Welcome to York English Services
Thank you for your interest in York English Services, where learning English is just the first step towards connecting...to your goals and dreams...and to people from all over the world.
Here you will find all the information you need about our programs, including our CELBAN Preparation course. Please contact us to discuss your specific goals and situation.
You can join our CELBAN Preparation Course EVERY WEEK! The number of students per class is limited (no more than 12 full-time students/class), so act NOW!
Our CELBAN Prep course is offered on a PARTIME on Saturdays (9:00am-1:00pm) PST.
You can also chose our FULL PREP course in the mornings. Classes are held Monday to Friday (M-W-F 9:30am-1:30pm; Tu-Th 11:30-2:30 PST).
The most significant advantage of taking our courses is the incredible amount of individualized feedback you will get thanks to our small classes policy.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
english@yorkenglishservices.com
1-778-322-4170
Visit our Facebook page for news.
WHY YORK?
1) The program was designed by an expert: There are a lot of people who can teach English. However, there are very few with expertise in teaching English for nurses who need to pass the CELBAN exam. There are even fewer individuals who have experience designing curriculum and developing instructional materials for a course that prepares students for such a challenging examination.
2) The course is taught by the expert who designed it. It is like having the engineer who designed your car as your personal mechanic! It is even more reassuring to know that the instructor has more than 17 years of experience in language acquisition and development.
3) The course is taught by someone who knows the different needs of students. Having taught students from 53 different countries, the instructor can identify the specific needs of students from different countries…and knows how he can address them!
4) You will get instant feedback. Students are not going to watch a prerecorded session; instead, they will be interacting with the instructor in real time, which will sure impact their learning in a very positive way.
5) The course is affordable. Students can pay for the whole course, per week or per modules (listening, speaking, writing and reading).
5) The format of the course is convenient. All sessions are online, so students can attend them from the comfort of their homes. Besides, classes will be recorded; as a result, if students cannot attend a class, they won't miss anything.
7) The course is comprehensive. It covers all 4 skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
8) Classes are fun. Thanks to the instructor’s creativity and sense of humor, students won’t even notice they are working on their language skills.
9) The materials are relevant. The materials used in class display a high level of resemblance with the actual CELBAN exam in terms of format and level of difficulty.
10) The listening and writing materials are BRAND NEW. New listening and writing materials were designed, so those who have taken CELBAN prep courses before can benefit from using ours.
11) Detailed and individual feedback will be provided. Students will know where their weaknesses lie and how these can be eliminated or reduced. You will receive enough feedback because our class are small, with no more than 12 students per class.
12) Students will practice taking exams. Every week students will take an exam, so by the end of the course, they who purchased the "full package" will have taken 4 complete exams, which will give students the confidence needed.
13) Your needs will be met. YORK ENGLISH SERVICES is not a machine designed to make money…we care! We will do whatever it takes to ensure you are satisfied…
THE PROGRAMS
GENERAL INFORMATION
A) All the times mentioned are in Pacific Standard Time (PST).
B) All sessions are online using ZOOM.
C) Students can join every Monday.
D) No more than 12 students are allowed in class at any given time.
FULL CELBAN COURSE (20 HOURS/WEEK; 4 WEEKS; 4 FULL EXAMS)
A) Classes are held on the following days and times: M-W-F 9:30am-1:30pm; Tu-Th 11:30-2:30 PST. Statutory holidays are observed.
B) On the first day of each week, students take a complete mock-up exam.
C) During the rest of the week, students start the day with a listening practice (1.5 hours).
D) The listening practice is followed either by a writing (Tu and Th) or a speaking practice (Wed-Friday), Students also spend 1 hour on reading (instead of on writing and speaking) on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
E) In total, in addition to the full exam, every week students have 6 hours of listening practice, 4 hours of writing practice , 4 hours of speaking practice and 2 hours of reading practice.
F) Extra materials are provided so students can work on reading, writing, and speaking skills outside of class time. Suggestions are also made regarding online resources that students can use to improve their English skills.
PART-TIME CELBAN COURSE (4 or 8 HOURS/WEEK; 4 WEEKS; + 1 FULL EXAM)
A. Classes are held on Saturdays (9-1 PST).
B. Every week students work on all 4 skills. Plenty of personalized feedback is provided by the instructor.
C. At the end of the fourth week, students take a full mock-up exam. Students also book a 30' appointment for the speaking exam, which is followed by a time when feedback on the student's performance in the speaking exam is provided.
D. Extra materials are provided so students can work on reading, writing, and speaking skills outside of class time. Suggestions are also made regarding online resources that students can use to improve their English skills.
SPECIAL PACKAGES
In addition to individualized CELBAN packages, we also teach general / academic / business English and IELTS (speaking/writing) courses. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs and to obtain a quote.
THE PROCESS
A. Carefully examine all the information about the courses.
B. Write us to talk about any questions you might have.
C. The course was designed to assist students who have a minimum IELTS Academic 6.5 overall or equivalent (this is NOT a requirement if you are registering for the IELTS or Conversational English programs).
- TOEFL iBT: 90
- Cambridge: 176
- CAEL: 60
- Duolingo: 105-110
Students who have not achieved these scores yet can take the course, but they most likely will need more time to be fully ready for the exam.
D. E-mail us a copy of your English assessment score when applicable
E. Contact us to schedule an interview; within 48 hours after the interview, you will be informed if you have been accepted.
F. Choose a starting date. Remember: you can start on any given Monday.
G. Complete the registration form provided on our website:
https://forms.gle/3LryMnNXaYDTBBiG9
H. Pay the tuition fee using PayPal or credit card. I receipt will be provided within 24 hours.
- Click on Register to pay using PayPal or a credit card
- All learning materials and fees are included in the tuition fee.
I. Download Zoom, the platform we will use for our online classes. It’s free! Here is the link:
https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting
J. Make sure you have access to excellent WIFI connection. It is a good idea to obtain a good headphone or earbuds.
K. Have pen, pencils, a notebook, an eraser…all those important tools for learning…before the beginning of each class.
L. Show up on time for every class and make sure you come prepared to learn and have fun.
M. You will be part of a class with no more than 15 students, including you, except during listening sessions.
STUDENTS CAN JOIN CLASSES EVERY WEEK!
THE POLICIES
1. A full refund (minus fees charged by financial institutions) can be obtained if requested up to 24 hours after the end of the second class. A partial refund (75%) can be obtained if requested up to 24 hours after the end of the fourth class (minus fees charged by financial institutions). No refunds are given after that.
2. English is the only language to be spoken during class time.
3. Students should make every effort to avoid distractions during class, including using the phone for research or communication purposes.
4. Students should ensure they are not late for class and that they are fully prepared to participate in class activities. In case a student is late, they can request and wait for permission to join the class if they are no more than 6 minutes late after the beginning of each class.
5. Tolerance, respect, kindness and politeness should guide all interactions during class time. Students who refuse to follow this guideline will not be allowed to continue and will not be entitled to obtain a refund.
6. Common sense, fairness, dialogue, and goodwill should be employed by all parties to resolve disagreements.
the person
1. Armindo Fontana has been living in Vancouver, Canada, since July 1993. He is the proud father of three amazing teenage daughters.
2. Armindo earned a Master’s of Divinity from Regent College, in Vancouver, back in 1997, before he completed a Master’s of Education with a focus on International Education in 2016. In addition, he has a 250 hour TESOL certificate from Coventry House, which he completed in 2011
3. Armindo has taught a huge variety of English courses since February 2003, including:
- CELBAN Preparation and Medical Terminology and Communications courses at OMNI College.
- General English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at Vancouver International Georgia College, EF Vancouver, and ECC ESL Canadian College.
- Academic English courses at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Alexander College and Columbia College.
- Business English at Upper Iowa University, ECC ESL Canadian College and St. Giles International.
- IELTS and Cambridge Preparation courses for Vancouver International Georgia College.
- TOEFL for Pattison and Dorset Colleges.
- English for aviation, for airport operations and for the automobile industry courses at Dorset College.
- English and Global Citizenship at the English Language Institute, which is the ESL school associated with the University of British Columbia.
4. Armindo is currently a benchmark rater at Paragon Testing Enterprise, where he assists the company assess CELPIP writing exams, an exam people have to take for immigration purposes.
TESTIMONIALS
Armindo is a very professional teacher. He made our class fun and exciting. He helped me a lot to pass my CELBAN. I will always be grateful to him for his support and kindness. I highly recommend Armindo for those international nurses planning to pursue their nursing profession here in Canada.
Jin, Philippines
I took the step of faith to come to Canada to achieve my dream of becoming an RN. We all have to write the English exam if we were educated outside Canada. It was challenging to achieve the desired scores. I am a success story because every time I fell down, I picked myself up, tirelessly worked with Armindo. I got all the support needed to achieve my goals. Set time to chase your objectives and your passion, and you are halfway there, Always believe in yourself .
Victoria, Kenya
Armindo is one of the most jovial, hardworking and supportive teachers I know. I had taken multiple IELTS and CELBAN classes from different institutions, but among all teachers I worked with, Armindo was the only one who found what was lacking in my speech, where and what I should correct and what I should really focus on. He made me realize that English is not too hard, and it just need some time, practice and proper guidance to make it easier. I passed my CELBAN because of his guidance and support. As a foreigner from a non English speaking country, I always had issues with pronunciation. He found my core issue and made me practice word after word until I got it correct, which, of course, helped me pass the CELBAN exam. I'm truly grateful for your help. I really don't have enough words to explain his unique way of teaching.
Akash, India
Armindo is a lovely teacher, who is very experienced in teaching. He always corrects us about the grammar and pronunciation problems and I think this is a very effective way of learning English and preparing for the exam. He speaks very clearly, which makes it easier for us international students to catch. Also, he is very kind and helps us with speaking and writing preparation before the exam. This helps us find mistakes that cannot be found by ourselves, get used to the exam, and have more confidence. Last but not least, his class has a lot of fun and we learn English happily.
Lina, China
Armindo is not only a knowledgeable and experienced English teacher but also a compassionate, persevering, and attentive person with a great sense of humor. Thus, he makes the overwhelming burden of studying English enjoyable and possible to complete.
Shoko, Japan
I am a Registered Nurse from India who came to Canada with a dream of becoming a Canadian RN. As a newcomer as well as an international student, it was tough for me to pass my CELBAN exam. But, I was so blessed to be part of Armindo's Medical Terminology and CELBAN classes. My English knowledge and communication really improved with his constant motivation and support. I did all the homework and engaged in all class activities, which helped me boost my confidence in speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. The way Armindo taught everything was really appreciable. The learning tips which he shared with me helped me pass my CELBAN exam in my first attempt. Moreover, Armindo's classes are very interesting thanks to his inborn sense of humor. Now I am a successful LPN working in New Brunswick, and soon I will be an RN in British Columbia. Last but not the least, thank you, Armindo, for all your hard work and determination to teach students from all over the world.
Ancy, India
It is my pleasure to introduce Armindo to students who want to learn English. Because he is very professional, I could improve my English , so I passed CELBAN. I had failed the speaking part of the CELBAN exam twice before I started practicing speaking with him. As we all know, we have three chances to write CELBAN within two years. He is perfect for teaching speaking and writing. As a Chinese student whose official language is not English, I had a bunch of grammar and vocabulary problems, but Armindo was always very patient to correct my mistakes and to suggest more suitable vocabulary. Regarding writing, he knows how to help you find the key points of the questions and how to structure your writing. He looks at every student individually and gets to know their weaknesses in order to give targeted training. The most important thing is students like his class very much as he combines knowledge with fun. Let me put this way, we always learn while we laugh. I have great memories of his classes, and they brought me a lot of happiness.
Selina, China
Armindo was a huge part of my success in passing CELBAN. There are a plethora of reasons why I recommend taking his classes, and I can state a few. The course takes you back to the basic English rules, which a lot of us ignore but are important in the eyes of the assessors. The practice tests he gave during our discussions were in line with how the actual tests are. The classes were so engaging and effective that I got the confidence and knowledge to take the CELBAN head-on. Actually, I’m still benefiting from the course even after having taken the test.
Ella, Philippines
Thank you for the time you welcomed me as a student in your celban class. The wonderful experience gave me a unique birds-eye view of the educational happenings inside the classroom. The enthusiasm and joy you have for teaching creates a fantastic atmosphere for learning. The patience you have for your students, especially the ones who struggle to keep up, is truly amazing.I got to learn alot and am honoured to have been part of your class...Thank you Armindo
Fay, Kenya