Wilderness ESL Program at Chilcotin Holidays
Our English as a Second Language (ESL) program is based on participation. Improve your communication skills while being a part of life on an English-only ranch. Our small classes (up to 10 students) and highly qualified staff ensure an exciting experience. Instructors are qualified not only in ESL training, but also in wilderness and horse skills.
This course is designed to improve communication skills that most often take second seat to grammar lessons. Instead of being the mainstay of the program, grammar lessons give you a basis for the intensive conversational aspect of the program. Beginner and high-beginner level students with a basic grasp of English will get the most benefit from the course, gaining both better grammar and communication skills. Students at an intermediate level will gain more fluency and the vocabulary necessary to work and play in the outdoors in an English-speaking environment.
We firmly believe in a hands-on participation approach to learning while still providing the classroom time necessary for correction and full understanding. Students get an opportunity to meet guests, staff, and other students from all over the world. Practice using your English in one of the most beautiful and natural settings in the world.
ESL Educational Ranch Holiday and Wilderness Holiday Options
This is your opportunity to turn learning English into the ultimate adventure.
Live an ESL ranch adventure with 15 hours of classroom study per week.
Spend your afternoons participating in activities designed to help you practice your English skills and develop conversational fluency.
At the same time, you’ll learn how to saddle a horse and then have the confidence to explain the procedure to your partner.
Go on a scavenger hunt through the ranch property following increasingly, difficult instructions.
Tell your fellow students about the mule deer you saw playing in the back pasture.
You have the opportunity to go all out on the weekends with optional camping trips. In the summer, you can visit a nearby lake and spend the day swimming, or go skiing in the winter. After completing the ESL program, you can use your freshly-honed English skills to enjoy one of our many holidays such as a Wilderness Guest Ranch Stay, a Pack Horse Trip or a Wilderness Alpine Hike.
Winter Program (October-May)
When the frost and snow hit, students stay at the main lodge in comfortable rooms with off-suite bathrooms and a communal dining area. Relax around the fireplace while you practice your English skills. Winter activities include horse back riding or cross-country skiing through snow-covered forests, hiking through the valley to look for animal tracks, or, for a special treat, take a snowmobile ride over a mountain top. Build a snow shelter, have a snowball fight. You can do both and play out an epic battle in the white powder. Every activity provides another opportunity to improve your conversation skills.
Summer program (June-September)
During the summer and early fall months, students can stay on the ranch property or head out to one of our wilderness camps. Down at the ranch, proper beds and lights make the tent village a home-away-from-home. Facilities include shared bathrooms and showers, laundry facilities, and a TV room with a large selection of English movies and books. Activities include horse back riding or hiking through the valleys, swimming in a nearby lake, or fishing in one of the many creeks surrounding the ranch.
Camp-Based Wilderness Accommodations (June-September)
Make your English learning experience truly unique by hiking up to one of our alpine camps, during the summer months. Students can choose to spend one or two weeks, or their entire program at camp. You'll practice your English skills while learning wilderness skills at the same time.
Get involved in camp cooking and learn about the plants and animals that surround you in the picturesque valleys. Use a field guide to study the colourful mosaic of alpine wildflowers across the valleys and observe grizzly bear feeding on cow parsnip. You can get involved in a building project to leave your mark on the camp or learn how to direct a team. Your accommodation consists of cozy, tent cabins with foam mattresses at fully equipped wilderness camps that include a kitchen area, outhouse, and picnic table.
Program Details
Students arrive for lunch on the first Sunday of the month and spend the afternoon getting acquainted with the ranch, each other, and get an introduction to the program. Work in the classroom begins Monday morning. Workshop-style classes focus on conversational English as well as academic skills such as reading, writing, and listening.
Afternoons are spent practicing English in fun, interactive activities around the ranch. Whether it be learning the parts of a horse, riding a horse to a hilltop to look out and describe the valley, hiking through the forest to look for animal tracks in the snow, or learning how to throw a lasso, students will go through many exercises to improve their communication skills. At the end of the program, students are given a certificate in recognition of their achievements.
Weekends are a break from studying, where students have a chance to get involved in ranch activities and work with the horses. Optional activities like grizzly viewing, cross-country skiing, fishing, or visiting the nearby town to go to the museum (additional fee may apply).
More Information
| Course Length | 1, 2, or 4 weeks |
|---|---|
| Age of students | 18+ |
| Levels | Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced |
| Teacher Student Ratio | Up to 10 students to 1 teacher |
| Teacher Qualifications | TEFL, First Aid |
| Classroom Hours/Week | 15 |
| Start Dates | First Monday of each Month, for 4 weeks |
Program Outline
Week 1
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Language Objectives:
During your first week, you’ll learn skills for proper introductions, pronouns, locations, present continuous tense, adjectives, and prepositions.
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Communication Strategies
In your first week you’ll already be able to communicate better for you’ll be learning the basis behind good manners, etiquette, and social graces. You’ll be able to get someone’s attention, ask for clarification, and express gratitude.
Week 2
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Language Objectives:
In the second week of the program, you’ll learn how to use present and future tenses, describe what you see and perceive, express ability and obligation, and use time expressions.
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Communication Strategies
Communicating in your second week will be getting even easier as you learn how to communicate in a work environment, make plans, express how you feel, apologize, give reasons and excuses, and extend invitations.
Week 3
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Language Objectives:
By the third week, you’ll be getting instruction in how to use past tense, answer the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why), use both regular and irregular verbs, understand past continuous and simple tense, as well as present and past-perfect tense. -
Communication Strategies
In the week three, you’ll begin conversations. You’ll learn how to converse better through practical, hands-on exercises like conducting interviews in the classroom. We’ll also teach you how to issue a compliment and how to read and follow recipes.
Week 4
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Language Objectives:
During your fourth week you’ll learn how to use passive voice, make compound sentences, make conditional statements, and how to use perfect modals. -
Communication Strategies
In this section of the program, participants will learn how to talk about ailments, direct others, react to good and bad news, make recommendations, and know the differences between exaggerating and emphasizing.
Additional Training Programs Available in Wilderness Guiding and Lodge Management
After you’ve completed your ESL training, you can further your education by enrolling in one of our many wilderness schools. We train individuals to become hike guides, horse guides, and fishing guides. If you prefer working indoors, our Lodge Management Program will train you in cooking, housekeeping, office work, and ranch operations. Whether your wilderness interests are indoors or out, you’ll walk away with a solid base of combined working knowledge and practical skills and a better comprehension of the English language.
Ranch Employment
Apply your new knowledge and practical skills by working on our ranch through our co-op work programs.