AICOL Gold Coast English School

A couple of weeks ago a Japanese couple, Mr and Mrs Ichikawa, appeared unannounced at the front desk. They said that their daughter Etsuko had studied at AICOL in 2005, and they wanted to visit and express their gratitude to us for looking after her.

Apparently the parents were not in favour of their daughter going overseas at the time, but she came nonetheless. Etsuko is now a mother of 4 children with her own successful business.

The parents returned to Japan and sent me a copy of the photo (see below) they had taken together with me, just as their daughter had taken a photo over 20 years previously. Etsuko wrote afterwards:

かつて私の選択を猛反対していた両親が、20年の時を超えて現地の先生と笑顔で写真に写っている姿を見て、自分の信じた道を突き進み、長年この仕事を続けてきて本当によかったと、心の底から救われる思いがいたしました。 (Google translation - Seeing my parents, who had once strongly opposed my choices, smiling in a photograph with a local teacher 20 years later, brought me a deep sense of relief and made me realize that I had truly persevered on the path I believed in and continued this work for so many years.)

This experience had a profound affect on all of us at AICOL. It is very difficult to put into words what it means to have such a vindication of our efforts to not only teach English, but to be a medium for meaningful change in people's lives.

🚨 Homestay Families Wanted 🚨
Due to high demand, we are currently seeking new homestay families.

If you know anyone with a spare room - whether it is a friend, neighbour, colleague or relatives — we invite warm, welcoming local families to join us.

📢 Important Update:
💰 From 1 July 2026, our homestay rate will increase. This rate applies regardless of how many students you host. Students may share a room, provided each has their own bed.

🚗 Daily transport: (to/ from Southport)

💡 Example weekly earnings (including 5 days of transport):
• 1 student: $590 to $650/week
• 2 students: $1,000 to $1,100/week
• 3 students: $1,400 to $1,550/week
• 4 students: $1,900 to $2,000/week

Homestay income is generally tax-free, as payments are considered to cover household expenses rather than generate profit. It is mandatory to provide 3 meals a day, and daily transport is preferred.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a homestay family, please contact us:

📧 [email protected]
📞 07 5531 1990
📱 0405 727 587

Your help in spreading the word is much appreciated!

It is the Japan Spring holiday season, as is evidenced by the many students joining us from Japan at this time of year. This time it is the turn of Gunma High school. How tall Japanese youth have grown compared to when I was close to their age as a student in Japan! Every year they grow more and more confident, self-aware, and outgoing.

These lovely students from Saijo High School joined us last week. After a few days of intensive English study, they visited Upper Coomera State College for a day, integrating with their school buddies. Upper Coomera SC provided a very warm welcome, and the Saijo HS students gave a very impressive presentation on their own town in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, as well as detailing what they were studying at school.
The Saijo HS students and teachers were all very happy, and promised to return next year. Thank you to Crane Dance agency for introducing the school, and for their arrangements throughout the tour.

We have just said goodbye to a lovely group of students from New Caledonia, who joined our AICOL Winter Camp #. They were engaging and refreshing, and their tour leaders were both patient and charming.

Noumea is really expensive, so like all students from there, they loved shopping at the big shopping centres on the Gold Coast, such as Pacific Fair #, Harbourtown #, and Robina Town Centre #. Of course they are welcome to return, and I feel certain that we will see one or two of them again.

New Caledonia is only a two hour flight from the Gold Coast, yet is a world away in language and culture.

We are already into the third week of our 2026 Camp at AICOL. The weather has been kind to us so far, and as always the Coast is blessed with lots of choice for activities, dining, and entertainment.

What gives us a lot of joy is to see students from different countries making friends, and who knows perhaps those friendships will last a lifetime.

Here is a group of lovely students from Komagome High School in Japan, who have enjoyed a few weeks with us before starting on a new adventure in some State schools. We wish them all the best.

All of us at AICOL are preparing for another busy Summer Camp. A lot of planning goes into creating a successful Camp, and here our core staff are hard at it. A big thank you to them and all of our other staff and teachers who through their combined efforts have made AICOL what it is today.

‘’The teachers were incredibly kind and supportive’’

Thanks Kairi! We hope to see you again soon.

⭐️Real experiences from our IELTS students⭐️