About OEA

Oceanside English Academy (formerly known as Comox Valley Intl College) has proudly operated from the Comox Valley for 15 years, establishing itself as a leading provider of experiential English in the beautiful, natural surroundings of rural Canada.

Whereas there are many choices for students wishing to learn English, Oceanside English Academy is firmly focused on:

  • small classroom sizes
  • hands-on, experiential English
  • a very safe, English-only cultural environment
  • the breathtaking natural setting of rural Canada
  • flexible class curriculum tailored to student goals

In other words, in Oceanside English Academy (OEA) you have discovered a boutique ESL school serving a full immersion experience. By attending OEA, you will become an integral part of the Comox Valley, gaining confidence as you use English in the community.

School Location

cvairportsign 300x221 About OEAOEA is located in the city of Courtenay, British Columbia, on the world-famous Vancouver Island. Recently, whales were sighted in the ocean just a few minutes from the school’s location!

This is a natural paradise which is a top tourist destination and a holiday destination for Canadians, too.

Vancouver Island is the largest island on the West Coast of North America, and is approximately the same size as Taiwan, with a population of approximately 1 million.

About 70,000 people live in the Comox Valley, of whom 96% of the residents speak English as their native language.

(Compare this to larger urban areas in Canada such as Vancouver or Toronto, where almost 50% of the population speaks English as a Second Language.)

For more information about Oceanside English Academy’s Full-Time, Part-Time and specialty programs, click here.

For a list of 10 Reasons Why OEA might be the perfect ESL school for you, click here.

About the Owners of Oceanside

Mike Flannery and Andrea Lee are the proud new owners of Oceanside English Academy. They are passionate world-travelers, teachers, coaches, writers and lovers of food and life.

Although they are both Canadian, they fell in love while living and teaching ESL in the smallest prefecture in Japan – Tottori Prefecture in the south, near Kyoto. That was the summer of 1992.

Click here to learn more about Mike and Andrea, and their philosophy on English language learning.