A month to “reinvent herself”: Denise, a finance professional, and her two big challenges in Cebu, IELTS and a diving license

“In the middle of the daily repetition of work, I really wanted to set aside time just for English.”

Denise works in finance. In a life filled with daily tasks, she began to want to step away from the routine for a while and spend a focused period studying nothing but English.

She had always wanted to improve her English, but studying while still working had clear limits. “I wanted to study in an environment where English was part of everyday life and I could really use it”: that thought led her to consider studying abroad.

To face English calmly and fully, Denise decided to leave her job for a while and take on the challenge of studying English abroad.

When choosing a destination, Denise first compared several language schools online. The main reason she decided on 3D ACADEMY was that the curriculum matched her goals very well.

It also weighed heavily that “the teachers are professional, but also very approachable and friendly.” Feeling that she could study seriously in a relaxed atmosphere gave her a lot of confidence for her first experience studying abroad.

Another attraction was that the school is in the center of Cebu: “on weekdays I can focus fully on studying, and on weekends it’s easy to go out into the city for sightseeing.” This location, which makes it easy to balance study and daily life, was one more reason to choose 3D ACADEMY.

She chose the IELTS preparation course. Also, when she found out that 3D ACADEMY offers a wide variety of programs beyond IELTS, such as ESL courses for children and teenagers, she felt that “a school with so many different programs inspires confidence,” which finally convinced her.

Her stay at 3D ACADEMY was about one month. In that not-very-long period, what Denise noticed most was the improvement in her writing ability.

“The writing teacher didn’t just teach me essay templates, but the very way of building the logic that an academic text needs.”

Instead of memorizing a mold and simply applying it, she received careful teaching on why a text is structured in a certain way and how to develop arguments so that they are convincing. For Denise, this learning centered on reasoning, and not only on templates, was very valuable: she feels she gained an ability that can be applied to different situations, rather than depending on fixed formulas.

The speaking classes were also very thorough. The teacher in charge prepared plenty of practice material and organized the classes with a strong emphasis on pair work. That practical setting, in which she really communicated in English with another person, fit perfectly with what Denise was looking for: learning by “using” the language.

“I’ve only been here a month, but even I can clearly feel how much my writing has improved.” That tangible progress in such a short time also became a great motivation to keep studying.

While she concentrated on studying during the week, Denise’s weekends held another big challenge: diving training.

Using her weekends, she learned to dive in the sea of Cebu and ended up getting her diving license. Denise herself mentions earning this license as one of the moments she remembers most from this experience abroad, alongside her academic achievements.

On a trip originally planned to study English, she also ended up gaining, unexpectedly, a new skill and self-confidence through diving. The clear water and the richness of nature are part of Cebu’s unique charm. These weekends, which combined learning and challenge, became an irreplaceable memory for Denise.

Students from all over the world come together at 3D ACADEMY. During her experience, Denise also met classmates of a great variety of nationalities.

From Middle Eastern countries to France, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Peru, Chile and Brazil, and also Japan, China, Vietnam and India, among many others: the list would be endless. She lived every day with students from very different cultural backgrounds and communicated with them in English.

“It’s truly appealing to be able to really communicate with people from so many different countries. And besides, the food is very good.”

Not only in the classroom, but also in everyday conversations in the dining hall and the dorm, that multicultural atmosphere was a great source of inspiration for Denise. It was a month in which she felt firsthand how interesting it is to connect, through a shared language like English, with people from such different backgrounds and upbringings.

After finishing her study period at 3D ACADEMY, Denise’s next step is to take the IELTS exam. Now that she has noticed a clear improvement, especially in writing, her immediate goal is to confirm that progress in the form of a real score.

And there is one more wish Denise shared about the future: “Next year, I’d like to come back to this same school, preferably with my children.”

Behind those words is the wish to share with her family what she herself experienced: truly facing English in a multicultural environment and enjoying new challenges on weekends.

One month, far from the daily bustle of the finance world, spent in Cebu: the learning in the IELTS preparation course and a diving license earned unexpectedly. With both in her backpack, Denise’s journey continues.

The course Denise took at 3D ACADEMY is the IELTS Preparation Course.

With mainly one-on-one instruction and exam-format mock tests, this course strengthens all four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) in a balanced way. We operate as an official IDP authorized agency, and a distinctive feature is that the program can be flexibly designed around your target score and schedule, with study periods ranging from 1 week to more than half a year.

As Denise said in her testimonial, one-on-one classes let you practice intensively on your own weak points, and even in just one month she clearly felt her writing improve. The focus you gain by stepping away from work and devoting a block of time to English alone is another appeal of this course.

It meets a wide range of needs, from working professionals with busy daily lives to those who have an IELTS exam coming up.

Recommended for those who...

• want to step away from work and daily life and focus on English for a solid period
• want to raise their score for the IELTS exam
• want to strengthen their weak points intensively in one-on-one classes
• want to make new friends regardless of nationality
• want to enjoy local experiences on weekends, not just study

Why not start, like Denise, by devoting some of your own time to English?