Program Information

The English Center serves students with a variety of goals.

The Career Advancement Program (CAP) is for students who are preparing for employment in the United States. These students learn to succeed in an English-speaking work environment and become comfortable in the culture of the American workplace.

The Intensive English Language Program (IELP) is for students who want to succeed in a U.S. college or university, or who need to improve their English skills for professional or personal reasons.

Excellence in Education
Our flexible curriculum provides core classes and rotating special interest classes. Classes are offered at all levels, from beginning to advanced. Each new student takes a placement test at the beginning of the first session to find his or her appropriate level.

English Center classes are small (average size: 13 students) to facilitate individual learning. A full-time student receives at least 22.5 hours of classroom instruction per week, not including computer laboratory time. A typical student's weekly class schedule consists of six classes totaling 13.5 hours of core classes and 9 hours of career, computer, and elective courses, plus additional computer laboratory time.

Students who successfully complete a program of eight weeks or longer at ECIW can earn quarter units of academic credit. The full-time CAP or IELP student can earn 9 quarter credits each 8-week session. This credit can be transferred to colleges and universities that give credit for work in English as a Foreign or Second Language. A complete catalog of all ECIW courses and services is available on request.

Core English Language Curriculum
At the beginning and intermediate levels, both CAP and IELP students attend the same core classes to build a solid base in American language and culture skills. Thirteen and a half hours per week of core classes cover all basic aspects of language learning: grammar study and practice, reading skills and vocabulary development, academic and business writing, listening comprehension, formal and informal speaking skills. At the advanced level, core classes may differ for CAP and IELP students. Click here for more information about the core classes.

Elective Classes
Students typically devote nine hours per week to special interest courses. These courses reflect the particular interests of current students and faculty and add a new dimension to English studies. Popular special interest courses have included:

  • iBT TOEFL Preparation
  • Idioms and Pronunciation
  • Women in the Arts
  • English for Health Care Professionals
  • American Cultures and Film
  • California Writers
  • Advanced Business Writing
  • Academic Readiness

Click here for more information about the elective classes.

Computer Classes
Hands-on computer experience is in high demand with employers. In these classes, students learn useful and necessary computer applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel, Access, and HTML, as well as Internet browsing and e-mail. They gain basic skills in keyboarding, word processing, presentation, desktop publishing, data management, web and graphic design, and hardware management. In addition, students may use the computers during lab hours to practice and refine their computer and writing skills. CAP students are required to take computer classes. IELP students may choose computer classes as their electives.

Career Preparation Classes
Career preparation classes assist students in developing confidence while approaching prospective employers. They learn to write effective cover letters, resumes, and job applications so they can communicate their new skills. Students learn how to look for a job using newspapers, internet advertisements, job fairs, and personal networking opportunities. Students also develop a career plan and learn to and prepare for interviews, negotiate compensation, and write thank you and follow-up letters. Classes cover office culture and other professional and personal skills needed to retain and advance in a job. CAP students are required to take career preparation classes. IELP students may choose career preparation classes as their electives.

Internship Program
The Internship Program offers women and men who have achieved at least high-intermediate English language proficiency the opportunity to gain professional experience, improve cultural understanding, and develop language proficiency in an American workplace. Many students at ECIW have had professional experience or training in their native countries and are eager to gain experiential training in an American professional environment. Some women and men will enter the American workforce after they graduate from the English Center; others may find work in an international company in their home country. In either case, the Internship Program offers an integrated approach to language and professional development.

Sample Class Schedule:
(Click here for sample class schedule.)

Customized Programs for Groups

  • For more than 20 years, ECIW has been designing high-quality study tour programs for all-women and coeducational groups. Please click here for details.



Core Courses
These classes each meet for four and a half hours each week
on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Grammar: The goal of the grammar class is to increase the students' mastery of the structure of both oral and written English. Students will work on particular grammar points to increase their accuracy and fluency in English.

Reading/Writing: The goal of the reading/writing class is to engage students in the processes of reading and to write about what they read. Students will explore ideas in discussion groups followed by a variety of writing activities. Additionally, students will learn the writing necessary for the workplace and for higher education.

Speaking/Listening: The goal of the speaking/listening class is to improve students' oral communication skills in English. Students may be asked to conduct interviews, make speeches or act out (role play) common everyday situations. The teacher may use video or audiotapes to help the students with listening comprehension and vocabulary.

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Elective Classes

Students take two electives in both 4 and 8-week sessions. The electives meet for three hours each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. Examples of courses frequently offered are:

Academic Skills: A class created for students who plan to enter an American university or for those who need to use English in an academic setting. This course prepares advanced students in academic writing and reading, test-taking, note-taking and other skills essential for success in an American university.

Academic Readiness: Students learn about educational options in the San Francisco Bay Area, including degree and certificate programs in community colleges and state universities. They make individual plans and complete applications.

American Culture and Film: This course focuses on watching films dealing with American culture while students improve listening comprehension, become familiar with a variety of American accents, acquire idioms and vocabulary, and work on discussion skills. Films in this course include contemporary movies.

Business Writing: Communication skills, business correspondence, office procedures, and the language needed in the business world--these are the topics and skills covered in this intensive and practical course. Activities include role-playing, case studies, projects, and field trips to local businesses.

English for Healthcare Professionals: In this series of three classes, students preparing to enter or re-enter the healthcare professions explore the career options, study the culture of the healthcare workplace, and learn successful strategies for communication with patients, co-workers, and supervisors.

California Writers: An unusual and thought-provoking introduction to popular California writers such as Mark Twain, Jack London, Yoshiko Uchida, Isabel Allende, and Amy Tan, and the literary and historic movements which have influenced their writing. The class often ends with a trip to Jack London Square.

Idioms and Pronunciation: A class that teaches students to recognize and produce frequently used idioms and multiple-word verbs. This class also offers opportunities for students to practice pronunciation within the contexts of everyday conversations.

Career Skills: These classes include both specialized and generalized career preparation for students who are doing career exploration. Both visiting students who are students at college as well as immigrant students who are currently looking for a job will profit from these classes. In a learning-centered support group, students study and practice language skills and strategies necessary for getting a job while doing independent research in their own field of expertise. There are weekly activities and assignments in areas such as: general skills assessment, work values, writing for the workplace, networking, career planning as a process, cultural awareness issues at work, interview skills, and resume and cover letter writing.

Computer Applications: In these classes, students learn Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access in a Windows environment. More advanced students learn desktop publishing and web page design. In addition to the scheduled class, students can use the computers during the drop-in lab hours.

Contemporary Issues: Current social, political and environmental issues are the basis of this class. Students read articles in newspapers and magazines, listen to speakers and watch TV segments on problems facing the world today. Lively discussions, debates and oral presentations are some of the activities in which students participate.

Cross-Cultural Communication: In this class, students exchange cultural traditions and customs to help each other become more aware of their own values and the values of others in an ever-growing world of internationalism.

Successful Communication: Building skills in communicating effectively in English is the primary goal of this mini-course. Students develop social vocabulary, study colloquial speech, practice using idioms as well as polite phrases, and discuss current topics of popular interest.

iBT TOEFL Preparation: An intensive class which includes practice TOEFL tests, exercises which focus on particular test items, exercises that develop test-taking skills, and a review of advanced language skills.

Vocabulary Development: A class designed to make learning new words fun. Short, interesting articles highlight specific words to be studied. Games, activities, and discussion questions get students talking and using the new vocabulary.

Women in the Arts: An in-depth study of American women who have achieved fame and recognition through the arts. Learn about Julia Morgan, a famous architect who designed the Hearst Castle, Georgia O'Keefe, a well-known painter who depicted the American Southwest, and Dorothea Lange, a photographer whose work captured the daily lives of the people most affected by the Depression. These are just three examples of the women whose work is studied in this class.