A. The application process is very simple, enrol in only 4 steps. See more.

We will then send you the invoice within 24 hours (except on weekends or public holidays) with payment details and instructions.

A. You should complete your enrolment, pay and send your flight details by the indicated weeks below in advance of the date you would like to start.

This is so our team has time to arrange your services and so that you have enough time to apply for the correct visa to enter NZ. For enrolments submitted less than the minimum period below, you can contact info@nzlc.ac.nz to check service availability and the appropriate enrolment procedure.

If you need to apply for a visa to enter NZ and you have not confirmed it 4 weeks prior to the course start date or you cannot make payment / provide flight details prior to the minimum period below, please let us know.

*Visa-waiver countries. **Non Visa-waiver countries.

A. Our accommodation department will send you accommodation details once full payment has been received and once your arrival and departure details have been confirmed.

A. It is a good idea to arrive in New Zealand with some cash if you can. You can find money exchange booths and ATM machines at the airport so you can withdraw some money for your first few days or until you open a bank account. Remember to bring a camera, a rain jacket and a mobile phone that is unlocked.

If you are from a visa waiver country and do not need a pre-arranged visa, you should read the guide on the immigration website.

A. Yes, if you buy a sim card when you arrive, you can use your phone. Make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave your home country.

A. Yes, if you buy a sim card when you arrive, you can use your phone. Make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave your home country.

On your first day at NZLC, please bring:

•    Your passport and valid NZ visa

•    Copy of Insurance certificate and insurance policy in English (If NZLC has arranged your insurance, we will give you the policy documents on your first week)

•    Your contact address and phone number while in New Zealand

•    Taxpayer Identification Number or National Identification Number from your country if you are planning to open a bank account in New Zealand

•    Pens, a notebook and a dictionary

•    We also recommend bringing a reusable drink bottle to school

New Zealand has a mild climate. Summer (December – February) is warm and winter (June – August) is cool.
Auckland’s average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius in summer and 10 degrees Celsius in winter.

Auckland is known for having four seasons in one day – be prepared for sunshine and rain! It is a good idea to bring lots of layers, even if you are coming in the summer time. A jacket or lightweight raincoat is a good idea.

Electricity is supplied at 230 – 240 volts (50 Hz). You will need an adapter/converter for any equipment that does not have this voltage. Power outlets take flat three or two-pin plugs.

2024 Public Holidays:
1 & 2 Jan (New Year’s), 29 Jan (Auckland Day), 6 Feb (Waitangi Day), 29 Mar (Good Friday), 1 Apr (Easter Monday), 25 Apr (ANZAC Day), 3 Jun (Queen’s Birthday), 28 Jun (Matariki), 28 Oct (Labour Day), 25 Dec (Christmas Day) and 26 Dec (Boxing Day).

2025 Public Holidays:
1 & 2 Jan (New Year’s), 27 Jan (Auckland Day), 6 Feb (Waitangi Day), 18 Apr (Good Friday), 21 Apr (Easter Monday), 25 Apr (ANZAC Day), 2 Jun (Queen’s Birthday), 20 Jun (Matariki), 27 Oct (Labour Day), 25 Dec (Christmas Day) and 26 Dec (Boxing Day).

A. General English, IELTS (part-time and full-time) and Cambridge B2 First (FCE) / C1 Advanced (CAE) and Business English (full-time).

NZLC Auckland also has a Teacher Training Department which offers TESOL, TECSOL and CELTA.

A. At NZLC Auckland we run full-time Young Learner English courses for students aged 13-17 years all year and an English + Activities programme during summer (December – February) and winter (June – August).

A. You can start a General English (Adult and Young Learners) course any Monday.

Our Cambridge courses, IELTS Course, Teacher Training courses and Young Learner English + Activities programmes have specific start dates. Please check the course calendar for details.

A. Monday to Friday: School starts at 8.30 am and finishes at 1.30 pm.

There is a 15 minutes break at 10 am and a 45 minutes lunch break at 11.15pm.

Morning or afternoon only classes are also available for adult students (part-time students).

Teaching Training courses have slightly different schedules.

A. Generally a minimum number of 6 students is required to run the courses. NZLC also offers private classes on request. Please contact us for more information.

2020
A. Each level typically lasts for 10 weeks.

There is a test at the end of week 5 and 9 and most class do mini progress tests every week.

Depending on your test results in week 5 and 9, you may move up to the next level.

2021
A. Each level typically last for 12 weeks. There is a test at the end of week 6 and 11 and most classes do mini progress tests every week. Depending on your test results in week 6 and 11, you may move up to the next level.

A. Your teacher will cover all important aspects of English language learning during your course however there is a big emphasis on communication.

NZLC Lesson A classes focus on language systems and listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Lesson B classes aim to build confidence and fluency using practical, every day language so that you can use what you learn straight away outside the classroom.

A. Young Learner classes are for students aged 13 – 17 years.

However, 16 and 17 year olds may enter the adult General English course or an Academic Course if requested. Acceptance of 16 and 17 years old will be at the discretion of the Academic department (Young Learners tuition fee and Adult Textbook/Material Fee Policy apply).

A. Auckland is a multi-cultural cities with people from all over the world.

A typical Kiwi family in Auckland may have Asian, European or a Polynesian background for example. All our families are carefully selected by our homestay department. They are located in safe neighbourhoods around the city.

A. As in any household, most families have their own rules.
For example, “Dinner is served at 6.30 p.m.”, “Call if you will not be home”.

All of our host families are very friendly, kind and reasonable and on your first day, they will let you know if they have any rules which they would like you to follow.

A. Once you arrive in New Zealand, please exchange phone numbers with your host family. Text messages are a good way of keeping in touch with your host family. It is polite to inform them if you are going to be home late or not coming home for dinner.

A. All students staying in homestay will have to take public transport by themselves going to and from school. Your host family will show you where and how to take the bus or train.

On average it takes between 45-60 minutes to come to NZLC Auckland depending on the exact location of the homestay’s house.

A. Yes, most of our families have broad-band internet and some will have Wi-Fi.

Please be aware that the internet connection can be a bit slower at times in NZ. Please do not download music or movies in your homestay unless you are using your own internet. If you download copyrighted material, you can receive a big fine, so please make sure you do not download illegally.

A. If you book half board, your host family will provide breakfast and dinner Monday – Friday.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
For an extra $30 per week, you can book full board which means your family will also give you a packed lunch to take to school Monday – Friday.

A. Yes. Talk to one of our accommodation team and explain your situation. It might be something that can be easily fixed just by communication!
If it is best to change homestay, you will have to wait approximately 2 weeks while we find a new family for you to live with. However, if it is an emergency, the change will be made immediately.

A. The Accommodation Department requires 2 weeks’ notice for any changes in accommodation.
Additional Accommodation Placements: 50 – 100% of the original accommodation arrangement fee applies.

To move into the city accommodation in both Wellington and Auckland, the Accommodation Department requires at least 2 weeks’ notice due to limited options available. Bookings are subject to availability.

A. This is optional and can be provided on a weekly basis for between $100 -$140 per week.  This service can be provided for the first week of arrival or for the entire duration of the student’s course.

For more information on staying in a homestay, please read the homestay manual.

A:  Host families may allow the student to use their kitchen to make simple lunches such as sandwiches. Unfortunately, most of Host families will not let the student use the stovetop.
If students need to use their kitchen, students must seek prior approval of the family and must clean up after use.

A. NZLC conducts a careful selection process when choosing our homestay families. We conduct regular home visits and collect student feedback to review and continuously monitor the quality of our host families. This ensures they will be able to provide the best homestay experience for our students. We ensure that host families provide a safe, comfortable, English speaking environment, healthy meals and most importantly, quality time with their students. All adult members of the host family are police vetted and appropriate safety checks are conducted.

A. Yes, there may be another student from NZLC or any other organisation with the same homestay.

A. Most families will take you around and give a quick tour of the city and how to get to and from school if you arrive on the weekend.

A. Yes, you must state your medical condition on the enrolment form. We may ask you to provide a doctor’s note in some situations. Please ensure you bring your medication with you, or check whether your medication is available in New Zealand.

A. We have some families who can host smokers. Please state whether you are a smoker or not on the enrolment form. None of our host families allow smoking inside the house so please discuss with your family where you can smoke and where you can throw away any cigarette butts after smoking.

A. Please set your homestay check-in/check-out dates to the weekends as most of our host families’ work during the week. If you need to check-in to the homestay during the week, you may have to come directly to NZLC from the airport and leave your luggage in our storage room until your host family has finished work. If this is the case and you have requested an airport transfer, you will be dropped off at NZLC instead of the homestay. An additional transfer from the school to the homestay will incur an extra fee.

You may be home alone during the day as our host families go to work during the week. Before you arrive in NZ, it would be a good idea to plan some things to do before your course starts. You are more than welcome to visit the NZLC campus to meet our staff between Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm.

A. Unfortunately, most bedrooms in New Zealand do not come with an en-suite. Most of our students will need to share a bathroom with the rest of the host family.

A. Many families will have dogs, cats or both. If you are allergic and cannot live with pets, you must tell us on the enrolment form. The NZLC Homestay Department will do their best to match all your requirements.

A. The host family will show you how to take the bus or train. Depending on your age, the host family will accompany you at least once (All young learners will be accompanied at least once).

Public transport is safe and it is not unusual for young children to take the bus or train by themselves in New Zealand.
NZ is consistently cited as being one of the safest countries in the world.

A. The best website for flat hunting is Trademe. On this website you can select where you want to live and how much you want to pay per week.

A. The average cost of renting a room near, or in, the cities range from $150 – $250+ per week. Most flats require you to pay a bond (this is a deposit in case you damage the house) and about 2 weeks rent in advance before you move into the flat.

Tip: It is a good idea to take photos of your room and the flat before you move in. This way, you will have evidence of any pre-existing damage.

2023/2024
A. During the week we offer 5 hours/week Electives/Activities after Morning Full Time Class from 14:00 – 15:00.

Sample elective option: TOEIC, Pronunciation, Power Speaking, Study Support, Workshops (Job & CV), News Club

Sample activities options: Sky Tower, Maori Culture, Museum visit, events, volunteering (for some activities, a fee maybe required)

See our electives/activities calendar for the term.

A. Most NZLC electives/activities will have a school representative leading/accompanying the group.

A. Students will choose the elective for the term on their arrival. After that, students will choose the elective at the beginning of each term.

A. All you need to do is book the activity at reception and pay the entry fee at the Account department (near reception) if necessary.

You can check time and location through NZLC Bookwhen page and the Student Services team will be happy to help you to book activities and answer your questions.

A. Some activities are free and others may have an entry fee or transport fee.

See NZLC Activities/Electives calendar for more details.

A. Student, Visitor and Working Holiday visas are the most common types of visas that our students have.

Each of these has different requirements, conditions, rights, processes and procedures vary from country to country.  To find out which visa is best for you, we recommend that you visit our Work in NZ page, talk to your agent, visit your local New Zealand Embassy or visit the Immigration New Zealand website for more information.

A. You can work if you have a Working Holiday visa or a Work Visa.

If you enrol for a 14 week full-time course on a Student Visa, you can also be granted a 20 hour per week work permit. You cannot work on a Visitor Visa.

More information can be found on Immigration New Zealand’s website.

A. Working in another country can be very different from working in your country.

In New Zealand there are laws to protect all workers, and this includes international students.

Find out more about your rights and responsibilities working in New Zealand on the Immigration NZ Website.

We also recommend that you join our weekly NZLC job workshops and we will give you more information about working in NZ.

A. The best place to find a job in New Zealand is online, below you can find a few website options:
www.trademe.co.nz/jobs
www.seek.co.nz
www.sjs.co.nz
www.shopless.co.nz

We also have a job notice board at the school and every week our staff put up some advertisements for jobs around the city.

Don`t forget to join our FREE Job Preparation Workshops every week to make sure you are ready to look for a job.

After you get your CV checked by an NZLC teacher, you can also go and visit restaurants, cafés, bars etc. and deliver your CV in person with a smile!

A. Everyone earning an income needs an IRD number, this is a unique number given to you by Inland Revenue (NZ’s Tax Department). Your number will never change, even if you move to another country and then return to New Zealand sometime in the future.

You can download the form to apply for an IRD number or get one from our reception.

NZLC staff can also help you understand this process once you are here in NZ.

A. The legal drinking age in New Zealand is 18 years old.

New Zealand bars and pubs will very often ask for an ID if you look younger than 25 years old so it is safe to bring one with you.

They will only accept three types of ID:
•    A valid passport,
•    NZ driver’s licence,
•    Kiwi Access 18+ card.

If you do not have one of these types of ID the bar/pub can refuse you (even if you are not drinking alcohol). Bars and pubs are very strict so if you are going to be in NZ for a while it is a good idea to apply for a Kiwi Access 18+ card so you can leave your passport safely at home. Find out how to apply for one.