Keen to speak another language? Or hoping your child can develop that valuable skill? Here’s an inside look at the Hong Kong Institute of Languages, a leading provider of language courses in Hong Kong, where you and your family can achieve those goals and more.
The Hong Kong Institute of Languages (HKIL) has been teaching seven languages – English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese – to children, teens, adults, corporations and schools in Hong Kong for 35 years. Founders Christian and Dominique Chasset are well known in the community for playing a leading role in the education field and are both qualified teachers.
We asked the HKIL team to tell us about some of its offerings, including its specialised children’s branch, which is dedicated to teaching languages to children from three to twelve years of age.
What languages and educational activities will my child learn at the Institute?
We offer a fun and engaging way to improve children’s language skills through stimulating learning activities. It focuses on giving youngsters positive reinforcement to boost their confidence while strengthening their ability to communicate in a different language.
Classes are delivered entirely face to face in dedicated facilities designed to aid children’s learning. We offer a full range of courses in different languages for all ages and levels, and for every need; they’re all taught by qualified and caring native teachers. Classes are available weekdays after school or for the whole day on Saturday. The school provides flexible learning modes of small group classes, tailor-made private lessons, online or home-based tuition. Students are free to switch their learning modes at any time at HKIL. Small group classes are organised by age and level to ensure a homogenous class dynamic that provides optimal linguistic progress.
We also offer tailor-made courses for the whole family. That means you can learn a new language together and enrich your lives while living in Hong Kong!
What’s a specific example of an HKIL course for kids?
We have a new French Language Foundation course specifically designed for children aged four to six years, and seven to twelve years. It teaches basic French and enhances the learning process by introducing fundamental aspects of French culture – festivals, cuisine, iconic places, famous artists and more. It’s fun and engaging, and it brings the French language to life. Also, at the end of the course, students can progress to Beginner 2 Level; this assists with applications to primary schools that teach French as an optional language class.
Tell us a bit about your language camps held during school holidays.
We provide dedicated language camps available during Easter, summer and Christmas; over the Chinese New Year period, we offer introductory courses in Mandarin and Cantonese. Aside from being culturally enriching, these camps are activity-based and a lot of fun. The emphasis is on the spoken language; we encourage children to speak as much as possible and become actively involved in each lesson.
Along with these programmes for children, and the adult courses you offer for every proficiency level, HKIL also caters to language learning in a corporate setting; is that right?
Yes, the Institute has a corporate training arm called HKIL Training Solutions. It provides language training to business people and professionals to develop their language potential and compete in today’s multilingual global market.
Locations
The Hong Kong Institute of Languages has three centres around Hong Kong:
- Central Campus: 6/F, Wellington Plaza, 56-58 Wellington Street
- Tseung Kwan O Campus: G01, Capri Place, 33 Tong Yin Street
- Wong Chuk Hang Campus: Units 306-307, 3/F, One Island South, 2 Hung Yip Road
2877 6160 | info@hklanguages.com | hklanguages.com
This article first appeared in the City Guide 2020 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue!
