Practicum Programs Testimonials

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Virginia Cini
• Country: Brazil
• Course: French & English Intensive – Work & Study Program
• Employed: Full-time Translator (English - Portuguese)

"I’m Virginia, from Brazil, and I studied English and French at Geos during 6 months. My purpose coming to Canada was improving these two languages and after, getting a Canadian work experience. So, I chose Geos, because they offered a program in which I could study and then, the school would help me in the process of applying for jobs.

    While taking my regular classes, I participated on workshops, in English and French, where I was taught, step by step, what was the best approach in a job interview or phone call, as well as how to write a resume and a cover letter that meets the Canadian criteria. Later on, Geos’ staff helped me find companies that were possibly looking for employees and I sent my application for almost all of them, both, online, sending my resume by e-mail, and delivering it, in person, to the employer.

    It seemed to be difficult in the beginning, but I simply followed the orientation provided by the school and everything worked out fine. So, from the companies that I got in touch with, I received two positive answers. First, I got a part-time job in a restaurant, as a hostess. Then, I was hired by a company to work full-time, as a translator (English-Portuguese).

    I’m very thankful, because through Geos not only did I improve my fluency in English and French, but also I made friends from all around the world and I had the opportunity to learn about several different cultures. In addition, I got two works in Canada, which are very valuable experiences for my resume."

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Suzana Lima
• Country: Brazil
• Course: Intensive English and Work and Study

"I spent nearly four months studying at GEOS-Toronto as a full time student. I
can say it has been one of the best experiences of my life. Not only are the
teachers qualified, they are also very patient and always willing to offer new
information. The business classes allowed me to expand my vocabulary and
give me confidence to pursue a management career in marketing wherever I
want.

Besides I had the chance to enhance my knowledge by learning about
different cultures and meeting people from all over the world. The school also
provides extra activities so we can practice English outside the classroom.

The only bad thing is that time flew by so fast. I will miss the jokes and
having lunch with students from the entire school.

Thank you for the support and lessons.

Suzana"

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Guillermo Galvan-Gracia
• Country: Mexico
• Employed: Marketing Specialist

"Hello, my name is Guillermo Galvan Garcia and I come from Mexico. I studied at GEOS in the Study and Work Program and I believe it is a very good program for people who want to learn a language and then put the language into practice while working in a Canadian culture and gain professional experience in an international setting.

If you have a specific goal to improve your language skill in a professional environment, I recommend you share your project with the excellent Geos Team; together I´m sure they can help you to find the best way to achieve your goals.

One of the best ways to be part of a global company is to have an international experience. With the "Co-op program," the qualified team of Geos helps you to find the right company to your profesional area.

From my personal experience I have found an extraordinary support from all the members of the Geos team. They help me to organize my trip and to discover in Montreal not just a wonderfull city to make new friends and discover amaizing places, I also have been exposed to an intercultural business enviroment that´s helping in my professional objectives."

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: José Luis González Bastidas
• Country: Mexico
• French Intensive Work & Study Program

"Salut, Je m’appelle Jose, J’ai 30 ans et Je suis un Avocat qui vient de Venezuela. J’ai arrive à Montréal au Juillet 2011. J’ai choisi Geos Montréal pour apprendre le français et pour ma prépare pour faire un stage dans cette grand ville multiculturel.

Lorsque Je suis arrive a Geos Montréal J’étais incapable de parler Français, mais après 7 mois des études à Geos Montréal Je peux me communiquer en Français.

Maintenant Je travail grâce a le job qui ont retrouve l’équipe de Geos comme part de mon programme de internship. Je travail depuis de 3 mois dans une Cabinet d’avocat a Montréal qui s’appelle Legal Logik. Je suis heureux parce que Je peux pratique ma français améliore mon Anglais et avoir une expérience professionnel dans mon domaine Chez les Québécois.

Geos Montréal a été un excellent allié dans une de mes projets professionnel et humain. Mon expérience a été tellement agréable et je dois remercie a tout l’équipé de Geos pour m’aide avec ma projet."

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Dmitry Yaritskiy
• Country: Russia
• GEOS Work & Study Program in Vancouver
  

"There are so many reasons why I love the city that I chose to learn English: the great Stanley Park, the facility of the SkyTrain, Richmond and the variety of the sports activities! I’m glad that I chose GEOS SCHOOL, especially because of the listening and vocabulary classes – it is really good and I could improve my English a lot! I also had a great time joining the School Activities, such as the Foosball Tournament, which I had a great time! The teachers and the staffs are helpful – it is a great team! I enjoyed especially the help of one of my teachers that have helped me with my résumé and I am working in a local restaurant and I love and enjoy my work."

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Choi, Joon-Hee
• Country: Korea
• 24 weeks' Study + 24 weeks' Work

"There are some good reasons for choosing Canada and taking the COOP program at GEOS.

One of the reasons is that GEOS has really good reputations from the students who had previously graduated. GEOS continually offers the classes at a good price which is more reasonable than other schools. 

According to my experienced life in Victoria, I am convinced to say that I love living in Victoria and everything I do here. Because people are so kind that I feel respected all the time. What makes me like staying here the most is that Victoria has a beautiful exotic view especially at the night time so I can feel relaxed and focus on my study.

I learned a lot from GEOS. I don’t say just English but also the way of speaking with English-native speakers. A term ‘idiomatic English’, the real English being used is what I have been glad to learn from GEOS as well as Grammar.

I also had a great experience at work and improved my English communication skills through work. These things would’ve never happened to me, if I didn’t know and take the study & work program at GEOS. Needless to say that they (Staff & Teachers at GEOS) are very warm-hearted, always trying to provide us with excellent information, practice interview for the interview, helping us to write the best resume and giving us lots of information about Canada’s work culture.

I realized that studying English is very important but also using English is very important. My English has improved a lot because I had both opportunities through the study & work program. I have made great Canadian friends at my work and they made my experience much more valuable. I couldn’t have this experience without GEOS! You guys are awesome :-)

I was thankfully introduced to my host family as well by GEOS. The host family always treated me so well I and always feel like at home; moreover, having been fully privileged to see the students from all over the world at GEOS was also a positive experience.

GEOS is such a good school and now it is the most successful one in Victoria through staff’s continued efforts; therefore, I don’t hesitate to recommend GEOS to those who want, and need to get a confidence in speaking English so that they adjust themselves to a new situation as easy as possible and speak with self-confidence at public later on. You will see why now there are so many students successful at their work place and college who belonged to GEOS.

I have one suggestion for future student. Being alone abroad, you may be in lonely very often unless you have a strong desire to be successful in language acquisition. Keep busy.

I was lucky, I met GEOS. Thank you all and I will never forget GEOS!”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Aranut Utchumpisa (Kae)
• Country: Thailand
• Employed: Best Western Hotel, Café - Server

"I chose this program because I want to get more working experiences and I want to have a chance to practice my English. Also, I can get money from work and learned how to work and communicate with people from other countries... not just with Canadian people but people from around the world. This program gives me good opportunities. It is really useful for me.

I work in a hotel at the coffee shop. My job is not difficult. I just sell my product and but I meet a lot of people. I have to take care all of my customers, be friendly and have good hospitality.

If you ask me about this question, I will say I used everything that I learned from GEOS; Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation. I use all of them when I have to communicate with my customers.

I would like to recommend this program because it is really useful if you want to see how good your English is after you have finished studying. As well, you will get some new experiences that you have never had before. You won’t get only money but you will get new friends and learn about people and other cultures from your co-workers. That’s the most important point why I chose this program.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Ting Fang
• Country: Taiwan
• Employed: Tenshi Sushi Restaurant - Server

“The reason was everything in Canada is new for me. The laws and rules for working are different from my country. Also, this program helped me to know the way of talking to the customers. My co-workers and my boss were amazed that I knew how to communicate with the customers.

I'm working at a Japanese restaurant. I serve the meals for the customers, take orders, have some small talks with the customers, and count the bills. It was so stressful at the beginning because I did something wrong almost every day. After a month, I'm becoming a professional. I enjoy that people say thank you after my serving them, and they smile back when I smile. I learned how to greet and communicate with people. As well, I learned to recognize the differences of the coins.

I highly recommend this program for the students who want to work here, because this program helps you learn how to write a resume and have a interview in English. Also, this program helps you to know what you should do and say to the customers during work. This program is very useful before getting a job.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Carla Gaeschlin Almeida
• Country: Brazil
• Employed: Nota Bene Gifts - Office Worker

“My name is Carla, I’m 25 year old, I’m Brazilian and I arrived in Montreal in February of 2009. I went to GEOS to study English from February to September and then do to my practicum in marketing. GEOS got me an interview in June, I liked the company and then I started my part time practicum at Nota Bene Gifts in August for 4 months. Nota Bene Gifts is a small greeting card company which uses paper from Nepal, Himalayas to do their high quality designer cards. In January of 2010. I got my work permit and I started to work part time for this company because I was studying French at GEOS at the same time. I’ve been working for them since January and nowadays I work directly with my clients, providing everything that they need and we are always looking for new challenges to make the company bigger.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Michelle Vargas da Costa 
• Country: Brazil
• Employed: McDonald’s - Cashier

“Hello! My name is Michelle. I started my work at McDonald's 3 weeks ago and I am enjoying my work. As I am a cashier, I can practice my French and my English (in Montreal, you can practice both languages which is very appreciable). People, who I work with, are very nice and help me if I need it. We do our best to provide an excellent service to our customers and we have to give a productive and serious work. When I came to Montreal, I participated in the work experience program and I had to attend three workshops in which I received many important information concerning work methods. For example, methods like how to make a good CV, and how to act and behave during an interview in Canada. One more time, I would like to thank GEOS team for helping me with this opportunity. I am very satisfied with this experience and with my time in Montreal. I am sure that this experience will give me a memorable formation for my life.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Tomomi Onishi
• Country: Japan
• Employed: Showflex Tours - Tour Guide

"Now, I am working at Showflex Tours in Montreal. I am working as a tourguide for Japanese tourists. At first, it was hard to remember all the buildings and history of this city, but everyday, I can see a lot of people and discover the beauty of this city.

The internship program was very effective for me. The teacher helped me to make a resume and we practiced interview. Thank you very much for supporting and I would like to enjoy my job in Montreal.”

Enrolment Profile

• Name: Augustine
• Country: Switzerland
• Employed: Window Cleaners

"Hello there! My name is Augustine and I've done the program called « Study and Work » in Geos. I wanted to improve my English but not only with English classes, I wanted to experiment something different and this program was the perfect fit for me! I first spent 3 months studying in Geos, which was an amazing experience: good teachers, great classmates, very helpful staff and always a nice atmosphere. I can say that I really enjoyed my time and improved my English skills.

During my time in Geos, I started to have meetings with Saemina and other students doing the same program. She and Jessid helped us writing a resume and a cover letter and gave us job advertisements so we only had to apply for the jobs and wait for an answer. Then it was more a question of luck because nowadays it's not that easy to get a job in Toronto. But I was lucky and I got an interview a few weeks after I had applied. Saemina gave me some advice about what to say and how to get prepared for the interview and I got the job! I worked a little more than 2 months (my personnal choice to shorten my working time) for a window cleaning company. The job can seem boring but actually, it was pretty fun! I was working with 3 other canadian guys of my age who were really nice and we had a lot of fun together. But of course some days were harder than others.

The job was pretty tiring and I was finishing every day around 5 pm. But I was making money and despite the hard work, it was a really interesting experience which made me learn a lot. It has also been very helpful for my English because the other boys were all canadians and not international students like all my other friends from Geos so sometimes I had to make more effort to be understood. I learnt a lot doing this program, and a lot of completely different things! Because we don't learn the same things in a classroom and in a working place. That's why it's a really nice experience that I encourage anyone motivated to do!"

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Unai Murua
• Country: Basque Country, Spain
• Employed: Tour Company - Marketing

"AWESOME is the word, I would like to use to define my experience in GEOS Vancouver, in Vancouver city, and in my internship. I have had one of my best experiences studying English in GEOS Vancouver; I feel I have a new family now and new language to speak with. Cannot express how good job they did to get for my internship and how much my English improved working in a Canadian ambience.

The internship has been the next step to the school studies, and something that I would suggest to everybody. I have had chance to get involved in the Canadian culture and learn about it while I met many good friends that I’ll keep for ever.

Vancouver is one of the most multicultural cities I have ever been, which gave my chance to try dishes from all the countries. Coming from a small country as I do, I was interested in a city in which I could have the chance to be in touch with the nature as well as with the things that all the big cities have. Whales, seals, eagles, amazing rivers, beaches, ski, etc.
Who gives more??? THANKS GEOS VANCOUVER, THANKS CANADA & SEE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOON.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Karmiel Lorenzo Marmol
• Country: Santa Dominigo, Dominican Republic
• Employed: Model

"Hi I did the Internship Program in GEOS Vancouver, which it was great, I stared studying my English classes and later I start working in a call center where I could practice my English all the time, talking by phone and with my partners around.
I feel so glad and blessed that I could have know about GEOS Language school, because I always wanted study English where people really speak the Language, and not only the language but also the excellent services and attention that they always gave me since I came to Canada.

I could met such a good friends from different countries, I could learn a lot from each of my teachers, the classes are such a fun moment to learn, share knowledge and Learn about the Canadian Culture as well. Vancouver is a beautiful city full of opportunities to students, I'm actually cursing my Dream career that is Acting, and I have already made some modeling here as well, come here tough me how to be more Independent and better person.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Raquel Santos
• Country: Brazil
• Employed: Biologist

"When I arrived in Vancouver I found much more than I expected, I came to learn English and I'm leaving with a huge cultural baggage, I improved my English considerably, but also made great friendship that I’m sure will last.

I have invitations to visit several other countries and I had so much fun. Much of that happened because of the work of GEOS language school’s professionals that helped me in the beginning when the transition of cultures is more difficult. Thanks to all!”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Luciana Leite Frago
• Country: Brazil
• Employed: Urban Care - Deli Clerk

"I did the Internship program in Vancouver and it was amazing. The best experience in my life!!! First I studied in TOEFL class for 3 months in GEOS and then I started to work at Urban Fare. In school I met a lot of people from different countries and learned a lot about their culture. I met friends that I will carry for the rest of my life.

The teachers are great and they bring a lot of fun to the classroom which makes the learning much easier. At work I had a great welcoming, they were all very kind and understanding. It was very good because I could practice the English. It has been an amazing experience! I wish I should never had to go back to Brazil!!!”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Tere Simon
• Country: Mexico
• Employed: Restaurant - Server

"I made the decision to study in GEOS Victoria because the people in my Agency told me that if I wanted to focus only on learning English was a really good option because here the people only speaks this language and not also French as in another cities from Canada as well they said that the weather is the best in this country (which is true), they also told me that in Victoria the people is so friendly and finally when I saw the photos of this beautiful city I just feel in love with.

[At GEOS Victoria] I could improve my English level. Then I meet many people from different cultures that it´s very interesting as well I Knew wonderful teachers who gave me some advises that have been very usesful to me in my learning process. GEOS´s team members and students some of whom I can have the honor to say that they became very important people during my stay in Victoria and the most important thing, they still being a good friends. [Work experience] is a very effective way to complement your learning process that gives you the opportunity to practice the language with native people of Canada and in a real working environment.

[You have to] face to the real world with people who assume that you speak and understand the language So, you have to focus so much on trying to understand not only the context but the real way to express itself of the people too. I am educating my ear in the language and also you have to speak more, then you pronunciations have to be clear. GEOS is a great school with very professional staff and great environment where you can feel at home and very comfortable.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Jieon Park
• Country: Korea
• Employed: Cell Phone Company - Customer Service

“Victoria is definitely perfect city for studying English. You don’t have to worry about entertainment that disturb you from studying English. I’ve learned many things not only English but also culture of Canada. Whenever I’m exhausted or not motivated, I’m encouraged from counseling with GEOS staff.

[GEOS Victoria] helped me out to find job and make my resume. The business course that I took for 2mth was really helpful for my work experience. They can help students even about personal problem like home-stay, visa issue.. etc not only about English. I could learn many things [from my work experience]... how to treat Canadian customer, what Canadian culture is like... of course English too!! When I started to work, I wasn’t able to understand what costumer was ordering. That was most difficult part of my work.

What I tried to solve this problem was keep paying attention on customer’s mouths and tried to figure out what they were saying. You would face lots of things make you feel frustrated when you experience work in Canada. But after you overcome it, you would be stronger, and much more mature!!”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: Yoshiko Suga
• Country: Japan
• Employed: Thrifty Foods - Salesperson

"[I like Victoria because] it’s not so big city but it’s not too small. And you can see beautiful flowers everywhere in the Spring and the Summer! I made a lot of friends [at GEOS Victoria]. [The staff] usually ask me to see how I’m doing in the class and my job. And if I have something problem, they always try to get solution with me. Because all the stuff and teachers are friendly and nice, you can meet a lot of friends here.

[From my work experience], I learned about a part of Canadian culture. Actually, I’m still learning. Besides the basic communication hurdle, there are cultural differences. I’m still trying to get along with it.” I think everything is going to be good experience for you. If you want to do something, Just try it.”

Enrolment Profile:

• Name: MeeRae Lee (Jamie)
• Country: Korea
• Employed: Café - Server

"I wanted to stay in a warm and quiet city. Victoria is the perfect city, it’s not too big, not too small, and people in here are so kind. I’m really enjoying living in Victoria. As I said, most people are very kind, and the atmosphere is so peaceful, which is totally different from the city I’m originally from.

First, I learned confidence [at GEOS Victoria] that I can have a conversation in English, and also I learned systematic grammar, diverse idioms, and many vocabulary words. Meeting good people – teachers, staff, and friends. They are one of the most precious things I’ve got in Victoria. [The staff] gave me some information in the area I was interested in, and they were very helpful whenever I asked some advice.

[From my work experience] I learned the different way to treat customers here. We are expected to treat customers very politely in my country, but Canadians tend to treat them more naturally and friendly I feel. I didn’t have enough confidence to meet people because of my English. I used to worry about the situation that I don’t understand what people say, and vice versa. However, I don’t worry about it anymore. I’ve made many mistakes, but now, I recovered my confidence through those experiences.

If students comply with the rule of “English only,” GEOS will absolutely be a better English Academy in Victoria. GEOS Victoria has not only good teachers and staff, but also they always try to help students in many ways. They listen to students’ comments and try to make things better.