Cebu English School｜Universe Foreign Language School

7 characteristics

Our school's most significant feature is our one-teacher-per-one-student system. This is a system in which the same teacher prepares and teaches for the same class every day and is responsible for his or her individual student's learning and improvements.

Often, we hear stories from students who attended other schools in Cebu saying “We came here to study and improve our English but....."

So we asked ‘What happened?’

The most common answer is: "We have a different/new teacher every day, and as a result, we have improved self-introductions and greetings. But as for communications in daily English use, we are not so sure of our improvement, nor do we have the confidence to speak. The next teacher does not know the activities that we did in the previous lesson and sometimes we become confused because the same lesson is taught twice or an important grammar point is skipped.”

It is typical in most schools to have a rotating system of teachers for all students. However, in UEC, we provide the same teacher for every class and throughout the whole class program chosen by the student. We strongly believe that the teacher is greatly responsible for the improvement of the student, therefore, each teacher needs to get to know each student on a deeper level in order to have well-prepared lesson plans that will suit each student’s specific needs. Our school teachers build a personalized curriculum from the student’s needs and weaknesses in English and target them throughout their program. Students will have daily targets and be able to clearly see the improvements in their English by the time they leave Cebu.
If either the teachers or students feel as though they are not reaching their intended goals, extra homework and practice are provided to make sure that the student’s goals are reached. And if a student is uncomfortable with their teacher or it just don’t feel as if they are a good match, students are welcome to change teachers anytime.

We believe that practicing in real life settings leads to the realization of how to use their English in many different situations. Learning done only in a classroom does not give the students a chance to use and apply their knowledge in the real world. Real life conversations are full of natural mistakes, and such experience teaches them that it is okay to make mistakes, and that students can learn even more from those experiences.
With this in mind, our school provides 4 hours one-on-one private lessons in the morning and 2 hours practical group communication lessons in the afternoon.

In the morning, one-on-one private intensive lessons emphasize grammar, vocabulary, and English speaking essentials. In the afternoon, we provide them an opportunity outside the school to practice what they learned in the morning lessons. All throughout the day the teacher will accompany the student so that if the student has difficulties, the teacher will be there to help them and offer support.

We are the school where students enjoy life in the tropical island of Cebu and our school is located in the heart of Cebu City. Students have very easy access to a large variety of shops, restaurants, spas, karaoke bars, department stores, and shopping malls. This alone is a perfect opportunity for students to practice survival English outside of the school.

Most language schools in Cebu are situated outside the city center, in the suburbs which have little entertainment. Students end up staying inside their schools due to a lack of activities and inconvenient methods to reach the inner city. Our students are here to study, enjoy, and experience a foreign country. It is such a shame to stay here for a week or a month and not experience the many great things here in Cebu!

We believe that a very convenient, comfortable environment is important when studying abroad. We know that if the atmosphere is not comfortable, learning cannot be maximized. At UEC, students stay in a 4-star hotel located near the school to provide privacy and allow them to spend their personal time in comfort. This accomodating and relaxing atmosphere allows students the chance to greatly improve their English, stress-free.

Our school management does not have any strict rules or penalties. There are no fees if you miss a class, but there will also be no refund. Students are completely free to enjoy their weekends in whichever way they would like. They can choose to spend their days off on a Bohol Tour, go whale shark watching or diving in Mactan and do other marine sports. All they have to do is tell their teacher what they would like to do and the school will prepare everything for them.

To maintain a multi-national (multi-cultural) school, our management and marketing team are targeting students from Far Eastern Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam etc.
Therefore, aside from UEC’s Filipino staff, Japanese and Russian coordinators are also available to take care of the students’ daily needs.
The reality of most English schools in the Philippines is that Japanese students mingle with each other and continue to speak in their native language after school hours; so as with Korean students.
UEC provides lessons and recreational activities that make students with different nationalities become friends with one another.
UEC intends to help students maintain friendships even after they return to their home countries.

UEC is located in a very safe area and is very accessible to almost any destination. It is in a newly-renovated I.T. building.
Because of the large number of foreigners in Mactan Island, they could be the target of crimes.
Downtown Cebu is not a very safe place for foreigners either.
There are hotels (and pension houses) that are only 3 to 5 minutes walking distance from UEC.
UEC-affiliate deluxe hotels (and reasonable hotels) have a contract with the school so the students can get high discounts on accommodation rates.
UEC is located in a very safe area in midtown Cebu in one of its main streets popularly called Mango Avenue (presently called General Maxilom Avenue).
It is in a very convenient location that is accessible to many places on foot.
UEC is located near the entertainment spot called Mango Square where foreigners unwind. Foreign students from Mactan Island come to Mango Square by taxi for dining and entertainment.
The students’ purpose is to study, not just to be on vacation. Daily convenience is very important when choosing the school to study.

We have a strong foundation from Dr. Clarita Filipinas as our supervisor. She was the former chairperson of the graduate school for humanities at University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines, the former director of the Regional Network for English for Specific Purposes in the Visayas, Philippines, and a visiting professor at Nanzan University and Nanzan Junior College in Nagoya, Japan. She has a long experience in English language teaching.
She oversees the hiring and training of teachers and curriculum development.
We have teachers that graduated from top universities in Cebu like Cebu Normal University (CNU) and University of San Carlos (USC). We are proud of our top-level quality teachers.

Our management does not have strict school rules or penalties for students. If students want to enjoy on weekends like going on a Bohol tour, whaleshark-watching, diving and other marine sports, please inquire from the school staff.
If students miss a class, there will not be any penalty but there will not be any refund for it.