each school offers a high quality education and different specialist programs and facilities.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's International Student Program is designed to help students and parents select the secondary school that best suits each student. Schools also arrange homestay accommodation for students, short-term study tours and English language tuition.

Victorian Government Schools have a broad-based education curriculum, ensuring a healthy balance between academic achievement and cultural, social and sporting activities.

“Enrolling your son or daughter in a Victorian Government School gives them the most valuable gift any parent can give their child….opportunity.”

A Victorian Government School gives you the education and English language skills you need to work anywhere in the world

Victorian Government Schools help international students learn English quickly and give them an extremely high quality education.

All classes are held in English and students can live in homestay accommodation with an English speaking family.

On arrival, international students may attend an intensive English Language Program before they move into mainstream classes.

Victoria is the only Australian state to have an extensive network of accredited English Language Centres fully integrated with the government school system.

Parents can be assured their son or daughter will receive individual and patient tuition giving them the English language skills they need to succeed in their academic studies.

English language tuition plays a critical role in helping students achieve required levels of proficiency to enrol in high school studies.

Study English, your language or a new language

Victorian Government Schools offer international students the chance to study their first language or learn a new language as well as English. Most Victorian Government Schools offer multiple languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean.

Victoria is a very multicultural state and schools offer a number of languages to students. The state is home to people from over 230 different cultures. In fact, one in four Victorians were born outside the country.

Most international students may continue studying their first language at school or students can learn a language which is not offered at their school through the Victorian School of Languages (VSL). The VSL provides classes in 46 different languages for primary and secondary schools.

Students at a Victorian Government School study the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

The VCE is the official secondary school qualification which allows entry to all Australian universities and to many of the best universities in the World.

Victorian schools have the highest completion rate for year 12 or equivalent among other states in Australia.

The VCE offers students a choice of over 40 subjects plus additional vocational subjects and languages at most schools.

Live with an Australian family

To maximise the Australian experience, many international students at Victorian Government Schools choose to live with a local family.

Homestay accommodation accelerates student’s English language skills and gives students a caring and safe family environment. Many international students find that homestay is the defining experience of their time in Australia.

Caring schools

Victorian Government Schools place a high importance on the welfare of students. All schools have dedicated International Student Coordinators to assist international students.

The International Student Program Unit at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development aims to ensure every international student has the ideal combination of quality school and homestay family.

Deptartment of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria www.study.vic.gov.au .

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