English is the only official language spoken in Australia. Although Melbourne is a highly multicultural city, it is not necessary to know any other languages. While many Melburnians are bi-lingual, thanks to either having foreign-born parents or being foreign-born themselves, languages besides English are not commonly used in public.
Learning English
If you need to learn or improve your English, there are several English language schools in Melbourne.
GEOS
Level 1, 277 Flinders Lane, CBD
03 9650 0710
http://www.languageinternational.com/en
For intensive courses, GEOS provides the most flexibility and options at a reasonable price. 2 week courses (25 lessons per week) are AU$700. Additional courses (up to 48 weeks, 25 lessons per week) are available as well.
Council for Adult Education (CAE)
21 Degraves Street, CBD
03 9652 0611
http://www.cae.edu.au/web/
CAE offer General English and a range of LOTE courses (Language Other Than English) for the polyglots among you who would like to either learn or improve a European or Asian language. Classes run in terms and enrolment is limited.
Hawthorn English Language Centre
442 Auburn Road, Hawthorn
03 9815 4000
This school has casual and conversational classes for those looking to improve their English, or intensive courses for those looking to learn a lot quickly. Good track record of students consistently passing IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exams after instruction here.
RMIT English Worldwide
RMIT Building 36, Level 1, 393 Swanston Street, CBD
03 9657 5800
http://www.rmitenglishworldwide.com/
This program is run by RMIT University and offers courses specifically aimed at professionals to help them excel in their industry by communicating fluently in English. Enrolment is costly and limited, but highly recommended.
Language Trainers Melbourne
http://www.languagetrainers.com.au/english-courses-melbourne.php
This company specialises in one-to-one and small group teaching. As teachers come to your office or home, this can be a good choice for busy business people, or for teaching the whole family together.
Learning Other Languages
Melbourne can be a great city for learning languages other than English as many of the people who live here have travelled extensively, or were born overseas. Most language learning in Melbourne is done casually, on the basis of language exchange in a social environment.
While there are no businesses or institutions that officially arrange language exchange, meetings of this type can usually be arranged through online classifieds.
Just Landed Language Exchange Listings
http://www.justlanded.com/english/Australia/Classifieds/Language-Exchange
