ETC International College

Aviation English

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Availability

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Accommodation Homestay / Residence / Hotel

Price Range £290.00 per week - £300.00 per week

Price Includes 30 lessons in total. Students will have 20 lessons of General English and 10 lessons of specialist tuition

Beginners Not for beginners

Class Size 14 maximum

Course Length 1 weeks - 47 weeks

Town / City & Region Bournemouth , South Central England

Tuition Style Group

Tuition Hours Per Week 22.5

Ages 16 - 99

Other Information

The ETC course of English for Aviation / Aviation English is significantly different from our standard General English course as it uses specialised Aviation English vocabulary and structure.

Pilots, aircraft engineers and other aviation professionals employed by airlines, international aircraft manufacturers and air forces need to be able to read, understand and produce documents written in Aviation English and above all to communicate effectively with professional colleagues in English.

Clear communication has become ever more important in ensuring aviation safety as our airspace and airports have become busier.  Part of the solution to this need for clarity of expression is available through a course of English for Aviation / Aviation English at ETC International College.

ETC International College has been running specialised English courses, including in Aviation English for pilots and air traffic controllers, since 1989.  We have also assisted some of our clients to move on to take specialist courses at partner training establishments in the UK.

The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) determined that all airline and helicopter pilots flying internationally, as well as all air traffic controllers providing services to international flights MUST have a certain minimum level of English – at the moment set at ICAO Operational Level 4.

ICAO has developed a set of descriptors that identify the minimum acceptable level of English ability, whereby proficient speakers must:
- communicate effectively in voice-only (telephone / radiotelephone) and in face-to-face situations.
- communicate on common, concrete and work-related topics with accuracy and clarity.
- use appropriate communicative strategies to exchange messages and to recognise and resolve misunderstandings (for example, to check, confirm or clarify information) in a general or work-related context.
- handle successfully and with relative ease the linguistic challenges presented by a complication or unexpected turn of events that occurs within the context of a routine work situation or communicative task with which they are otherwise familiar.
- use a dialect or accent which is intelligible to the aeronautical community.

The ETC International College English for Aviation / Aviation English course uses a modern communicative approach designed to develop the student's ability to understand and express concepts in Aviation contexts and situations which the student is likely to encounter in their everyday professional life – and comply with ICAO standards (ie. help clients to move from ICAO Pre-Operational Level 3 towards ICAO Operational Level 4).

The ETC English for Aviation / Aviation English course uses task-based learning including group exercises, supervised discussion, role play and presentations to develop the student's ability in the key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing and to widen their understanding of essential Aviation English, language structures, vocabulary, appropriate common expressions and grammar.

Aim of the course
The ETC International College ‘English for Aviation Course’ aims to ensure that members of the Aviation Community reach and maintain the ICAO Operational Level 4, standard of English.  We are a ‘Specialised Language College’ and as such, specialise in ‘language’.  We fully appreciate that you are experts in your own field, as we are experts in ours and expect to work together in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

ETC English for Aviation / Aviation English course student profile – who is a typical English for Aviation / Aviation English student at ETC?
ETC English for Aviation / Aviation English students are pilots, trainee pilots, aircraft engineers, air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals from Europe and around the world.  Many of our clients are specialists from leading aviation firms.  Whether the client routinely works with helicopter, fixed wing or hovercraft systems, this course will enable him or her to function effectively in everyday situations where clarity of expression in technical / aviation English is required. 

Of course, studying English for Aviation / Aviation English at ETC also gives you a great opportunity to make new friends and build international contacts in the field of Aviation.

Small class sizes mean faster progress in your English for Aviation / Aviation English studies
Maximum group size 14 students per Aviation English class.  ETC International believes in the benefits of personalised learning.  Our policy is to have a maximum of 14 students per English for Aviation / Aviation English class (although the average number of participants is 4 in the specialist component).  This means you will benefit from greater teacher attention and improve your English for Aviation / Aviation English faster.

Remember, studies show that you make faster progress when you study English in small groups.

Learn English for Aviation / Aviation English in a modern business environment
ETC offers you the possibility to study Aviation English in a modern learning environment, equipped with Wi-Fi networked PCs as well as a DVD and audiobook library.

You can study Aviation English in a comfortable environment with access to our modern learning facilities.  Our support facilities mean that you can study Aviation English and maintain contact with your company and office.

Flexible courses
ETC English for Aviation / Aviation English courses can be adapted to suit your needs. You can study Aviation English for one week or as many weeks as you wish depending on the time you have available and your own learning needs.

English for Aviation / Aviation English course entry requirements
Course duration: 4 weeks (standard duration  - please contact us if you would like to take a different length course).
Minimum age:18.  (Average age on these Aviation programmes is 30).
English level: working knowledge intermediate or above.  Pre-test is required.
Group size: maximum 14 students.

English for Aviation / Aviation English course format
A minimum of 10 lessons of English for Aviation / Aviation English lessons per week plus 20 lessons of General English per week.

General English lessons normally take place each day between 9.00am and 12.30 pm.  There is a 1-hour lunch break and regular refreshment breaks. 

The English for Aviation / Aviation English component normally takes place in the afternoon, from 13.30 hrs – 15.00 hrs.
 
Typical Course Content
The Course is built around and focuses on the 6 major areas of the ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale.
* Pronunciation.
* Structure.
* Vocabulary.
* Fluency.
* Comprehension.
* Interactions.

Before choosing our course, please answer the following questions regarding these areas:

Pronunciation:
Does your pronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation, although influenced by your first language, only sometimes interfere with ease of understanding?

Structure:
Can you use grammatical structures and sentence patterns creatively? Are they usually well-controlled?

Vocabulary:
Is  your range and accuracy of vocabulary usually sufficient to communicate effectively on common, concrete and work related topics? Can you paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary in unusual or unexpected circumstances?

Fluency:
Can you produce stretches of speech at an appropriate tempo? Can you communicate effectively even when switching from rehearsed, formulaic speech to spontaneous interaction? Can you make limited use of discourse markers, connectors and use fillers which are not distracting?

Comprehension:
Is your comprehension mostly accurate on common, concrete and work-related topics, then the accent or variety used is sufficiently intelligible for an international community of listeners? When you are confronted by an unexpected turn of events or a linguistic or situational complication, can you produce clarification strategies to compensate for slower comprehension?

Interactions:
Are your responses usually immediate, appropriate and informative? Can you initiate and maintain exchanges even when dealing with an unexpected turn of events? Can you deal adequately with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming or clarifying?
 
If you answered ‘yes’ to all  the questions above, then you are probably ICAO Operational Level 4.  If you did not, the ETC English for Aviation Course will do everything it can to support your learning and enable you to reach and remain at this Operational Level.

By using a communicative approach in aviation-related contexts, we will focus on these six vital areas and use a blend of standard radiotelephony phraseology and ‘plain’ English to make sure that personnel have the confidence and the ability to move beyond phraseology in times of need and ensure safety in the air.

Methodology / Activity types:
Practice of aviation-themed interactions – such as passing on information clearly and concisely, checking details, etc.
Practice of communicating in the face of engine noise, interference, etc.
Development of an awareness of connected speech and listening sub skills such as listening for specific information.
Introduction, practice and reinforcement of key technical vocabulary, abbreviations and acronyms.
Analysis of selected Aviation texts and dialogues.
Specialised vocabulary related to key areas of Aviation.
Key grammatical and syntactic structures, as related to important functional areas.
Reading and listening comprehension.
Role play and task based learning exercises.

English for Aviation / Aviation English course technical content (themes and language focus):
Safety procedures.
Aircraft design and structure.
Tools: names and use.
Stress, strain and torsional forces.
The theory of flight – fixed wing and rotary wing.
Power plants: turbine / piston.
Aircraft systems.
Ground equipment.
Servicing.
Manuals and handbooks.

Assessment and Certification
If a student follows an ETC English for Aviation / Aviation English course, he or she will receive a certificate on satisfactory completion of all coursework and assessment pieces.  We will also supply periodic progress reports on request.

Effective teaching
Built into every English for Aviation / Aviation English student’s course are the following:
Placement test.
Needs analysis.
Skills development.
Task-based activities.
Systems work.
Learner skills development.
Progress tests.
Tutorials.
Homework.
Academic counselling.
Supportive error correction and constructive feedback.

Alternative delivery methods:
If you or your sponsoring organisation would like ETC International College to deliver a course of English for Aviation / Aviation English following a different structure or with a different delivery method, please contact us for a tailor-made programme.

These tailor-made programmes of English for Aviation / Aviation English can be run on a 1:1 basis, taught at your premises (in-house), delivered in-country or perhaps prepared for a closed group of specialists with a specific focus for their training.

Whatever your language learning needs, please contact us and we will be very happy to design a programme to suit your requirements and budget.

« Back to School Enquire about this Course Visit School Website »

« Back to School Enquire about this Course Visit School Website »