Dear student,
It is a pleasure and an honor to welcome you to IIC students’ zone. The aim of this zone is to provide you with a clear, accurate and user-friendly guide to covering all parts of your journey to study English language at one of our approved English language providers.
International Inspectorate Council (IIC) is an inspecting body that caters for the interests of the international students studying English language in the English language speaking countries.
We conduct our inspections to make sure that you are getting the best quality service you rightfully deserve. According to our research and field experience, we have come to the conclusion that the international students are facing a lot of problems that hinder their achievement to obtain the necessary grade in the secured English language Test such as IELTS or TOEFL to further their degree studies. IIC is founded to actively spot these problems and eliminate them to ensure the best achievement for any international student studying English language in the English speaking countries. By so doing, we not only save time, money, and effort, but we also ensure that the international students achieve the best results.
We wish you all the best with your studies and we wish you a safe return to your country equipped with all the expert knowledge you have gained from your courses to build your country.
Your sincerely,
Karen Jones – Chairman
International Inspectorate Council IIC
- The student journey
- Our advice
- Questions and Answers
- About our inspection
- Complaints Procedure
- Refund Policy
The journey of the international student aiming to study English language in one of the English speaking countries starts when the international student looks for an approved English Language provider.
Please follow the following steps to ensure that your journey of studying English is useful and rewarding without losing time for looking for the right school:
1. Choosing a School: Choose a school from our Unified List of the approved English language providers. It is our responsibility to provide the students with accurate and up-to-date information about the institute and it is the responsibility of the students to choose the right English language school based on our Report about the institute. The Report that is published on our website about each English language school is considered to be the right step to take in choosing the most suitable provider. The Report saves your time and effort to look for the most suitable English language school.
2. Applying for Admission: Apply to the chosen school for admission through our website using the application form opposite to the chosen provider to receive your conditional offer within two working days from the college directly. The Application is user-friendly. You should attach your passport with the Application.
3. What to expect from the school after joining: When you join your school, you should receive the following:
A. Assessment Exam: This exam asses your current level of English which should cover the four skills of English (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing). Your teacher should give you a full feedback about your performance.
B. Individual Learning Plan (ILP): ILP should be drafted to you after the assessment setting out the objectives for the period of study so that you can achieve your goals and not wasting your time working without a plane.
C. Induction: Your school should give you an induction (a brief) about your rights in the school specifying a contact person from the school if you need any help. And also the school should explain to you what type of text books are used during your course.
D. Placement: Your school should place you in the right class suitable for your level, noting that students from the same background should not exceed 50% of the total class. The number of students in the class should not exceed 15 students to acquire the best education.
E. Homework: Your school should give you daily homework to invest your time at home to improve your level of English quickly.
F. IELTS: Your school should give you a mock IELTS exam on a monthly basis to know your current level. Your teacher should give you full feedback about your performance in the exam.
4. Student Support from the school: Your school is your second home and the best school in this respect is the one that makes you feel you are living with your family. You will definitely need Student Support from your school and the person who is responsible for this is the Students Affairs Officer. In case you do not receive the above mentioned points from your school, you should talk to the student’s affairs officer at your school. In case the student’s affairs officer at your school does not comply with the published policies and procedures of the school, you should make a complaint to IIC.
5. Completing your Course: On completing your course, your School should provide you with a certificate determining your level of English and a report about your progress in the course you have taken. Also, a copy of your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) would be helpful in case you want to further your language studies with another school.
The most effective way to choose your school is through IIC Unified List of Approved English Language Providers. When you choose a school based on your satisfaction with the Report you have carefully read about the school, we advise you to stay with your school and not think directly to change it as the school needs some time to show its impact on your level of English. Many times changing the school is not the solution. Our experience proves that students who keep changing schools are the least to score the required band in the IELTS.
2) Attendance
Attendance can significantly have an impact on your progress. Failure to attend your classes may result in you being expelled from your course. As a result we advise you that you attend al your classes.
3) Homework
Homework should be given to you on a daily basis as it has a significant role in improving your language. Homework is part of the personal effort you exert to complement the role of your school in your progress. As a result, we advise you that you work hard at home by putting extra time and effort as part of your self study to improve your level of English. Three hours working on your own can ensure the best results.
4) Free Time
As you work hard to progress, you will have some free time which we advise you to use in visiting useful places such the public library and knowing the landmarks in your city. Improving your cultural knowledge can help you a lot in improving your language skills.
5) Staying Healthy
Leaving your country and staying away from your family is a big decision and might cause you homesickness but as it is said ‘a sound mind is in a sound body’, as a result staying healthy will always be an added value for you. It is always beneficial to mix with friends. Joining the gym, for example. Also, it is wise to register with a doctor.
6) Staying Safe
Generally speaking, the English speaking countries enjoy the rule of law and nobody is above the law. Yet, avoiding troubles is sometimes your responsibility. Staying out at a late time, for example, might get you into troubles.
By referring to IIC Unified List of Approved English Language schools, reading the reports about the schools and choosing the one that meets the student’s expectations. A good technique to use is to compare reports of local schools.
How to apply for an English language course?
Simply by clicking on Apply opposite to your chosen school on our website and filling the Enrollment Application Form. The school will then directly email you your conditional offer within 2 working days.
How to arrange for an accommodation?
Your school is responsible for the arrangement of your accommodation.
What types of accommodation are available?
There are three types of accommodation: apartment, students shared accommodation, and host family.
What do I do if I need any help at the school?
The best one to talk to is the Students Affairs Officer at your school if you need any help.
What do I do if I cannot attend school for some reason?
Attendance can significantly have an impact on your progress. Yet, in some difficult circumstances when you cannot attend your classes, your should contact your school in good time and explain the reason for not being able to attend your classes.
What do I do if I want to change the school in the middle of the course?
We strongly advise you not to change your school in the middle of your course as moving from one school to another will not benefit you but in very rare cases if you want to change your school you should ask your school for a Release Letter. Please read your school refund policy before doing so as your school might not refund your sponsor the remaining fees of your course.
What happens if I withdraw from the course?
If you withdraw from your course, it is highly likely that you lose the remaining fees.
How to make a complaint?
Every school has its own complaint procedure but in general if you want to make a complaint you should talk to the Students Affairs Officer or fill in a Complaint Form.
Our main objective from conducting inspections is to work hand in hand with English language Providers to ensure the best possible service for international students. The underlying basis of our Inspection is to provide specific professional services to international students to make sure that their journey in studying English language is beneficial.
It is a fact that the stage of learning English is vital in the journey of the international students as they are expected to further their studies in a degree course. Our objective is to make sure that English language providers meet the expectations of their international students providing them with the required level of English and also cultural knowledge.
What we would gain from the inspection is to publish factual information about each English language provider. In this sense students will rest assured that only accurate information is provided for them which will enable them to make the right decision by choosing the suitable English Language provider without relying on agents or a third party who might provide them with a misleading information for their interest.
Without any need for a student agent, a representative, or a middleman, a student can simply click on the Apply icon found on our Unified List, and apply directly to study on a course in one of our approved English language providers.
We not only provide the international student with important information about English language providers, but we also make sure that this information is accurate and up-to-date. Our Inspection focuses on the four following areas so that the international students know their right by reading carefully what we are looking for:
A. Academic Delivery and Quality Assurance
The main focus of the Inspection is on this area. We check the syllabus, the individual learning plans, the students’ academic files, the text books, etc. We not only inspect the providers but also we guide them to upgrade their delivery which will be inspected in the follow up inspection visits.
B. Student Welfare
In this area, students should receive a full induction and we make sure that students are well catered for knowing their rights from the very beginning such as how to make a complaint, how to seek advice about life in the UK, how to get health care. Also, a student should be made aware where to go in case they need help and how to find a proper accommodation, for example.
C. Teaching Staff Resources
This area inspects the teachers and their qualifications to make sure that they have a minimum CELTA or DELTA to give a clear picture about teachers to the students. Some providers use teachers with no teaching qualifications which is a big weakness point that might negatively impact on students.
D. Premises
This entails inspecting the provider’s premises to make sure that the environment where the students are studying is safe, clean and suitable. Our objective is to provide students with accurate information about the providers and their premises and also we make sure that providers publish accurate information on their websites
It is the responsibility of your school to ensure that the service and teaching provided meet and exceed your expectations. To support this, we actively seek feedback from all users of our services.
We encourage the international students to complain if they feel that their expectations have not been met. The school will use a structured approach to ensure that the problem is resolved and will use this information to implement continuous improvement and promote good practice.
Also you should learn about the refund policy at your school and see whether or not your sponsor is eligible for a refund as every school has its own policy of refund.
