NEWS AND PROGRESS 2009

Independent English Course is an English course in Bogor which tries to serve school students, company employees, university students, office and company managers, civil servants, housewives, job seekers and anyone who wants to master English.

Independent is now teaching more than 70 (regular and private) students in Bogor and 129 students in Jakarta and other areas. School students come from some top schools in Bogor such Sekolah Regina Pacis, Sekolah Kesatuan, Sekolah Budi Mulia, SMP 1, SMA 1, SD Sukadamai 3 and many others. Among private students, some of them come from Bank Danamon and Bank Mega - Jakarta, Sekolah BPK Penabur - Sentul City, Kantor Kementerian Pendayagunaan Aparatur Negara-Jakarta, PT Gramedia-Jakarta, and others. Meanwhile, United Tractors (UT) School Jakarta also trusts Independent English Course to organise English training for their students for one year to prepare them to be global mechanics.

Independent English Course is implementing "Living Values" in the learning and teaching process so that it can be a language school which can help the nation to prepare human resources with respect and pride of living values.

PRIVATE COURSE FEE IN JAKARTA

For Private Classes outside Kota Bogor
(i.e. in Jakarta, Tangerang, Depok, Bekasi, Sukabumi, Kab. Bogor):
Registration fee = Rp 150.000 (1-5 students)
Course fee = Rp 250.000 / session
Book fee = Rp 25.000 - 50.000 / student (depending on the class/level)

This is my answer to Mr Ipunk Pahriputra, who has asked me about courses in Jakarta:

1. Untuk beberapa bulan hingga akhir tahun 2009, guru-guru yang menjadi partner saya sedang overloaded (memiliki kelas yang sangat banyak) sehingga untuk sementara saya belum dapat menerima siswa baru di Jakarta. Seandainya ada yang sangat membutuhkan kursus privat, untuk sementara ini saya sarankan menghubungi kursus bahasa Inggris lain yang ada di Jakarta lebih dulu.

2. Biaya kursus privat di Jakarta sangat tergantung pada beberapa hal:

a. Jenis kursusnya: general English, TOEFL Preparation, Bimbingan belajar, Writing, etc.

b. Lokasi: dengan mempertimbangkan jarak antara lokasi dengan tempat tinggal guru terdekat.

3. Secara umum, untuk kelas privat (1-5 orang) di Jakarta, biayanya adalah sekitar Rp 200.000-300.000 per group untuk setiap sesi (90 menit). Biaya itu sudah termasuk biaya pendaftaran, buku/materi, transport, placement test, dll., namun belum termasuk biaya sertifikat (jika siswa menghendaki).

4. Untuk setiap siswa privat, akan selalu ada surat pernyataan yang berisi: maksud/tujuan kursus, jadwal yang disepakati, biaya yang disepakati, cara dan jadwal pembayaran, peraturan tentang tugas-tugas, garansi dari lembaga saya dan lain-lain.

5. Apakah ada jaminan bahwa Anda akan bisa berbahasa Inggris? Ya, ada... namun, tentu harus disesuaikan dengan data awal Anda... Kalau hasil placement test menunjukkan bahwa level Anda masih Beginner 1 (Tingkat Dasar 1), Anda tentu tidak mungkin dapat meraih skor TOEFL 500 hanya dengan kursus privat 4 kali dalam sebulan... Juga Anda tidak mungkin naik ke Beginner 2 dalam waktu 3 bulan kalau Anda hampir tidak pernah praktek atau mengerjakan tugas-tugas... Bila seorang siswa bersungguh-sungguh belajar, bekerja sama dengan guru privatnya, tentu ada jaminan bahwa ia bisa berbahasa Inggris sesuai tingkat yang dipelajarinya.

6. Bila Anda benar-benar ingin mengambil kursus privat dalam beberapa bulan ke depan, saya mohon informasi mengenai tempat tinggal atau kantor Anda, nomor telepon atau nomor HP Anda agar guru yang akan saya kirimkan dapat mengetahui lokasi rumah/kantor Anda.

Terima kasih.

END-OF-YEAR THANKSGIVING

First of all I would like to thank God, who has given me a lot of blessing so that I can serve a lot of students this year (2008). I thank God for the opportunities he has prepared for me. It is also God, who has driven me to move one step further... to enter a different kind of “world”. Indeed... for him and because of him I have done all those things...

I thank my wife, Maria Gracia Maxi, and my son, Yohanes Maria Vianney Sutadi, who always support me... Both of you are my inspiration... you are everything for me...

Thanks a lot to Ibu Caroline T. Priyapto, my mother, who endlessly prays for me and my family. Thanks a lot to my brother and sisters: FX Sutyasno, Sr. M. Kristiana SND and Cicilia E. Atmintarsih for their love and care. Thanks a lot to Madame M.M. Martanti, my mother in law, and Mas Reza, Mas Tino and Mbak Jeny for their support.

To close this year, I also would like to thank Mas Ir A.M. Suryatmanta and his wife, Mbak Ir A. Susanti, both are the owners of Kumon Mathematics School in Jalan Sudirman Bogor, who have encouraged me to start my own English course. Their words triggered my will.

I would like to thank my working partners at Independent English Course: Miss Irma Lismayanti and Miss Ramadhani Nuryunawati for their great job this year.

I want to give my thanks to my current and former students who have always made me happy and courageous by giving me supports. I will never forget to mention them for their great help and friendship: Etty Nur Baety, Arief Kurniadi, Lorita, Rahmat Hidayat, Risa Guntari, Pramita Fitri, Maria Angela Turangan, Raynaldy, Rini Asmunati, etc.

Thanks a lot to my previous colleagues who have helped me in my previous job: Ms Dewi Lestari HW, Ms Siti Wastunnahari, Ms Latifah Soraya, Mr Amir Syarifuddin, Ms Suprihati Sarlan and Tarmaji. I thank Mr Budianto Wijaya, Mr Satyadhi Hendra and Mr Udaya NH for their guidance when I still joined their company.

I would like to thank Mr Ir Mamul Zein, chairman of HIPKI DPC Kota Bogor, Ibu Ratmi and Bapak Drs. H. Ridwan Jamaluddin from UPTD Dinas Pendidikan Dasar Kecamatan Tanah Sareal, and Bapak Bambang Gunawan SH, MSi, head of Dinas Pendidikan Kota Bogor, who have helped me to establish Independent English Course by issuing recommendation and course licence.

I’d like to express my gratitude to some private students who have trusted me to help them this year: Miss Lorita, who became my first private student at Independent, Mrs. Dr. Nurhaimi Haris, who trusted me to help her to prepare her paper presentation, Mr Dr. Uhendi Haris, who gave support both to his wife and me so that the private lessons could run well. Thanks to Pramita Fitri and Risa Guntari, who kept helping me when I needed them. I’d also like to thank Mrs Yulianti Rosdian, Mrs Tanti Kusumayati, Mrs Nurjanah and Mrs Tuti Herawati from SMAN 7 Bogor, who have trusted me to help them prepare their bilingual lessons. Thanks a lot to Mr Rizal Ponto, Tubagus Riezky and Pramesti.

I also want to thank my great friends at Exultate Choir (Pak Simon, Pak Ludo, Bu Ludo, Mas Gago, etc.), St Theresia Choir (Pak Jack and friends) and BMV Choir, who have given me support and can understand my shortcoming to serve them.

I cannot deny that I learn a lot from some VCDs/DVDs and books written by great Indonesian motivators and successful people such as Pak Tung Desem Waringin, Pak Mario Teguh and Pak Purdi E Chandra. They have given me a lof of inspiration.

Finally, I thank you all for your time to read this blog.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
God bless you all.

(Thomas A. Sutadi)