On Christmas Eve at 1pm all of Lexis Byron Bay gathered in the student lounge for the inaugural Lexis Byron Bay Film Festival.

There were five entries; one each from Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced. Refreshments (chips, dips, tim-tams and fruit) were served while these were shown at random to the excited crowd.

Claudia’s Upper Intermediate class presented their own video accompaniment to “Happy” by Pharell Williams. It was a great start to the festival; excellent soundtrack, editing and visuals plus some wonderful dancing from Byron locals and visitors, teacher Claudia and the Upper Intermediate students themselves. You can view the whole film here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6HqEEV8ixk&feature=youtu.be

The movie from Marie’s Elementary class “Becoming Byron” featured Miguel Algusto Sabino De Freitas as a stressed out corporate executive who learns to relax and embrace life when he leaves his job and comes to Byron. Great story, great acting, great soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3NjlFqaf5E&feature=youtu.be

Sammy’s Intermediate class went in another direction entirely. They showed a Vox Populi of Byron locals discussing their views on immigration. This film was really well edited and included a fun out-takes section at the end. Very professional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dB8shc9icU&feature=youtu.be

The two winning films were from the Kathleen’s Pre-Intermediate class and Julia’s Advanced class.

The Pre-Ints film “Surfing in Byron Bay” starts calmly enough with some beautiful shots from the water but then had the audience roaring with laughter with parodies of both Jaws and Baywatch. Very clever and a well-deserving winner of Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU9iwTu0GeQ&feature=youtu.be

It was Julia’s Advanced class that won overall Best Film though. Their movie showed two “English Misunderstandings” that Spaniard Cristina Alonso Serrano had when she first arrived in Byron Bay last year. This is extremely funny and Cristina also won the Best Actor award for her re-enactment of these. Be warned though, the misunderstandings are of an adult nature so this film isn’t suitable for anyone under 18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6IX3UlnABc&feature=youtu.be

While we were counting the votes, students and staff received their Secret (or in some cases not so secret) Santa presents. Thanks to Lisa Martignoni for my little model dog! :).

Then all the winner received priceless certificates and welcome six packs of beer for their efforts.

All in all the inaugural Lexis Byron Bay Film Festival was a great success and already the teachers are planning how their class can win next year. Enjoy the holidays everybody.

As usual we have a great free activity programme planned for our students in January.

All the regular favourites are there; yoga, coffee lounge, job club, movie screenings and beach games. Plus we have some unmissable guest activity leaders this month.

Firstly, on 13 January, Pro Skateboarder Flavio returns to give both beginners and improvers instruction, challenges and encouragement. Flavio teaches at schools all over Byron and his classes are always really popular. So don’t miss out on this one.

Another regular feature of our monthly activity programme is Joshee and his slackline. He’ll be returning on the 21st to test your skills of balance and concentration.

Our final special guest this month is Phil from Starrynight Planetarium who will be bring his telescope and his astronomy knowledge to show students the sky at night. If you are from the nothern hemisphere you will see that the sky looks very different from “down under”. Always popular, this evening event is on Wednesday 28 January.

PLUS. We will also be celebrating Australia Day in style with Australian Movies, Lamington Making and Beer Tasting. Look out for more details, nearer the day.

Have a fabulous January and please tell us what you enjoyed the most and what activities you would like to do more of.

Byron Bay is a great place to be over the holidays! There’s so much on so here is a little guide to keep you merry and bright over the holiday period.

Falls Festival
30 December – 3 January (North Byron Parklands) http://www.byron.fallsfestival.com.au

New Year’s Eve

Soul Street – 4pm (Railway Park and Johnson St)
Samba Blisstas – 6.30pm (Railway Park and Johnson St)
Funmaker Silent Disco – 8pm (Railway Park and Johnson St)
Goons of Doom, Ocean Alley, The Badlands, DJ Chris Bradley – 9pm (The Northern)
Dan Hannaford, Lepers & Crooks (The Rails)
Generik, Mr Speaker & The People Party – 8pm (The Beach Hotel)
Tijuana, Illya, Rifraf, Wild Marmalade, Sean Patrick, Orion, Captain Kaine & More – 7pm (The Brewery)
DJ Jimmy D & DJ QC (Cocomangas)
Johnny Cash & June Carter Tribute – 4pm (Club Byron)
Ginger Pig DJs – 9pm (Ginger Pig)

New Year’s Day:

First Sun New Year’s Day – early morning, 1 January (Main Beach)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! Have a lovely holiday and see you in the new year =)
Marie

We had a big graduation this week as students leave Lexis to go on Christmas travels or look for work. Plus, one very special graduation of a student who first started at Lexis Byron Bay over one year ago.

First up was Claudia’s Upper Intermediate class from which two students were graduating: Nico from Switzerland, who isn’t really leaving but joining our January FCE class, and Juliette from Belgium who has been studying at Lexis for the past 15 weeks.

Nico said that he is having an amazing time in Byron Bay and thanked all his fabulous teachers, while Juliette gave a lovely speech saying that her time in Byron Bay has been like a dream that she now has to wake up from. She thanked Claudia and said she had thought she was serious at first but actually she was really funny.

We also said goodbye to three girls who, as teacher Kathleen put it, have been practising outside class this last week. Yuka from Japan, graduated from Elementary after 11 weeks, Sohyun (Korea) from Pre-Intermediate after 12 weeks and Riko (Japan) from Intermediate after 16 weeks. All three girls are now living in the on-site accommodation and really enjoying the experience.

The Intermediate class also said goodbye to Conce (Switzerland) and Mirco (Italy). Teacher Sammy praised both students for their enthusiasm and intelligent questions and he said how much he would miss them both. Mirco, who was described as a lovely human being, is now looking for a job if anyone can help him!

Another lovely Italian saying goodbye this week was Daniel, who graduation from Pre-Intermediate (Grade A) after 6 weeks with Lexis. His teacher said that Daniel always had great intentions of working hard but was easily distracted. Daniel is now going to Bundaburg to work on  a farm but hopes to come back to Lexis Byron Bay to study IELTS.

And finally, sadly, after 36 weeks starting last August we are all going to miss the lovely Cristina from Spain. Cristina started at Lexis in Pre-Intermediate, she then progressed through the levels and an FCE course to finish in Advanced. Not only has she been an amazIng student, she has touched the hearts of everyone who works at Lexis.

In her speech, she gave some advice to all the students, based on what she had learned during her time in Byron Bay. She said that the most important thing is to speak English all of the time. Not just in class. She told us that she watched the new students who came and those that tried to speak in English even when they weren’t being watched, were the ones who made friends from all over the world and had the best experience here. Indeed, she said that now she has friends to visit in every corner of the globe.

Cristina, we will miss you so much. Good luck to everyone who leaves today. Have safe travels and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Become a Pedicab Rider for Down Under Pedicabs

Meet lots of people, keep fit and get paid to do it.

You RENT the pedicab for the week (at night) and you keep all the cash you earn! Each pedicab is setup with a sound system so you can play your own music from your iPhone/MP3 player.

ONLY 1 PEDICAB AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY 29th!

For more details please text 0448719523 or come and see us at Shop 5, 130 Jonson Street, Byron Bay!

Need a job? Dominos pizza Byron Bay is hiring delivery drivers right now!

Flexible hours (10-25 a week)

Then look no further. Just drop by the Byron Bay dominos store with your current resume.

Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and car

Wicked Travel is currently recruiting for a new SALES GENIUS with a killer instinct to help backpackers organise and book their exciting tours around Australia!

You need:

• Proven Sales Experience (fundraising, telesales, B2B, club promo etc)
• Fun, Energetic, Positive Personality with a ‘Can do attitude’
• Travel experience on Australia’s EAST COAST (fraser island / whitsundays an advantage)
• 3-6 months commitment to the job for the coming summer.

Opportunities to progress for Sponsorship is available for those who really excel in the company.

Drop a resume and short covering letter into Lee at Wicked Travel, 89 Jonson Street.

Dynamic person required to assist male quadriplegic with exercising and some gardening

Flexible daytime hours $22 per hour. Need own ABN mattharcia@gmail.com

Byron Bay Herb Nursery require a Casual Support Worker

See website for more info www.byronherbs.com.au

Small Healthcare Company need a Part-Time Admin Assistant

Flexible hours: 22.5 per week. See website for more info www.reidhealthcare.com.au

Byron Shire Council are seeking a Landcare Support Officer

14 hours per week. Email melody.f.valentine@gmail.com for more information or to apply.

Waitperson required for Gringos in Brunswick Heads

Experience necessary. Call 0467 894795

Harvest Cafe in Newrybar require Baristas and Kitchen Hands

Email resume to goodtimes@harvestcafe.com.au

It was another busy graduation on Friday, as we said goodbye to some really lovely students.

First up graduating from his pre-intermediate class today was Spanish Guillem Lopez Borras. His teacher said he is a very happy and funny student who made all his classmate laugh a lot. They will miss him and his sense of humour! His teacher also mentioned that he is graduating with excellent marks.

Ulrike Anscheutz from Germany, who also graduated from the pre-intermediate class, only has only been in Byron Bay for one week. Her teacher said that she made lots of friends and talked to many people from different nationalities. Ulrike said the time she spent was too short to improve her English a lot, but she enjoyed it very much.

Next up was Manuel from Spain (pictured above). He graduated from the upper-intermediate class. His teacher mentioned how much he had improved in his 12 weeks at Lexis and also praised his friendliness. She said that he is a very respectful student and that he will be missed a lot! Manuel is looking forward to travelling around Australia before he is going back to Spain in a few months.

Moja Alseraie from Saudia Arabia has been at Lexis Byron Bay for 8 months! He gave a lovely speech in very good English. He said it has been hard for him to imagine his last day and he can’t believe he is actually graduating today. He thanked all the teachers and staff at Lexis individually and he said that he had an amazing time, learned a lot and will miss everyone!

Maider Egusquizaga from Spain graduated from her IELTS class today. She said that she felt like Lexis was her second family! She loved her teachers and has improved her communication skills greatly. Her teacher said she has an outgoing, talkative personality and she made fantastic contributions to all class discussions. Even though Maider is sad to leave Byron she can’t wait to go skiing back in Spain in two weeks again!

Andrin Siegentahler’s elementary class teacher praised how fast he had improved and how much he had learned at Lexis. He thanked everyone and said he will miss Byron.

Gulia Barra from the intermediate class was sad to leave Lexis after having such a great time and learning so much. Her teacher said she was a delight to teach and always happy and hard-working.

And last but not least, Kevin Naepflin, who was also graduationg from the intermediate class, said he had a great time in Byron and that he loved the Byron way of life.

All the best to all of you. Come back and see us soon.

It’s the moment Lexis Byron Bay has been waiting for all year….. the Lexis Byron Bay Film Festival!!! Next Wednesday all classes will be showcasing their films.

The films can be about absolutely anything and teachers will be taking the students out on excursions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to gather inspiration and footage for their films.

Our technologically-advanced students will then edit the films into art for the whole school to watch and judge on Wednesday afternoon at 1pm.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Best Film
Best Actor
Best Soundtrack
Best Cinematography

Here are some tips and guidelines:

1. You do not need to have dialogue! You will be practicing English just by creating and making the film so you can experiment with songs and sound effects instead if yo want to.

2. Keep the idea simple so it’s easy to follow and don’t make the film too long. A short simple idea done well always works best.

3. You film doesn’t have to be a story. It could be an interview, a series of vox pop, a series of still photographs, even an animation.

4. You might like to download Windows Movie Maker to edit your film. You can do this from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/products/features/movie-maker

After the Film Festival we’ll be having a Christmas party where you can talk about the films you watched and relax with fellow students before the holidays.

Need some inspiration? Check out the photos above andbelow (yes that is Leonardo Di Caprio filming on The Beach and Steven Spielberg filming Jaws =D)

Anji’s Upper Intermediate class wowed us today with their show-stopping, highly engaging panto of Cinderella today. From all around campus choruses of “He’s behind you!” and “Oh no she isn’t”… “Oh yes she is!” could be heard. There was much dressing up – girls acting as boys, boys acting as girls (lipstick included).

Thankyou to Anji and her wonderful class for their Christmas panto!

Once again, outside in the garden where the blistering sun was reflecting off the newly laid concrete, our adventure-prone Byron students lathered up in sun cream to practice skateboarding with Flavio.

It didn’t take Rachel and Lucia, our beginners, to get the hang of it,  and they were soon zooming around after the others.

Everyone progressed onto tricks with Moja practicing his hand turns, and everyone doing the skateboarding limbo. Marcus was flying around as if he were a boy again =D Gon and Sanghyeuk even managed 360s!! Even I had a go – I didn’t even fall off, promise! I wonder what tricks Flavio will be teaching them next time?

On Friday we had a break from the storms so we went down to the beach for a few hours to play beach cricket! Little did we know how HOT it would be all of a sudden so most of us died and melted in the sun.

Shizuya was so epic that he ended up face first in the sand at one point! He was probably so distracted by the brilliant surf.

Summer is here!!

Sammy has been working at Lexis Byron Bay for over 3 months now, so it’s about time he featured on our blog! Meet Sammy, everyone. Sammy from Sydney.

Why did you choose teaching?
To travel!

What is Byron’s best kept secret?
Mullumbimby – go and find out why!

At 11pm on a Saturday you’ll find me…
Jamming with my friends.

At 8am on a Sunday you’ll find me…
Drinking coffee and eating croissants with a crossword.

I’ll bet you didn’t know…
I drink my tea from a jam jar because you can put the lid on to keep it hot AND it fits more tea than a normal mug.

What is your dream holiday?
Motorcycle riding in the Himalayas. I’ve done it three times and still haven’t had my fill.

When you’re in Byron don’t miss…
All the great local bands that play every night of the week.

What is your top tip for learning English?
Use it or lose it.

Yesterday Marie took her Movies & Songs class out in the garden to enjoy the beautiful weather while they studied Jack Johnson and Xavier Rudd.

Hilariously, whilst they were listening to ‘Spirit Bird’ by Xavier Rudd, a couple of birds decided to join in the fun and left a nasty gift on Marie’s head!! This photo was taken pre-bird, although Daniel had already spotted them and was defending himself with his foot. Afterwards they had a great discussion about luck, and whether or not birds deliberately aim for humans (Teacher Sammy also suffered the same fate under the very same tree not long ago.) No student has yet fallen prey to bird poo on the Byron Campus.

Conclusion: perhaps Byron birds enjoy aiming at teachers only?

I can’t believe it – Christmas is next week already! If you’re looking for a job so that you can celebrate with your friends and family over the holidays (or so you can buy me a lovely present) then look no further! And when you’re not working or studying you can always go surfing with Santa (see above).

Casual Support Worker
Byron Bay Herb Nursery. See ‘jobs’ page on website:
http://www.byronherbs.com.au

Barista/ShopManager
Busy roastery requires experienced Barista. Start now.
Email resume to Jenny: jen@buncoffee.com.au

Experienced cook/chef
Part-time position in busy local cafe.
ContactJohnny 0421 495 443

Floor Staff
Italian restaurant. Must be experienced and very good.
Please call 0406 647 236

Chef/cook
Goodies Restaurant. Minimum 5 years experience. Modern Street Food cuisine. Early mornings, breakfast and lunch service. Apply in person or call Paolo or Inga 0417 413 587

Farmer/Farmhand
Macadamia orchard in Bangalow area. Must have experience.
Call Andrew on 6687 9157

Experienced Barista
Busy hinterland cafe. Must be professional, a team player, have a great attitude.
Apply to kassia@harvestcafe.com.au

Experienced Receptionist
For busy tourist establishment. Casual position includes weekend work.
Phone Jodie on 0412 876 140.

If you need help with your resume or interview practice
 please do come to GIL at 2pm any day. Good luck =)

A huge Lexis welcome to our new starters this week! Rachel (Sumi) is from South Korea and has been working in Adelaide for 8 months. Ulrike is from Germany, and has just joined her husband who is also in Byron Bay, and they will be travelling around Australia for one year after she finishes studying at Lexis.

Welcome Ulrike and Rachel – I hope you have a great time while you are in Byron!

Sometimes a student is with us for so long and touches so many people that we begin to believe they’ll never leave. This is definitely the case with Brazilian Mariana Saraiva Malheiros who not only studied in FCE, General English and CAE at Lexis but was also one of our student cleaners.

Finally, she is leaving (although thankfully not Byron Bay) after finishing her classes at the end of November and handing over her job to a current student this weekend. We caught up with Mariana last week to ask her to tell us in her own words about her experience at Lexis English.

“I started at Lexis on March 17 2014 in Paul’s FCE class. In many ways, these first three months were the most important for me because this is when I learned to stop being shy about speaking in English. The class helped, of course,  but, also, I really recommend that students live in a homestay. Definitely, don’t live with anyone who speaks the same language as you. My homestay mum, Jodie Law, was amazing and we are still good friends now. I spent three months living with her and her daughter and it was so nice to be part of an Australian family. Plus, it had a really positive impact on my studies and my confidence as I spoke English at home all the time.

“I got my first job (cleaning the school and the student house) after I’d been here about two months. People did warn me that it’s difficult to find work in Byron Bay, but I think if you are persistent, you will succeed. Not long after I got my first job I was offered a second one, providing Aged Care, and since then, everything has just snowballed into place.

“When I first booked to come to Australia, I wasn’t confident enough to think I could ever pass CAE, even though my goal has always been to speak English perfectly. However, after I did so well in the FCE exam (78% and a B Grade) and then Lisa gave me the opportunity to do a trial CAE test, I realised that perhaps I could pass CAE after all. It was then that I extended my course.

“And my CAE class was amazing. I just had such great classmates; we all got on really well, shared the same goal and helped each other improve. Julia, our teacher, played a really important role too. She is very student centred, so she always knew when we were tired and  then she switched tasks or did something else to get us motivated again. She asked us for ideas and feedback and created the lessons to suit us, our needs, our preferences and our weaknesses. I’m so happy I made the decision to do this course!

Of course, it’s also nice to be able to study in such an amazing place as Byron. It was always my dream to study here and now I’m here I don’t want to leave. There’s a really positive energy to the place and the people are so supportive and welcoming. I’m going to do a Yoga Teaching Training course next. It’s on the Gold Coast but I’ll stay in Byron and travel up because I  don’t want to leave here . When that finishes, who knows? But maybe I’ll stay in Byron forever.

It was a rather large and very sad graduation as we said goodbye to seven students:

First up was Belgian Bianca Hugot, who graduated from Upper Intermediate. She had written a lovely speech individually thanking all the people that had made her time at Lexis special. I know you have made amazing friendships with lots of people and you will really be missed.

Next we said goodbye to Reto Glur from Intermediate, and Stefan Odermatt and Severin Schirmer from Pre-Intermediate. Reto gave a lovely speech in very accurate English. Stefan praised his teacher Kathleen and all the Lexis staff for their help. Kathleen commented that Stefan had had some wonderfully authentic English language practice dealing with all the paperwork for his new camper van and that Severin had certainly learnt about the dangers of the Australia sun but never lost his sense of humour.

Next up, we said a fond farewell to two students from our IELTS class; the lovely Haejung Choi from Korean and Mariana Maciel de Albuquque from Brazil. Haejung has studied at Lexis for six months in total and he really loved his IELTS class even though his teacher commented that sometimes he would just disappear in the middle of a lesson!

Mariana is sitting her IELTS exam on Saturday and is sure to do really well. She said that Lexis Byron Bay was a special place – like a family –  and she was grateful for the help she had received, the people she had met and the way her English has improved.

And last but not least, Toby Kobel from Elementary said farewell. His teacher, Marie, told us how his English had improved so much that he could now argue in English and that he had spent all morning arguing with her that kebabs originated in Germany!

We will miss all of you very special people. You are all the students make Lexis Byron Bay such a lovely place to be. Goodbye and good luck.

I

It’s going to be very stormy again all weekend but have no fear!! There’s lot’s of things to do this weekend. Here is a guide to this weekend in Byron:

Markets & Events:

Uplift Festival at Byron Sports & Cultural Complex(11th -14th December)
Artisan Market at the Railway Park (Saturday 13th,4-9pm)
Christmas Carols at Tweed Gallery, Murwillumbah (Sunday 14th, 11.45am-12pm)

Gig Guide:

Friday 12th December:
The Northern – The Lazys
The Rails – Pink Zinc (7pm)
The Beach Hotel – Akova (5pm) Waxhead (9pm)
Woody’s – DJ Jon (8pm)
The Brewery – Mrs DJ set with Renee Simmons (7.30pm)
Ginger Pig – Hot Sex Chocolate (7pm) DJ Chris Bradley (9.30pm)

Saturday 13th December:
The Northern – Gay Paris, Valhalla Lights,Hammers, DJ Chris Bradley
The Rails – Dirty Channel (7pm)
The Beach Hotel – Rhythm & Cutloose (9pm)
Woody’s – DJ Sanchez (8pm)
The Brewery – Tristan O’Meara Band (7.30pm)
Ginger Pig – Hot Sex Chocolate (7pm) DJ Chris Bradley (9.30pm)

Sunday 14th December:
The Northern – Jesse Pumphrey
The Rails – Samba Blistass (4pm) Betty Blistass (6.30pm)
The Beach Hotel – The Feramones (4.30pm) DJ Taya (8pm)
The Brewery – Brewery DJs (12pm)
Ginger Pig – DJ Chris Bradley & Guests (3pm)

Yesterday afternoon, Lexis regular guest instructor Joshee set up his slackline and gave a group of Lexis students (and teacher Marie) an introductory lesson.

Everyone did really well, as you can see from the pictures below.

Joshee will be back in January for more slacklining fun!

This week at Coffee Club, Juliette started the conversation off by showing us how to dunk our Tim Tams in our capuccinos and suck up the coffee through a deliciously melted Tim Tam straw!! Hours of fun!

We got chatting about everyone’s Christmas traditions in their own countries and what they are looking forward to about Christmas in Australia. Next week Juliette will continue her epic Tim Tam & coffee lessons!

Julien is one of 13 students that took their FCE examination last Tuesday after 12 weeks of dedicated hard work and study. We asked Julien to tell us about his time in Byron Bay.

For my first month in Australia I stayed with a host family. I think that being in a homestay is a good thing because you can speak with the family and have dinner together. At first I found the Australian accent so hard to understand! I remember the first two sentences I heard; I understood nothing but it soon got better. Then, after one month I moved from my homestay into the Lexis student house.

The student house was so cool! It is next door to the school and really close to town. This makes it easy to take a bike and go surfing, or go out at night time.  Another thing that makes it really good is that there is a mix of people from different places around the world living there.

Life in Byron is so cool. Every day you can wear a singlet, no shoes and shorts. Classes finish quire early in the afternoon so you can take your bike and go surfing, or do other things in town. And Aussie people are so friendly! They drink a lot of beer here – I like that. And there are live music shows every night and it is usually free. You can trust Australian people to tell the truth – it’s safe.

My English has improved too. I was so bad at the beginning but now I am really good at listening and understanding, and my speaking has definitely improved too.

The First Certificate Cambridge Course was difficult at the start as it had been a long time since I studied English. But as time went on, it was so good. We all stayed in the same class together for three months and all my classmates were at the same level of English, so we worked together.

What do I think of Byron Bay?

Byron Bay is the best place in the world to learn English. It’s not a big city. There are no high apartments and city buildings. But there are so many things to do.

It is a touristic place so you can meet people from around the world here. I have met people I will always stay in contact with. And now if I travel to visit other countries, I have places to stay.

My final words? cheer up, enjoy life. Enjoy Byron Bay

Do you need some extra cash to buy your lovely teacher a Christmas present? The festive season is here! Here’s a list of available jobs this week in Byron:

Echo Paper Deliverer
Suffolk Park beachside. Must have ABN and reliable car.
Phone Simon 6684 1777

Chef
Wanted for busy Byron Bay restaurant. Must be energetic, hardworking, reliable.
Phone Dan 0466 885 358

Energetic Hip Hop Teacher
Wanted for 10 hours per week at large dance school in Byron area. Must be proficient in another style also (jazz/ballet/contemporary/tap).
Email resume to: info@brunswickvalleyschoolofdance.com

Sales Assistant
Wanted at Santos Fruit & Vegetable. Part-time position for a grounded, proactive team player with a passion for health/ organics to assist manager. Experience preferred. Applications close 12th December. Immediate start.
Send resume to: andrew@santostrading.com.au

Head Chef, Chef & Experienced Bar Tenders
for busy cafe in Byron. Must be hard-working, reliable & able to manage busy beakfast, lunch and dinner service.
Email: yatzekb1@yahoo.com.au

Breakfast Chef
Required in Byron Bay. Click here to see ad and apply!

Barista
Minimum 2 years experience for busy cafe in Byron:
Click here to see the ad and apply!

Pedicab drivers needed!
Down Under Pedicabs. Meet lots of people, keep fit and get paid to do it.  Good $$ over Christmas and New Year’s. Click here to see the ad and apply!

Guesthouse Cleaner
Small Bed & Breakfast Suffolk Park requires rooms cleaning and errands including full house and kitchen cleaning. Immediate start. Click here to see the ad and apply!

Travel Consultant
Peterpans Adventure Travel needs call centre staff in Byron Bay. Excellent verbal and written (English) skills is a must, passion for travel, sales experience highly regarded.
Click here to see the ad and apply!

Floor Staff
Byron Fresh Cafe needs experienced waiters over the summer (2 years experience in hospoitality).  Must be available nights, weekends & all public holidays including Xmas Day & New Years Day. Must hold a current NSW RSA. Start Date Dec 20th. 25-35 hours from Dec 25th. Click here to see the ad and apply!

Waiter
Busy Byron cafe. Click here to see the ad and apply!

Tips:
Ask to speak with the manager when you go to hand in your resume.
Remember to smile, be friendly and try to engage in a conversation.
Come  to Job Club on Thursday if you need any help writing your resume!

Last week, Kathleen took her class out and about in Byron to get some first hand practice of using the Present Perfect tense.

Students wrote and asked questions to locals and holiday makers alike, using the present perfect. For example, “Have you been to Byron Bay before?” or “Have you ever eaten kangaroo.”

Perfect weather provided Pre-Int’s almost perfect students with the perfect opportunity to practise (see above), while the picture below show Fabien was concentrating in English while he waited for his team.”

We have four new students starting today in Byron!

Hong is from South Korea. He wants to study English to further his career back home. He is determined to make friends from all over the world to practise his English with – he doesn’t want to speak any Korean while he is in Australia!

Miguel is from Brazil. He studied Mining and Engineering at university and needs to study English in depth to get ahead in his line of work. He just got his new bike and is very excited to go and explore:

Brisa, from Brazil, will be with us for 3 months here in Byron. She wanted to come to a small town, away from the big cities that most students go to.

Adrien is from Corsica, France. He will be studying here for 2 months and then has 3 extra months to decide whether to stay and work in Byron or go travelling around Australia.

Welcome to Byron!!

On Wednesday after class a large group of students headed to the student lounge for the Lexis Byron table tennis competition. There  are some excellent players among the students here and there were some great rallies played!

There was also a big audience of students watching.

Simone had  some excellent games, as did Manuel. Simone just beat Manuel in the semi-final. But it was Jeremy, the previous table tennis champion, who won – again! He was rewarded with a six pack of beer which he generously shared with the other players- what a gracious sportsman.

Well done all who got involved!

It’s almost the weekend! Woo hoo! Keep in mind that it is still Schoolies weeks here in Byron and the Gold Coast, so there will be big queues at popular pubs and nightclubs, especially if you are going out late.

The Byron Artisan Market is on in Railway Park from 4pm onwards on Saturday. Live music and lots of interesting, creative things to look at and buy.

Also, The Byron Market is on Sunday along Main Beach walking area.Starts at 8am and happens every first and third Sunday of the month. It is a much bigger market with a great atmosphere, lots of people, food, and interesting things for sale (and interesting people selling them!)

Here are some of the other fun things to see and do at night time this weekend in Byron:

FRIDAY

Byron bay Brewery: 4’20’ Bud meets Skankstarz @ 7.30pm

Ginger Pig: DJ Mark Reedman DJ Viscocity @ 8.30pm

The Rails: Dave Scott Band

Treehouse: Kaura Cronin @ 7.30pm

The Northern: Pilots

Beach Hotel: Tom and Jarry

Byron Community Centre: Dance Like No-One’s Watching (A dance concert featuring amazing, high energy local dancers and musicians)

SATURDAY

The Beach Hotel: DJ Discrow @ 9pm

Pizza Paradiso: Pasando @ 7pm

The Northern: Millions, High Tales

Byron bay Brewery: DJ 1EyeSamurai

The Rails: The Strands 7pm

Treehouse: Shiny Shiny @ 7.30pm

Woody’s Surf Shack: DJ Sanchez

SUNDAY

Byron bay Brewery: Hiatus Koyote+ Remi +Kirkis +Silent Deejay @ 6.30pm

Ginger Pig: DJ Chris Bradley and guests @ 3pm

The Rails: Writers at the rails (this will include writers reading out some of their own poetry and written works- it might be good for practicing your listening skills!) @ 2pm

Treehouse: DJs – Gary Line and Eva J @ 2.30pm

The Beach Hotel: Caravana Sun 4.30pm, Captain Kaine 8pm

Byron Scout Hall: African Drumming and dance @ 10am

The Northern: Dan Hannaford (a really popular local musician)

Enjoy the weekend everyone

🙂

One thing that Byron has increasingly become home to is festivals! There are several big music festivals that happen every year in Byron bay. The biggest one of these is the Byron Bluesfest. It is a five day festival which showcases some of the best folk, blues and roots music from around the world.

The Uplift festival is on in December and is all about personal, spiritual and human growth. It will no doubt be an enlightening experience for all those who attend this year.

Although tickets to festivals in Australia can be expensive, there are sometimes opportunities to be involved and either volunteer or work at market and food stalls within these various festivals. Keep an eye on Gumtree.com.au and in The Echo for these opportunities. Alternately, visit the websites below.

	Uplift Byron Bay Thursday 11 December 2014 to Sunday 14 December 2014 Repeats annually. Future dates to be confirmed. Byron Regional Sport and Cultural Complex
	The Falls Music & Art Festival Tuesday 30 December 2014 to Saturday 3 January 2015 Repeats every year on the 30 of December North Byron Parklands – Byron Shire
	New Year’s Eve Community Celebrations Wednesday 31 December 2014 Repeats every year on the 31 of December
	Byron Bay International Film Festival Friday 6 March 2015 to Sunday 15 March 2015 Repeats annually. Future dates to be confirmed.
	Bluesfest (East Coast Blues & Roots Festival) Thursday 2 April 2015 to Monday 6 April 2015 Repeats annually. Future dates to be confirmed. Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm – Byron Bay

Yesterday after class  a small group of Lexis students jumped into the Lexis car and drove to the beach. Once we arrived we parked the car and began a coastal walk from Captain Cook lookout up to the Byron lighthouse.

The walk ascends up a path of stairs that winds through stunning coastal and tropical bushland. We were lucky enough to see huge butterflies, lizards and some colourful birds as we walked.

At the top, the walk opens up to stunning views of Tallows beach, a great spot for surfers and people looking for a quieter beach (with bigger waves) as compared to the beaches in the bay.

A hang glider platform sits a top the hills and makes or a beautiful look out where we took in the scenery and energy of cape Byron.

From there we walked to the lighthouse and took in the views from the most easterly point of Australia. We even saw a sea turtle playing in the water below!

The lighthouse is a great spot to understand the layout of Byron bay and how the town and surrounding areas are positioned. This is because you can see so many various locations from the top of cape Byron.

It was a beautiful and fun experience for all of us – the natural environment of Byron is some of the most stunning in Australia and we all agreed that we felt lucky to be here in this place.

It is the final month of 2014! There are some exciting activities happening at Lexis in December and loads of activities for students to try!

This includes two ping pong competitions, lots of Friday beach activities such as beach soccer, beach cricket and beach volley ball. Flavio is going to be back this month to teach us how to skateboard and his friend Josh will also be paying us a visit and teaching slack-lining.

There are movies with ice-cream, candy or pop corn every Thursday, yoga every Monday, coffee club and a special Christmas party and film screening on December 24th.

Have fun and enjoy 🙂

For more details see Anna in reception!

Every second Friday the Lexis Byron students celebrate the beginning of the weekend at the Beach Hotel, one of Byron’s most iconic pubs.

It is a great chance for students to talk to others who are studying at Lexis. It is also a great opportunity to further practice English, meet locals and enjoy some good Australian beer (Cooper Pale Ale is on special for $4.50 on Fridays – what a bargain)

There is also free bar snacks which the students usually make the most of too.

This week some of the students stayed back and played pool, winning against a few of the schoolies (year 12 school leavers) who are in town to celebrate finishing high school!

And best of all, Lexis student night it is a good way to connect and build friendships with people who are also travelling, far away from home, studying a new language and sharing a similar experience.

Last Friday, the pre intermediate class went to Byron library to discover how to access the library’s awesome resources including travel guides, music, dvds, magazines, free wifi, and really helpful librarians.

Here is a picture of the class out the front.

Falls Festival Stall workers: I am looking for workers to work in my temporary Airbrush Tattoo and other temporary tattoos stall in the falls festival.
Applicants should be presentable with good people skills, be able to work hard for long hours, be flaxible with their time and have a positive attitude.
No prior Airbrushing experiance is necessery (but is a great bonus) as I will be teaching you the work, but You must have a creative edge to you to be able to pick up the trade.
Please apply with picture. Click here.

Chefs and cooks wanted Australia’s leading casual dining restaurant is seeking enthusiastic and EXPERIENCED chefs and cooks to be based in Byron Bay. Full-time and casual posistions available. Must be available to work night, weekends and split shifts as required.. Own transport essential.Previous experience is mandatory. You must have excellent communication skills and be able to work calmy as art of a team. Permanent residency is desirable. Click here.

Sous Chef wanted at The Ginger Pig. Great package for the right candidate. Email your CV to james@gingerpigrestaurant.com.au

Macadamia Castle Cafe. Casual kitchen hand position for kitchen. Day shifts available.Start 22nd of December. Email application to helen@macadamiacastle.com.au

Qualified Massage Therapist. For an established clinic in Byron Bay. Text 0414 692 673

Housekeepers/cleaners required for The Summer House. Must be well presented and experiencedCasual position with own transport required. Please send resume to stay@thesummerhouse.com.au

Today we have six new students starting with us at Lexis Byron bay!

Laura is here from France and has transferred from the Lexis Noosa campus to spend some time in beautiful Byron. She transferred here with her friend Anna, who is from Rio in Brazil.

Norie is here from Japan and will be studying English before finding a job locally and working in here Australia.

Giulia is from Italy and has been in Byron bay for a while now, but has just moved schools to Lexis. She is expanding her working experience in the field of tourism, which is her profession back in her country.

Jean-Louis and Markus are here from Switzerland and have both come to improve their English and then do some travelling around Australia. Jean-Louis has no set travel plans yet but hopes to visit Tasmania. Markus is looking forward to seeing some of the  National Parks in the country.

A very warm welcome to all of you and enjoy your stay!