SCEC was founded in 1989 by Helen Thomas, and was well regarded in Australia as the first school to receive government accreditation for a curriculum which included community integration and cultural activities as part of its teaching program.The concepts for the school and the educational tours were initiated in the late 1980’s and began as short cultural exchange programs.  These were made up of English lessons on “how to communicate with the host family” and fun activities such as surfing lessons, canoeing and horse riding. Each tour was personalised for the individual group. The very first group to arrive in Noosa was made up of city councillors from Japan. This group’s arrival coincided with the worst flood Noosa had ever seen. The roads into Noosa were flooded and the hotel the group was booked into was under water. Nevertheless our mutual interest in education and international understanding (plus lots of laughs over dinner!) created long term friendships, and we all agreed that Noosa was the perfect location for program of that kind.  The weather has been better ever since, too! The College was originally intended to remain small with a maximum of 40 students.  Marketed mainly by word of mouth, it rapidly expanded well beyond that number. By 1995 the College was fully accredited and students were coming from Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia as well as Japan. By 1999, the capacity and enrolment at the College was 100 full-time students, and students were welcomed from Europe, South America and throughout Asia. With the retirement of Helen Thomas in 2004, Ian and Yasuko Pratt purchased shares in the school and integrated it into the Global Village English Centres group.  They expanded into new locations, including Brisbane (2006), Byron Bay (2007), Sunshine Coast (2009) and Perth (2010). In 2011, the company was rebranded as Lexis English, a new brand designed to highlight the unique Australian identity of the group. Today, Lexis English each year welcomes more than 2000 adult students and around 700 junior students from more than 50 countries around the world, and is one of Australia's largest privately owned language schools.

 

Homestay
Homestays are the most popular accommodation option at Lexis.

Homestays provide students that chance to live with a local Australian family, who provide you with a room, meals, a warm welcome and a chance to improve your English at home as well as at school.

We're proud of the quality of our Homestays at Lexis. All our families are carefully selected and homes regularly inspected by our Accommodation Office team. We take care to match your interests with a family who we know will give you a great Australian experience.

Homestays provide a great way to know more about the Australian way of life and to speak English every day, all in a comfortable family setting. There is no better way to practice the English you learn in class than with your Australian family around the dinner table.

 

Student Houses
If you are a little more independent and prefer the flexibility of self-catering accommodation, you may wish to consider living in a Lexis student house.

Most houses are within walking distance of school and all linen, crockery, kitchen utensils and appliances and laundry facilities are provided.

 

Backpacker Hostels & Private Accommodation
If you prefer your own space or perhaps after having lived in homestay for some time you decide that you would like to live on your own, all of our locations offer a wide range of private accommodation.

Each school’s accommodation office will be happy to provide you with a list of backpacker hostels, shared accommodation and other options to suit your specific requirements. Alternatively, you may wish to reserve homestay accommodation with us for the first month or more of your course to allow yourself time to find your way around before making your own arrangements.

There are a new multimedia computer suite with free internet, free wi-fi access throughout, student support desk providing advice about accommodation, transport, visa issues, healthcare, part-time jobs and much more, student lounge with large screen television with PlayStation and Wii, fully-equipped student kitchen with free tea and coffee, sunny roof terrace with café style furniture and barbecue, choice of weekday afternoon seminars and activities, including sports, competitions, cooking, movies and excursions, great social program including day-trips and weekend excursions, self-access library with extensive reading, writing, listening and speaking practice resources for all levels, multicultural and multilingual staff who can provide language support if required, "Lexis Work Shop" program to provide you with all the skills you need to maximize your part-time employment opportunities.