This is the first in a series of posts that will highlight applications that are helpful for English learners.  Today's app is from Englishpod.com  Each lesson includes audio  vocabulary, a discussion area and transcript.  They offer 5 x 10 minute lessons per week although you can only get 3 lessons before you need to sign up for a trial account. You can read more about the app here http://englishpod.com/tour/mobile-iphone

Do you use an English learning apps?  We would love to hear about your favourites.

As part of Sydney's Crave festival the Opera House will hold a free open day this weekend,  After hearing that over 80 students plan on attending Eve, our ever helpful student services star has produced an information sheet that gives some great background to the building and the features.  Download Eve's Opera House Self Guided Tour PDF before you go.

October in Sydney is jam packed with fun events, exhibitions, shows and they named it Crave Sydney. There is just so much to do and see such as the International food festival, Darling Harbour Fiesta (last post), Island hopper (discover the islands around Sydney), Breakfast on the Bridge (exactly that! Have breakfast on the iconic symbol of Sydney- our Harbour Bridge) 

One of my favourites is the World’s Funniest Island at Cockatoo Island so if you want a bit of a laugh Read More »

Just a quick reminder that daylight savings will start this Sunday 4th October. This means you will need to put your clock forward one hour at 2am on Sunday (or when ever you wake up). You can get the official word on the New South Wales Lawlink site.

No excuses for getting to class on time on Tuesday 

Enjoy the long weekend!

Using English for Academic Purposes - A Guide for Students in Higher Education

This site is an amazing resource for students studying academic English. There is hours of practice here to help you improve all of your academic skills including work on proof reading, notetaking, essay types, academic research and much much more...

Slang dictionary

This online slang dictionary by free English learning site www.time4english.com has an up to date list of common slang terms that people actually use. So many slang dictionaries include words that the average English speaker would NEVER say.

This one is a mix of Australian, British and international terms and tells you if the term is offensive or not... quite useful :-)

Going for a job interview can make anyone nervous and having to do one in English even more so. Website Talk English has some great resources to help prepare you for the types of questions you might be asked in a job interview.

The site lists about 100 questions you might be asked in an English speaking job interview and suggests suitable answers. The questions and answers also have audio files so you can listen to the pronunciation.

YHA will open a brand new hostel in Sydney's "Rocks" area later this year.  The hostel has a great roof top area with amazing views of the Opera house and Sydney harbour  Along with dorm rooms the Sydney Harbour YHA will offer twin and family rooms.   A double with a view and a private bathroom is $153 a night but what a view!  Dorms from $40 a night.  Bookings are now open for dates from Dec 18th.... visit the YHA website for more information.

We often get asked where students can access wi-fi after the college is closed or on weekends.  Today I discovered a couple of sites that can help you find your nearest free hotspot. 
The first map is offered by Unwired and lists all the cafes, bars, libraries etc that offer free wireless.  You can search by postcode. 
The second is a map created by wifi-in-australia.com using Googlemaps that lists quite a few free and paid spots.  If you have a google username you can contribute to the map when you find a spot not already listed.

Let us know if you find any other good spots.