Full-time Certificate in English as a Global Language (EGL)
(Awarded by Ascend Education Centre) Applications close on 1st July 2013

Fees payable to Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)

On collection of student pass, students must pay ICA a Security Deposit of S$1,000/$1,500/$5,000 payable to ICA by Bankers Guarantee. The Security Deposit is returnable to the student on completing their studies in Singapore. Also, the student must pay ICA for Student Pass Issuance Fee & Multiple Visa Entry/Exit Fee (payable to ICA) approx: S$60-90. Payment by NETS/Cash Card at ICA Building or online via Solar System www.ica.gov.sg using a debit/credit card.

Bankers Guarantee Fee  S$350 for ICA Security Deposit of S$1,500/S$1,000

Bankers Guarantee Fee  S$550 for ICA Security Deposit of S$5,000

Reapplication Fee S$100

Miscellaneous fees can be made by: NETS, cash, bank draft, money order or SGD cheque made payable to: ‘Ascend Education Centre Pte Ltd’

4.  Full-time Course Terms & Conditions

Non student pass International Students e.g. DP holders, Long Term Visit Pass holders, Employment Pass holders, Work Holiday pass holders must seek the permission of ICA to study full-time. It is a condition of entry that students hold a valid letter of consent issued by ICA which covers the duration of the 12 week course. Ascend Education Centre will not be held responsible if a student fails to secure a valid letter of consent. Local students e.g. Singaporeans and PRs do not require such permission.

5.  Full-time Course Description

Ascend's English as a Global Language (EGL) Full-time courses (from Starter to Advanced levels) cover four skills: speaking, writing, listening and reading, as well as a focus on vocabulary development, pronunciation and grammar. The Full-time courses are 5 hours per day, Monday-Friday, reflecting the centre’s educational philosophy in providing students with the environment and opportunity to apply what they are learning so that they can express themselves with confidence. 

For a period of three hours the students will have an EGL class limited to 15 students. In class, students are inspired and mentored by their teacher in developing their speaking, reading, writing and listening skills as well as improving their vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. These three hour classes are conducted in the mornings and the afternoons. The morning classes are from 9:30am-12:30pm and the afternoon classes are from 2pm-5pm.

In addition, our five hour program includes a two hour focus on the practical application of the skills acquired in the classroom. These additional two hours of structured and applied learning are conducted in our language lab. The timings are: 11am-1pm for students studying in the afternoon 2pm-5pm classes and 1:30pm to 3:30pm for students studying in the morning 9:30am-12:30pm classes. The two hour period of applied learning is divided into two one hour sessions.

For the first hour, our students have access to our online learning platform Teamie which allows students to directly access interactive digital workbooks which correspond to the course books they use in their three hours class. Our Lab Supervisor is at hand to answer our students’ questions and assist them when required. In addition to this on-line access, students will also receive a traditional hard copy of their workbook so they can record their answers from our online platform, if they wish, for their own study and revision purposes. Students are encouraged to actively participate in the one hour lab sessions and work pro-actively and cooperatively with their fellow students and the Lab Supervisor.

For the second hour, students have a conversational practice class where they are encouraged to use the language they have acquired to express their opinions and ideas in response to materials provided by the teacher. The focus is on improving the students’ confidence by providing them with meaningful opportunities to work cooperatively in groups and pairs. The teachers’ role is to facilitate the students learning by providing them with opportunities to practice their conversation in an open environment where participation is actively encouraged.

Our EGL Full-time Courses at Ascend Education Centre consists of 6 language levels from Elementary to Advanced.

Lisa van der Berg,
is Ascend Education Centre's Lab Manager. She has been teaching, training, facilitating and lecturing. Her students have spanned the full spectrum from complete novices to highly proficient individuals and from toddlers, through primary, secondary, tertiary and adult learners. Her classrooms have been in kindergartens, schools, universities, language centres and community centres in North America, South Africa, Hong Kong and now in Singapore.

She tries to create an honest and authentic, dynamic and interactive classroom where students from all walks of life feel comfortable participating and communicating. She aims to provide age and level appropriate materials and activities that are both interesting and challenging to her students. She uses positive reinforcement and constructive correction to maintain a high level of motivation in her classes and to keep all her students progressing towards their desired learning outcomes.

Annie Fosselius,
is a Danish citizen who has worked in Singapore for the last 14 years. Annie holds a Masters in Danish Language, Literature and History with a special focus on linguistics as well as a Cambridge CELTA. For the last eleven years Annie has been teaching EFL, IELTS and Simple Business Courses to a variety of students of all ages. In addition, Annie has also given private tuition to employees and diplomats from the Korean Embassy. She loves teaching and she especially enjoys learning about her students’ backgrounds and their countries cultures and religions. Annie has established informal movie and book clubs with her current and ex-students to help them to continue improving their English.

Jane Hellner,
is a New Zealander living in Singapore. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Anthropology from Otago University, Dunedin New Zealand and a CELTA qualification from University of Waikato, New Zealand. She has a particular interest in linguistics and enjoys working with her students to improve their skills in all aspects of the English language.

Jane has worked in schools in both New Zealand and Singapore for the past twelve years, in a number of roles including Librarian and Manager of Teaching Resources. She has worked with a variety of age groups but has found teaching adults to be particularly enjoyable and rewarding.

Nurzaihan Noordin Ryan (Zee)
a Singaporean, has been cultivating her interest in teaching since 2000. Upon completion of her Sociology & Economics degree at the National University of Singapore (NUS), she went on to complete her TEFL certification with ITTT (International TESOL Teacher Training). Her teaching background includes local and overseas stints, teaching students of all ages and nationalities.

Not a fan of monotony, she believes that interest will lead to the desire to pursue. As much as she can, she tailors her lessons to suit the various needs and interests of students. This, she admits, is not necessarily easy but definitely worthwhile.

Driven by a desire to know more about his own language, he embarked on a degree course at Roehampton University in London where he has recently completed a BA in English Language and Linguistics. He has also completed a University of Cambridge CELTA qualification. Robin enjoys fitness training and running, he also likes more sedate activities such as music, radio and film. Robin’s teaching style is to keep things as enjoyable as possible with plenty of student interaction. Whenever he can, he tries to relate lessons to students’ own lives.

Vinitha Mukherjee,
Vini is a native of India, but has lived in Singapore and Malaysia for the last 11 years. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Bombay, India as well as a TESOL certification from SEA English Academy (Australia). She has taught ESL at all levels, IELTS and conducted public speaking and communication workshops. She believes in leveraging her teaching experience and academic background to design engaging and inspiring lessons to effectively address the curriculum and help students realize their individual potential. She firmly believes that a comfortable and enjoyable classroom experience is the key to positive learning.

Christine Hennessy,
Teacher Christine is from Ireland. She has been an English language teacher for 7 years. She always wanted to teach English as she likes to see progress in her students and she likes to understand their needs in English language learning. Her students also teach her a lot about their countries and she enjoys her classes with them. She has taught English in Taiwan, Hong Kong and now Singapore. Both Taiwan and Singapore have been her favourite countries to teach English as she can also attend classes to use and learn a new language - Mandarin. Her home country - Ireland - is famous for shamrocks, leprechauns, the colour green, guinesss beer, Irish dancing, the countryside, red hair, Gaelic football, hurling, horse racing, pubs, churches and luck. There is a saying that if you kiss the Blarney Stone in her country, you can gain the gift of eloquence. Christine looks forward to meeting you.

Rachel Jordan,
is from the UK, she has a background in languages, having gained a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish. She has been in Singapore over five years and has taught English to a wide range of students from Asia and beyond. Previously she lived in London and worked on numerous publishing projects for BBC Worldwide. A creative person, Rachel has also been an exhibited artist, taught art to children and adults and created two murals for an HDB block in Singapore. She trained as a CELTA TEFL teacher with the British Council and is passionate about helping students learn to communicate better in English whether for business, study or everyday life. In her spare time, she enjoys eating out, visiting art galleries, walking in nature and reading the dictionary!